Avaliação de abordagens de gestão do conhecimento aplicadas a um processo de teste de software enxuto

Abstract

Context: A well-defined testing process is necessary to ensure that the required activities are conducted effectively, supported by maturity models such as TMMi. Even so, for this activities results have real impact on the quality and reliability of the produced artefacts, is fundamental manage the knowledge belonging to the involved individuals. In this context, Knowledge Management (KM) is essential to help software testing professionals acquire and disseminate individual and group expertise. However, existing KM approaches for software testing are still incipient and are driven by different key concepts, such as feedback, lessons learned and knowledge documents. Objective: This work investigates the applicability degree of KM approaches in a streamlined software testing process, from the point of view of professionals with experience in leadership and testing team management in Brazilian companies. Method: A literature search allowed us to identify three KM frameworks for software testing processes. Based on them, we devised their underlying KM processes, upon which we performed two evaluations by means of a critical, in-depth analysis and a survey. An additional investigation explored the combination of the three KM key concepts in a single KM approach for software testing. All evaluations relied on the opinion of experienced software testing professionals. Results: Our results indicate the most applicable KM process, among to the three addressed in our study, to support testing teams in their activities. Such process relies on the concept of feedback provided throughout the software testing lifecycle. Conclusion: Different key concepts applied in KM process leads to diverging opinions regarding their applicability, in the particular scenario of software testing. Combining such concepts into a single KM process may not yield a better solution, possibly due to the augmented complexity and required effort to manage knowledge within testing teams.