The more experience in testing, the easier for a specialist to jump into a new project.
But there are some factors that can complicate this process: previous projects and industry branches; technical knowledge; communication; time; test documentation.
Despite the rich experience and the availability of the high-class test documentation, a new project is always a responsible and difficult task.
In this blog, we are going to describe how to organize the process of digging into a project as efficient as possible.
Helpful hints
This tips will be useful for both a newbie, and for an experienced specialist:
- Do not be ashamed of asking questions - there are no dumb questions;
- There are people who will always help you. The colleagues are also interested in your quick adaptation;
- You can make mistakes. Just reduce their frequency;
- Do not be afraid of difficulties. One of the most effective way to understand a difficult issue is to find a solution to the issue;
- It is not easy to keep in mind a great amount of new information, so use a notepad, a pen and stickers.
How to handover a project in the right way?
The first thing that any project usually starts with is setting or getting access parameters. After that, the person who is responsible for a new employee, holds knowledge transfer orally, shows the basic functionality, gives some time to study the test documentation (if there is one exists) and that's it. You (we mean, the new person on the project) are ready to start testing.
Although this approach increases the time for project understanding, however, it is hard to catch unfamiliar serious technical information by ear. Your explanation of user settings location will sound confusing and difficult to perceive.
How to make the implementation process more effective:
- Make clear instruction for test equipment installation;
- Gather all the test documentation in one folder and allow access to it for all people working on the project;
- Drive a brief knowledge transfer on the basic functionality (as if you are explaining something for an end-user);
- Give the opportunity to study user cases (test cases) by him- or herself;
- Setting the clearly goal for an employee - is the key to the success of independent studying.
Defining specific goals and tasks based on the main business logic of the product will help implement the employee to the project, even if you do not have the test documentation. In this case, the employee will ask more clear and powerful questions about the project.
Let's give an example of specific tasks (Salesforce project) :
- Investigate how to create an Account and Contact. Find out how they are linked and how the Account can be transferred into a Lead;
- Create an Account;
- Create a Contact;
- Connect the Account with the Contact;
- Find these objects in the database;
- Transfer the Account to the Lead.
Availability of the test documentation
Availability of the test-cases determines the time of adding a new person to the project in large measure. However, it can happen that there aren’t any cases at all or existing tests are not relevant, described not detailed enough.
In such situation you should ask questions to your tutor:
- Is the available documentation still relevant?
- If you did not get an answer, contact the project manager. Do not waste your time for learning outdated features.
Get to work only when you have received the latest information:
- Determine the type of test documentation. This may be not necessarily a test-case. Sometimes it is worth choosing a Test survey or a Check list;
- Divide the product into modules (functionality);
- Define the list of questions for the customer;
- If the logic is very difficult, it will be better to draw the test-design. Decision table reduce the number of test-cases and you not miss important checks.
Digging a new employee into a project is always a time-consuming and responsible process, that depends on the project manager as well as on the employee.
We hope that our advice will help your team to pass this stage imperceptibly and productive.
