Regulating The Profession

Isabel Evans,TSG, UKThK1

Regulating the professionIsabel Evans FBCS CITP

Testing Solutions Group LtdSt Mary’s Court

20 St Mary at HillLondon EC3R 8EE

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7623 2012Fax: +44 (0) 20 7929 0883

Web: www.testing-solutions.com

EuroSTAR 2007 – Defining the profession

Agenda

• Why horticulture?

• Why professional status?

• 2007 – we’ve taken first steps to professional status

• Next steps to a regulated profession

• 2057 - a vision for a regulated testing profession.

Why horticulture?

• Stockholm: Linnaeus 300th anniversary of the birth

• Isabel Evans – RHS Advanced Certificate Holder…

• Horticulture is a complex and important multi-national industry -horticulture, IT and software testing are comparable industries.

Carl Linnaeus 1707- 1778

• “chestnuts roasting by an open fire”

• Problem:– Sweet Chestnut– Horse Chestnut– Spanish Chestnut– Castanheiro– Edel-Kastanienbaum– Akta Kastanj– Marrionier

• Solution:– Castanea sativa

– Aesculus hippocastanum.

Picture from http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/images/linnaeus.jpg

Horticulture - RHS qualification scheme

Not professional but a

starting point

RHS General Approx 20 days plus own study,

written exam

Building professional

skills

Individual

modules from

RHS

Advanced

May be taken for interest or for

skill / craft development

Approx 6 months at 1 day per week

per module

Not professional but

part of a professional

qualification

RHS

Advanced

2 years part time (day per week),

plus own study, 3 written exams

and a practical

Junior professional RHS Diploma RHS Advanced plus another 2

years part time (day per week),

plus own study, 3 written exams

and a practical

Professional RHS Master

of

Horticulture

3-5 years study, 4 written papers,

a management case study and

oral, plus a dissertation and oral.

Horticulture – 8000 years of industry

• Horticultural practice has changed and developed– accident, science, improved technology

• Positive and negative effects of development – use of nitrogen fertilizers increases plant growth– algal bloom in rivers (20th C) - nitrate fertilizer misuse

• Horticulture is not a simple, rural pursuit– multi-national, multi-discipline, science/technology-driven– political, sociological and economic implications– sugar, bananas, tea, tulips, potatoes, pesticides, GM

• Horticulture is a force for change – both good and bad• Horticulture itself changes

– the problems (how do I grow apples successfully?) may stay the same

– the solutions (through plant breeding, plant propagation, feeding, pest control, pruning techniques) will change

– new plants / methods trialled, tested, promulgated through the industry.

Software Testing – 50 years of industry?

• Testing practice has changed and developed– accident, science, improved technology

• Positive and negative effects of IT & testing – increased connectivity, increased opportunities for fraud

• Testing is not a simple, rural pursuit– multi-national, multi-discipline, science/technology-driven– political, sociological and economic implications– data protection, privacy, security, the ability to run

businesses, organisations and countries• IT & Testing are forces for change – both good and bad• Testing itself changes

– the problems (how do I judge the readiness for production of this system?) may stay the same

– the solutions (through test execution, inspection, reviewing, automated regression test) will change

– new tools / methods have to be trialled, tested, promulgated through the industry.

Being taken seriously

• “… frequently directed to… more glamorous… careers….”

• “increase professionalism … among those who practise… ”

• “lack of systematic, practical training…”

• “…wide range of solid practical skills … need a recognised standard … understood by employers”

• “…sadly … elevated to a profession … diplomas … academic … rather than a craft practiced with hard won experience at the fingertips…”

• “…spent 2 years studying … set up my own business … my clientele would not recognise my skills or knowledge and saw me as “just a gardener” then quibbled over the price…”

• “…1938-1968 was … the best growth period of training opportunities, prospects and rising salaries… since then academics and theorists have increased while the basics have been in decline…”

Why a professional status?

• IT is increasingly pervasive – year on year, the number of IT systems and embedded

systems continues to grow

• The business complexity and technical complexity of the projects in which we are engaged is increasing– there are no simple projects

• The customers for IT are a wider group– global society rather than “just” business and

government so the impact of software failure is more public

• The customers require higher level quality attributes to support the complexity and change in their lives– increased reliability, maintainability, usability,

performance characteristics are required.

