TMMi-P_Syll2020 TMMi - Test Maturity Model Integration Professional Questions and Answers

Agile organisations often focus on rapid iterations and minimal documentation, which can lead to the omission or underuse of structured testing practices.TMMiserves as a valuable guide for Agile teams by highlightingcritical testing practicesthat might be overlooked, ensuring that essential quality processes such as risk analysis, peer reviews, and test planning are not neglected​​​.

This reminder ensures that teams maintain a disciplined approach to testing while still benefiting from Agile flexibility.

The process areasTest OrganizationandTest Life Cycle and Integrationat TMMi Level 3 most strongly build on the practices and experiences of Test Planning from TMMi Level 2. Test Organization focuses on institutionalising the testing roles and responsibilities across the lifecycle, while Test Life Cycleand Integration ensures that testing is integrated throughout the development lifecycle, improving coordination and planning of test activities across different phases of the project.

A typical business reason for starting a test improvement program is to achievehigher productivity. Test process improvements can lead to better efficiency in test execution, reduction of defects, and optimised resource usage, all of which contribute to the overall productivity of the organisation. By improving testing processes, organisations can reduce time-to-market and minimise costs associated with fixing defects post-production, which in turn boosts productivity.

The process areaAdvanced Reviewsbelongs to TMMi Level 4 (Measured). At this maturity level, the focus is on quantitatively measuring and managing product quality, and advanced review techniques are employed to integrate peer reviews (static testing) with dynamic testing. These advanced reviews play a key role in ensuring that product quality is assessed early in the lifecycle and that testing is driven by measurable goals.

The TMMi model is designed to support test process improvement in both software engineering and systems engineering. This is critical because it addresses the needs of total system development, which may include hardware and software. The model covers various testing activities across different disciplines, allowing organisations to improve their test processes regardless of whether they focus solely on software or integrated systems.

The process area that addresses the definition of test functions and the establishment of test career paths is the Test Organization process area,found at TMMi Level 3. This process area focuses on creating a well-structured test organisation, defining various test functions, and establishing career paths for testers. Specific practices include defining roles for test specialists, assigning staff to those roles, and establishing career development frameworks to support the professional growth of testers within the organisation.

In the context of TMMi, the focus of test process improvement is usually driven by business needs that aim to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and predictability of the testing process. The typical business reasons for test improvement include:

Increase predictability of testing(Option B): This refers to making the testing process more reliable and consistent, allowing better planning and forecasting of testing activities.

Reduce the costs of failure by improving effectiveness of testing(Option C): This is a direct goal of test process improvement, as it helps catch defects earlier, reducing costs associated with defects in later stages of the lifecycle.

Reduce time to market by increasing efficiency of testing activities(Option D): By making testing more efficient, organizations can release products faster while maintaining or improving quality.

Option A,Introduce a new process improvement framework, isNOTa typical business reason for test improvement. This refers to the introduction of a framework, which could be part of a process improvement strategy but is not a direct business reason for improving testing. Test improvement efforts are generally focused on achieving tangible business benefits, such as cost reduction, risk mitigation, or faster delivery, rather than the implementation of a specific framework for its own sake.

TMMi References:

TMMi emphasizes business-driven goals for process improvement that align with reducing risks, enhancing quality, and improving testing efficiency and effectiveness​.

The specific goals of the "Test Monitoring and Control" process area at TMMi Level 2 focus on monitoring both test progress and product quality. One of the key practices is managing and monitoringtest incidents to closure(Specific Practice 3.3). The goal is to ensure that any test-related issues are tracked, addressed, and resolved. This process area emphasises identifying corrective actions when deviations occur and ensuring that they are brought to closure.

Monitoring test incidents helps provide insight into the test status and product quality while ensuring that all critical incidents are resolved effectively, thus aligning with the overall objective of controlling the testing process​​.

This statement isFALSEbecause in Agile environments, acentralized process improvement projectmay not align with the decentralized, self-organizing nature of Agile teams. Agile emphasizes local, team-driven improvements rather than a top-down, centralized approach. Continuous, local improvements within Agile teams are more suitable than attempting to manage improvements across the organization in a centralized manner, which is more characteristic of traditional environments.

TMMi References:

In Agile contexts, improvement actions are typically implemented locally within teams rather than through a centralized project, aligning with Agile's principles of team autonomy​​.

This statement isFALSEbecauseTMMiis flexible and does not require the imposition of a predefined set of practices in Agile organizations. Instead, it encourages the adaptation of practices to fit the Agile context. TMMi allows for alternative practices that achieve the same goals as the expected practices, making it possible to integrate testing improvements in a way that aligns with Agile principles. The focus is on continuous improvement, not compliance with rigid practices.

