Adaptive testing?

Should we always test according to certain rules? Or are we as testers the most flexible and adaptive persons in the company? Not with our results and quality of course, but with the extra work we do and the way we change to a situation.

Let me elaborate on that; As an acceptance test manager I started at a certain company for 3 projects. As we all know, all those 3 projects where not synchronized to each other which resulted in very busy periods. Which is no problem of course. But my point is that development and design both get more and more time to complete the project, but do not exactly know when it will be ready to test.

Problem #1; Planning will always change at the last minute, especially for test.

Still, we all know the planning will change (it is a project, so inevitable). But you don't really count on the fact that with 1 project, development is so bad, you still have to execute a system(integration) test when all you had to do was the acceptance test....something went very wrong you could say.

Problem #2; Delivered software will sometimes suck and a strict process should be in place to counter this effect.

But, still nothing out of the ordinary. The last acceptance test of one of the projects is coming into focus and about 300 users wanted to participate...not really an acceptance test, so we reduced it to 30. However, no manual for the system was available. Usually there is a department who is specialized in creating this. Not in this case; project manager and acceptance test manager (read: my own person) had to create it.

Problem #3; Use a manual for the final and complete acceptance test, but be sure there is a department that creates this. Because it is A LOT OF WORK!!

Anyway, this was not all; a regression script was asked/demanded by the client as well. That's all fine and all, but for the (user) acceptance test there is no real regression script, only scenario's. So...adapt and create the bl**dy thing.

Problem #4; Be sure that the whole organization knows about the test plan before hand so they know what’s coming and what not.

I think we are adaptive as testers, more than any other person (can) be in the organization because we are at the end of a chain and we do know what it is all about. It can be a curse to be in the middle of it all, but a lot of fun as well!!