The role of the Test Manager (TM) is
different in an Agile environment than in a traditional environment. In
traditional methods, a test manager is responsible for assigning resources to
projects, monitor the progress of the testers, review and provide feedback and
train the people who need it. In Agile practices,
testing moves closer to development. The developers learn testing techniques
and the testers become aware of some smart development tricks.
The TM is the lead of the testing part of
the Agile Approach. His role in Agile elevates to a higher level as compared to
the traditional model.
- The TM helps in transitioning a
project from one development model to another. He provides the necessary
understanding and insight to the team through this difficult process of
migration.
- He is the main advisor to the team on
how to cope up with quality. Some organizations do not put enough importance on
testing and quality assurance.
The Test Manager is responsible for supervising quality across the entire project.This
may involve restricting product releases due to core quality issues. It may
also imply recruiting new members in the testing team and explaining the
customer, the extra cost required by the project.
- He is responsible for the support,
mentoring and development of the testers. The TM is experienced enough to
understand the growth plans of the company and further plan the growth of the
group under him. The test manager can set up training sessions and help in the
development or acquiring of new skill sets by the team members.
- In the absence of a team member, the
TM can step up and fill in the work gap. Thus, at times the TM also requires to
contribute at an individual level
- Facilitates the communication between
different teams across different Agile projects. Allocates an reallocated
resources, thus increasing efficiency and productivity.
- Provides an aggregated report of the
testing to the management. He acts as a buffer between the team and the
decision making process of the senior management. He integrates the management
strategies into the test organization. Also the TM is responsible to push back
on bad ideas as the team members may not have the time or the experience to
realize itis a bad idea. The TM analyses and explains the senior management the
possible side effects of the inappropriate approach.
The success factor of the TM includes
- Building inter-staff trust
relationships.
- Improving the skills and capabilities
of the testing team.
- Trusting the approaches and working
methods of the different teams and facilitating it rather than dictating
preferred approach.
Conclusion
The TM is the first member of the team
with privileges for corporate purchases. They work closely with their
management counterparts and collaborate on cross discipline objectives,
budgeting and scheduling. They also work with development managers to integrate
coding and testing to achieve a profitable development cycle.
