What Ive learned about Agile Testing

I started on an agile team last August. In the past few months, I’ve be exposed to a wide range of agile-ness as we have learned to adapt it for different projects and struggled to make it work for us. I have found great worth in some of its practices, and unfinished mess in others. As a team, the company has had to switch practices and courses a few times. The cool thing is that we are able to. No one is so stuck on procedure as to not admit that it could use tweaking. And where procedure was too lax, people have asked for more.

Here is what I’ve learned as the QA department has grown up and around the development teams:

– Agile doesn’t mean “No Processes” it just means flexible processes

– Documentation is more a struggle. Shortcuts made in the name of agileness and flexiblity have been huge road blocks in my testing effort. We are still sorting out the right place for them. Something that allows for creativity and adjustments, but still leaves us with a solid document to test against.

– Trying to keep meetings short by cutting out discussion is pointless and unhelpful. Structuring meetings to allow for quick agendas and then discussion time is priceless.

– Transparency between departments and code reviews are QA’s best friend, even if it takes more time at first.

– Short iterations mean quick test cycles. This means you need to have as much ready before had as possible – test plans, test suites – both automated an manual, report templates etc can all help keep you on track.

– Managing an agile team means knowing when to step back. The team is responsible to each other, not to you.

– Be flexible. This should be obvious, and maybe it is to some. But in my experience, learning agile meant learning to contort your testing efforts to the time and space available. That doesnt mean you should let your team get pushed around, but it means that you have to be willing to do the agile dance along with everyone else.

– QA needs to make its needs known. Don’t let yourself get deadlines pushed back and back until you are the one left struggling to pick up all the slack. Just because deadlines can change mid cycle now, doesn’t mean that your team has to sacrifice thoroughness in the name of changing requirements and speed.

– Communication is even more important – with things changing and people having so much freedom with their work, if you have a bad communicator, your whole project is at risk.

I am sure this list will grow in the coming months. For those of you who are new to Agile testing- what have you learned? Was it what you expected? Have there been any roadblocks on your project?