TMMi References:

TMMiemphasizes flexibility in adapting practices, particularly in Agile environments where imposed processes would contradict Agile values of adaptability and continuous improvement​​.

The assessment described, where only interviews are used to collect evidence, aligns with aninformal TMMi assessment. Informal assessments are more flexible and do not require documentary evidence to corroborate interview data. They provide an indicative view of the organisation’s maturity but do not result in a formal maturity rating or certification​​.

Sprint retrospectives are held at the end of every sprint (not every 2-3 iterations) to evaluate the team's performance and identify opportunities for improvement. Retrospectives are a core Agile practice, but they are not considered peer reviews, which typically involve reviewing work products such as code or design documents. Peer reviews focus on product quality, while retrospectives focus more on team performance and process improvements.

Defect Preventionis aTMMi Level 5process area. This process area focuses on identifying the root causes of defects and implementing preventive measures to avoid their recurrence. At TMMi Level 5, the goal is to optimize processes and move from defect detection to defect prevention.

Advanced ReviewsandTest Measurementare Level 4 process areas, whileOrganizational Innovation and Deploymentis part of CMMI, not TMMi.

TMMi References:

Defect Preventionis a key process area inTMMi Level 5, focusing on continuous process improvement and defect avoidance​​.

Regularcode reviewsandarchitectural reviewsare part of theAdvanced Reviewsprocess area, which belongs toTMMi Level 4. This process area emphasizes conducting static reviews (e.g., code and design reviews) early in the lifecycle to measure product quality and adjust the testing strategy based on the insights gained from these reviews.

TMMi References:

TheAdvanced Reviewsprocess area in TMMi Level 4 aims to ensure that static testing activities such as code and architectural reviews are used to measure product quality early in the lifecycle​​.

In an Agile context, the emphasis is typically placed on lightweight, flexible documentation. Test documentation should be "just enough" to support the test process, and excessive documentation may be seen as unnecessary overhead. Therefore, calling formore rigorous and thorough documentationisnotin line with Agile principles. Instead, Agile favours working software and collaboration over comprehensive documentation, supported by mentoring and just-in-time guidance rather than formalised documentation​.

The specific practice “Revise the product risks as appropriate” is not directly tied to a specific goal within theAdvanced Reviewsprocess area at TMMi Level 4. While Advanced Reviews do involve coordinating reviews with risk-based testing and adjusting the test approach, revising product risks is a broader concept typically associated with product risk management as part of test planning and not exclusively with Advanced Reviews.

TheActing phaseof a test improvement cycle focuses on executing the planned improvements. Key activities during this phase includecreating solutionsto address identified problems,planning actionsto implement those solutions, andpiloting solutionsbefore full-scale deployment. Thesesteps ensure that the improvements are well-defined, tested in a controlled environment, and refined before being fully implemented across the organisation.

Sub-practices are informative components within the TMMi model. Informative components provide additional details or guidance to help organisations understand how to approach the required and expected components. Sub-practices are not mandatory, but they offer ideas or methods that can assist with the implementation of specific practices. Other examples of informative components include example work products, notes, and references.

The process areaTest Lifecycle and Integrationat TMMi Level 3 focuses on establishing a coherent test process across multiple test levels and integrating the test lifecycle with the development lifecycle. This process area addresses the creation of amaster test plan, which is essential for ensuring consistency and avoiding redundancy or omissions across different test levels.

Thespecific goal and practicefor establishing a master test plan are well documented within the Test Lifecycle and Integration process area. Practices include performing a product risk assessment, establishing the test approach, and developing the master test plan itself​​.

In an Agile context, theSCRUM teammodel is a typical format for a test organisation. Testing is integrated into the cross-functional SCRUM team, with testers working alongside developers and product owners throughout the sprint. This ensures that testing is a continuous activity, rather than a separate phase. The test organisation in Agile environments focuses on collaboration and team-based activities, rather than a separate or independent test group​​.

Advanced Reviewsis aTMMi Level 4process area. AtTMMi Level 4 (Measured), organizations focus on making testing aquantifiable process, using metrics and measurements to evaluate and improve product quality and the testing process.Advanced Reviewsinvolve more structured andformalized review processes that are integrated with the dynamic testing approach to measure and improve product quality earlier in the lifecycle.

TheTest Policy and Strategyis part ofLevel 2.

Defect Preventionis part ofLevel 5.

Test Lifecycle and Integrationis part ofLevel 3.

TMMi References:

TMMi definesAdvanced Reviewsas a Level 4 process area aimed at improving product quality through more rigorous and measurable review processes​​.

Expected components in the TMMi model guide organisations on how to implement improvements or conduct assessments. These components, such as Specific Practices and Generic Practices, are necessary for satisfying goals. Expected components must be implemented, either as described or through acceptable alternatives, for an organisation to achieve compliance with the model and reach maturity in test processes.

