6958360 Manual Testing

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Manual Testing

Manual Testing Basics

In India itself, Software industry growth has been phenomenal.* IT field has enormously grown in the past 50 years.* IT industry in India is expected to touch 10,000 crores of which software shareis dramatically increasing.

Software Crisis* Software cost/schedules are grossly inaccurate. Cost overruns of several times,schedule slippages by months, or even years are common.* Productivity of people has not kept pace with demand Added to it is theshortage of skilled people.* Productivity of people has not kept pace with demand Added to it is the

shortage of skilled people.

Software Myths

1.Management Myths* Software Management is different.* Why change or approach to development?* We have provided the state-of-the-art hardware.* Problems are technical* If project is late, add more engineers.* We need better people.

2.Developers Myths* We must start with firm requirements* Why bother about Software Engineering techniques, I will go to terminal and codeit.* Once coding is complete, my job is done.* How can you measure the quality..it is so intangible.

3.Customers Myth* A general statement of objective is good enough to produce software.* Anyway software is Flexware, it can accommodate my changing needs.

What do we do ?

* Use Software Engineering techniques/processes.* Institutionalize them and make them as part of your development culture.* Adopt Quality Assurance Frameworks : ISO, CMM* Choose the one that meets your requirements and adopt where necessary.

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Software Quality Assurance:* The purpose of Software Quality Assurance is to provide management withappropriate visibility into the process being used by the software project and of theproducts being built.

* Software Quality Assurance involves reviewing and auditing the software productsand activities to verify that they comply with the applicable procedures and standardsand providing the software project and other appropriate managers with the results ofthese reviews and audits.

Verification:* Verification typically involves reviews and meetings to evaluate documents, plans,code, requirements, and specifications.* The determination of consistency, correctness & completeness of a program at eachstage.

Validation:* Validation typically involves actual testing and takes place after verifications arecompleted* The determination of correctness of a final program with respect to its requirements.

Software Life Cycle Models :* Prototyping Model* Waterfall Model Sequential* Spiral Model* V Model - Sequential

What makes a good Software QA engineer?* The same qualities a good tester has are useful for a QA engineer. Additionally, theymust be able to understand the entire software development process and how it can fitinto the business approach and goals of the organization. Communication skills andthe ability to understand various sides of issues are important. In organizations in theearly stages of implementing QA processes, patience and diplomacy are especiallyneeded. An ability to find problems as well as to see 'what's missing' is important forinspections and reviews.

Testing:* An examination of the behavior of a program by executing on sample data sets.* Testing comprises of set of activities to detect defects in a produced material.* To unearth & correct defects.* To detect defects early & to reduce cost of defect fixing.

* To avoid user detecting problems.

* To ensure that product works as users expected it to.

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Why Testing?

* To unearth and correct defects.* To detect defects early and to reduce cost of defect fixing.* To ensure that product works as user expected it to.

* To avoid user detecting problems.

Test Life Cycle* Identify Test Candidates* Test Plan* Design Test Cases* Execute Tests* Evaluate Results* Document Test Results* Casual Analysis/ Preparation of Validation Reports

* Regression Testing / Follow up on reported bugs.

Testing Techniques* Black Box Testing* White Box Testing* Regression Testing* These principles & techniques can be applied to any type of testing.

1.Black Box Testing* Testing of a function without knowing internal structure of the program.

2.White Box Testing* Testing of a function with knowing internal structure of the program.

3.Regression Testing* To ensure that the code changes have not had an adverse affect to the other modulesor on existing functions.

Functional Testing* Study SRS* Identify Unit Functions* For each unit function* Take each input function* Identify Equivalence class* Form Test cases* Form Test cases for boundary values* From Test cases for Error Guessing* Form Unit function v/s Test cases, Cross Reference Matrix* Find the coverage

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Unit Testing:* The most 'micro' scale of testing to test particular functions or code modules.Typically done by the programmer and not by testers .* Unit - smallest testable piece of software.* A unit can be compiled/ assembled/ linked/ loaded; and put under a test harness.

* Unit testing done to show that the unit does not satisfy the functional specificationand/ or its implemented structure does not match the intended design structure.

