Dialogues Technology - Agile Software Development and Innovation Company

Some Kodak moments at Dialogues Technology

Dialogues Technology — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:29:28 +0000

“Let’s Scrum !!!” this is what we preach as an Agile Company. Besides developing software according to Scrum principles, we also offer Agile coaching and training. Check out our Scrum Training Page here.

We’re happy to see that Jorden Lentze – ABN AMRO has a Dialogues Technology sticker saying “I Love I.T.”. Maybe because of the projects we have developed.

Export of test design to Excel for HP Quality Center

Dialogues Technology — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:57:52 +0000

Since the implementation of version 1.0 of the DTM tool, we have been busy with developing new features. One of these new features is the ability to export the test design to an Excel format. This is because an existing customer of the DTM Tool, documents the test requirements into HP Quality Center. This was for us the reason to give this feature a high priority. After a short test phase the current version 1.1. of the DTM Tool is implemented with this new feature included. Therefore, it is now possible to export the test designs to an Excel format that can be read by HP Quality Center (see example below this blog post).

Right now we are busy developing new features and doing some bug fixes. An important new feature is to make drawing a test model more simple. In particular, to draw the connecting line between two components. Simply by clicking on the first component and then the secondcomponent, the line is drawn.

We still have many plans to expand the DTM Tool with new features. We also think about connections with existing test tools. We will write about this in a later blog post.

Dialogues Test Methodology (DTM) and positioning of DTM tool

Dialogues Technology — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:04:37 +0000

Product risk analysis on the test model

Dialogues Technology — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:43:24 +0000

The algorithm which the DTM tool uses to automatically generate test cases, has a veryhigh test coverage. Any combination of two test paths will be tested at least one time. But,when using the DTM test tool it is still possible to test those test cases in priority of importance. This is called risk based testing.

After the test model is drawn and the test cases are automatically generated, within the DTM test tool it is possible to highlight the entire test path of a test case. Simply byclicking on the various test cases, the entire test path for the relevant test case becomes green. In consultation with the business, you can now specify the priority of the test case; low, medium or high. After generating the test design, you now can test the test cases in order of priority.

So get the product risk analysis done on the test model itself.

Learn more about the DTM tool or try the 7 day trial version, visit www.dtmtool.com

A new approach to test automation in Agile development world

Dialogues Technology — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:37:11 +0000

According to predetermined specifications and the various test design techniques, the tester develop test cases and check if the current version corresponds to the required status of the test object.

With the increase of various Agile development methods, we see that functional testers no longer necessarily have a place within the team, but that testing is often performed by developers (unit and integration testing) and business (acceptance test). This is a missed opportunity and can influence negatively the final quality of the project. Testing is an art and it must be also be integrated within Agile processes.

Unit and integration testing performed by the developers happen often based on Test Driven Development. Also, these tests are often automated. This is a very good development, but what exactly is tested? The code that has build? But when this is working correctly, it is still debatable whether this is in line with expectations / wishes of the customer and whether any exceptional circumstances also works correctly. Because we don’t want to answer this question during the acceptance test, just a dedicated tester in Agile projects is required. The work of the tester is designed to assess what is needed to be actually built. In addition, not only the so-called happy-flows, but also all exceptional circumstances will be tested, which are prepared in accordance with the requisite test specification techniques.

Within Dialogues Technology we go one step further and we see that the tester has an even more prominent role within the team. The tester is involved already from the start and will begin to unravel the test basis (often brief description). Are there any possible inconsistencies, open-ended, impossibilities, filtering etc.? This is a dialogue with the client, where we ensure a more concrete test basis. The advantage is that the test start from a very early stage (static test) and it becomes clear what is to be built and so what has to be tested (dynamic testing). All this before the software is even built. This will also prevent the client from surprises and it is possible to get a clear business case. Since quality in agile processes is characterized by a higher satisfaction and business value, makes the role of tester only more important.

Model Based Testing (MBT) makes this possible. Based on business requirements and / or (additional) input from the business, the tester will build a test model, which includes all possible conditions and paths. Through a special testing technique all these paths, the happy-flow and non happy-flow are linked. For the automatic generation of test cases and a complete test design from the test model, we use the DTM test tool. Using this tool establishes test model is no longer a static model, since it can be repeatedly adjusted as needed, because we know that the requirements change with new insights from the business. With one click, the tool can generate automatically test cases and test design, over and over again.

The DTM test tool provides much more flexibility of Agile test approach and it minimizes the manual work, allowing greater focus for testers on the modeling of the test flow (testbasis). The DTM test tool facilitates the dialogue with the business.

Silvio Cacace, Dialogues Technology

Agile Testing

Dialogues Technology — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:19:47 +0000

Dialogues Technology has been working according to Agile Scrum for over 3 years now. Besides software development we also aim at other areas of expertise in our projects, like interaction design and testing. Since there are multiple areas of expertise being used simultaneously during the development of a software product we think it is necessary to get these to work together according to Agile Scrum. This starting point in all our projects delivers surprising yet promising results especially considering Testing.

That is why we have developed our own Agile Testing method over the past years, which we call Dialogues Test Method (DTM). This is an Agile testing approach that is currently being used in projects of Dialogues Technology (DT). DTM aims at functional testing and ensures testing is initiated at the very start of a project, even before any line of code has been written.

Agile Scrum process

This approach aims at Agile software development cycles. DTM is supported by a tool that will soon be made available for parties outside Dialogues Technology.

