TMMi-P_Syll2020 Questions and Answers

Test Process Optimizationis the TMMi Level 5 process area specifically aimed at identifying new testing technologies and transitioning them into the organisation. This process area focuses on continuously improving the test process by evaluating and adopting new tools, methods, and technologies that can enhance testing efficiency and effectiveness. Test Process Optimization encourages organisations to stay ahead of industry developments and integrate innovative testing practices.

The three TMMi Level 5 process areas are as follows:

Defect Prevention(A): The key specific goal here is todetermine common causes of defects. This process involves analysing defect patterns and establishing actions to prevent similar defects in the future.

Quality Control(B): This area focuses onevaluating new testing technologies to determine their impact on the testing process. Statistical methods help predict product quality, and these evaluations drive improvements in the test process.

Test Process Optimization(C): The goal here is toestablish a statistically controlled test process, where baselines are set, and improvements are implemented in an orderly manner​​​.

The specific practice “Revise the product risks as appropriate” is not directly tied to a specific goal within theAdvanced Reviewsprocess area at TMMi Level 4. While Advanced Reviews do involve coordinating reviews with risk-based testing and adjusting the test approach, revising product risks is a broader concept typically associated with product risk management as part of test planning and not exclusively with Advanced Reviews.

This statement is false because informal assessments do not provide an official result on test process maturity. Informal assessments are designed to give indicative information only and focus on identifying key areas for improvement without leading to a formal maturity rating or certification. In contrast, formal assessments are more comprehensive and provide an official maturity rating when conducted under an accredited assessment method.

In an Agile context, theSCRUM teammodel is a typical format for a test organisation. Testing is integrated into the cross-functional SCRUM team, with testers working alongside developers and product owners throughout the sprint. This ensures that testing is a continuous activity, rather than a separate phase. The test organisation in Agile environments focuses on collaboration and team-based activities, rather than a separate or independent test group​​.

One of the key differences between informal and formal assessments is that informal assessments are not as rigorous. Informal assessments are more flexible, quicker, and less costly; however, they do not provide the same level of detail or accuracy as formal assessments. The statement that "informal assessments provide a result just as accurate as with a formal assessment" is therefore false. Formal assessments involve multiple types of evidence and a more thorough evaluation, while informal assessments typically rely on fewer types of evidence (often only interviews)​​.

In an Agile context, the emphasis is typically placed on lightweight, flexible documentation. Test documentation should be "just enough" to support the test process, and excessive documentation may be seen as unnecessary overhead. Therefore, calling formore rigorous and thorough documentationisnotin line with Agile principles. Instead, Agile favours working software and collaboration over comprehensive documentation, supported by mentoring and just-in-time guidance rather than formalised documentation​.

In the process areaAdvanced Reviewsat TMMi Level 4, one of the key specific goals is to measure product quality early in the lifecycle through peer reviews. These reviews are coordinated with dynamic testing to optimise the testing process by incorporating early defect detection and product quality data. This practice emphasises improving product quality from the beginning, aligning peer reviews with the overall test strategy​​.

To improve the quality of test cases and reduce defects in production, addressing the practice of "Identify and Prioritize Test Conditions" under Specific Goal 1 (SG 1) of the Test Design and Execution process area is essential. This specific practice involves identifying conditions based on an analysis of the test items and prioritising them based on risk and other factors. By improving the identification and prioritisation of test conditions, organisations can ensure that they focus on the most critical aspects of the system, thereby increasing the effectiveness of their testing efforts and reducing defects in production.

This statement isFALSEbecause in Agile environments, acentralized process improvement projectmay not align with the decentralized, self-organizing nature of Agile teams. Agile emphasizes local, team-driven improvements rather than a top-down, centralized approach. Continuous, local improvements within Agile teams are more suitable than attempting to manage improvements across the organization in a centralized manner, which is more characteristic of traditional environments.

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In Agile contexts, improvement actions are typically implemented locally within teams rather than through a centralized project, aligning with Agile's principles of team autonomy​​.

