This is probably the most commonly asked question & the most difficult to answer. The reasons could be many. But by doing a self analysis we can reach at a point where we can say "Okay. This is where we missed!!"
Assumptions!
The biggest reason for failures is the lack of understanding. Sometimes we are not able to make out what the client is expecting out of the project. So rather than asking the client for clarifications, we assume things on our own. This is the first step towards self destruction!
NEVER assume things on your own. Even if you have a slightest bit of doubt in your mind, ASK. This is the first thing that is taught in Software Testing. Be ready with questions. The most difficult but the most fruitful question is WHY? Why this way, not that way? Why only this? The answer to this "WHY" will clear your doubts. The day you start questioning, you will get the answers to your questions. If a software tester is not asking questions he (& the project he is working on) is doomed!
Communicate!
Always keep your client in loop. If the client needs your views/suggestions/feedback/answer on any point, reply them with utmost transparency. Never say something just because it makes the client happy. Be genuine.
Give them your views & possible workarounds if any. This makes the client feel that you are involved & you are making a difference.
Learn to say NO!
Many times I have seen senior management saying "Yes" to clients for some tasks that are not feasible. Simply because they are clients and if we say no to them it questions our capability! If something is not feasible, inform the client about it with ways to resolve it.
I will quote an example here. This happened in my previous organization. We got a project to develop a website for a famous football club. Being a generic website for the fans & that too of a football club, the website was supposed to display images of the players, award ceremonies, trophies, parties etc etc.
The problem was that the images supplied were low resolution images of unequal sizes. When they were first displayed on the website the result was obvious. Some of them got stretched while others squished. The first & obvious reaction of the client was that the images are not clear. So, as usual our management said it will be done. The designers were put into action & they did best what they could do. But the issue still remained. This game of "Do this" & "Done That" went on for some time. When the issue was brought into my notice I explained the management that if the client needs better images on website, tell them to provide us better high resolution images. We can't turn donkeys into horses. When the client was told that the issue was with the images they have provided, they agreed to provide us with better pictures. They specifically hired a professional photographer & provided us with the high resolution images that could be used on the website. The result was great & the client happy!
So, learn to say no & provide the best possible workarounds because testing is not only about finding flaws but also looking for solutions!
Test more, learn more!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Why Do Projects Fail?
Monday, January 28, 2008
Take things seriously !! (A Real Story)
This is a real incident guys. It teaches us not to ignore even the silliest and weird looking problems. Enjoy reading !
A complaint received by the Pontiac Division of General Motors:
"This is the second time I have written you, and I don't blame you for not answering me, because I kind of sounded crazy, but it is a fact that we have a tradition in our family of ice cream for dessert after dinner each night. But the kind of ice cream varies so, every night, after we've eaten, the whole family votes on which kind of ice cream we should have and I drive down to the store to get it.
"It's also a fact that I recently purchased a new Pontiac and since then my trips to the store have created a problem. You see, every time I buy vanilla ice cream, when I start back from the store my car won't start. If I get any other kind of ice cream, the car starts just fine.
"I want you to know I'm serious about this question, no matter how silly it sounds: 'What is there about a Pontiac that makes it not start when I get vanilla ice cream, and easy to start whenever I get any other kind?'"
The Pontiac President was understandably skeptical about the letter, but sent an engineer to check it out anyway. The latter was surprised to be greeted by a successful, obviously well-educated man in a fine neighborhood. He had arranged to meet the man just after dinner time so the two hopped into the car and drove to the ice cream store. It was vanilla ice cream that night and, sure enough, after they came back to the car, it wouldn't start.
The engineer returned for three more nights. The first night, the man got chocolate. The car started. The second night, he got strawberry. The car started. The third night he ordered vanilla.
The car failed to start.
Now the engineer, being a logical man, refused to believe that this man's car was allergic to vanilla ice cream. He arranged, therefore, to continue his visits for as long as it took to solve the problem. And toward this end he began to take notes: he jotted down all sorts of data, time of day, type of gas used, time to drive back and forth, etc.
In a short time, he had a clue: the man took less time to buy vanilla than any other flavor. Why? The answer was in the layout of the store. Vanilla, being the most popular flavor, was in a separate case at the front of the store for quick pickup. All the other flavors were kept in the back of the store at a different counter where it took considerably longer to find the flavor and get checked out.
Now the question for the engineer was why the car wouldn't start when it took less time. Once time became the problem -- not the vanilla ice cream -- the engineer quickly came up with the answer: vapor lock. It was happening every night, but the extra time taken to get the other flavors allowed the engine to cool down sufficiently to start. When the man got vanilla, the engine was still too hot for the vapor lock to dissipate.
Moral of the story: Even insane-looking problems are sometimes real.
Joke Compilations (c)1998; Permission granted to forward, or post on other lists; if this notice is fully included, thanks! Please credit: "From the FUNNY-BONE - Funnyguy@spunge.org" if you pass on anything from the list.
A complaint received by the Pontiac Division of General Motors:
"This is the second time I have written you, and I don't blame you for not answering me, because I kind of sounded crazy, but it is a fact that we have a tradition in our family of ice cream for dessert after dinner each night. But the kind of ice cream varies so, every night, after we've eaten, the whole family votes on which kind of ice cream we should have and I drive down to the store to get it.
"It's also a fact that I recently purchased a new Pontiac and since then my trips to the store have created a problem. You see, every time I buy vanilla ice cream, when I start back from the store my car won't start. If I get any other kind of ice cream, the car starts just fine.
"I want you to know I'm serious about this question, no matter how silly it sounds: 'What is there about a Pontiac that makes it not start when I get vanilla ice cream, and easy to start whenever I get any other kind?'"
The Pontiac President was understandably skeptical about the letter, but sent an engineer to check it out anyway. The latter was surprised to be greeted by a successful, obviously well-educated man in a fine neighborhood. He had arranged to meet the man just after dinner time so the two hopped into the car and drove to the ice cream store. It was vanilla ice cream that night and, sure enough, after they came back to the car, it wouldn't start.
The engineer returned for three more nights. The first night, the man got chocolate. The car started. The second night, he got strawberry. The car started. The third night he ordered vanilla.
The car failed to start.
Now the engineer, being a logical man, refused to believe that this man's car was allergic to vanilla ice cream. He arranged, therefore, to continue his visits for as long as it took to solve the problem. And toward this end he began to take notes: he jotted down all sorts of data, time of day, type of gas used, time to drive back and forth, etc.
In a short time, he had a clue: the man took less time to buy vanilla than any other flavor. Why? The answer was in the layout of the store. Vanilla, being the most popular flavor, was in a separate case at the front of the store for quick pickup. All the other flavors were kept in the back of the store at a different counter where it took considerably longer to find the flavor and get checked out.
Now the question for the engineer was why the car wouldn't start when it took less time. Once time became the problem -- not the vanilla ice cream -- the engineer quickly came up with the answer: vapor lock. It was happening every night, but the extra time taken to get the other flavors allowed the engine to cool down sufficiently to start. When the man got vanilla, the engine was still too hot for the vapor lock to dissipate.
Moral of the story: Even insane-looking problems are sometimes real.
Joke Compilations (c)1998; Permission granted to forward, or post on other lists; if this notice is fully included, thanks! Please credit: "From the FUNNY-BONE - Funnyguy@spunge.org" if you pass on anything from the list.
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