Assessment activities explained

Ever wondered why Foreside has a standard offering of assessment activities and what you can choose from? I will ll tell you more about that in this blog post.

Why offer different assessment activities? 

In my previous blog post, ‘Improved QA starts with Test process assessments’, I briefly mentioned the range of activities that Foreside offers to collect the necessary information for the assessment:

1. Interviews
2. Online surveys
3. Reviews
4. Observations
5. Group discussions
6. Card game

We offer these specific activities to our clients because they facilitate practical and informal collection of information. Together with the client, we select the most suitable activities, considering the objectives, scope and preferences. The activities complement each other, but it is not necessary to perform all of them. By combining a few, information from any activity can be used as input for another, or to verify previously obtained information. We prefer to conduct the activities onsite at the client, but some can also be done remotely. I will provide some details on each of the activities in the next sections.

The assessment activities

Interviews

Talking to people is a great way to collect information about their personal opinions, experiences and suggestions for further investigation. Interviews facilitate this in a structured manner by defining some specific questions or topics beforehand. This allows for steering the conversation while also allowing flexibility to adapt based on what emerges during the conversation. The format of the interview may vary, but typically we opt for an in-person 1-on-1 interview (1-
on-N or remote interviews are also possible). To ensure that the information collected during the interviews is accurate and complete, interviewees are asked to review the interview notes afterward.

Online surveys

An online survey can be used to reach a larger group of people but can also be used to collect input anonymously. They provide invitees with the opportunity to decide on the time and location to provide their input and generally require less time than organizing large-scale interviews. The different question types (e.g. open, multiple choice, linear scale, matrix, etc.) offer a suitable form for any question and often offer the possibility to visualize input directly in charts, which makes analysis easier. 

Reviews

Reviewing the testing process and test- and quality-related work products allows us to collect information in an objective manner directly from the source. It is an activity that can be easily conducted without any major dependencies towards people. We primarily focus on whether the content adds value, if it is clear, and if it is coherent. All comments, including those not directly relevant to the assessment objectives, are shared with the client afterward to facilitate follow-up.

Observations

Observation during team- or context-specific meetings provides us with the opportunity to experience how test and quality-related topics are addressed. This allows us to collect information in an unfiltered and unaltered manner. The observation occurs without disrupting daily activities; we are present but do not actively participate.

Group discussions

Group discussions are an interactive and dynamic form of collecting information that also provides immediate insight to the participants. A small group of people is guided in discussions about somewhat provocative statements that correlate to the conclusions and recommendations of the assessment (so far). These discussions lead to an understanding of each other's opinions and the identification of points of agreement, which not only provides valuable feedback but is also an important step towards change.

Card game

With the help of some TestSphere playing cards, we can collect information in an interactive, accessible and fun way. These cards feature a testing concept with three examples from one of the seven categories (dealing with change, feelings, heuristics, observability, patterns, quality aspects or techniques). We make a preselection of cards that suit the objectives of the assessment and use them as the starting point for storytelling or brainstorming.

Conclusion / wrap up

Of all activities, I like the interviews and the group discussions the most because of the interaction with the people. My best interviews are more of an informal conversation about testing and quality, and not the classical question-answer role play. In group discussions, I find it great to see how the different expertises stand up for their opinions and at the same time find common ground on possible improvements. These are the improvements that have the biggest chance of success because they have emerged from their own thoughts and they have been collectively agreed upon.

Maikel Verbeek Test professional