"Provide Necessary Test Training" is part of theTest Training Programprocess area, not theTest Organizationprocess area. Test Organization focuses on establishing a structured group responsible for testing, defining roles, career paths, and implementing process improvements. Therefore, providing test training is not a specific goal of Test Organization but rather falls under the Test Training Program process area.

At TMMi Level 3, the organisation's test processes become more structured, managed, and standardised. It requires defining and implementing a consistent set of test processes across projects and organisational units. One key factor for achieving TMMi Level 3 is the integration of process asset development.

"Process Asset Development" is directly related to establishing organisational test process assets, which is a critical element at TMMi Level 3. This practice area includes developing and maintaining organisational process assets, which encompass the standard processes that will be used across various projects. These assets are required to ensure that testing is a well-defined, repeatable, and efficient process throughout the organisation.

According to the TMMi Framework 1.3, process asset development supports the implementation of defined and repeatable processes and helps with creating guidelines for tailoring processes across the organisation. It provides the necessary framework for consistency in test planning, execution, and reporting, which are key at this maturity level​.

This practice aligns with the goals of TMMi Level 3, where the focus is on defining, standardising, and integrating the test lifecycle within the overall development lifecycle, thus ensuring that test processes are well-established across the organisation. Hence, Process Asset Development (Option B) is critical for the organisation's progression to TMMi Level 3.

This statement is false because the CMMI does not have defined levels specifically for testing maturity. The CMMI model is more general and focuseson overall process improvement across various disciplines, including but not limited to testing. CMMI includes practices like verification and validation but does not specifically address a structured path to testing maturity, unlike TMMi, which defines specific levels for testing process maturity. Therefore, statement D is incorrect.

In the TMMi framework,specific goalscan indeed havedifferent specific practicesacross maturity levels. The practices associated with a specific goal evolve as an organization matures, reflecting the need for more sophisticated approaches at higher levels of maturity. For example, test design practices atLevel 2 are more basic compared to the more comprehensive practices at Level 3, which include integration with other lifecycle processes.

The other statements are incorrect. For instance, sub-practices are informative and not mandatory, and while generic goals have the same set of practices across process areas, specific goals vary by maturity level.

TMMi References:

TMMi process areas includespecific goalsthat may havedifferent practicesdepending on the maturity level, as the process areas evolve with higher maturity​​.

As part of theProduct Quality Evaluationprocess area (4.2), the specific goal"Project Goals for Product Quality and their Priorities are Established"includes the practice ofidentifying product quality needs. This involves understanding and defining what quality means for the product, determining quality characteristics (such as reliability, usability, etc.), and establishing priorities for these characteristics based on project goals.

Other practices such asestablishing test process measuresandmeasuring product quality quantitativelycome later in the lifecycle or are part of other specific goals.

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InProduct Quality EvaluationatTMMi Level 4, identifying product quality needs is critical for setting up measurable and prioritized goals for product quality​​.

The description provided, "Testing is a thoroughly defined, well-founded, and measurable process. Testing is perceived as evaluation; it consists of all lifecycle activities concerned with checking products and related work products," corresponds to TMMi Level 4, which is labelled "Measured." At this level, testing processes are quantitatively measured, and there is a strong focus on evaluating product and process quality using quantitative metrics. Testing is integrated throughout the lifecycle and becomes a predictable, measurable process that supports organisational goals.

This statement isFALSEbecause in thestaged representationof CMMI, therearefixed levels or stages that an organization must proceed through in a predefined sequence. These stages guide organizations to improve their processes systematically by following a maturity path, with each stage building on the processes defined in the previous one.

Thestaged representationis designed with predefined levels that organizations must achieve in an orderly manner, making sure that process improvements at each level lay the foundation for the next one.

In contrast, thecontinuous representationallows organizations to select specific process areas from various categories based on their improvement goals and does not impose a strict sequence of levels.

TMMi References:

The CMMI documentation within TMMi clearly states that thestaged representationinvolves afixed set of levelsthrough which organizations progress​.

CMMI also has acontinuous representationwhere organizations can select improvement areas freely from different process categories​.

The specific practice"Maintain horizontal traceability with requirements"is part of theTest Design and Executionprocess area in TMMi. This process area ensures that there is traceability between test conditions, test cases, and requirements to ensure comprehensive test coverage. Horizontal traceability guarantees that test cases can be traced back to the specific requirements they are intended to verify, which is critical for managing and ensuring the quality of the testing process.

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TheTest Design and Executionprocess area includes practices that ensure test artifacts are traceable to requirements, supporting effective test coverage​​.