Agile working methods are becoming increasingly popular in software quality assurance. But how are agile and remote working compatible with each other? Remote mob testing is an effective way for the entire development team to ensure the quality of software projects, both from home offices and in decentralized teams from different locations. We reveal how remote mob testing works and what advantages it brings to your projects.
Mob Testing – Hunting for Bugs in a Pack
Agile mindset has long since ceased to be just a buzzword. Agile development methods have long since found their way into many teams. And yet, many developers’ awareness of their responsibility for software quality often still leaves room for improvement. One method for strengthening quality awareness across the entire team and creating a common platform for knowledge exchange is mob testing.
Similar to the agile development method mob programming, all team members work together to explore and test the same feature at the same time on the same computer and in the same location.
The following setup is used:
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- One person in the mob initially takes on the role of driver. This person performs the physical tasks, such as operating the keyboard.
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- The rest of the mob takes on the mental tasks. They discuss, review, and give instructions to the driver, e.g., what to click or enter.
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- Often, a pre-created test charter provides a rough guide to what should be tested in the exploratory test session.
- After five to ten minutes, another person from the mob takes on the role of driver.
Mob testing offers many advantages. Learning from each other and focusing on areas that cannot be found by automated tests makes testing more fun. In addition, you can share the expertise of your colleagues and pass on your own knowledge. Furthermore, joint testing and the exploratory test approach allow you to discover and develop more ideas for testing beyond standard processes.
Remote Teamwork—Organization Is Everything
The transition to remote working from home, brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, was not easy for many companies. But after almost six months of remote working, they are realizing that working from home also has advantages. But how can these advantages be combined with quality assurance work? Is it even possible to test when the team is working remotely? How can they test on the same computer and in the same place when everyone is sitting in different locations? The solution is remote mob testing, in which the “same computer” and “same place” are replaced by a virtual workspace. This virtual workspace and remote work are created by:
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- Choosing suitable software tools such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Team Viewer, or Big Blue Button
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- Choosing suitable hardware such as high-quality headsets and 4K cameras to facilitate communication
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- Promoting communication and team spirit through jointly established rules of conduct and a session owner who motivates and ensures compliance with the rules
One way to ease into the culture of remote mob programming is to work with the distributed team on simple tasks such as solving crossword puzzles or online puzzles using the mob testing/mob programming method. This makes it easier to get started with exploratory testing in remote mob programming.
Decentralized Teams – Seizing Opportunities
Even before the coronavirus pandemic, location-flexible, agile working offered great opportunities and many advantages. In 2019, a study by the International Workplace Group surveyed around 15,000 entrepreneurs from 100 countries about flexible working and remote teams. The result: 85% of respondents said that productivity in their company had increased thanks to flexible working arrangements. BREDEX has also been taking advantage of these opportunities for several years. We work in distributed teams, continue to develop our agile mindset, and also offer training in this area. This not only gives our team members greater flexibility, but also offers our customers the opportunity to work agilely both within their own team and with BREDEX quality consultants and developers without them being on site every day. This has enabled us not only to continue delivering high-quality solutions as usual in times of crisis, but also to support our customers and partners in their transition to agile remote working.
Would you like to learn more about agile software development and quality assurance? Do you need support in testing your software projects? The BREDEX experts will be happy to help you. Simply call us at 0531 243300 or contact us by email. We look forward to shaping the digital transformation with you.
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Carolyn Kunze
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