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Final Exam Problem#4

In this problem you are required to write an essay that addresses a combination of agile and TMMi.

FAQs:

Q. What is TMMi?

A. Visit www.tmmi.org and download "TMMi Reference Model r1" (on the left lower pane of the home page).

Q. I downloaded and read the TMMi Referernce Model (or called Test Maturity Model integration). It has 219 pages. We never covered the TMM in the textbook. All of a sudden you want us to understand TMMi. Are you kidding?

A. TMMi (an improved version of TMM) is just a model. It is very similar to CMMi. I understand that some of you know CMMi very well (if you don’t, don’t worry; it is not that hard) and therefore, knowing TMMi should not be that difficult. At this stage of your career you should be able to read stuff at 30,000 ft high (not on the ground and read line-by-line). I believe that you should be able to scan this model for half an hour and have two most important takeaways. The first is that the model tells you WHAT needs to be done (at the maturity level you want). Please note that the model tells you NOTHING about HOW to achieve those tasks that need to be done. The second is ... (well , finders, keepers). Please figure out (find) the second most important takeaway! If you truly understand CMMi (from your previous class), you should be able to know this second takeaway. If you didn’t study CMMi before, don’t worry. Just try your best. You may want to write your takeaway(s) in your essay.

Q. What do you mean "a combination of agile and TMMi"?

A. One example shows a kind of combination of agile and TMMi - see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yM7t265Cqhc (Presented by Steven Zivanovic of Experimentus, a UK company that specializes in software quality management ).

Q. Dr. Chen, I watched that 10-minute video. It only has about 1000 views. I also searched the ACM Digital Library and the IEEE Xplore and found that very few papers dealing with TMMi (or even TMM). I am not sure this (TMMi) is a mainstream stuff. Am I wrong?

A. TMMi may not be in the mainstream in the U.S. For some reason in Europe more professionals are interested in testing and software quality issues (for example, EuroSTAR conference) and I think at least some people there are pushing the TMMi.

Q. Is the title of my essay in Problem#4 "A Combination of Agile and TMMi"?

A. No. You should come up with your own title. For example, Mr. Zivanovic's title is "TMMi and Agile - Considerations on Quality in Agile."

Q. How many pages should I write?

A. I don't have a firm answer. Nevertheless, one or two pages are really too short and more than 5 pages is too long (unless you do have some ground breaking ideas).

Q. Dr. Chen, I think this problem is too vague (as a matter of fact, the final or even the whole class, is very vague). Can you tell me (or teach me) exactly what you want/think? I believe this way I learn better.

A. I don't think you can command a 6-digit pay if you are just good at following an exact instruction. The world economy has shifted significantly. Following commands now ends up with very little value (and pay). The world economy now rewards innovation, new ideas and new insights in such a big way (sometimes even unfairly) that we all need to adjust our learning style. For this problem, to remedy the vagueness, maybe we can have a role-playing scenario here. Let's pretend that you are the CTO of a big software shop with, say, 10 agile teams, working on numerous projects. Some teams have strong members and therefore, very good. Other teams are mediocre or even bad. As the CTO of your organization, how do you manage the software quality of the projects developed by those 10 teams?

Q. Do I have to play the CTO role as you mentioned?

A. No. It is just a sample scenario. You are free to come up with your own essay title and its scenario.

Q. Can I find my own references?

A. Yes. Please do and it is highly recommended.

Q. How do you grade my work on this problem?

A. Again, Effort, Presentation and Insights. As long as you show effort and with reasonable presentation, you are fine (and will have a passing grade). An A-range grade is reserved to encourage people to pursue innovation, new ideas and new insights.

Q. Will we have more final problems?

A. No. Problem#4 is the last final problem.