Business and Software Testing: The Top 5 Challenges I See For Today -- Part 4B

 

I offer my skills, expertise, and time in exchange for the pay I get from a business [employer].  You too do that, right?  That's how I make a livelihood and take care of myself and my family.

That means the business is a critical entity to me!

If I do not understand the business, 

• I cannot do software testing and automation that adds value
• I will not be in a position to lead and deliver
• I cannot help myself to grow in the professional and competing world

This blog post is a sub-part of the blog post "The Common Challenges as a Software Tester and How I Overcome -- Part 4".

The business and its service as a software solution are in need of software testing

• But, what the software testing is supposed to be and what it has to do, is mostly driven from the project management and decision to the business
• That way it looks like a business problem
• It is a project management and decision problem that is made to appear as a business expectation
• This is a different and unique problem statement; the business carries it 
• I will share my experiences and learning on this in the next blog post -- Project and Software Test Engineering: The Top 5 Challenges I See Today -- Part 4C

In Software Testing,

• We focus on the risks as well
• With the help of my testing, I try to learn the risks and help the stakeholders to know about them

The same here!

• I try to learn the risks of the below five challenges
• Because, it impacts me, my team members with whom I work, and my family members
• By learning the risks, I will be better informed to make decisions so I can deal with the impact and have control of the situation

Here are the first few challenges that I witness in Software Testing around the Business context

1. My Work, My Fit, and Company Goals
2. Whose Opinion of Me Weighs and Influences My Growth?
3. Understanding the Decisions and Moves in a Project and Org
4. Sighting and Understanding the Dynamics of Changes
5. Being Hard to Replace -- The Myth

My Work, My Fit, and Company Goals

Why it is a challenge?

• I can get easily deceived here
• By believing I'm adding value to the organization
• And, get into thought I and my work is valued and needed
• But the manager and organization may have a different opinion
• It does not get communicated until one day when I'm called into a meeting that includes the HR staff

How I'm solving it?

• Read this blog post
• It is about learning how my work fits the company's goals
• I evaluate this consistently with my manager and her/his stakeholders
• Yet, there will be differences and mismatches based on multiple factors
• The business is one such critical factor

Whose Opinion of Me Weighs and Influences My Growth?

Why it is a challenge?

• Of course, how I see myself stands first and it is more important
• This is a challenge I have to balance throughout my lifetime
• In the business and political world, to be in a better position for what I earn, it is important for me to know -- How am I perceived by the one who is more authoritative, powerful, and influential in the decision?
• There is a person above my manager and all other managers, whose decision matters and maybe final
• Do I, my work, and the value addition from my work to the organization, are visible to this person?
• How does she/he perceive my work?
• How will my work be rewarded?
• This matters to me because my growth in the company and what I earn, depend on it
• I work for this!
• We all work for this, right?
• Yet not all get what one wishes for! Why?

How I'm solving it?

• To be honest, for most of the years, I said to myself  -- "My work speaks for itself, and no need to bring visibility to it"
• But, in reality, it does not go that way always
• Most times the manager who does One-on-One regularly will not have a clue about what I'm doing though we meet every month to discuss
• Then how someone else will know?
• This is the reality!
• Today,
• I step up and talk about my testing team's work and value
• Also I talk about the work and value added by other teams with whom I work as a team
• I step up and talk about my work and its value
• I step up and say how we are solving it as a team
• I step up and say what's my contribution to the team's work
• I find ways to bring visibility into my work, my role, and my value addition
• I advocate for it
• In a way, I'm a sales and marketing person for my work and presence
• If I do not sell and market my work and presence, no one will do it unless I have a supporting and strong manager
• I show how fit I'm to the equation of the organization's goals and plan of execution
• Yet, this is a challenge of [for] everyday
• I will be evaluated every day by different stakeholders
• My past accomplishments are history and it does not work in the long run
• What I do today and how I'm doing it, matters in alignment with the organization's goal
• Do I make a fit with my work and the value I bring and add? How?
• I will have to balance myself here in the business and political space

I ask and discuss with my manager -- How I and my work are perceived by the person who has the authoritative decision?  This helps me to see how I and my work are interpreted by different people. It helps me to discuss and clarify if it is being perceived in other ways.

