Three ways to make intelligent effort in testing

A British art critic, John Ruskin, once said: “Quality is never an accident. It is always the result of intelligent effort.” This is more than accurate in the complex world of embedded systems testing, where the best results can be achieved only by adopting a deliberate, systematic, and thoughtful approach to the process. All my life I have been energized by learning different aspects of organizing and doing work better, to do smart work. Based on my research and personal experience with testing Variable Frequency Drives and other industrial automation devices, I would like to discuss how to implement a tri-factor system that combines making informed decisions based on metrics with risk analysis and experience-based techniques (such as exploratory testing) to optimize effort and get big things done in an efficient manner. This system was initially implemented for one of the projects and saved about 4 months total of the testing effort and enabled us not only to release faster than expected but also to improve our results and processes. It covers a blend of things we do in testing – developing, troubleshooting, and executing tests, managing projects, and directing teams distributed across different locations and time zones, with one thing in mind – excellence is not achieved by chance, but an accurate and results-oriented effort.