12Dec/09Off
Matrices to understand large projects
When working large test projects, I have a couple of matrices that I try to develop early on to better understand who's doing what, where are they doing it, and when they are doing it. These include matrices that show:
- type or phase of testing by owner (including specific scope of coverage by team)
- type or phase of testing by environment (including data needs/integration dependencies)
- type or phase of testing by iteration (including dates, resources, and summaries of coverage for each iteration)
For me, these three views of the project can often paint a summary picture of everything that's happening. This allows me to quickly communicate to other project managers involved in the project or program. It also allows me to communicate updates in a format that those same PMs will take the time to look at. (I find very few people even bother to look at a 30+ page document that's been updated.)
December 13th, 2009 - 20:10
I’m curious,
Do project managers and stakeholders ask more questions as a result of viewing these matrices, or are they using them as a way to feel good about %completion stats?
Can you perhaps provide some examples of the data you track and how these are useful to the test effort and the project?
I agree totally that very few people will read a lengthy test report, so being able to summarise a lot of information can be a vital skill to have. I’m sure what you include changes on a case-by-case basis, but are there any staple data points that you use to show what’s going on in a way that’s meaningful?
December 14th, 2009 - 20:55
Hi Ben,
Most of the time, they provoke more questions. I’ll see if I can come up with some examples and scrub them for posting. It may be after the holidays, but I think they might be helpful to post.
Thanks,
Mike