I also talk and discuss with the authoritative person about

• My work
• The value being added from my work and my role
• My fit to the organization's goals and how I'm aligning with it

Understanding the Decisions and Moves in a Project and Org

Why it is a challenge?

• The decisions and moves that happen in a project and organization will have an influence on everyone
• Sometimes we will not be said why the decision is made, or, we will not even know a decision is made
• I will be annoyed and uncomfortable with the outcome and happenings from the decision made
• The decision can be in terms of
• What one draws as a salary and benefits
• The termination of certain roles and people
• Cut down on benefits and compensations
• How we work and deliver
• And, more
• This can make me be off trail and not align with the goals and decisions of project management and organization
• This sends a different perception about me to the project management and business
• This will surely not do good to me

We tend to talk or be annoyed about certain decisions.  But there will be some reason behind it; just we are not said or we do not see it

How I'm solving it?

• There will be reasons behind the decision made and changes happening or to happen
• My manager will also not be aware of why certain decisions are made
• I have to accept it
• I talk to my manager asking why a decision and change in the priorities when I observe it
• This is important to know
• Sometimes my manager may not share about it if it is not disclosable to my role and I respect it
• Talking and conveying the direction with what can be shared and cannot be shared is a skill!
• As I say, awareness is a skill
• When we are involved in the work we do, we lose sight and attention to what is happening outside the work on the floor and organization
• There are certain heuristics that we can use to identify the changes happening
• With whom we work
• With operations that are executed in our work
• For example,
• the number of meetings [increased or decreased],
• the calendar of my manager and of the authoritative person,
• the project and business tabulation,
• and more

The functioning of a service company is different from a tech product company.  Be it an enterprise or a start-up or a mid-sized setup, how the floor runs, is different.  I will have to tune myself to be a better observer and spot the changes.  The quicker I do it and discuss about it with my manager and the authoritative person, it helps me.

Figure out ways to know why certain decisions and changes are done in priority.  I do the same!  I use to get lost in my work and practice.  I would be unaware of what's happening in project management and business decision.

I'm learning and building the skills here for the last seven years.

Sighting and Understanding the Dynamics of Changes

Why it is a challenge?

• The outcome of decisions, changes, and changed priorities need not be bad always
• But, certain decisions and changes affect badly and it will be unexpected
• This will have long-term effects on mental health and physical health
• Being a leader, I should help my team to navigate through it with awareness
• At least, I should be in a position to give the heads-up
• This may not be possible always, but my team trusts me and I need to keep it practical and in the business orientation
• I should be in a position to handle it with my emotions in control
• The growth of my team people, my growth, and the benefits we earn can be impacted
• Business and its dynamics are so unpredictable, it changes and it brings an impact on people who are with it
• I have been impacted by it!
• In a way it is good that it happens
• But, can it be prevented and get off from being impacted?
• How to spot and understand the change and the dynamics of the change?

How I'm solving it?

• For first, I need to remain calm and not in the anxiety when there is an impact or when I spot the changes
• The floor reflects the changes; just I have to be observant
• I share the same with my team and tell them to spot a few heuristics
• For example
• If someone on your team who did not bother about what you are doing comes all of a sudden and asks for a demo of your testing, automation, and any of your work
• The regular catch-up or one-on-one is no more done or its frequency has increased
• The type of questions coming to you and what is expected in an explicitly said time period
• The body language
• How I'm included in the project and team for my role?
• Is my work appreciated in public on the floor?
• Did I get a personal message or email as appreciation and not as public as others in the team receive?
• And, more
• I should be in a place where I can spot it if something of this kind is happening
• Talking to people helps
• This is okay if it is something to do with me; that way I can fix it
• What if it is nothing to do with me or my work, but happening?
• I seek clarity from the person whose opinion matters and from my manager
• I see nothing can be done in much
• All is, I need to be skilled and be aware so that I don't put myself into the worst situation
• Today, I work to be a better observer in these areas each day
• I have not done it in the past as I was lost very much in my work and practice
• I missed the indicators which I could have used for my benefits and the team's benefits

As I said, know your organization and its business. Know your team and its people.  It is different from other organizations, businesses, and people.