Integration Testing:* Integration is a systematic approach to build the complete software structurespecified in the design from unit-tested modules. There are two ways integrationperformed. It is called Pre-test and Pro-test.* Pre-test: the testing performed in Module development area is called Pre-test. ThePre-test is required only if the development is done in module development area.

Alpha testing:

* Testing of an application when development is nearing completion minor designchanges may still be made as a result of such testing. Typically done by end-users orothers, not by programmers or testers.

Beta testing:* Testing when development and testing are essentially completed and final bugs andproblems need to be found before final release. Typically done by end-users or others,not by programmers.

System Testing:* A system is the big component.* System testing is aimed at revealing bugs that cannot be attributed to a componentas such, to inconsistencies between components or planned interactions betweencomponents.* Concern: issues, behaviors that can only be exposed by testing the entire integratedsystem (e.g., performance, security, recovery).

Volume Testing:* The purpose of Volume Testing is to find weaknesses in the system with respect toits handling of large amounts of data during short time periods. For example, this kindof testing ensures that the system will process data across physical and logicalboundaries such as across servers and across disk partitions on one server.

Stress testing:* This refers to testing system functionality while the system is under unusuallyheavy or peak load; it's similar to the validation testing mentioned previously but iscarried out in a "high-stress" environment. This requires that you make somepredictions about expected load levels of your Web site.

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Usability testing:* Usability means that systems are easy and fast to learn, efficient to use, easy toremember, cause no operating errors and offer a high degree of satisfaction for theuser. Usability means bringing the usage perspective into focus, the side towards theuser.

Security testing:* If your site requires firewalls, encryption, user authentication, financial transactions,or access to databases with sensitive data, you may need to test these and also testyour site's overall protection against unauthorized internal or external access.

Test Plan:* A Test Plan is a detailed project plan for testing, covering the scope of testing, themethodology to be used, the tasks to be performed, resources, schedules, risks, anddependencies. A Test Plan is developed prior to the implementation of a project toprovide a well defined and understood project roadmap.

Test Specification:* A Test Specification defines exactly what tests will be performed and what theirscope and objectives will be. A Test Specification is produced as the first step inimplementing a Test Plan, prior to the onset of manual testing and/or automated testsuite development. It provides a repeatable, comprehensive definition of a testingcampaign.

Testing Procedure

What steps are needed to develop and run software tests?

The following are some of the steps to consider:

* Obtain requirements, functional design, and internal design specifications and othernecessary documents.

* Obtain budget and schedule requirements.Determine project-related personnel and theirresponsibilities, reporting requirements, required standards and processes (such as releaseprocesses, change processes, etc.)

* Identify application's higher-risk aspects, set priorities, and determine scope andlimitations of tests.

* Determine test approaches and methods - unit, integration, functional, system, load,usability tests, etc.

* Determine test environment requirements (hardware, software, communications, etc.)

* Determine testware requirements (record/playback tools, coverage analyzers, test

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tracking, problem/bug tracking, etc.)

* Determine test input data requirements

* Identify tasks, those responsible for tasks, and labor requirements

* Set schedule estimates, timelines, milestones

* Determine input equivalence classes, boundary value analyses, error classes

* Prepare test plan document and have needed reviews/approvals

* Write test cases

* Have needed reviews/inspections/approvals of test cases

* Prepare test environment and testware, obtain needed user manuals/referencedocuments/configuration guides/installation guides, set up test tracking processes, set uplogging and archiving processes, set up or obtain test input data

* Obtain and install software releases

* Perform tests

* Evaluate and report results

* Track problems/bugs and fixes

* Retest as needed

* Maintain and update test plans, test cases, test environment, and testware through lifecycle

Bug Tracking

What's a 'test case'?

* A test case is a document that describes an input, action, or event and an expectedresponse, to determine if a feature of an application is working correctly. A test caseshould contain particulars such as test case identifier, test case name, objective, testconditions/setup, input data requirements, steps, and expected results.

* Note that the process of developing test cases can help find problems in therequirements or design of an application, since it requires completely thinking throughthe operation of the application. For this reason, it's useful to prepare test cases early inthe development cycle if possible.

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What should be done after a bug is found?

