Points to take care while doing testing estimation

Important points to take care while doing test effort estimation – These general tips will help us to estimate more accurately:

  • Have a deep understanding of the scope of the project. List down deliverables and identify the types of testing required for each deliverable. This would be your base document.
  • Identify at very initially if performance testing or security testing is required. Effort estimation for these should be done a separate way.
  • For each deliverable, identify the test environment. It might be common for all or may be two or more – depending upon the nature of project or modules.
  • Against each deliverable, identify the test case documents, scripts to test data to prepare. Do not miss to include review & rework effort of each of these.
  • Try to have a brain storming session with BA, testing team, development team & drill down each deliverable to feature / function level. If time permits, you can do this exercise formally & create a detailed WBS for this containing testing points / scenarios. Generally, time does not permits for this. So, basis discussion with BA, you can do some rough work on your notepad & create some basis for estimation.
  • Include bug life cycle. Mostly, we miss the effort that does into bug triage meetings & effort goes into defect management.
  • Make sure to factor-in the availability of resources.
  • Remember, doubling the resources does not necessarily means that effort will be reduced to half. Evaluate what testing can be done in parallel.
  • If you are working for the same client or with same development team, consider your past experience. If you know testing team & development team members, you can do better estimation.
  • This is the estimated effort assuming that 4 senior test engineers will work on the project
  • This estimated schedule may change if testing team receive continuous unstable builds. However, testing effort would remain same with +5%
  • It includes effort of complete functional & usability testing.
  • Regression testing effort will be estimated after completion of first testing cycle and after evaluating the bugs found in first cycle.
Rahnuma Tasnim

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