Example: Testing Organisation

Main Description

The figure below shows an example of a fairly traditional organisation structure.

Figure 1: Example of testing organisation

This example is a mix of test management and test coordination. The test manager directly controls the UAT, but has no more than a coordinating task in relation to the other test levels, such as the development tests, the system test, and the PAT. Overall support and management for testing occurs under the flag of test management, with a relationship with the Testing line organisation, the test expertise centre, for the use of a generic approach, standards, templates and tools. The test manager is accountable to the project manager. The latter is responsible for the assumptions of the test process, such as the timely availability of personnel, resources, planning, and test basis. Naturally the project manager delegates a lot of the organisation work to the test manager. The project management maintains the relationship with the project client and the project board.

Upon request, advice on the quality is sometimes submitted directly to the project board and/or the client, periodically or when the tests are completed.

Another example of an organisation relates to a package implementation:

Figure 2: Example of testing organisation 2

The test team above has the following composition:

Figure 3: Example of test team organisation

A test team led by a test manager is established for testing. The test manager is responsible for the entire test process. The team has a flexible composition for the various activities, but has permanent core personnel. The test process is monitored by representatives of the accepting parties throughout the test process. These take part in the twice monthly monitoring meeting. The monitors have access to all documentation in the test process at all times. Thanks to the continuous monitoring, the test process can be adapted to the requirements of the monitoring party at an early stage if the monitors deem it necessary. Think, for instance, of requirements of the future system management organisation for testing authorisations and integration tests.

For maintenance, the test levels can be specified, as well as which persons, or which departments, are responsible for their elaboration and execution. Generally speaking it can be said that the user organisation is responsible for functional management and the (users) acceptance test, the processing organisation for technical management and the production acceptance test, and the maintenance organisation for application management and the unit/system test (see figure below).

Figure 4: Departments in relation to test levels