Being Hard to Replace -- The Myth

Why it is a challenge?

• We are said and expected -- to be skilled and be so skilled it is hard to replace
• This is a myth!
• Software Testing is also helpful to break illusions and know the myths to which we are blind and biased
• When the software versions we build are replaceable, we, who are developing it are also replaceable
• If not by another version, the competitor will come up to replace
• It is about serving value that is needed and building the strengths to sustain being resilient enough
• I was in assumption, it is hard to replace if I'm skilled
• 10 years back, I learned, that's not actually the story
• I'm easily replaceable given the context demands it
• I saw my fellow team members being replaced
• I saw myself getting replaced
• We all are replaceable
• It is a norm in business, competitive and political space
• There is always a valid reason and necessity for business to do so
• It is easy to fall into the illusion that I'm contributing and adding value
• Well, I will be actually contributing and adding value
• But, it may not be needed anymore for the business and organization
• If not needed, what's next?  I need not say that to you, right?

How I'm solving it?

• I accept, I'm replaceable no matter
• what are my skills, expertise, personality, and 
• what value I bring and add to the board, organization, business, team, and product
• I keep myself in a position to not spoil my mental health and physical health
• I'm learning and being much more courageous than yesterday
• I ask for help when I need it with my network and communities
• I find alternative ways to have an income so that I help my family with the basic needs
• I also replace, what I see -- it has to be replaced
• By being better in
• Awareness
• Being contemporary
• Upskilling
• Being "the match and approachable"
• Being focused

Click here for returning to the blog posts:

• The Common Challenges as a Software Tester and How I Overcome -- Part 4
• Software Testing Practice: The Top 5 Challenges I See Today -- Part 4A
• Project and Software Test Engineering: The Top 5 Challenges I See Today -- Part 4C

My Work, My Fit, and Company's Goals

 

I, My Role and Expectations

At least once a day, it is useful to think about oneself.  I started doing this late in my life and career. I started doing it in recent years.  If I do not think about myself, I will be lost very soon.  This is not selfishness; it is self-care, which is what I'm learning.

It is essential for me to think about myself, because:

• It helps me to see what I'm
• It helps me to see where I moved today
• Does this move help me personally?
• Does this move help me professionally?
• What benefits does it bring me?
• What benefits does it bring to those with whom I associate and work together?
• Does it keep me in sound mental and physical health?
• Did I learn today?
• Something new?
• Anything I refined and unlearned?
• Does it bring any costs and cons to me?
• Am I fit?
• Fit to where?
• Fit to what?
• Fit? How?
• Fit? Why?
• Fit? When

In all the roles I take in my personal and professional life, I'm evaluated at some point in time.  I will be judged for:

• Did I fit?
• Did I do my role
• Did I meet the expectation?

The problem is not that I'm evaluated.

The problem is I'm evaluated without saying what makes me fit to be in the association and how I will have to meet the expectation.  Some associations can remove us while some cannot.

When I say this, I want to say this -- the word family is often misunderstood; not all associations can be a family although the word family is used often in associations.  This is reality and not a fact!

Does family eliminate me if I do not fit in?  I don't know!  At least the hope is, family is where I can be myself; without the thought of me being judged and evaluated for what I take and bring to the family.  My family as well have expectations from me in the different roles I live in with them.

When I can see this in my family, why don't I see this in the place where I work together with other people?

Do I fit in here for what I make out of this place (company) and take it to my family, home, and my life?

I wish my home and school had helped me learn this question early in my life!  I expect it now because I realize the "value of fit", now, that is, after I graduated and started to work with people in the organizations.

I consistently learn that every one of us is replaceable in any association, be it family or a workplace.  And, it moves on; it does not stop.  If not replaceable, it is manageable to continue and move on.

When we are in the association, how fit we are so that it is hard to replace?  Maybe that's a price (value) tag and a necessity of one!

The Response, That I Should Evaluate

As a responsible colleague and team member, I promote the discussion of this question at least once a month.  I ask this question to whom I report at work.

I will have this question in every one-on-one catch-up that I will have with my reporting manager.  And, I expect a response to this question and want it recorded for future reference.

