As businesses grow in complexity and reliance on technological tools, the demand for faster and more comprehensive solutions increases correspondingly. To leverage emerging technologies and meet business needs, organizations today need to devote more energy to their internal processes. To keep pace with trends and implement DevOps, Agile, and AI solutions, they need to collaborate with third parties, integrated systems, and expert consultants.
Software development companies have always had a desire to build quality into their software. Instead of allocating more resources to bug detection during live operation, it is now more typical to focus on uncovering as many bugs as possible during development time by testers. Thus, it has become a common practice for organizations to establish separate quality assurance (QA) teams to manage and mitigate the risks associated with software development..
In this article, we would like to introduce an important process improvement model, TMMi, which is not just another model on the shelf. It is a practical guide that helps software testing teams and organizations improve their processes, increase productivity, and ultimately, create better products.
Measuring testing performance is becoming more difficult
As organizations strive to deliver more comprehensive IT projects, they are using various development methodologies and technologies. It becomes increasingly difficult for them to step back and assess how effective and successful their current software testing processes are. It is becoming more challenging to allocate time to analyze efficiency and devise new workflows or process changes that will benefit the entire company in the future.
Therefore, we will now delve a little into the mysterious world known as TMMi, or Test Maturity Model integration, which aims to integrate and enhance software testing processes for improved efficiency and effectiveness. The TMMi model is about making software testing processes not only more efficient but also more understandable and trackable. The most important aspects are transparency and measurability, which allow QA to provide exact and clear feedback about the work done and about efficiency. Now, let's begin exploring TMMi from its foundation.
What is TMMi?
First of all, let's begin by defining what TMMi is. TMMi is a process improvement model that specifically focuses on the area of software testing. Its goal is to help organizations evaluate and improve their testing processes. In practice, we can think of this model as a coach in a gym, guiding and improving testing practices.
The Test Maturity Model integration, or TMMi, is a comprehensive and publicly accessible framework designed to enhance and optimize software testing processes. It covers every level of testing and the aspects of structured testing. The testing framework can be applied independently of the lifecycle in both agile and traditional, sequential software development models.
The collaboration between TMMi and ISTQB is not coincidental; it serves to enhance the visibility and credibility of the software testing profession. They unite aspects of test development programs relating to both people and processes. The collaboration emphasizes the benefits of the most important testing certification systems for both organizations and individual professionals. TMMi not only enables organizations to evaluate and improve their testing processes cost-effectively but also offers opportunities for official certification of their testing maturity, benefiting both organizations and individual professionals.
Maturity Levels
TMMi has defined a comprehensive five-level maturity model specifically tailored for assessing software testing practices. Let's briefly review each of the maturity levels. The first level, known as the Initial stage, represents the basic starting point in a company's testing maturity journey where testing processes are usually unregulated and unstructured, possibly in an introductory, developing stage. The second level includes companies where software development processes can be considered managed. This is where the name of the second level, Managed, comes from. At the second level, known as Managed, organizations have established rudimentary testing processes, including test policy, strategy, planning, execution, and management of testing environments.
As we move up the levels, the nature of software testing becomes increasingly definable. The third level is none other than the defined stage, or Defined. In this stage, testing processes are well defined and documented. The organization develops testing programs, lifecycle, and integration, and also introduces non-functional testing and static reviews. The next stage, known as the Measured level, represents advanced testing processes. In this stage, testing performance is measurable, and product quality is evaluated based on various KPIs at this level, along with advanced reviews.
The final and highest stage is optimization – in the model, it is referred to as the Optimization level. This is the topmost level, focusing on error prevention, quality control, and the optimization of testing processes. Today, very few software development companies occupy this level of maturity.
The model also suggests that the levels build on each other, with the goal being continuous improvement and achieving maturity in software testing. Advancing through each level is crucial for organizations to continuously enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of their testing processes, ultimately achieving maturity in software testing.
The Benefits of TMMi
For those uncertain about the benefits of implementing the model in a software development organization, let's elaborate on how the TMMi framework contributes to an organization's quality assurance processes or to individual-level training and development.
TMMi and Organizations
By implementing the TMMi model, organizations can enhance product quality, ensuring higher levels of reliability and maintainability throughout the development lifecycle. It also supports the implementation of more efficient and effective testing processes, provides recognition in the market and among stakeholders due to their maturity and commitment to quality. This commitment to quality can be reinforced by obtaining a TMMi certificate, providing tangible evidence of the organization's dedication to excellence in software testing practices. Additionally, it enables the practical application of knowledge gained from ISTQB-certified tester training programs.
TMMi and Individual Professionals
The TMMi model offers support to professionals dedicated to software testing and product quality assurance in mature organizations. According to the model's recommendations, the early involvement of testers in projects is crucial for effectively applying testing methods and techniques from the outset of development, as recommended by the TMMi model. For certified professionals, mastery of TMMi principles and practices fosters recognition and respect within the quality assurance community, showcasing their expertise in implementing industry-leading testing methodologies. Furthermore, becoming proficient in applying the model presents a career opportunity for professionals to lead their organization to the pinnacle of software quality as certified TMMi experts.
Briefly about TMMi
In the following, we summarized why the application of the TMMi model is important in the life of a development company. The mentioned framework assists in identifying areas requiring development and facilitates ongoing monitoring for continuous organizational improvement, thereby enhancing software quality. With streamlined testing processes, fewer errors are anticipated, leading to enhanced software quality and potential cost savings for the company over time.
It is also worth mentioning that, in addition to quality, a well-functioning testing process increases the reliability of products, leading to satisfied customers. The TMMi model thus provides a common language for teams, improving communication and the efficiency of testing processes.
If you're still unsure about familiarizing yourself with and applying the model, stay tuned and delve into the next part of our article series to gain further insights!