Seven Questions to Ask Yourself to Identify Dependencies Worth Resolving
How to identify dependencies worth resolving, and the benefits of doing so.
Software testers are part of a team and an organisation. They are only a subset of the people who contribute to the software. This means that they have dependencies on other people. Some of these dependencies can affect the tester's efficiency and value.
Here are questions you can ask yourself to identify dependencies worth resolving, and why.
What tasks do I do that depend on other people?
There are different reasons why you depend on another person:
I don’t know where to find the information I need. (The scope of the next release.)
I don’t have access to the information I need. (The logs of the software under test.)
I don’t know how to perform a certain action. (The deployment of a branch to a specific test environment.)
If you spot situations like this, it is worth to make a note to tackle them.
Are these dependencies blocking my progress?
Not every dependency will block your progress on a particular task. But if you find yourself looking for new work to start instead of continuing the task you are currently working on, it is worth keeping track of these occurrences.
Your organisation wants to deliver value to its customers. As quickly as possible, with the highest possible quality and at the lowest possible cost. By identifying blocking dependencies, you create opportunities to achieve this.
Are these blocking dependencies recurring?
Depending on the number of dependencies you have, your working day can feel like stop-and-go driving. You make slow progress and feel stressed.
If you encounter such events, and these events are recurring and blocking your progress, you have identified dependencies that are worth resolving. This can speed up your work and make you more knowledgeable and actionable. Your drive to the destination will be faster, more relaxed and more enjoyable.
Have I asked these people to teach me how to do it by myself?
The next time you encounter a recurring and blocking event, ask them:
How do you know the scope of the release?
How can I find these logs by myself?
How do you know which version is installed on the INT test environment? How do you deploy this feature on a particular test environment?
In my personal experience, these people will be more than happy to teach you how to do certain things or give you access to do them. Because they are less likely to be interrupted in what they are doing.
Do I want to learn it?
Learning something new may require effort or getting out of your comfort zone. It is important to understand whether the benefits are enough to motivate you.
How much time and effort will it take, and is it worth it?
The people you depend on are people like you. If they can learn these things, so can you. But maybe the things you ask for require hours, weeks, months or even years of learning, training and experience.
If it is worth your time and effort, and if you feel motivated, go for it.
Can anyone else benefit?
As mentioned above, software development is a team effort. This means that not only can you benefit from resolving dependencies, but so can others.
By learning where to find and access certain information, and how to do certain things, you create opportunities to share this new gained knowledge by making it more accessible.
Knowledge that is of value to you is likely to be of value to others as well.
Send a Message
You are sending a message by allowing yourself to work more independently.
I can prioritise my work based on the scope of the release.
I can find the logs, get more information about the behaviour of the software, and attach it to the issues I create.
I can install the required version on the required environment.
You show your team and your organisation that you can organise yourself. You are the testing expert and you know best how to do your job. This is so important.
You also show that you are willing to learn and that you can get out of your comfort zone. These traits are valued by many people I have met. Often even more than hard skills. Because they show that you can adapt to new situations and still be able to do a great job.
Independence and Collaboration
It is important to note that independence and collaboration can go together. Some activities are worth doing as a pair or a team, and it is worth waiting for people to have time to do them.
This is the second tool to make it into the toolkit. I hope it helps and inspires you.
Smooth driving,
Florian