CMMI and TMMi complement each other in many ways. While CMMI focuses on improving broader software development processes,TMMispecifically addresses testing. Implementing CMMI provides value to test organizationsby enabling a structured and continuous improvement approach that can incorporate TMMi as part of the overall process.

CMMI’s continuous representation allows organizations to implement specific process areas related to testing (like verification and validation) and integrate TMMi practices forcontinuous improvementin their testing processes. Organizations followingTMMimay also refer to CMMI practices for complementary process improvements in areas such as configuration management, planning, and performance measurement.

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TMMi outlines how CMMI’s process areas, such asVerification and Validation, provide critical value for testing organizations​​.

CMMI’s structure supports continuous process improvement that aligns well with TMMi’s structured approach to test process maturity​.

A direct benefit of a test improvement program ishigher productivity. When test processes are streamlined, better test planning, design, and execution can lead to reduced testing times, fewer defects, and quicker turnaround of quality products. This has a direct impact on organisational efficiency, allowing for more effective use of resources and time.

In the context of TMMi, the focus of test process improvement is usually driven by business needs that aim to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and predictability of the testing process. The typical business reasons for test improvement include:

Increase predictability of testing(Option B): This refers to making the testing process more reliable and consistent, allowing better planning and forecasting of testing activities.

Reduce the costs of failure by improving effectiveness of testing(Option C): This is a direct goal of test process improvement, as it helps catch defects earlier, reducing costs associated with defects in later stages of the lifecycle.

Reduce time to market by increasing efficiency of testing activities(Option D): By making testing more efficient, organizations can release products faster while maintaining or improving quality.

Option A,Introduce a new process improvement framework, isNOTa typical business reason for test improvement. This refers to the introduction of a framework, which could be part of a process improvement strategy but is not a direct business reason for improving testing. Test improvement efforts are generally focused on achieving tangible business benefits, such as cost reduction, risk mitigation, or faster delivery, rather than the implementation of a specific framework for its own sake.

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TMMi emphasizes business-driven goals for process improvement that align with reducing risks, enhancing quality, and improving testing efficiency and effectiveness​.

Informal assessments, as described in the TMMi framework, are often quicker and cheaper as they do not require the extensive corroboration of evidence that formal assessments do. One key characteristic of informal assessments is that they may rely solely on interviews, without using other forms of corroboration such as documentation reviews or observations. These informal assessments provide an indicative view of the organization's maturity level but do not result in formal certification​

The absence of amaster test plan spanning multiple test levelspoints to a weakness in theTest Lifecycle and Integrationprocess area, which is aTMMi Level 3process area. This process area focuses on ensuring that testing is integrated throughout the development lifecycle and includes the development of comprehensive test plans (including master test plans) that cover multiple test levels and align with the overall testing strategy.

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TheTest Lifecycle and Integrationprocess area atTMMi Level 3addresses the need for comprehensive and integrated test planning across all test levels​​.

At TMMi Level 5, theQuality Controlprocess area becomes relevant as it focuses on statistically managing and controlling the test process. Since the organisation is already at TMMi Level 4, moving to Level 5 involves ensuring that the test process is fully predictable, measured, and statistically controlled.Quality Control is a key process area in achieving TMMi Level 5 compliance, alongside other areas such as Defect Prevention and Test Process Optimization.

CMMI version 2 recognises the importance of testing in software development and includes two dedicated practice areas:VerificationandValidation. These areas specifically addressthe processes required to ensure that a system or component meets its specified requirements and that the final product is fit for its intended use. While CMMI does not provide a testing-specific maturity model, these practice areas contribute to the overall quality management framework, and organisations adopting CMMI can leverage these processes to improve their testing practices. The TMMi framework complements CMMI by providing more detailed guidelines for testing.