What is that question?

How does my work fit in with the company's goals?

Evaluating the response:

• How do I evaluate the response to this question?
• What should I do on the evaluation of the response?
• Why should I evaluate the response?
• What should be my next course of action?
• After all, what is my response to this question and how do I evaluate it?

To get promoted to the next roles,

• I need to be solving the problem of my higher (or next) role
• I need to have the capability (skills) to solve problems of my higher role

But this is not a question of promotion.  It is the question of being fit for the company's goals.

While I get promoted or to be promoted, my work may still not fit with the company's goals.  Identifying this early helps.

I have learned, sometimes the promotion does not necessarily come with the fit for the company's goals.  But then eventually the fit will be evaluated at one stage by someone in the company together with a promotion given.

This has led me to ask this question consistently and then evaluate the response with the business, political and rational mindsets.

I say the same to my team, that is, ask this question for yourself and to the reporting manager.  Evaluate the response that comes to you.

Should you ask this question to your reporting manager in each month's one-on-one catch-up?

The Fit Equation Changes

In the team and company, we believe:

• We are contributing
• We are a value-adding fit type
  

We keep saying to ourselves how we make a great fit and difference.  Isn't it?

This "fit equation" keeps changing every day or quarter or year or appraisal cycle.  I learn, this "fit equation" keeps changing rather than evolving.

Adapting to this consistent change and delivering is evolving.  This is my understanding for today.

Biases, Communication, and Problem Solving

We all are in biased mindsets and perceptions at any point in time.  The people in the company need help to break these mindsets so that one's fit equation is questioned and assessed regularly.  In my opinion, this is a great assistance that a manager and a leader can give to her/his people.

I expect the managers and leaders to ask the company:

• What the company wants from the people?

We people in the company and in the team, let us ask the manager and leaders:

• What the company expects from me?
• What is my fit equation?
• Does the current work that I'm delivering fits the company's goals?

I have heard most times from people saying, "I was said that I did not fit with the company's goal".

How will one know what is the company's goals and how can one align with them unless it is communicated and recorded professionally?  I see, to start it needs communication, clarity, and affirmation first from both ends.

Does this solve the problem?  No!  It gives an onset to understand the problem and the differences to fix.  With this, the manager and leader can help the team, and vice versa, in solving the problem.  Thereby contributing to the company's goals by aligning with them.

If you are a manager or a leader, make sure you have this as an essential practice in monthly catch-up to assess this fit equation and let know your people.  I love seeing this initiative from managers and leaders.

This is one of the leader's fitness to be in the role to assist people and the company.  By doing so, we will help the company, business, employees, investors, and customers.

To reset this post's intent equation:

• How the work expected from me fit in with the company's goals?
• How does the work I'm doing fit in with the company's goals?

Communication, has explicit and implicit messages! Have you got them?

Besides all the technical work the testing team and a tester do, there are times the tester and her/his testing will take a hit.  Here is one such hit and how I solved it.  When working in an organization which is building a product, usually there will be multiple teams involved.  Likewise, multiple people on influencing and making the decision about the product, development and shipment.  Any one miscommunication here and the slipping of time, the testing team gets its time squeezed and cut, most times isn't it?  I have experienced it.

When I looked into what was the problem here and to solve it, I learnt these:

1. When decision makers communicate, they can have two types of communication being conveyed for teams. 
2. One is explicit communication - which is verbal and written.
3. The other is implicit communication - which is neither verbal nor written; but it is expected that it has to be understood by teams.

If the testing team don't catch the implicit communication, what could be the impact in the time given to testing?  It depends on magnitude of the problem!  Most times, the explicit communication made in a context as well goes misinterpreted by the teams.  If you are not part of that teams which misinterpreted and did it right each time, probably you had a better and standing leader in your team who solved the communication problem.

A simple heuristic here for the testing team and others who involved in this context -- How one can misinterpret what I said? Did I misinterpret in what is said?  One can be not that sharp in communication and interpretation, say.  But that number of team members with varied experiences level, are same in that skill?  Could be yes, then we have to help team; if not, then where is the problem?  Here the question is about solving and proceeding further so team can be of help to each others.

