Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 9.4
Tester participation rate calculations.
Also, by combining the individual productivity numbers to get a team productivity
number, you can see that this team performs only half as many tests as they could if
they had 100% of their time to perform testing. This number can be combined with
your effort estimate to give an accurate count of calendar work days remaining before
testing will be finished. Using the number of 125 tests remaining, and a staff size of 11
testers, you would approximate 11 staff-days of testing remaining. However, now that
you know what the team's productivity is, you divide 11 by 46% to get 24 calendar
work days remaining, or nearly five “normal�? work weeks. If you committed to the
original, optimistic number of 11 days, there would be much gnashing of teeth when
the tests weren't actually completed until three weeks after they were promised!
You need this kind of information to answer questions such as “How many people do
you need to get testing done by Friday?�? or “If I can get you two more testers, when
can you be done?�? Also burn into your mind that it's easier to stay on track by getting
a little extra done day to day than trying to make up a big chunk in a panic situation
(remember Rule 1…). Going back to Figure 9.1 you can see that on 8-Jan the team
was only six tests behind the goal. Completing one extra test on each of the previous
six work days would have had the team on goal. If you can keep short-term commitments
to stay on track, you will be able to keep the long-term ones.
