TMAP and stakeholders: how quality stays first in scrum

TMAP among stakeholders

This is where TMAP comes in. The Test Management Approach (TMAP) gives you a structured way to turn stakeholder expectations into testable User Stories and qualitative results. In this article, we dive into how TMAP helps bridge the gap between stakeholder interests and the quality of your software.

The Bridge Between Stakeholder Expectations and Testable User Stories

The Scrum framework encourages us to actively engage stakeholders at every stage of the project. This is great for maintaining the relevance and value of the final product, but it can also be challenging: how do you translate broad, often abstract stakeholder requirements into concrete, testable goals?

TMAP provides structure. One of TMAP's greatest strengths is that it provides methods for turning abstract wants and requirements into detailed, testable User Stories. For example, a stakeholder asks for a “seamless user experience” - that sounds wonderful, but what does this actually mean for the development team? TMAP helps to refine these kinds of vague expectations into specific scenarios, for example by adding usability tests to the backlog.

With TMAP, developers and testers can work in a more focused way: each part of a User Story is translated into a testable criterion. This allows us to identify issues early on and ensure that the final product meets the quality standards that stakeholders care about.

Creating a test plan based on stakeholder priorities

After User Stories are defined, TMAP provides a powerful approach to creating a test plan that prioritizes based on stakeholder expectations. TMAP supports a risk-based approach, which means that testing activities are aligned with the risks that are most important to stakeholders.

Prioritizing with the VOICE Model

TMAP introduces the VOICE-model as a tool to capture business value in testing strategies. This model helps convert stakeholder quality requirements into measurable goals. The core of VOICE revolves around defining Value, Objectives, Indicators, Confidence and Experience - in simple terms: what does the stakeholder really want to achieve, how do we measure this, and how do we ensure that the product meets it?

Let's take a real-life example. Suppose you are working on a financial app for a large bank. One of the stakeholder's most important requirements is that the system be secure and reliable - an absolute must in the financial sector. With TMAP, you can make this requirement concrete in your test plan by including, for example security tests and stress tests ensuring that the system can withstand different types of threats and stresses. This gives stakeholders confidence that their product is safe, and prevents surprises later in the process.

Involve stakeholders in sprint review via TMAP

One of the major benefits of the Scrum framework is the Sprint Review: a set moment after each sprint in which the team presents progress to stakeholders. With TMAP, you can take these moments to the next level by presenting results and quality statistics in an accessible way. Stakeholders not only get to see a working product, but also the test results that show how the product meets their requirements and expectations.

Making test results insightful and understandable

TMAP offers several reporting tools that present results visually and clearly - even for stakeholders without a technical background. By sharing specific quality measurements during the Sprint Review, stakeholders can better understand how their requirements were tested and what standards were achieved. This creates transparency and gives stakeholders the opportunity to provide immediate feedback.

In addition, this approach makes it easier to make changes. Simply imagine a stakeholder providing feedback on a new feature during the Sprint Review. TMAP's structural testing approach allows the team to quickly incorporate this and integrate it into the next sprint. This keeps the product in line with stakeholder expectations and requirements without compromising the quality of the project.

Continuous tuning during daily scrums

A daily ritual in the Scrum world is the daily scrum, a brief meeting in which team members discuss what they've done, what they're going to do, and what obstacles there are. Although the daily scrum is primarily internally focused, it can also be indirectly valuable to stakeholders, especially when it comes to testing their requirements and priorities. How to. TMAP provides tools for incorporating testing as a regular part of daily alignment, so the team continuously monitors whether their work is still aligned with stakeholders' goals.

With TMAP, for example, teams can risk indicators set up risk indicators, which are updated daily. Say there is an increased risk of a security issue in the new functionality - this is discussed in Daily Scrum and allows developers and testers to adjust their focus. This not only benefits product quality, but also shows that the team takes responsibility to proactively anticipate stakeholder requirements.

Testing stakeholder feedback: quick turnaround with TMAP

Stakeholders not only expect their requirements to be included, but also that feedback is processed quickly and effectively. This is where TMAP really excels. With the structured testing methodology, feedback from stakeholders, received during, for example, a Sprint Review, can be directly translated into specific tests for the next sprint.

A real-life example: a stakeholder indicates during the Sprint Review that the new user interface is confusing for the target audience. With TMAP, teams can immediately add usability tests to the backlog to ensure that this issue is included in the next iteration. This creates a constant loop of improvement, where stakeholder feedback actually impacts the final product. By discussing the progress of these tests during the next Sprint Review, the stakeholder immediately sees that their input is being taken seriously and the product is improving.

Involve stakeholders in defining the Definition of Done

One of the most important concepts in Scrum is the Definition of Done (DoD) -a list of criteria that a product increment must meet before it can be delivered. Stakeholders often influence what ends up in this Definition of Done because they ultimately determine what they consider important for the final product. With TMAP, the Scrum team can translate stakeholder requirements into concrete test criteria that are part of the Definition of Done.

For example, if a stakeholder demands that a particular functionality be “reliable and fast,” the team can specify this in the DoD through speed testing and reliability testing. By framing these requirements in measurable test criteria, TMAP helps the team not only meet stakeholder expectations, but also ensure quality in a way that is objectively testable. This avoids misunderstandings and ensures that everyone knows what it takes to lift the product to the desired level of quality.

Risk-based testing provides focus

TMAP provides a risk-based approach to testing, meaning that testing activities are aligned with the risks that stakeholders consider critical. Instead of testing everything blind, TMAP allows the team to prioritize the areas of highest risk or impact to stakeholders.

Let's take a concrete example: suppose you are working on a medical software project where data security is absolutely critical to stakeholders. With TMAP, the team can put additional focus on security testing, such as penetration testing, addressing stakeholder concerns. This makes testing more effective and aligns with the real priorities of the project, which not only increases customer satisfaction, but also optimizes development time.

Better reporting and clear communication to stakeholders

Another benefit of TMAP is the ability to turn complex test results into clear, accessible reporting. This is important because stakeholders often have no technical background and want to know whether their requirements are being met without getting lost in jargon. With TMAP's reporting tools, teams can present detailed results in an understandable way, for example in the form of graphs or risk diagrams that clearly show which tests were performed and what the outcomes were.

This allows teams to explain during a Sprint Review not only what was developed, but also how quality levels were ensured. By deploying TMAP reports, stakeholders gain transparency into the process and confidence that their product meets the agreed-upon quality standards.

Effective stakeholder management with TMAP

With TMAP and a well-organized stakeholder management process, the path is open for successful, high-quality software projects. The team can confidently cross the finish line knowing that every stakeholder requirement and expectation has been carefully tested and ensured. Want to learn more? Then follow the TMap® Quality for cross-functional teams elearning through Testlearning.