* The bug needs to be communicated and assigned to developers that can fix it. After theproblem is resolved, fixes should be re-tested, and determinations made regarding

requirements for regression testing to check that fixes didn't create problems elsewhere. Ifa problem-tracking system is in place, it should encapsulate these processes. A variety ofcommercial problem-tracking/management software tools are available (see the 'Tools'section for web resources with listings of such tools). The following are items to considerin the tracking process:

* Complete information such that developers can understand the bug, get an idea of it'sseverity, and reproduce it if necessary.

* Bug identifier (number, ID, etc.)

* Current bug status (e.g., 'Released for Retest', 'New', etc.)* The application name or identifier and version

* The function, module, feature, object, screen, etc. where the bug occurred

* Environment specifics, system, platform, relevant hardware specifics

* Test case name/number/identifier

* One-line bug description

* Full bug description

* Description of steps needed to reproduce the bug if not covered by a test case or if thedeveloper doesn't have easy access to the test case/test script/test tool

* Names and/or descriptions of file/data/messages/etc. used in test

* File excerpts/error messages/log file excerpts/screen shots/test tool logs that would behelpful in finding the cause of the problem

* Severity estimate (a 5-level range such as 1-5 or 'critical'-to-'low' is common

* Was the bug reproducible?

* Tester name

* Test date

* Bug reporting date

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* Name of developer/group/organization the problem is assigned to

* Description of problem cause

* Description of fix

* Code section/file/module/class/method that was fixed

* Date of fix

* Application version that contains the fix

* Tester responsible for retest

* Retest date

* Retest results

* Regression testing requirements

* Tester responsible for regression tests

* Regression testing results

* A reporting or tracking process should enable notification of appropriate personnel atvarious stages. For instance, testers need to know when retesting is needed, developersneed to know when bugs are found and how to get the needed information, andreporting/summary capabilities are needed for managers.

Why does software have bugs?

* Miscommunication or no communication - as to specifics of what an application shouldor shouldn't do (the application's requirements).

* Software complexity - the complexity of current software applications can be difficultto comprehend for anyone without experience in modern-day software development.Windows-type interfaces, client-server and distributed applications, datacommunications, enormous relational databases, and sheer size of applications have allcontributed to the exponential growth in software/system complexity. And the use ofobject-oriented techniques can complicate instead of simplify a project unless it is wellengineered.

* Programming errors - programmers, like anyone else, can make mistakes.

* Changing requirements - the customer may not understand the effects of changes, or

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may understand and request them anyway - redesign, rescheduling of engineers, effectson other projects, work already completed that may have to be redone or thrown out,hardware requirements that may be affected, etc. If there are many minor changes or anymajor changes, known and unknown dependencies among parts of the project are likelyto interact and cause problems, and the complexity of keeping track of changes may

result in errors. Enthusiasm of engineering staff may be affected. In some fast-changingbusiness environments, continuously modified requirements may be a fact of life. In thiscase, management must understand the resulting risks, and QA and test engineers mustadapt and plan for continuous extensive testing to keep the inevitable bugs from runningout of control.

* time pressures - scheduling of software projects is difficult at best, often requiring a lotof guesswork. When deadlines loom and the crunch comes, mistakes will be made.

* egos - people prefer to say things like:

* 'no problem'

* 'piece of cake'

* 'I can whip that out in a few hours'

* 'it should be easy to update that old code'

* instead of:

* 'that adds a lot of complexity and we could end up

* making a lot of mistakes'

* 'we have no idea if we can do that; we'll wing it'

* 'I can't estimate how long it will take, until I

* take a close look at it'

* 'we can't figure out what that old spaghetti code

* did in the first place'

* If there are too many unrealistic 'no problem's', the result is bugs.

* poorly documented code - it's tough to maintain and modify code that is badly writtenor poorly documented; the result is bugs. In many organizations management provides noincentive for programmers to document their code or write clear, understandable code. Infact, it's usually the opposite: they get points mostly for quickly turning out code, and

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there's job security if nobody else can understand it ('if it was hard to write, it should behard to read').

* software development tools - visual tools, class libraries, compilers, scripting tools, etc.often introduce their own bugs or are poorly documented, resulting in added bugs.

Software Testing FAQ

Q1. What is verification?

* Q2. What is validation?

* Q3. What is a walk-through?

* Q4. What is an inspection?

* Q5. What is quality?

