Most testers are technical skilled and do often focus their competence development sharpening these skills. This by itself is not a problem but it is a real problem if we forget to increase our skills within the business domain. Håkan explains why testers need to understand why companies really invest in testing. By asking the right questions and providing insights of how the product really works, the tester can become an invaluable asset to the development team and external stakeholders. Product owners for example do care great about their product and the cost and time constraints involved, not always about how the product is built. They do have the right to ignore this process and we as testers can learn how to assist in bridging this gap and build market awareness in the team. Without understanding the business value a tester provide, or could provide, the tester is simply not reaching his or hers full potential as a professional tester.

1. The Business-

2. Håkan Ramberg
Introduction

3. Critical or not?
Logo ”A” Logo ”B”

4. Definition
Company

5. A company is an association or collection of individuals,
whether natural persons, legal persons, or a mixture of both.
Company members share a common purpose and unite in
order to focus their various talents and organize their
collectively available skills or resources to
achieve specific, declared goals.
”
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Company

6. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Company
Companies take various forms such as:
 Voluntary associations
 A group of soldiers
 Business entity with an aim of gaining a profit
 Financial entities and banks
”

7. Goal of the company
Aim of gaining a profit

8. Profit = Money in – Money out

9. Profit = Money in – Money out
Revenue Research cost
Licenses Development cost
Other income Operating cost
Other expenses

10. But…
”Quality is important!”

11. Why?
”Quality is not
inherently important…”

12. Why?
”…unless it leads to the
aim of gaining profit!”

13. Nobody wants to pay for testing…
…unless they think it
will lead to more money
in or less money out

14. Mantra #1
Understand your
business

15. Understand your business
 Core values
 How earn money?
 Distinctive competence

16. Mantra #2
Understand your
market

17. Understand your market
 Market position
 Competition
 Buyer personas

18. Mantra #3
Understand the
business value of PuT

19. Business value of Product under Test
 What is the problem the product should solve?
 How does the company earn profit from the product?

20. Question the business value in similar way
we today question the product under test

21. Why me?
Why always test?

22. Build
the Right
Thing
Build
the Thing
Right
Primary focus

23. Build
the Right
Thing
(Business Owner)
Build
the Thing
Right
(Tech)
Primary focus

24. Build
the Right
Thing
(Business Owner)
Build
the Thing
Right
(Tech)
Primary focus
Test

25. Unique position
 Product overview
 Product understanding
 Close collaboration with business owner, tech-people and
other stakeholders

26. Conclusion

27. Conclusion
 Mantra 1: Understand your business
 Mantra 2: Understand your market
 Mantra 3: Understand the business value of the PuT

28. Expected outcome
$$$ Profit $$$

29. Expected results
 Prioritize questioning what is really important
 Generate ideas to improve the product/service
 Increased chance of a successful project
 Increased chance of working in a successful organization
 Become an exceptional valuable member to your organization

30. hakan.ramberg@knowit.se
#hakanramberg