Identifying a Subset of TMMi Practices to Establish a Streamlined Software Testing Process

Context: Testing is one of the most important phases of software development. However, in industry this phase is usually compromised by the lack of planning and resources. Due to it, the adoption of a streamlined testing process can lead to the construction of software products with desirable quality levels. Objective: Presenting the results of a survey conducted to identify a set of key practices to support the definition of a generic, streamlined software testing process, based on the practices described in the TMMi (Test Maturity Model integration). Method: Based on the TMMi, we have performed a survey among software testing professionals who work in both academia and industry. Their responses were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively in order to identify priority practices to build the intended generic process. Results: The analysis enabled us to identify practices that were ranked as mandatory, those that are essential and should be implemented in all cases. This set of practices (33 in total) represents only 40% of the TMMis full set of practices, which sums up to 81 items related to the steps of a testing process. Conclusion: The results show that there is a consensus on a subset of practices that can guide the definition of a lean testing process when compared to a process that includes all TMMi practices. It is expected that such a process encourages a wider adoption of testing activities within the software industry.