Peter Zimmerer - Establishing Testing Knowledge and Experience Sharing at Siemens

Copyright © Siemens AG 2008. All rights reserved.

Corporate Technology

Establishing Testing Knowledge and Experience Sharing at Siemens

16th EuroSTAR Conference 2008The Hague, Netherlands

Peter ZimmererPrincipal Engineer

Siemens AG, CT SE 1Corporate Technology

Corporate Research and TechnologiesSoftware & Engineering, Development Techniques

81739 Munich, [email protected]

http://www.siemens.com/research-and-development/http://www.siemens.com/corporate-technology/

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.siemens.com/research-and-development/

http://www.siemens.com/corporate-technology/

http://www.siemens.com/corporate-technology/

November 12, 2008 © Siemens AG, Corporate TechnologyPeter Zimmerer, CT SE 1

Contents

Introduction and motivation

History and themes

Some numbers and examples

Lessons learned

Summary


Introduction

One significant factor for a better future of software testing lies in a better knowledge sharing and exchange of our experience – but how to do it in practice?

Learn from an example of how we at Siemens have effectively approached this issue over several years

Remark:This is not the only thing you could / should do w.r.t. a better future of software testing


Siemens Corporate Technology Technologies, competencies and services for the Groups

corporate projects,top+

innovation

Customer

Regions

Sectors / Divisions

Corporate Intellectual Property and Functions (CT I) Intellectual Property services and

strategy Standardization, environmental

affairs, Information research center

Corporate Research and Technologies (CT T) Core technologies and

competencies with multiple impact Pictures of the Future Accelerators for new business

opportunities

Corporate Technology (CT)

Energy Industry Healthcare


Start in 2001 …

Survey at the Siemens business units to identify and collect requirements, needs, demands expectations proposed topicsfor a new, Siemens internal conference event:

Exchange of Experience: Testing

Areas with highest interest1. Testing approaches and methods2. Test automation2. Efficiency in testing3. Best practice sharing of experiences, problems, and solutions to testing relevant topics


The Exchange of Experience: Testing

Event in the context of the globalSiemens Software Initiative (SWI) Enterprise-wide initiative since 1995 Strategic approach focused on the Optimization of

Software Development at Siemens Structure: outsourcing, offshoring Processes: maturity, simplification, standardization, stabilization Synergies: architecture, platforms

Best Practice Sharing approach

Organized and presented by CT SE 1

A service for the Siemens sectorsby Siemens Corporate Technology


Goals and intention of this series of event

Regular exchange of information and experience on the topic Testing for the Siemens business units (once per year)

Best practice sharing

Presentations and discussions of experiences, problems, and solutions to testing relevant topicsDescription of benefits of used test approachesPromoting of new test concepts, test trends (ideas, options, possibilities), and test know-how

Networking within the Siemens testing community

Every event has a defined theme and main focus addressing current needs, trends, and directions in testing


History and themes (1)

1st Exchange of Experience: Testing on April 4, 2002 Focus on test automation

2nd Exchange of Experience: Testing on January 30, 2003 Theme: Testing – an investment with great added value Focus on

Investment for testing versus benefit / added value of testing Test exit criteria – ready to release?

3rd Exchange of Experience: Testing on January 28, 2004 Theme: Testing – a critical key to success Focus on

Test design methods Test tools


History and themes (2)

4th Exchange of Experience: Testing on March 1, 2005 Theme: Testing in a Global World

5th Exchange of Experience: Testing on March 7, 2006 Theme: Testing Non-Functional Requirements

6th Exchange of Experience: Testing on April 17, 2007 Theme: Test Managers – Excellence in Testing and Management

7th Exchange of Experience: Testing on April 23, 2008 Theme: Testers – Collaborating with Other Stakeholders

8th Exchange of Experience: Testing, spring 2009 Theme: to be announced


Theme of the 7th Exchange of Experience: TestingTesters – Collaborating with Other Stakeholders (1)

Software development is a cooperative game …and it is all about people. Alistair Cockburn, 1999

Collaboration is a megatrend Agile development

Tooling – collaboration software E.g.: IBM Jazz collaboration platform



There are many different disciplinesand many different stakeholdersand many different rolesin the game of software development …

Problems: “dysfunctional organization“ mindset

that puts people into narrow functional silos No alignment between silo teams

Rigid barriers between team members are harmful



Product lifecycle manager

Software project manager

Tester: test manager, test analyst, test designer, test engineer, …

Software architect

Software developer

Head of R&D

…

Requirements engineer


Panel discussion at the 7th Exchange of Experience: Testing Testers – Collaborating with Other Stakeholders

Challenges and skills for sustainable collaboration Where do you see the challenges in the collaboration between testers and other

stakeholders in your specific domain? What are the key skills a tester must have for effective and efficient collaboration

with other stakeholders and vice versa? How do you handle problems like missing requirements or untestable

components?

Input and output (involvement / contribution) – expected and offered What input and involvement in testing actitivies do you as a tester expect from

other stakeholders? What output and contribution do you as a tester offer to other stakeholders?

Strategies and workflows to enhance collaboration Which strategies and workflows do you use to enhance collaboration between

testers and other stakeholders?


Some numbers

Annual one-day event at Siemens Corporate Technology in Munich, Germany

Between 80 and 110 participants from all Siemens sectors and Siemens business units from all over the world:

Australia, Austria, China, France, Germany, Greece, India, Israel, Italy, Korea, Poland, Romania, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK, and US

Typically 6-8 Presentations per event

Discussion groups

Panel discussions on the specific themes with invited panel members from different Siemens business units


Some examples

Several of the test approaches presented by a Siemens business unit have been explicitly picked up, reused, and adapted by others, for example at the 6th event:

“... presents work from a project that was inspired by a talk at the3rd Exchange of Experience: Testing …”

Exchange of experiences and data about benefits (ROI) of used test approaches, testing methods, and testing tools, e.g. in the area of model-based testing or test automation

After lunch there is typically a “Surprise” presentation like a quiz a funny session about serious test related contentto attract and involve the participants


Lessons learned

It takes time and effort to setup, plan, and organize such an event

Use an explicit call for presentations to involve people

We clearly reached the goals of this series of event Regular, well established conference event within Siemens Description of benefits of used test approaches Promoting of new test concepts, test trends (ideas, options, possibilities)

and test know-how Networking within the Siemens testing community

Because the event is (only) Siemens internal we can shareconfidential data as well – it is not intended to compete with external testing conferences like EuroSTAR

It is really worth


Summary

One significant factor for a better future of software testing lies in a better knowledge sharing and exchange of our experience

One example how to make this happen within Siemens is our annual Siemens internal conference event called

Exchange of Experience: Testing

Provide your testers a live forum to exchange experiences, to learn, and to improve collaboration and networking better visibility of testing within the company

Think about doing the same kind of events in your company as well … and present your results at next EuroSTAR!

Peter Zimmerer - Establishing Testing Knowledge and Experience Sharing at Siemens

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