Hi, Thanks to all for previous responses on other Y2K issues I have faced in my Y2K consulting position here in Hawaii. This intelleigence and knowledge base of this site encourages me to post my situation...

In my current position I manage the Y2K business partner project, so most of my time is spent in analysis, assessment and of course, contending with all the suits playing a game called: "Staying out of litigation". Now of course most don't have a clue that an affirmative to the question "Will the current infrastructure hold together enough to even offer the opportunity for us all to sue each other?" would be a miracle, but that's another issue.

My dilemna goes like this: Time's running out, scope does nothing but widen beyond peripheral view, and new testing projects seem to be cropping up everywhere. Since there are no technical project managers left to give new projects to, I managed to be in the right place at the right time and was handed a critical business partner testing project to manage. Amazingly, the fact that i am totally unqualified to run a testing project does not seem to concern anyone here but me. I have not been seriously involved in the data manipulation from the deep bowels of a mainframe processor for almost 10 years, much lest testing what's supposed to come out of it.

Does anyone know where I can go to get a quick education on testing project management and processes? Specifically, this testing project is with one of our critical business partners, we are testing 20xx and end-to-end, in mainframe environments.

To make life even more interesting, my team came to the first kick-off meeting already exhausted from all the other insipid and unrealistic expectations that have been inconsiderately placed upon them by executives with mantras of "but we have to finish in time..."

One bright light in all of this is that I have a 156 IQ and assimilate pretty quickly...

-- Chris Roberts (help@crazyisland.com), April 02, 1999

Answers

Chris,

My advice is to order a copy of Year 2000 Software Testing by William Perry (John Wiley & Sons, 1999) to get 413 pages of solid, detailed, common-sense suggestions on Y2K testing. You can get the book from Amazon or any of the other usual places. It's one of several recommended Y2K textbooks that you can find on my web site

If your organization is willing to spend money on this area, I can recommend some consultants who do this sort of stuff for a living. They're all on the mainland, alas, so it won't be cheap flying them out to the land of Aloha. But as the saying goes: if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.

FWIW: I'm going to in Hawaii during the week of Apr 19-22, giving various Y2K talks in Kauai, Honolulu, and the Big Island. Itinerary is still falling into place...

Best of luck with your travails!

-- Ed Yourdon (ed@yourdon.com), April 02, 1999.

You can post your question on the comp.software.year-2000 newsgroup and the gearheads will address you.

www.dejanews.com

-- a (a@a.a), April 02, 1999.

Before buying ANY other book, you should buy "Testing Computer Software" by Cem Kaner (et al).

It is hands down the best book on testing. Goes into the practical aspects, as well as the psychological, political, and even LEGAL ramifications of testing software.

It's a quick read, too.

Jolly tests software, too.

-- jollyprez (jolly@prez.com), April 02, 1999.

You are in over your head. Take Ed's advice and get the PHM's to spring for a code "special forces" team. Be advised its almost certainly too late no matter who gets involved in a Death march. (And thats NOT your fault.) Therefore, engage the CYA mode, do what you can, then get back to the mainland prior to 12/99.

-- RD. ->H (drherr@erols.com), April 03, 1999.