QA Revolution

Agile Pointing: Don’t Leave Testing Out!

crispplanningpokerdeckOur company is the process of moving to Agile methodology and currently working towards optimization of the process.  It is safe to say we are in the infant stages.  One of the items that I am starting to see is in regards to the way Agile pointing is  currently being measured.  The development teams are pointing their level of effort but testing is not included as a part of the level of effort.  The PM (yes I know) is asking for the testing effort in order to determine if the sprint dates will be met so that it can be rolled into production by the agreed upon end date.  As you can see, we aren’t exactly following the true intention of Agile.  Testers are a part of the Agile team (last I checked) as they should be included in the pointing effort, and if the team as whole can’t meet the end of the Sprint, then it should be moved to the next Sprint.  I am working towards educating the PM (yes I know) on how Agile should work.  I am sure that others are experiencing the same types of issues through the Agile journey and just like Waterfall projects, testing teams are often left out of the equation, and aren’t really considered as a part of the core team.

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Ron Wilson