How not to test software for business
“I don't want anyone, I don't know who I know,”
Everyone, of course, should do his own thing, no doubt. And, of course, the judgment of the subject must make the one who understands it better.
That is why all the software that a company can purchase is given to the IT department. And this is correct - they are computer scientists, they need to deal with programs.
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From a formal point of view, everything seems to be correct, but let's think about what a program is.
The program is not a set of code, not a DVD in an envelope, not information on the network, but the functionality that it will bring to you personally or to your company (the disk in the envelope of several tens of thousands of dollars is not worth it).
Therefore, to test the program should be the one who will use it. Do not sit at the monitor and press the keys, but the one who will use the results of its work.
So that the conversation was not abstract, let us consider everything with an example. As an example, take my beloved Stakhanovets - a software package for monitoring and controlling the activities of employees, as well as improving the efficiency and safety of work.
What happens usually? The director of the company, the head of the department, the head of security, learns about the product, gets a primary understanding of how this product can help him, and connects an IT specialist. Instructs him to test the program and provide a report.
Now put yourself in the shoes of an IT professional. Firstly, he is invited to spend a lot of time on installing, configuring and testing a product in which he is not at all interested. That is, he needs to move part of his immediate work for what it is unclear. Moreover, if Stakhanovets in this organization is purchased and implemented, the manager will receive additional control over the IT specialist himself. Does he need this?
In most cases, the interests of management and IT are different. The director wants the company to bring more profit and less cost. IT specialists need the farm entrusted to him to work without interruption, without requiring his intervention. In this context, the installation of an additional program is harmful to it.
What happens next? The IT specialist sets the smallest priority for the testing task in the hope that it will disappear by itself. Temporary keys for programs wear out, they are requested again, and the process does not move. “Yes, judge for yourself,” says the IT person, “my backup is not configured, what testing is here!”
Then still have to test. IT specialist installs the program, runs a few formal tests and provides the management with an oral or written report about ... why this program is not suitable for them:
· A lot of resources are spent (he measured them);
· Not intuitive (especially fun when IT people talk about accounting software for them);
· Can be implemented by other means (read by IT specialists themselves for a salary increase).
As a result, the manager is left without the functionality he needs, and the IT specialist is without unnecessary work.
If you are an IT specialist, you just read the guide on how to increase your free time at work.
And if you are a leader, then in the next post I will tell you how to test programs for business correctly.
Everyone, of course, should do his own thing, no doubt. And, of course, the judgment of the subject must make the one who understands it better.
That is why all the software that a company can purchase is given to the IT department. And this is correct - they are computer scientists, they need to deal with programs.
')
From a formal point of view, everything seems to be correct, but let's think about what a program is.
The program is not a set of code, not a DVD in an envelope, not information on the network, but the functionality that it will bring to you personally or to your company (the disk in the envelope of several tens of thousands of dollars is not worth it).
Therefore, to test the program should be the one who will use it. Do not sit at the monitor and press the keys, but the one who will use the results of its work.
So that the conversation was not abstract, let us consider everything with an example. As an example, take my beloved Stakhanovets - a software package for monitoring and controlling the activities of employees, as well as improving the efficiency and safety of work.
What happens usually? The director of the company, the head of the department, the head of security, learns about the product, gets a primary understanding of how this product can help him, and connects an IT specialist. Instructs him to test the program and provide a report.
Now put yourself in the shoes of an IT professional. Firstly, he is invited to spend a lot of time on installing, configuring and testing a product in which he is not at all interested. That is, he needs to move part of his immediate work for what it is unclear. Moreover, if Stakhanovets in this organization is purchased and implemented, the manager will receive additional control over the IT specialist himself. Does he need this?
In most cases, the interests of management and IT are different. The director wants the company to bring more profit and less cost. IT specialists need the farm entrusted to him to work without interruption, without requiring his intervention. In this context, the installation of an additional program is harmful to it.
What happens next? The IT specialist sets the smallest priority for the testing task in the hope that it will disappear by itself. Temporary keys for programs wear out, they are requested again, and the process does not move. “Yes, judge for yourself,” says the IT person, “my backup is not configured, what testing is here!”
Then still have to test. IT specialist installs the program, runs a few formal tests and provides the management with an oral or written report about ... why this program is not suitable for them:
· A lot of resources are spent (he measured them);
· Not intuitive (especially fun when IT people talk about accounting software for them);
· Can be implemented by other means (read by IT specialists themselves for a salary increase).
As a result, the manager is left without the functionality he needs, and the IT specialist is without unnecessary work.
If you are an IT specialist, you just read the guide on how to increase your free time at work.
And if you are a leader, then in the next post I will tell you how to test programs for business correctly.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/213325/
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