How can industry meet the challenge?

• Increasing the number of testers

• Increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of existing testers

• Improving testing methods and tools

• Increasing testing scope and maturity

• We also need to increase trust in our abilities:– increased and assured levels of competence

– trust through ethical commitment

– awareness of wider society

– research and development to improve

– awareness by the public of our role

• Therefore PROFESSIONAL STATUS is needed.

Professional status (Hughes)

• Known levels of competence • Professionals taking personal responsibility for their work• Profession providing a contribution to society

• Not just “being paid”• Not just a “level of competence”• Also ethics and accountability.

“…Classically, there were only three professions: ministry, medicine, and law.

… hold to a specific code of ethics

… swear some form of oath to uphold those ethics, therefore "professing" to a

higher standard of accountability.

… profession provides and requires extensive training in the meaning, value, and

importance of its particular oath in the practice of that profession.”

Quotes from the Wikipedia definition of “Profession”

Nine rules for a profession (Benson)

• Governing body

• High qualification level

– entry level standards of education

– continuous professional development

• Ethical rules and professional standards

– higher than those set by law

• Rules and standards for the benefit of the public not the practitioners

• Disciplinary action

– expulsion for not observing standards or bad professional work

• Use of statute to protect the public good

• Fair and open competition

• Independence of thought and outlook

• A profession gives leadership to the public.

Where are we in 2007?

• No overall governing body– but various IT professional bodies, associations,

testing associations

• Not a high qualification level and no requirement for CPD

– but a start at training and some low level qualifications

• Some standards– some COP and COD in the associations– some internal standards – not universally applied

• No disciplinary action• No use of statute to protect the public good • Fair and open competition? • Independence of thought and outlook?• Leadership to the public?

Software testing

Comparison with RHS qualifications

RHS General

Not professional

ISTQB Foundation? 3 days study,

multiple choice exam

RHS Advanced

Module; Building

Professional skills

ISEB Practitioner?

or IIST Certification?

or ISTQB Advanced?

or CSTP?

10-20 days contact

time plus the same in

self study,

written examination

+ experience

RHS Advanced;

Not professional

part of qualification

Are any of the

existing

schemes equivalent?

Are any of the

existing

schemes equivalent?

RHS Diploma

Junior

professional

Diploma level?

Expert level?

Being defined

RHS Master

Professional

Professional expert

level?

Still to be defined

Horticulture professional career options

Software Testing professional career options

Science & researchEngineer - R&DTeachingSales, marketingManufacture, growingGarden designer

Landscape architectureLandscape constructionMaintenance

ManagementRegulation, testing, inspectionAuthor, journalist, Broadcaster, TV pundit

(inferred from Pershore College prospectus and careers booklets; some of these roles are also taken at a trade level)

Test executionTest analysis and designTest managementSpecialist roles (NF, Tools)Test architectureQM, QA, audit, process review

Working for regulating bodiesScience and researchEngineering – R&DTeachingSales, marketingAuthor, journalist, Broadcaster? TV pundit?

(Inferred from own experience)

1

ORGANISED

5

STATUTARY

4

PUBLIC

3

GOVERNED

2

QUALIFIEDDeveloping

Profession

Established

Profession

IT

MedicineLaw

Accountancy

Education

Maturity model based on BCS papers “The International IT Professional Practice Programme” and “Study of Established Professions to Validate the IT Professionalism Model”

Professions – a maturity model

Asp

iratio

n (IF

IP/B

CS re

port)

SWT

Horticulture level added by Dave Feaver of Pershore College of Horticulture

Software Testing level added by the author

Hort

QTS

1960

1980

2000

BCS IFIP Building Blocks for the ProfessionFrom BCS “The International IT Professional Practice Programme”

C: International Benchmarks

B: National standards

CPD requirements

and review

processes

Review process for

continual

improvement

Organisational

professionalism

Academic

requirements

Certification

standards

and processes

Qualifications

architecture

Ethical and

Behavioural

standards

Disciplinary

procedures

Support

procedures

Skills

framework

Competency

framework

Entry criteria

& career path

Accreditation of

professional institutions

Certification of

professional

practitioners

Ad

vic

e a

nd

gu

ida

nc

e

A. Definitions and requirementsScope of profession

Common Body of Knowledge

Glossary of terms

Definition of profession and professionalism

Updating the Hippocratic Oath:Codes of practice and conduct

• GMC includes:– “Make the care of your patient your first concern…

protect & promote the health of patients and the public… you are personally accountable for your professional practice … justify your decisions and actions.”

