Reporting to people who decide.
WHAT STAKEHOLDERS ACTUALLY WANT TO KNOW
Can we release What is the risk What do we not know
WHAT TO LEAD WITH
The answer to those.
WHAT NOT TO LEAD WITH
Test counts and pass rates.
WHY
They do not answer the question.
WHAT TO PRESENT
Areas tested, and confidence in each Open defects by severity What was not tested, and why Any change in risk since last reported
WHAT LANGUAGE TO USE
Business terms, not testing vocabulary.
WHAT TO AVOID
Implying certainty Implying completeness Alarmism about minor issues Understating serious ones
WHY BOTH ERRORS MATTER
Each destroys credibility, in different directions.
WHAT TO SAY ABOUT UNCERTAINTY
Plainly, what remains unknown.
WHAT TO RECOMMEND
Clearly, with reasoning.
WHAT TO ACCEPT
That the decision is not yours.
WHAT TO RECORD
What you reported, and when.
WHY
It is what protects you when a decision is questioned afterwards.
