Product Owner in Test

In the ever-evolving landscape of software development, traditional Quality Assurance (QA) practices have become increasingly insufficient, often relegated to narrow scopes within sprint-specific tickets. This constrained approach hampers comprehensive product evaluation and undermines the potential for holistic quality enhancement. Moreover, prevailing methodologies like Agile fail to adequately integrate the QA role, leading to misconceptions of QA professions such as:

  1. Agile Challenges: Agile methodologies do not recognize the QA role in their frameworks.
  2. Limited Scope:  QA teams are frequently restricted to testing tasks defined in tickets, which do not encompass the entire product or its integration with other systems.
  3. Lack of Empowerment: Organizations ignore the recommendations made by QA professionals.
  4. Scapegoat: QA is typically only remembered when something goes wrong.
  5. Bug Finders: QA is perceived merely as 'bug finders'; some QA teams function as such too.
  6. Final Step: QA is considered the 'final step in the process'. Not understanding their needs.
  7. Automation Overreliance: Automating is perceived to be superior to a human testing a product.
  8. Process Confusion: There is often confusion between testing and acceptance criteria checking
  9. Lack of Standardization: Bugs and test cases created by one person are hard for others to understand and utilize.

This paper introduces the role of the "Product Owner in Test" (POT), a transformative position designed to revitalize and expand the scope of quality practices in software development. By redefining titles—such as reimagining QA as "Quality Assistant"—and introducing new responsibilities and frameworks, the POT role seeks to address longstanding challenges. Key proposals include:

  • Terminology Evolution: Reframing "Test Cases" as "Check Cases" to distinguish between exploratory testing and pass/fail validation, and viewing "Bugs" as opportunities for improvement rather than failures.
  • Expanded Roles: Establishing positions like Product Owners in Test (POTs), Quality Assistants, and Software Developers in Test (SDETs) to ensure a comprehensive approach to product quality.
  • Broadened Testing Scope: Advocating for an evaluation of the entire product ecosystem, beyond the confines of individual tickets.
  • Standardization and Certification: Introducing certifications such as Certified Product Owner in Test (CPOT), Scaled CPOT (SCPOT), Certified Issue Reporting Professional (CIRP), and Certified Check-Case Design Professional (CCDP), accompanied by a robust code of conduct.

Through these initiatives, the POT role aims to foster a culture of proactive quality enhancement, ensuring that software development transcends traditional limitations and aligns more closely with the dynamic needs of modern technology landscapes.

Paper | Presentation 

Srilu Balla

Sridevi "Srilu" Balla has over 20 years of experience as a Quality Assistant, working in various roles including Quality Professional, Agile Coach, and Product Manager. She developed the Interface Agnostic Automation Framework, which she presented at the PNSQC in 2011 and 2012. Additionally, she presented on the test case life cycle in 2015. Affectionately known as "the American in the Saree", Srilu combines her love for America with her passion for traditional sarees.