When:
May 29, 2008 at 6:45 PMWhere:
BCIT Burnaby Campus. Townsquare D in building SE2What:
Increasing Test Effort Estimation Effectiveness
Trevor Atkins, Principal Consultant, Silverpath Technologies
Abstract
Each of us has very likely had to do an estimate in the past, whether it was for a set of assigned tasks, for a project, or for an entire organization. As a tester, the question is frequently presented as, "How long will it take to test this product - and how many people do you need?" and then the person asking stands there, likely somewhat impatiently, and waits for the answer. Depending on information and time available, your formula for estimation can be made increasingly detailed to factor in different influences and trade-offs in scope, resources and schedule. As more understanding of what influences your estimate is gained and more iterations of the estimate are completed, you may find your model increasing in sophistication; akin to the increase in understanding gained between Dalton's and Bohr's atomic models. There can be many approaches to the effort estimation of a given project and some will fare better in different circumstances than others; what is important is to have a strategy that allows you to approach the task in a systematic manner with a defined yet flexible technique – a significant practical advantage that allows further research and experimentation to improve the methods used to arrive at increasingly valid estimates.About Trevor Atkins
Trevor Atkins is Principal Consultant with Silverpath Technologies (www.silverpath.com). Most recently he was a Regional Director of Quality Services with UST Global and before that he was a founder and the Vice-President Operations of QA Labs, the largest software testing company in Canada. With a degree in Electrical Engineering from UBC, Trevor has been involved in all aspects of hundreds of software projects for the last 12+ years with a primary focus on quality engineering and testing activities, dedicated to the design and improvement of quality processes for use across projects and organizations.Past Meetings
