Have you ever found yourself lost in translation, trying to turn acceptance criteria into solid, dependable acceptance tests? You’re not alone. It’s a common struggle for both software testers and developers. But what if there was a method that could make this process more efficient, and even enjoyable? Enter example mapping – a simple yet powerful technique that can bridge the gap between your acceptance criteria and tests.
Example mapping is a collaboration technique used by software teams to break down user stories and acceptance criteria into more manageable and testable examples.
Understanding the Challenge
Before diving into the solution, let’s take a moment to understand the problem. Acceptance criteria provide the ‘what’ – the conditions that a software product should meet. Acceptance tests, on the other hand, are the ‘how’ – they validate that the software meets these conditions. The challenge lies in translating these high-level conditions into concrete test scenarios. This is where example mapping comes in.
What is Example Mapping?
Example mapping is a collaboration technique used by software teams to break down user stories and acceptance criteria into more manageable and testable examples. It’s a visual method that uses color-coded cards (or digital equivalent) to map out rules (acceptance criteria), examples that illustrate these rules, and any questions or assumptions that arise.
Benefits of Example Mapping
- Clarity and Understanding: By breaking down complex acceptance criteria into tangible examples, teams gain a shared understanding of the feature and its intended behavior.
- Efficiency: It helps in identifying gaps, conflicts, or redundancies in the acceptance criteria early on, saving time and resources.
- Collaboration: Encourages active involvement from all stakeholders, fostering better communication and collaboration.
How to Use Example Mapping
Here’s a step-by-step guide to implementing example mapping, as introduced by Matt Wynne:
- Gather the Right People: This should include a mix of roles – the product owner, a developer, and a tester at minimum.
- Choose a User Story: Begin with a user story or a feature that needs to be developed.
- Identify the Rules: Write each acceptance criterion on a separate card. These are your ‘rules’.
- Create Examples: For each rule, create examples that illustrate how it works. These examples will form the basis of your acceptance tests.
- Spot and Note Questions: If there are any uncertainties or potential issues, note them down as questions to be addressed later.
- Repeat: Continue this process for each user story.
Example mapping might seem simple – and it is! But don’t let its simplicity fool you. It’s a powerful tool that can help software testers and developers translate acceptance criteria into effective acceptance tests. By fostering better understanding, collaboration, and efficiency, example mapping can significantly improve the quality of your software product. So why not give it a try on your next project?
Did you find this post helpful? If so, please share it with your colleagues! And if you have any experiences or tips on example mapping, we’d love to hear from you in the comments below.