Estimation

 Explain your estimations and justifications

• I always discuss with my team about the estimation
• For example, why do I need twice as much time to test the edit functionality than the delete functionality we did in the last sprint

Step-by-Step Explanation of Time Estimation:

1. Initial Analysis:

   • Review Requirements: Begin by thoroughly understanding the feature or functionality to be tested. Ensure you have all the necessary documentation and requirements.
   • Identify Test Scenarios: List all possible test scenarios, including positive and negative cases, edge cases, and any integrations or dependencies that need to be considered.

2. Team Discussion:

   • Collaborative Estimation: Engage in discussions with your team, including developers, product owners, and other QA engineers. This helps in identifying potential complexities and dependencies that may not be immediately apparent.
   • Use of Historical Data: Reference previous sprints or similar functionalities tested in the past. Historical data provides a baseline for your estimations.

3. Break Down the Tasks:

   • Granular Breakdown: Divide the testing tasks into smaller, manageable units. For example, testing the edit functionality may include tasks like verifying the UI changes, validating data input and output, checking database updates, and ensuring no regression issues in related areas.
   • Estimate Each Task: Assign time estimates to each of these smaller tasks. Summing these up gives you a more accurate overall estimate.

4. Consideration of Complexity and Risks:

   • Complexity Analysis: Analyze the complexity of the feature. For instance, the edit functionality may involve more complex scenarios and validations compared to the delete functionality, which might be more straightforward.
   • Risk Assessment: Identify any potential risks or unknowns that could affect the testing process, such as new technologies, third-party integrations, or areas with historically high defect rates.

5. Justification of Estimates:

   • Explain Time Differences: When explaining why you need more time for testing the edit functionality compared to the delete functionality, provide specific reasons:
     • Functionality Complexity: Editing typically involves more data validation, various input scenarios, and ensuring data integrity across the application.
     • Integration Points: Edit functionality might interact with multiple parts of the application, requiring comprehensive regression testing.
     • UI/UX Testing: There may be additional UI/UX components to test, ensuring a seamless user experience.
     • Past Experiences: Reference any challenges or issues encountered during similar past tests, which justify the additional time allocation.

6. Buffer Time:

• Incorporate Buffer: Include some buffer time in your estimates to account for unexpected issues or additional testing iterations. This is particularly important for more complex features. 
• Example

Our team always starts by thoroughly understanding the requirements of the feature to be tested. For instance, when estimating the time required to test the edit functionality, we first identify all possible test scenarios, including positive and negative cases, edge cases, and any dependencies.

We then discuss our estimations collaboratively, leveraging historical data from similar functionalities tested in the past. For example, we tested the delete functionality in the last sprint, which was more straightforward with fewer validation points and interactions.

The edit functionality, on the other hand, involves validating various input scenarios, ensuring data integrity, and testing multiple integration points within the application. Based on our past experiences, we know that this complexity requires more time to ensure thorough testing. Additionally, we incorporate buffer time to handle any unforeseen issues.

By breaking down the tasks into smaller units and assigning time estimates to each, we ensure a detailed and realistic estimation process. This collaborative and analytical approach helps us justify why more time is needed for certain functionalities compared to others