Core values of test planning

- [Instructor] Throughout this course we have covered a lot of applications and approaches to test planning. Every new app that lands on your desk brings with it a whole host of new opportunities, experiences and challenges. Change is an integral aspect of the quality process, technology in the app sector is constantly evolving and a good quality team evolves with these changes. While I have enforced the importance of flexibility, there are core values to build a foundation for every project you plan. These things don't change from project to project and are at the heart of every process you design. You might be testing the latest app for the newest innovation in phone technology but you will still need to return to these values every time you embark on a new project. First, always remember your plan is crucial to your success. When feedback frustrates your development partners, return to the test plan. As long as you're keeping focused on what was agreed to test, these complaints are moot. You're doing what was agreed. Listen to their concerns and if they seem valid and in line with the goals you established for the project, return to the test plan. If they want to pull in schedule, return to the test plan. If they want to add new features to the test, return to the test plan. If people are complaining about the models of phones, or carriers being tested, return to the test plan. Your test plans are the historical record where you can refer to what is supposed to happen and what is actually happening. If you find that the plan isn't addressing everything, make the document work. While I've made recommendations in these videos about what should be in the plan, you may have to make some adjustments to accommodate your product. The document needs to work for you. Without a plan you're working in a gray space, things are wishy-washy and it leaves everything about your process open to interpretation. Test plan is your roadmap, to not only getting from point A to B, it's your contract with development and other partners, whether your company has three people or three thousand. The test plan is a powerful tool to ensure you have boundaries, guidelines, and goals to successfully test your mobile product. Beyond the plan, document everything. Keep records of bugs, versions, and the data from the test. Keep a virtual paper trail of everything you do and all the data you deliver. Historical data is something you can refer to again and again. It may seem arduous, even exhausting, but good records go a long way to measuring success. Even the smallest bit of data from a past project that's useful to development or you is a big win. Documentation can take a lot of forms, you might be sharing feedback about a tracking system, you may have created some notes for testing, you might have even taken the time to write instructions to use a product. Whatever you do, keep a record of it because a lot of quality testing is done again and again. Keeping detailed records of these materials means you can reference them later. Last, be an advocate for the customer. While organizations brag about their connection to the customer, the quality team is where the customer validation lives. If a bad product gets into the hands of consumers they go back to quality and wonder why it didn't get caught in test. It's the quality team's role to look at issues from the perspective of the customer. When you present data, you are stating how this will impact the customer. The results you deliver should enforce feedback that directly impacts the customer experience. A good product isn't measured solely on whether it works or not, it's measured on the customer satisfaction it delivers. The quality team owns this part of the product and has to be an advocate for the customer during development. The real goal of all quality testing is to build better products. The mobile platform has a very easy onboarding experience and the uninstall process is even easier. Poor apps have a very short life span on mobile devices. They also have a tendency to get buried among other apps. The window for success on the mobile platform is very narrow and taking the right steps is more than just having an exciting and innovative product. Returning to your core values for planning your mobile project means you will have a better chance at delivering a quality mobile product.