SPaMCAST 375 – Quality Essay, Estimating Testing, Discovery Driven Planning

This week’s Software Process and Measurement Cast opens with our essay on quality and measuring quality. Software quality is a simple phrase that is sometimes difficult to define. In SPaMCAST 374, Jerry Weinberg defined software quality as value. In our essay, we see how others have tackled the subject and add our perspective. Jeremy Berriault brings the QA Corner to the first SPaMCAST of 2016, discussing the sticky topic of estimating testing. Estimating has always been a hot button issue that only gets hotter when you add in testing.  Jeremy provides a number of pragmatic observations that can help reduce heat the topic generates. Wrapping up the cast, Steve Tendon discusses the topic of discovery driven planning from his book, Tame The Flow. Discovery driven planning is a set of ideas that recognizes that most decisions are made in situations that are full of uncertainty and complexity. We need new tools and mechanisms to avoid disaster. Help grow the podcast by reviewing the SPaMCAST on iTunes, Stitcher or your favorite podcatcher/player and then share the review! Help your friends find the Software Process and Measurement Cast. After all, friends help friends find great podcasts!   Re-Read Saturday News We continue the re-read of How to Measure Anything, Finding the Value of “Intangibles in Business” Third Edition by Douglas W. Hubbard on the Software Process and Measurement Blog. In Chapter Three, Hubbard explores three misconceptions of measurement that lead people to believe they can’t measure something, three reasons why people think something shouldn’t be measured and four useful measurement assumptions. Upcoming Events I am facilitating the CMMI Capability Challenge.  This new competition showcases thought leaders who are building organizational capability and improving performance. The next CMMI Capability Challenge will be held on January 12 at 1 PM EST.  http://cmmiinstitute.com/conferences#thecapabilitychallenge The Challenge will continue on February 17th at 11 AM. In other events, I will give a webinar, titled: Discover The Quality of Your Testing Process on January 19, 2016, at  11:00 am EST Organizations that seek to understand and improve their current testing capabilities can use the Test Maturity Model integration (TMMi) as a guide for best practices. The TMMi is the industry standard model of testing capabilities. Comparing your testing organization's performance to the model provides a gap analysis and outlines a path towards greater capabilities and efficiency. This webinar will walk attendees through a testing assessment that delivers a baseline of performance and a set of prioritized process improvements.    Next week even more!   Next SPaMCAST The next Software Process and Measurement Cast is a panel discussion featuring all of the regulars from the Software Process and Measurement Cast, including Jeremy Berriault, Steve Tendon, Kim Pries, Gene Hughson and myself.  We prognosticated a bit on the topics that will motivate software development and process improvement in 2016. Shameless Ad for my book! Mastering Software Project Management: Best Practices, Tools and Techniques co-authored by Murali Chematuri and myself and published by J. Ross Publishing. We have received unsolicited reviews like the following: “This book will prove that software projects should not be a tedious process for you or your team.” Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.