Sometimes coding can be such an art form that it deserves to be a masterpiece in a museum. Developers are proud of their code—at least until the so-called art critics (aka testers) step in with their critiques. And then the rapport can swiftly become as messy as a painter’s palette. You have probably seen this scenario play out time and again at your organization. In the mad dash of a software release, the relationship between developers and testers can quickly become stressful and strained. And while your teams know about helpful tools that can streamline collaboration, you may not be aware of other steps you can take that go beyond the screen to ensure an even better developer-tester relationship.
Full disclosure: At my organization, we’re in the software testing business and we’re not playing favorites when it comes to testers versus developers. We’ve just learned a thing or two about what makes a happy collaboration for all the parties involved. And we’ve seen that organizations that improved their developer-tester alignment not only accelerate a smoother release cycle but also leave no hard feelings on the table for the next time.
Leave the Keyboard, Take the Cannoli
Developers and testers will find that if they move their interactions away from the keyboard, they’ll discover that sweet spot of improved communication and transparency. Whether at your daily standup, over a cup of coffee or by simply picking up the phone, spending a few minutes chatting can address miscommunications before they become major problems that can delay your release.
If something seems off, bring it up as early as possible. Take, for example, the classic case of missed requirements. One of our customers recently shared a story with us that really hit home. At the top of the sprint, a particular user story included only seven acceptance criteria–which caught the attention of one of the developers. He pointed it out in a conversation with the testers and business analysts on the project. Together, the group identified four additional acceptance criteria missed during the initial scoping.
Without that conversation, the team would have assumed those seven acceptance criteria were the only ones that tests needed to be written against. A number of defects would have slipped into production, and it wouldn’t have been the software developers’ or the testers’ fault. Instead, the testing team realized significant gaps in test coverage and their test plan grew from seven to 40 test cases.
The takeaway? Make sure that developers, testers and business owners are clear on how business requirements align with what software developers plan to build, as well as how testers plan to test against them. Have this conversation before the sprint begins—and don’t forget the cannoli.
You Complete Me: In-App Test Management
“I love documenting test plans in spreadsheets!” said no one, ever. All that manual work just takes time, introduces errors and leads to frustrations among developers and testers who have to go digging for the information they need. Adding a Jira app, for example, for test management can be the key to completing the alignment between teams.
In-app test management gives both teams real-time data for decision-making and collaboration with built-in reporting on testing. That means that software testers can fully plan, design, track, and analyze testing activity within the same workflows that developers and testers are already using. For developers, there’s no need to ask testers for status updates or results. And testers can quickly see how tests align to requirements, which helps them brainstorm additional tests and provides developers better context and information to develop around.
The cherry on top? The entire team can maintain true traceability between requirements and test coverage, which both minimizes finger-pointing and ensures that everyone has a clear picture of what’s required before the release is ready to ship.
There’s an Awful Lot you can Tell About a Person by Their Software
As Mama always said, shoes tell where someone is going and where they’ve been (mic drop, Forrest). By talking the talk and walking the walk in a counterpart’s shoes, developers and testers can better understand each other’s worlds. In-app test management can give developers a window into the tester’s thought process, because it shows them not only test status but also how a tester arrived at a particular defect. After gaining this familiarity, developers may be more open to inviting testers to sit in on traditionally dev-focused activities.
Take unit testing or code reviews, for example. Most QA teams tend to steer clear. But by joining in, testers can ask questions and grasp which pieces will be validated at the unit, integration, and functional levels. A bonus is that testers get an inside look at the codebase, helping them develop more technical knowledge, as well as collaborate with developers on how the unit tests they plan to run–gasp!–fit into the overall picture of quality and release readiness.
Remember, the true purpose of QA is to provide information that verifies that the application works well enough to be put in front of customers. By understanding the testing that’s going on at the unit level, QA can be more efficient by focusing on what’s not being covered in unit tests.
The result? A more cohesive, effective test plan and a release that the whole team–developers, testers and business owners–can be proud of. In other words, a release masterpiece.
