Testing The Process of Test Process Improvement

Software testing is still a pain-in-the-neck for many organisations. Because it is only marginally addressed in software process improvement models like CMM, a separate Testing Process Improvement model is needed. The current authors have implemented a structured testing process guided by the “Testing Maturity Model ” (TMM). An outline of this model is presented, showing how with growing maturity, testing evolves from detecting defects in software code to testing as essential product quality control instrument. The biggest strengths of TMM are: it reflects 40 years of industry-wide best test practices and it is designed as a counterpart of the popular CMM model for software development improvement. Weaknesses include the under-representation of test people and organisation related issues, and missing maturity goals for the test infrastructure. Based on practical implementation guided by TMM, the process of test process improve-ment is addressed and experiences are presented