Workshop exploring how we might create tests for an organisations assertions. First trialed at SSQTB one day conference in Malaga 2017.

1. WORKSHOP:
ESSENTIALS OF
ORGANISATION TESTING
applying software testing to organisations
Mike Sutton@SSQTB.
Malaga. 2017

2. Startup Founder. Partner & Practitioner
“I help technology companies become more
effective at meeting their business goals by applying
simple and effective tools to reduce risk, increase
joy, create knowledge and get good stuff shipped.”
23 11 ~200 ~2200
years in
tech
years as a
coach
teams
helped
people
supported
Helping teams and individuals
build resilience, their own good
habits and responsibly own their
working process
Helping organisational leaders
develop modern, human centric
strategies for knowledge work
based industries
Spark Communities
of Learning
Advise management
teams and executives
Mentor agile teams and
their support structures
I help to bring focus on the need
for continuos learning within and
outside practice. For
competence and joyful fulfilment
vement Partner
ations become more effective in
s by applying simple and effective
ase value and create knowledge -
open and joyful collaboration.
tive in
fective
edge -
n.
ement Partner
ions become more effective in
by applying simple and effective
se value and create knowledge -
pen and joyful collaboration.
Mike Sutton
Agile Coach and Improvement Partner
“I help technology organisations become more effective in
meeting their business goals by applying simple and effective
ools - that reduce risk, increase value and create knowledge -
and by nurturing a culture of open and joyful collaboration.
Mike Sutton
Agile Coach and Improvement Partner
“I help technology organisations become more effective in
meeting their business goals by applying simple and effective
tools - that reduce risk, increase value and create knowledge -
and by nurturing a culture of open and joyful collaboration.
Mike Sutton
Agile Coach and Improvement Partner
“I help technology organisations become more effective in
meeting their business goals by applying simple and effective
tools - that reduce risk, increase value and create knowledge -
and by nurturing a culture of open and joyful collaboration.
Sutton
Coach and Improvement Partner
p technology organisations become more effective in
g their business goals by applying simple and effective
hat reduce risk, increase value and create knowledge -
nurturing a culture of open and joyful collaboration.

3. Leave
prepared.
UserTypes to explore
users perspectives and
needs
Use BDD to write
behaviour tests
Learn how to craft
an organisation
purpose
Use a variation of Impact
Mapping to understand the
‘big picture’
WHY ARE YOU
HERE?

4. MAPPING
CONTEXT

5. CONTEXT MAPPING
context = the relevant bits, the big picture,
the circumstances.
The events, actions, interactions, actors, risks
and opportunities around a given situation
EnablersRisks and Uncertainties
Stakeholders
Interactions

6. user type = a grouping of users
that use a system in similar ways,
have similar needs and expectations
of the system
New
Employee
any employee who
has joined the
organisation in the last
1 month
Exiting
Employee
any employee who is
leaving in the next 1-2
weeks
Employee
any one who works for
the organisation
Shareholder
any entity that owns a
share of the
organisation

7. EXERCISE
1. Form your group and pick one of the following organisations to workshop:
The Catholic Church,
Apple,
Endesa,
The Government of Spain,
SSQTB,
Any other organisation
2. Create a context map of your chosen organisation:
What does it do?
What does it need to do what it does?
Which user types does it interact with, what are the nature of the interactions, where
are the risks?
3. Review.

8. CHARTERING
PURPOSE

9. Purpose
Users
Assertions
Scenarios & tests
ORGANISATION
TESTING MAP
(USING A VARIATION IMPACT
MAPPING)

10. S.M.A.R.T +
DEBONO’S 6 HATS
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Reasonable
Testable

11. EXERCISE - CHARTERING PURPOSE
1. In your group, come up with as many objectives for the
organisation in 5 minutes. Target is > 7.
2. For each one do 6-Hat type exercise to make it S.M.A.R.T
3. For 3 -5 of the SMARTest objectives, describe who/what/
how you can validate each one.
4. Initialise your Organisation Testing Map with the
SMARTest 3 - 5 objectives.
5. Review.

12. EXPLORING
USERS & NEEDS

13. As an employee, I need my
employer to provide a safe working
environment, so that I am able to
work safely and productively
As a new employee, I expect my
employer to be solvent, so that I can
get paid at the end of the month.
As a new employee, I expect my
employer to make it easy to get
onboard, so I can be productive as soon
as possible.
Needs & Expectations

14. EXERCISE - EXPLORE USERS
1. Review your context map, extract 2-4 users with the strongest
interactions with your organisation.
2. For each user, try to find 1-3 needs/expectations they they have
for your organisation. Test each for reasonable-ness.
3. Consider how you might validate that these are valid
4. Try and connect these needs back to the items in your ‘purpose’.
5. Add your Users (and needs) to your Organisation Testing Map
6. Review.

15. MAPPING
ASSERTIONS

16. As a new employee, I expect my
employer to make it easy to get onboard,
so I can be productive as soon as possible.
assertion = a verifiable statement
of fact, belief or intent
User Needs and Expectations Possible Assertions
For new employees, a laptop
and necessary system access
is available at the their on their
first day.
For new employees, a
temporary pass is issued on
their first day
For new employees, a
permanent pass is issued within
a week

17. EXERCISE - MAKE ASSERTIONS
1. Looking at the users and their needs, consider each
user in turn - what assertion can the organisation make
either about how it currently meets each need OR how it
will meet each need.
2. Test each assertion for reasonable-ness (use S.M.A.R.T)
3. Put the most reasonable assertions on your Map.
4. Review.

18. CREATE SCENARIOS
AND FORMULATE
TESTS

19. BDD IN ~7
MINUTES

21. BDD is a technique to help business people and
technical people talk about customer needs by
example using natural language.
Together they create specifications of how the
system should behave before anything is built.
The specifications are then directly used to build the
software to satisfy the needs AND to validate that
what was built is what was requested.

22. Banking users can open the appThe Feature/Assertion
A context/use case
The starting state
The action/inputs
The verifiable
behaviour
Scenario 1
I can open the Investments App on my
iPhone
Given I have an iPhone running iOS 8
and I am on the home screen
and I have the ‘Investments’ icon
When I click the ‘Investments’ icon
Then I can see the Splash Screen
and a welcome message.

23. Specifications are automatable

24. Scenario 1
I can get access to the building and all the
spaces I am permitted to access
Given I have just joined the company
And I do not have prior access
When I arrive on my first day
Then I can have a pass that lets me into the
building.
And I can use the pass to access the bathroom
As a new employee, I expect my
employer to make it easy to get onboard,
so I can be productive as soon as possible.
For new employees, we issue a working
temporary pass on their first day
The Feature/Assertion
A context/use case
The starting state
The action/inputs
The verifiable
behaviour

25. EXERCISE - SCENARIOS AND TESTS
1. For each of the assertions you have made about the
organisation, consider 1 - 3 scenarios that may apply to
each assertion.
2. Pick 1-3 specifications and devise a test for each.
3. Add the scenarios and the tests to the map.
4. Review.

26. REVIEW

27. WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?
WHAT WAS STRANGE OR
TRICKY?
WHAT WAS SURPRISING/
ENLIGHTENING?

28. WHAT NEXT?
Improve this approach. The goal
doesn’t change, the means can.
Stay in touch with me and each other
I would really like to hear how this is going.
Join the slack group:
https://improvework.slack.com/
Whatever you do
Do not Do Nothing.
Start.
Get more from the
world of work

29. THANK YOUI’m doing a workshop on
how to practically test your
organisation.
Join me. I’ll show you how.
@mhsutton
http://mhsutton.me