The TMMi process areas complement the CMMI process areas for Verification and Validation by providing more detailed guidance specific to testing. While CMMI defines these areas at a high level, TMMi elaborates on how to establish and maintain a defined testing process that includes both verification and validation activities. The relationship between the two models is complementary rather than hierarchical, meaning that improving testing processes using TMMi can lead to fulfilling CMMI requirements for Verification and Validation.

For theTest Policy and Strategyprocess area, with a40% achievement, the appropriate compliance rating is"Partly achieved". According to TMMi, a process area is rated as "partly achieved" when a portion of the practices has been implemented, but significant improvements are still needed​​​.

TheAdvanced Reviewsprocess area, which is part ofTMMi Level 4, is concerned with measuring product quality early in the lifecycle. It aims to enhance thetest strategyandtest approachby aligningstatic testing(reviews and inspections) withdynamic testing(execution of test cases). The results and data from static testing are used to optimize the dynamic testing approach, making the overall testing process more efficient and effective.

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Advanced Reviewsat TMMi Level 4 focuses on integrating static and dynamic testing approaches to optimize test strategy and product quality evaluation​​.

Planning pokeris an Agile technique commonly used to estimate effort, and it can be adapted for use in theTest Planningprocess area to help estimate test efforts (SG3: Establish Test Estimates). This collaborative technique brings stakeholders together to estimate the effort required for tasks by assigning numerical values in a consensus-driven manner. It is particularly effective in Agile environments where estimation is iterative and frequently updated based on evolving project needs​.

The TMMi model is designed to support test process improvement in both software engineering and systems engineering. This is critical because it addresses the needs of total system development, which may include hardware and software. The model covers various testing activities across different disciplines, allowing organisations to improve their test processes regardless of whether they focus solely on software or integrated systems.

Valid reasons to perform a TMMi assessment include identifying areas that need improvement (2), determining which accomplishments have been made (3), and using the assessment as a basis to become formally TMMi certified (4). Assessing individual tester performance (1) is not a typical objective of TMMi assessments, which focus more on process maturity and improvement rather than individual performance evaluation.

This statement isFALSEbecauseTMMiis flexible and does not require the imposition of a predefined set of practices in Agile organizations. Instead, it encourages the adaptation of practices to fit the Agile context. TMMi allows for alternative practices that achieve the same goals as the expected practices, making it possible to integrate testing improvements in a way that aligns with Agile principles. The focus is on continuous improvement, not compliance with rigid practices.

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TMMiemphasizes flexibility in adapting practices, particularly in Agile environments where imposed processes would contradict Agile values of adaptability and continuous improvement​​.

Agile organisations often focus on rapid iterations and minimal documentation, which can lead to the omission or underuse of structured testing practices.TMMiserves as a valuable guide for Agile teams by highlightingcritical testing practicesthat might be overlooked, ensuring that essential quality processes such as risk analysis, peer reviews, and test planning are not neglected​​​.

This reminder ensures that teams maintain a disciplined approach to testing while still benefiting from Agile flexibility.

In a staged model like TMMi, an organisation follows a predefined improvement path that includes a set of process areas organised by maturity levels. Each level builds upon the previous one, and the organisation progresses in a step-by-step manner through these maturity levels to improve its processes. The staged model is well-structured and prescriptive, offering a clear improvement roadmap for the organisation.

Sprint retrospectives are held at the end of every sprint (not every 2-3 iterations) to evaluate the team's performance and identify opportunities for improvement. Retrospectives are a core Agile practice, but they are not considered peer reviews, which typically involve reviewing work products such as code or design documents. Peer reviews focus on product quality, while retrospectives focus more on team performance and process improvements.

The process areasTest OrganizationandTest Life Cycle and Integrationat TMMi Level 3 most strongly build on the practices and experiences of Test Planning from TMMi Level 2. Test Organization focuses on institutionalising the testing roles and responsibilities across the lifecycle, while Test Life Cycleand Integration ensures that testing is integrated throughout the development lifecycle, improving coordination and planning of test activities across different phases of the project.