I lead the projects and testing delivery while I was working in Moolya Software Testing Pvt. Ltd. Having lead 55+ projects for different customers and its deliveries, in this role, I had to communicate with external teams (programmers and testers), internal teams (i.e. team within Moolya), sales team, recruit team, human resource for skill development programmes and management team (at customer place and in Moolya).  Especially working in the Startup projects will give the lessons very well, at least I have seen it for me.  Note here, if I had one misinterpretation with customer's communication and passing it to my teams in Moolya and to management, how impact that would be? Is it a big cost?  I did misinterpret in initial stages; but then when I observed it, I made sure, I will have to minimize it and keep it to zero if possible.  I worked on it and assisted the teams I was leading to practice it.  For example, say a feature and release date said by customer explicitly and I misinterpreted it. Further customer too assumed I got the message.  Were there any implicit messages here, which customer assumed that I have got it?  So do I assumed that I got it?  Once I found that I was struck with problem here in a project, I fixed it in me for first.  Note, my Moolya is always close to the tester in me!

Here is how I worked on it and continue to work on it. Despite this practice, at times I do still fail and I know I'm human and so are others.  All I check is what is the cost and value of what I did here!

Whenever I'm certain that I fully and completely understand the other person and teams without the benefit of clarifying questions, I ask myself this question -- If I weren’t absolutely, positively certain that I fully and completely understand, what would I ask?  This question helps as a trigger heuristic to know more about my understanding.  But will I do this each time?  No, I pick it in contexts which hints me something is missing. For example, when there is confusion arising in me or in teams; in the time of where major decision leads are being considered in decision being made.  If none of the team have confusion or questions, I still revisit on this and ask teams for saying what is been understood.  How I ask team members is another way of doing it. I will not get into that details, you see that's another challenge and problem to solve. Let me keep one problem here and focus on its solving.  If you said, who will do this when there is no time to do task which I have been assigned, fair enough.  In my role, I will have to do that until I get confidence -- this team or these team members can handle themselves in the situation by questioning and asking for clarification.  My role is not just to lead and deliver the projects.  I'm responsible and accountable for my team members skill development too - which is implicit expectation of an organization though it is not communicated in offer letter or in promotion letter or in promoted role.  If you don't agree or you say I should not be doing this, fine!  One day, when it comes and hits to you or to your team and organization, probably that is the whiteboard day.

I keep in mind that it’s in situations of absolute certainty in which I'm sure I understand and I say it to myself -- I'm most likely to misinterpret. I make it my responsibility to clarify my own terminology to ensure that the other person or team members understands me. As I provide clarification, I ask these questions to myself:

1. What assumptions might I be making about their meaning?
2. What assumptions might they be making about my meaning?
3. How confident am I that I’ve exposed the most damaging misinterpretations?

I see sometimes, people getting annoyed!  But my testing career experience have shown me, the decisions most times goes not conveyed well enough explicitly.  Later it is said, isn't that mean same or no change or there is a change, i.e. it is implicit.  Later, when taken implicitly and proceeded, I was asked why did I do that.  Now should I say -- that isn't implicit as last time?  Then answer is NO.  I decided that I should be avoiding this mistakes and I started to practice -- interpreting and getting clarified it, though few feels annoyed.  I see value here and cost of being catastrophic happening is high if went on assumptions for the implicit meanings that is not literally communicated.

The best solution for me is simply to try to heighten my awareness of the potential for misinterpretation.  I probably can’t catch all communication problems.  But if I do the best I can, and don’t allow myself to feel too rushed or too intimidated to ask for clarification, I should find that I'm in sync with the other person(s) or team(s). If I'm not, it’s better to find out early on, rather later when the consequences could be catastrophic.

I make sure, I ask questions and get it clarified.  I do insist on communicating verbally and in written about the explicit and implicit part of communication and clarification.  I hope this will be helpful to testers and others who work in a team and with teams to deliver the shipment on time.

To end this post, see this is not part of any technology stack, automation, testing, and roles.  It is about how we solve the problem that blocks the core problems which we are solving.  If you happened to see a value in it, do talk a word about it with your team member.  A change in team member or in you, can help your organization, your team, your product, your customer, your promotion and your salary.