Managing the Software Test Organization (CTM #4) or (CSTP Elective) or (CSTAS Elective)

This course covers area 4 of the Test Management Body of Knowledge (TMBOK) requirements. This course also counts as an elective towards the requirements of the Certified Software Test Professional certification.

For costs and cities where this course might be offered, please see the right border of this page or to bring this course to your test team at your location, contact our Education and Professionals Services Group.

Concepts

Traditionally managers of Testing organizations have been promoted from among the testing professionals. They may have excellent training and experience in the testing field but little experience managing people or processes or an organization. They are often good tacticians but not good strategists. They may have focused on technical superiority over developing communication, organizational or business skills. In today's very demanding IT world, successful Test organization managers must develop a new skill set that prepares them to get the results that are demanded of them. This seminar provides hands on, practical training in the areas of the Test Management Body Of Knowledge that are critical for great results.

Participants will learn:

As a result of this seminar, test organization managers will be able to:

• Manage resources – People – for optimal performance
• Recruit, Review and Retain the best staff
• Manage equipment, facilities, hardware and software resources
• Build a team for superior performance
• Manage their own career and organizational politics
• Develop budgets and plans
• Provide informative and influential presentations to management
• Demonstrate leadership

Outline

• Requirements of any manager in the IT environment today
  • The context for Test organization management today
  • The basic management requirements for a test manager
  • The basic leadership requirements for a test manager
  • The technical/managerial continuum
• Developing a successful plan of action for the Test organization
  • Strategic planning and tactical planning skills development
  • Developing metrics for tracking progress
  • Action planning, tracking and delegation
  • Building the budget from the plan, planning from the budget
• Managing the technical aspects of test organization
  • Managing equipment, facilities, hardware and software resources
  • Making purchasing decisions strategically not tactically
  • Managing vendor relationships
• Building a team for superior performance
  • Recruiting and hiring for talent
  • Managing individual and team performance day to day: delegation, motivation and coaching
  • Retaining talented resources; compensation and non-compensation factors
  • Keeping the team motivated and on target
• Delivering influential, informative presentations
  • Influence strategies for test organization managers
  • Fundamentals of communication with upper management, technical audiences, customers, peers and employees
  • Developing presentation skills and training your team and others
• Career development
  • Maintaining technical knowledge in a changing environment
  • Deciding on a technical or managerial career track
  • Self-development
  • Leveraging experience, expertise and knowledge
• Learning to Lead
  • Leadership skills for all test organization managers
  • Balancing leadership and management in the test organization
• Survival fundamentals
  • Dealing with organizational politics without being “political”
  • Behaving rationally and ethically
  • Continuous improvement