Susan Windsor Insight Through Intelligence WMHL Consulting Limited, MD

1. Future Opportunities for Testers EuroSTAR 2005 Susan Windsor Insight Through Intelligence WMHL Consulting Limited, MD Title slide

2. Be Creative to get the Message OverBUT be careful!!

3. Setting the Context

4. Global Business Challenges Management models Culture Business view of IT services Testing span of influence Current Future Opportunities for growth Levels of responsibility Skills required Information formats Attracting the right people Understanding our needs Identify source of resource Assessment Training AGENDA – Plan Your Future

5. Global Business Challenges

6. Management Models Experienced Testers already know all about Reconciliation!

7. Outsourcing – Business Driven 90% of 2004 projects failed to meet their objectives Experienced Testers already know all about SLA’S

8. Culture Dimensions Universalism-Particularism Individualism-Communitarianism Neutral-Affective Specific-Diffuse Achievement-Ascription Sequential-Synchronic Internal-External Control Variables Country Industry Religion Job Function Age Corporate Climate Education Gender Culture Model – Key for Managers Every project has different cultures, IT build and production, business, suppliers…. The more senior the Tester role, the more important interpersonal skills become

9. Universalism versus Particularism

10. Specific and Diffuse Encounters Public space Private space Danger Zone

11. Culture Model Summary • Country is important but NOT the only variable! • Experienced Managers know to how to reconcile • To flourish in the Global market Test Managers need new interpersonal skills • All of us sit somewhere on this culture model, where does our industry need our Test Managers to be?

12. E-Readiness Evaluation • Connectivity and technology infrastructure 25% • Business environment 20% • Consumer and business adoption 20% • Legal and policy environment 15% • Social and cultural environment 15% • Supporting IT services 5%

13. E-Readiness – 2004 Rankings

14. Business View Of IT Services

15. Severe Lack of Confidence 40% of business leaders have low confidence All we have to do is find a way to get our message across!!

16. Success criteria for the Business Recognise value of “Excellent” team Very proactive at shutting down failed projects Spend more than 20% of budget on gaining competitive advantage Excellent relationship management skills Meet business more than half way – have business knowledge and excellent communication skills What about the CIO……? How can we as testers best support them to be successful?

17. ….. And how they are measured? What are their challenges? • Building a team they can trust • Having reliable progress reporting • Organisation structure can work against success • 25% will change jobs in next 12 months • 50% will change jobs within 2 years • Lack of career plan Within “testing” we have the widest spectrum of roles of any IT profession We also have the knowledge and ability to identify failing projects – key benefit to senior management

18. Testing Span Of Influence

19. Today for a Single Project Acceptance Milestones Build & Test Business Operations Warranty Support & Maintenance Initiation Unit System (functional & non functional) Integration Data Environments Support UAT Performance Security Recovery Reliability Opps procedures Write Test Strategy Basic Monitoring Test fixes Regression Outsource Outsource Outsource Outsource Outsource External Influences Consultants Business Partners Suppliers Products

20. Senior Test Authority Owns Project Intelligence™ End-to-End Supports Stakeholder Involvement/Project Assurance/Governance Initiation Build & Test Business Operations Warranty Support & Maintenance Unit, System Integration Data Environments Much more NF testing ManageUAT Usability testing Support business procedures Manage Performance Security,Recovery Reliability Opps procedures DR Own & Implement PI Strategy AndTest Strategy Basic Monitoring Test fixes, Regression Causal analysis Automation coverage Business continuity monitoring Outsource Outsource Outsource Outsource Outsource External Influences Future for a Single Project

21. Opportunities For Growth

22. Take More Responsibility

23. Management General management Business knowledge Interpersonal Communications Negotiation Flexibility Understand all test activities Design Project Intelligence™ Usability Automation Non-Functional Rapid growth as percentage of overall test effort, e.g. Performance Security Reliability & recoverability Automation Increased Skills and Competencies

24. Why Competencies are Important Behaviours that are useful to the extent that the individual AND the organisation can derive benefit from them Other familiar terms • Capabilities • Standards of performance • Critical success factors • Criteria • Dimensions • Traits • Abilities Their Value • Improved career development • Obtaining a closer match between an individual and the requirements of the role • Underpin the recruitment/assessment process • Avoids snap decisions by interviewers that result in being put into the wrong role for you • Support the organisations culture and values

25. Project Intelligence Manager’s Goal • To build an integrated Project Intelligence Framework™ that integrates benefits realisation management with a measurement and reporting system based on best practice management, testing, review and evaluation practices • To continuously report upon progress, proactively chase down results, and take part in key decisions through the project, from inception to realisation of business goals.

26. Skills Project Management Business knowledge Test Management Test Consultancy Proficient knowledge of testing techniques for functional and non-functional testing Contract management. Monitors contracts to ensure SLA’s ,met and reports on supplier performance. Competencies Excellent communications skills, at every level in organisation and using every dimension – written, verbal, auditory and visual. Flexibility and resilience to continue to make progress against many challenges Demonstrate understanding of value different cultures bring to the project environment Understanding of multi-site management techniques Project Intelligence Manager’s Role

27. Attracting the Right People

28. Marketing our Needs

29. Consulting Organisational change Business continuity Management Project Managers Business Managers Design Usability – marketing and business users Automation – IT design and programmers Functional Administration Business users Performance Performance architects Network analysts Security IT design IT architects Automation Programmers Reliability Operations Database analysts Sources of Resource

30. ROI for Assessment and Recruitment • Assessment is expensive – it takes between 3 and 6 months to know if you’ve made the right decision • Provide an assessment framework for each role • Testing skills • Practical ability • Interpersonal skills • Assessment process must have feedback capability for continuous improvement of the process

31. Generic Assessment Process • 1 - Define Requirements • Define Role • Set the context for the role • Define the Competencies required – operational and interpersonal skills • Tailor selection process to meet this specific need from this framework of options Proceed with selection process • 2 - Selection • Review CV’s • Short telephone interview • Application Questionnaire • Operational skills aptitude test • 3 – Assessment • Practical operational skills aptitude test • Interpersonal skills questionnaire • Structured Interview • Role play group exercise • 4 – Recruitment • Personality profile • Final structured interview Go to next stage Recruit Or need More info Recruit

32. Tailored Assessment Process Application Aptitude Test CV Telephone Interview Practical Test Interpersonal Skills Test Structured interview Personality Test Final Interview Testers N Y Y Y Y Y N Y N Specialist Non-functional Roles N Y Y Y Y Y N Y N N Team Leader Y Y Y Y Y Y Y N Test Manager (20 plus) N Y Y Y Y Y Y Y N Test Manager (50 plus) Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y N PI Manager Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Screen out candidates Recruitment Decision

33. Training Needs • Tie training plan into career progression • People have the right to be supported with relevant training programme for each skill • Provide “follow through” to quantify benefits • Continuously improve the training • NOT just formal education, MUST include practical assessment for “on the job” training too

34. In Summary – Industry Needs Us • To understand, and step up to global market challenges • Not to be phased by complex projects • To build trust between business and IT leaders so that full advantage can be gained from new technology • To ensure investment is spent wisely and business goals are met • To grow our skills (management, interpersonal, technical) to support every single one of these demands The only people who can stop us being taken seriously are us!!!

35. Thank You You have the skills and knowledge You have endless opportunities Susan Windsor WMHL Consulting Ltd - MD susan@wmhl.co.uk www.wmhl.co.uk Project Intelligence™ has been created in collaboration with Systeme Evolutif www.evolutif.co.uk Closing slide