Software Testing & Quality

Engineering Chapter 5

Teams

Linda Westfall
Quality Press
Objectives

• Team Skills

• Team Management

• Team Tools
Team essentials
• When under severe schedule pressure software engineers will generally concentrate on those tasks
they know how to do, even if others are more important.
• Thus, when engineers do not know how to develop firm requirements, produce a well structured
and documented design, or establish an effective working team environment, they will generally
concentrate on coding and testing.
• When given a clearly structured set of tasks and a defined process for handling them, engineers will
generally follow the process. This assumes that they know how to follow a defined process.
• A fully functioning “gelled” team wont happen by accident.
• The team does need to identify and resolve team issues.
• The team needs to measure its performance.
• The team needs to decide what improvements to make and how to make them.
Leadership Styles

decision-making
autocrat democrat
implementation

directive

Permissive /
Laissez-Faire
Developing, building and organizing teams

• Since around 1980, quality concepts and team concepts have moved in
tandem through the economy.
• Teamwork is now vital in government, space exploration, healthcare, education,
and most profit-oriented businesses.
• The autocratic leader of one or two generations ago would be utterly perplexed
(stunned) by how much control has now shifted to the team level.
 Qualities of a Team members
Just as effective teams have certain key characteristics, so do also effective team members. An
effective team member is committed to the team’s goals and understands his/her role and the
role of the other team members in the achievement of those goals. They are effective
communicators who keep an open mind while supporting their position and actively seeking
the input of others. Characteristics of an effective team member include:

• Openness to feedback • Acceptance of responsibility for members’ behaviors • Provides

feedback to other team members • Takes initiative • Concerned about winning • Willingness to
let others win occasionally • Willingness to confront and stand up on important issues • Attacks
problems, not people • Being a good listener • Willingness to change • Willingness to lead
when necessary • Eagerness to learn new things

These characteristics can be used to identify potential team members as well as guide and
reinforce behaviors of existing team members (see Sample Mission Statement in notes). Team
members should strive to embody these qualities, but management must set the example by
first exhibiting these qualities itself.
Characteristics of effective team

• Shared vision
• Clear role and expectations
• Cooperation
• Support
• Communication
• Trust
• Problem solving
Need for teams

• The drive for excellence includes better deployment of people at all levels.
• Workers at all levels now expect to have some say in designing and
implementing change, and only through change can quality improve.
• Managing an organization through teams has become recognized as a core
component of business.
• There are many types and purposes of teams, each requiring different
structures, skills, resources, and support. Leaders of an organization must
therefore be clear about what they are trying to accomplish and ensure that
the appropriate team processes are utilized for their situation.
 Balanced teams

• Meredith Belbin studied the performance of

top executives carrying out group work at the
Hendon Management Centre
• Tried putting the ‘best’ people together in
‘Apollo’ teams – almost invariably did badly
• Identified the need for a balance of skills and
management roles in a successful team

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Becoming a team

Five basic stages of development:

1. Forming
2. Storming
3. Norming
4. Performing
5. Adjourning
Classification associated with Tuckman and Jensen

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Types of Teams
Process improvement team: These are temporary teams whose missions are to develop a new process or
improve an existing process. These teams are often cross-functional, consisting of representatives from
multiple departments involved in the process under study. The management sponsor typically selects the team
leader and will negotiate with other area managers to identify other team members appropriate for the
project mission.
Work group: These teams consist of the personnel who work in a particular department or process area.
Their mission is the ongoing monitoring and improvement of process performance and they typically meet on
a regular basis (for example, weekly) to review indicators and identify any actions required. The work group leader
usually is the individual with supervisory responsibility for the process area. The team also may initiate a process
improvement team, especially when the improvement requires interfacing with other departments who are
suppliers or customers of the work group. Organizations committed to applying work group–based improvement
from top to bottom can use an interlocking team structure that includes all members of the organization.
Self-directed work team (SDWT): A self-directed work team is a group of individuals who have much
broader and deeper day-to-day responsibility for management and improvement of their process area. SDWT
members are highly trained in subjects such as quality, safety, maintenance, and scheduling, and in some cases
also carry out human resource functions. These teams are highly empowered to make their own decisions,
although of course there are still limits, such as spending authority.
 Support Mechanism for Teams
• Equipment
• Training: The organization must determine the specific skills required and the
current skill levels of employees, and provide opportunities to close the gap.
• Management Sponsor: A Leadership role that includes staying in contact with
the team leader to ensure sufficient progress and resolving any conflicting issues
with other parts of the organization.
• Systems Change: Setting up a new team in an organization that is not adequately
designed for this way of working is a prescription for failure. An organization is a
system, meaning that if one part is changed, other parts will be affected.