• Institute of Horticulture includes: – “… to safeguard the environment and its diversity and

sustainability…”

• VRI (Dutch Association of Information Scientists) includes:– “… should not (co)operate in bringing about information

systems, the application of which could deliberately harm persons, institutions or the public interest…”

• "Etik for datafolk" by SIF, SBmf and FTF (Sweden) includes:– “Computer professionals feel responsible for ensuring

that computer technology is not used in ways that harm people, the environment, or society “

A Stockholm Declaration (short version)

1. Do no harm and keep others from harm

2. Take action to benefit others through software testing

3. Respect and help others

4. Take no actions to bring software testing into disrepute

5. Always take the best action working within my abilities6. Provide information to improve software qualities7. Keep confidentiality unless doing so will cause harm8. Behave with rectitude and decorum in my professional life9. Improve my own professional skills and competencies and

work for enhancements to software testing 10.Take personal responsibility for my own actions and for

those of people who I supervise.

(a full version is in the accompanying paper)

Next steps for competence: continue to work for level 2 “Qualified” by 2027

• Set rules and standards for the benefit of the public not the practitioners– practice standards– conduct standards

• Set/increase qualification level (entry and CPD)– having many schemes is not a problem– need an independent review of all the schemes– need to set higher level qualifications– set the exam and experience needed for entry

qualification – trade and professional– set progression through membership levels and

qualification for those (SFIA)

• Define career development paths (SFIA)• Match to other professions (IFIP)• Software testing is seen as a profession with a

high level of skill and a career progression.

Next steps for professional responsibility:start now towards level 3 “Governed” by 2037

• Ethical rules and professional standards– agree a code of practice– agree a code of conduct

• Promote/ensure adherence to rules and standards for the benefit of the public not the practitioners– practice standards– conduct standards– awareness of standards (customer expectation)

• Disciplinary action – expulsion for not observing standards or for bad

professional work• Independence of thought and outlook• Software testers are trusted professionals looked

up to by the rest of society.

Next steps for contributing to society?start now towards level 4 “Public” by 2047

• Governing body– sponsor research and development– set and enforce standards– monitor qualification schemes– provide career path– provide professional membership levels– monitor for fair and open competition– provide leadership to the industry– engage with and provide thought leadership to

IT, customer industries and society– regulates and governs the industry– Enquiring into the use of necessary statutes to

protect the public good• Software testing industry leads thought on social

as well as technical improvements.

2057 - a regulated testing profession

• Society takes for granted that software testers are members of a professional governing body– international– for all testers– as part of the IT profession – providing governance– setting ethical rules and professional standards – sponsoring research and development of

testing practice – working for the benefit of the public– using regulation and statute to protect the

public good– ensuring fair and open competition.

2057 - a regulated testing profession

• Society sees software testing as a career of choice for its children– career paths for trade and professional testers– high qualification level for professional roles– appropriate qualification levels for trade roles– continuous professional development – movement from trade to professional status

possible – disciplinary action including expulsion for not

observing standards or for bad professional work

– independence of thought and outlook.

1

ORGANISED

5

STATUTARY

4

PUBLIC

3

GOVERNED

2

QUALIFIEDDeveloping

Profession

Established

Profession

MedicineLaw

Accountancy

Maturity model based on BCS papers “The International IT Professional Practice Programme” and “Study of Established Professions to Validate the IT Professionalism Model”

2057 – on our 100th birthday

“A profession giving leadership to the public it serves”

SWT EducationHort

Thank you for listening

More information and references are in the accompanying paper

IT