CH05. L06. Project and product risk

Summary

This video script delves into the concept of 'Risk' in project and product management, emphasizing its unpredictability and impact. It outlines the main objective of testing as identifying defects and reducing risks, distinguishing between project risks, influenced by organizational, technical, and supplier factors, and product risks, which pertain to post-deployment challenges. The script highlights the test manager's crucial role in mitigating these risks through proactive risk identification and management strategies, ultimately aiming to decrease product failure and enhance quality.

Takeaways

• 🔍 Risk is defined as an unexpected event with identifiable levels based on the probability and impact of adverse outcomes.
• 📊 The main objective of testing is to discover defects, reduce risks, and determine the start, continuation, and end of the testing process.
• 🏗️ Project risk involves risks that affect the project's ability to meet its objectives, categorized into Organizational, Technical, and Supplier factors.
• 👥 Organizational factors include skill shortages, personal issues, political issues, and a lack of respect for the test team's efforts.
• 💻 Technical issues encompass incorrect requirements, unprepared test environments, and low-quality design, code, and test data.
• 🛠️ Supplier issues arise when third-party components or tools lack support, causing work stoppages and technical problems.
• 👨‍💼 The test manager is responsible for using project management skills to analyze, manage, and mitigate all identified risks.
• 📝 The test manager should document test plans, requirements, and contingencies in the summary report according to IEEE standards.
• 🛡️ Post-deployment, product risks include potential failure areas, poor product quality, data integrity issues, and failure to meet intended actions.
• 📉 Testing should lead to a decrease in risks, with continuous feedback to address and reduce problems in the product.
• 🛑 A proactive risk-based approach is essential from the initial stage of a project to reduce product risk levels.
• 📋 Risk identification is crucial for determining which parts of the product may cause bugs, prioritizing tests, and employing non-testing activities to improve quality.
• 🤝 Risk-based testing ensures that all stakeholders are aware of expected risks and the necessary testing to mitigate them.

Q & A

What is the definition of 'risk' as discussed in the video?

Risk is defined as any event that is unexpected to happen, which can be identified according to the probability of the adverse event or the impact caused by this event.

What is the primary objective of testing in the context of risk management?

The main objective of testing is to find defects, decrease risks, and determine when to start, continue, and stop the testing process.

How is risk categorized in the context of a project and a product?

Risk is categorized into 'project risk', which refers to risks affecting the project's ability to deliver objectives before completion, and 'product risk', which refers to risks after the project is deployed and becomes a product.

What are the three factors that contribute to project risk?

The three factors contributing to project risk are Organizational, Technical, and Supplier factors.

Can you explain the Organizational factor in project risk?

The Organizational factor includes issues such as skill shortages, personal conflicts within the team, political issues affecting communication, and a lack of respect or improper attitude towards the test team's efforts.

What are some examples of Technical issues that can contribute to project risk?

Technical issues include incorrect requirements, constraints preventing meeting requirements, unprepared test environments, late data conversion, and low-quality design, code, configuration data, test data, and tests.

What does the Supplier factor in project risk entail?

The Supplier factor involves issues with components or tools obtained from outside sources, including lack of support or training, and problems arising from using outdated or unsupported tools.

Who is responsible for addressing the risks identified in a project?

The test manager is responsible for addressing the risks, utilizing high project management skills to analyze, manage, and mitigate all risks.

What should the test manager include in the summary report according to IEEE standards?

The test manager should include what the test plans require and what the contingencies are in the summary report.

What are potential failure areas in the context of product risk?

Potential failure areas refer to adverse future events or hazards that can affect the quality of the product, including issues in functionality, reliability, usability, performance, and data integrity and quality.

How does testing help in managing product risk?

Testing helps in managing product risk by identifying where to start testing, where to test more, and reducing the adverse effects or impact of potential issues through feedback and continuous improvement.

What is the importance of risk identification in the risk-based approach?

Risk identification is crucial as it helps in determining which parts can cause bugs and form product risks, prioritizing important parts for suitable solutions, and implementing actions to reduce the product failure percentage.

What are the four important aspects identified through risk identification?

The four important aspects identified through risk identification are the test techniques needed, the extent of testing to be done, prioritizing tests to find critical defects early, and non-testing activities that can reduce risks, such as team training.

Why is it important for stakeholders to be aware of expected risks in risk-based testing?

It is important for stakeholders to be aware of expected risks so that they understand the required testing that will be relied upon to face these risks, ensuring that there are ways and solutions in place to reduce uncertainty about potential problems.