Many organisations realise that improving the test process is essential for ensuring the quality of the information system and the overall business process. However, in practice, it’s often challenging to define the steps required to improve and control the process, and in what order.
TPI® Next is the Sogeti model for the business-driven improvement of testing that offers insight into the maturity of the current test process and identifies improvement actions to accomplish the desired test maturity level and business goals. Through extensive global adoption since 1998, TPI® Next has become the de-facto industry standard for test process improvement.
Recent updates to TPI® Next
Since the original release of TPI®, new topics have had increased impact on test best practice. Examples include (test) outsourcing, Agile testing, multiple test processes, end-to-end testing, etc. These topics are covered by the updated model, TPI® Next.
Additionally, there are descriptions of how to deal with specific test types and/or test levels, like evaluation, integration testing to provide you with practical tips and tricks for your specific situation. Enablers are a new addition to TPI® Next and clarify the relationship between testing and adjacent processes and how they can benefit from each other. This supports organisations that are already using models such as CMMI or SPICE.
The TPI® Next model
The TPI-model has been developed based on the knowledge and the experience of Sogeti and it’s clients. The model offers insight into the “maturity” of the test processes within your organisation. Based on this understanding, the model helps you to define gradual and controllable improvement steps.
The TPI® Next model offers business-driven test process improvement through the concept of clustering, which aligns the order of improvement efforts with your business drivers.
Features:
- Business-driven test process improvement
- Covers complete test process (16 key areas)
- Objective (157 pre-defined checkpoints)
- Detailed: stepwise improvement possible
- Logical order of improvements
- Quick start to improvement
- Benchmark possibility (worldwide no.1 model)
The model is depicted as follows:
TPI® Next considers the different aspects of the test process, such as the use of test tools, design techniques or reporting. By evaluating various aspects, the strengths and weaknesses of the test process become clear.
These aspects are called the key areas. The TPI model has 16 key areas. These key areas are as follows:
- Stakeholder commitment
- Degree of involvement
- Test Strategy
- Test organisation
- Communication
- Reporting
- Test process management
- Estimating and planning
- Metrics
- Defect management
- Testware management
- Methodology practice
- Tester professionalism
- Test case design
- Test tools
- Test environment
Test Maturity Matrix
The TPI® Next model uses a test maturity matrix to provide a visual overview of the key test areas and their respective maturities. The maturity matrix lists the 16 key TPI® Next test process areas. It then shows the overall maturity level based on the 16 key areas i.e. four maturity levels - Initial, Controlled, Efficient and Optimising.
The combination of key areas, levels and checkpoint are used to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the current test process, and to help define actions for improvement.
Filling in the matrix makes it easier to evaluate the improvement proposals. The requirements for each level are defined in the form of checkpoints which are questions that need to be answered positively in order to qualify for that level. These checkpoints make an objective classification by level possible.
Improvement actions can be defined in terms of desired higher levels. Checkpoints help determine the actions required to achieve a higher level. Additionally, the model offers improvement suggestions to support test process improvement, which include a list of tips and ideas that can help in the effort to achieve the desired level.
TPI® Next Assessment Approach
The following outlines Sogeti’s generic approach for a typical TPI Assessment:
- Obtain awareness for improvement - Agree on the need for improvement and get commitment from all involved that improvement is necessary
- Determine the scope for improvement - Establish the scope for the assessment, identifying the areas to be targeted for improvement
- Interview all your personnel - Interview all your key personnel that have direct or indirect influence over your test processes:
- Gather documentation - Gather and collate the key documents which feature in your test processes:
• Test Strategies
• Test Plans
• Test Scripts and other influencing documents where relevant.
- Establish your current test maturity - Using the TPI model and the Test Maturity Matrix, chart your organisations current test maturity, highlighting areas of strength and weakness
- Define improvement actions - Using the TPI model and the Test Maturity Matrix, define the improvement actions that will get your organisations test maturity to your desired level
- Present assessment findings - The key output of this assessment will be a detailed TPI Assessment report which will include:
• Your organisations current test maturity
• Your organisations desired test maturity
• Action plan outlining how to get from your current to your desired level of test maturity.
This report will be presented to you and your key personnel in a workshop at the end of the assessment. Feedback will be both encouraged and welcomed. We provide two forms of TPI® Next assessments including a 3 day option.
Find out more using the links below: