A minimal test practice framework for emerging software organizations

Testing takes a large share of software development efforts, and hence is of interest when seeking improvements. Several test process improvement frameworks exist, but they are extensive and much too large to be effective for smaller organizations. This paper presents a minimal test practice framework (MTPF) that allows the incremental introduction of appropriate practices at the appropriate time in rapidly expanding organizations. The process for introducing the practice framework tries to minimize resistance to change by maximizing the involvement of the entire organization in the improvement effort and ensuring that changes are made in small steps with a low threshold for each step. The practice framework created and its method of introduction have been evaluated at one company by applying the framework for a one-year period. Twelve local software development companies have also evaluated the framework in a survey.