Overall process of DTM tool

The tester (as part of the team) creates test flows that represent one or more requirements. This happens iteratively, which means the created test flows are reviewed by the business and updated if necessary (static test). Test scenarios are derived only from approved test flows. With these test scenarios, dynamic tests will be executed.

The latter process can be supported by the DTM tool, since it is able to automatically generate test scenarios from test flows. Developers will also be able to use the created test flows which provides them a solid basis for developing the specific requirement by using Test Driven Development.

What is the core of the solution?

The core of DTM is that within Agile processes, like scrum, we can start testing at the beginning of the process and that we are able to execute the testing process in a profound and structured manner during the whole process (static and dynamic tests). The goal of this is to strengthen the business case in an early stage and to be able to identify possible contradictions, unclarities and flaws in the requirements. In this way possible recovery costs will be low (Barry Boehm).

The DTM tool ensures we can automatically generate all test scenarios over and over again (with advancing insight), even with a minimal set of requirements. This means a considerable reduction in manual labour to adapt and update the test scenarios. Besides this it is also possible to generate test scenarios based on executed risk analysis.

What the solution offers in terms of business advantages?

Low recovery costs: Testing right from the start of a project and a lot of effort in static testing ensures a considerable reduction of possible recovery costs (Barry Boehm).
Less intensive acceptance testing: Because of the early involvement of business stakeholders less effort is required for acceptance testing later on.
Cost reductions in the preparation phase: Automating test scenario generation means considerable cost reductions in the preparation phase of functional testing.
A sharper Business Case: By implementing DTM, Business stakeholders identify possible contradictions, unclarities and flaws in the requirements earlier, creating focus and a sharper business case

What are the preconditions of applying DTM?

The tester needs to know the DTM process
Business capacity for reviewing test flows and giving input for updating test flows
A DTM tool license for automatically generating test scenarios

Workshop with Europeana Hackathoners

Dialogues Technology — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:27:51 +0000

For 2 days we were busy in giving a workshop to the winning concepts of the Europeana Hackathon: 3 teams, 6 participants, 5 different nationalities, one day in Amsterdam and another day in Eindhoven.

The subject of workshop was how to improve the concepts and how possible to develop them in actual startups. In the 1st day Kees van Nunen and Timo Mulder have talked about Business Model Generation and Lean Start-up, leaving the 2nd day to Evan Gelders to talk about Interaction Design, where else than in a Phillips Building, during the Dutch Design Week.

The result? 6 software developers that realized:

the importance of thinking also in business terms
realizing how important is to test any idea with potential customers before writing any code line
talking to customers
interaction design significantly improves their concepts
lean canvas – put any business idea on a 1-page business plan

Dialogues Technology at IFRA 2011, Vienna

Dialogues Technology — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 09:52:45 +0000

IFRA Expo 2011, the meeting of the online and offline news publishers with vendors of online tools, media assetmanagement, apps and big printing machines. This year, it was Vienna‘s turn to host the expo.

At Vienna Messe, in 2 big halls, all the vendors gave demo, flyers, iPads and even iPhone 4Ss just to catch your attention. We did the same, by demonstrating the integration of the Social Profiling Widget to Escenic and its power over targeted online ads. We did this with the help of Vizrt (thank you guys).

And the reaction was the one we were looking for, a strong demand and cry need from the online publishing world

to dive in social networks
to gather more knowledge of how their users interact with content
to impress them with the right content and smart advertising.

With freshly developed Escenic tag functionality, an even closer step towards content personalization is around the corner. The way user interact with news is reaching fast speeds, the time they allocate to news is decreasing since they are looking for the relevant content. With Social Profiling Widget the reach of the relevant content is boosted by putting the right content on the homepage and removing the articles that don’t fit the social profile of the visitor.

It is possible, since the information, preferences, social remarks are present on Facebook or LinkedIn. Big data management and identification of those bits that can create a better experience, can be easily done by the widget we developed together with React.com

Next to this, knowing your users interest and likes, as a publisher you can make better decision over what type of ads should be placed. In return, the ‘ad blindness’ of today’s users is decreased with meaningful banners. If an online publisher knows that the user is fond of tennis, why the publisher would place a IKEA kitchen ad? This is happening today at big costs for publishers.

Things are about to change, but before that check the pictures we took in Vienna.

We’re at IFRA 2011 in Viena, from 10th to 12th October

Dialogues Technology — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 12:16:28 +0000

IFRA is the leading event of the news publishing and media industries. This year IFRA is combining more events in one week: the 63rd World Newspaper Congress with the 18th World Editors Forum.

Photo by Problemkind

Why Dialogues Technology is there?

Because we have developed a widget for Escenic Content Engine, one of the most used CMS system by news publishers worldwide. Escenic is part of Vizrt, which we have visited this year in Bergen, Norway. Dialogues Technology came with an ingenious idea on how to help publishers to know more about their guest, for a personalized content and more. This is possible due to our previous experience in social media and the connections to publishing world.

If you are there, lets drink a coffee!

You can find us around the Vizrt stand, where we will demo the plug-in and give you some insights over how we think that social media will further improve the online and offline industries.

Partnering with Vizrt, concentrating on Escenic

Dialogues Technology — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 10:54:27 +0000

We succeed to sign a partnership with Vizrt, the Norwegian company that creates leading-edge content production tools for the digital media industry, from television to online publishers.

The partnership consists of servicing and implementing Escenic Products and Services, a high performance Content Management Platform, used by major online publishers worldwide. The expertise with Escenic and the experience Dialogues Technology got from servicing Wegener and Independent Dublin, recommend us for any implementation or any other development that needs to be done with Escenic. This partnership strengthens our service line for media industry in the Benelux area.