* Q6. What is good code?

* Q7. What is good design?

* Q8. What is software life cycle?

* Q9. Why are there so many software bugs?

* Q10. How do you introduce a new software QA process?

* Q11. Give me five common problems during development.

* Q12. Give me five solutions to problems during development.

* Q13. Do automated testing tools make testing easier?

* Q14. What makes a good test engineer?

* Q15. What makes a good QA engineer?

* Q16. What makes a good resume?

* Q17. What makes a good QA/Test Manager?

* Q18. What is the role of documentation in QA?

* Q19. What about requirements?

* Q20. What is a test plan?

* Q21. What is a test case?

* Q22. What should be done after a bug is found ?

* Q23. What is configuration management?

* Q24. What if the software is so buggy it can't be tested at all?

* Q25. How do you know when to stop testing?

* Q26. What if there isn't enough time for thorough testing?

* Q27. What if the project isn't big enough for extensive testing?

* Q28. What if requirements are changing continuously?

* Q29. What about functionality that wasn't in the requirements?

* Q30. How can Software QA processes be implemented?

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* Q31. What if an organization is growing so fast...?

* Q32. How is testing affected by object-oriented designs?

* Q33. Why do we test during the design phase?

* Q34. What is software quality assurance?

* Q35. What is quality assurance?

* Q36. Process and procedures - why follow them?

* Q37. Standards and templates - what is in a document?

* Q38. What are the different levels of testing?

* Q39. What is black box testing??

* Q40. What is white box testing?

* Q41. What is unit testing?

* Q42. What is parallel/audit testing?

* Q43. What is functional testing?

* Q44. What is usability testing?

* Q45. What is incremental integration testing?

* Q46. What is integration testing?

* Q47. What is system testing?

* Q48. What is end-to-end testing?

* Q49. What is regression testing?

* Q50. What is sanity testing?

* Q51. What is performance testing?

* Q52. What is load testing?

* Q53. What is installation testing?

* Q54. What is security/penetration testing?

* Q55. What is recovery/error testing?

* Q56. What is compatibility testing?

* Q57. What is comparison testing?

* Q58. What is acceptance testing?

* Q59. What is alpha testing?

* Q60. What is beta testing?

* Q61. What roles are standard on testing projects?

* Q62. What is a Test/QA Team Lead?

* Q63. What is a Test Engineer?

* Q64. What is a Test Build Manager?

* Q65. What is a System Administrator?

* Q66. What is a Database Administrator?

* Q67. What is a Technical Analyst?

* Q68. What is a Test Configuration Manager?

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* Q69. What is a test schedule?

* Q70. What is software testing methodology?

Q71. What is the general testing process?

* Q72. How do you create a test strategy?

* Q73. How do you create a test plan/design?

* Q74. How do you execute tests?

* Q75. What testing approaches can you tell me about?

* Q76. What is stress testing?

* Q77. What is load testing?

* Q78. What is the difference between stress testing and...?

* Q79. What is the difference between performance testing...?

* Q80. What is the difference between reliability testing...?

* Q81. What is the difference between volume testing and...?

* Q82. What is incremental testing?

* Q83. What is software testing?

* Q84. What is automated testing?

* Q85. What is alpha testing?

* Q86. What is beta testing?

* Q87. What is the difference between alpha and...?

* Q88. What is clear box testing?

* Q89. What is boundary value analysis?

* Q90. What is ad hoc testing?

* Q91. What is gamma testing?

* Q92. What is glass box testing?

* Q93. What is open box testing?

* Q94. What is black box testing?

* Q95. What is functional testing?

* Q96. What is closed box testing?

* Q97. What is bottom-up testing?

* Q98. What is software quality?

* Q99. How do test case templates look like?

* Q100. What is a software fault?

* Q101. What is software failure?

* Q102. What is the difference between software failure...?

* Q103. What is a test engineer?

* Q104. What is the role of test engineers?

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Q105. What is a QA Engineer?

* Q106. What metrics are used for bug tracking?

* Q107. What is the role of the QA Engineer?

* Q108. What are the responsibilities of a QA Engineer?

* Q109. What metrics can be used in software development?

* Q110. How do you perform integration testing?

* Q111. What is integration testing?

* Q112. What metrics are used for test report generation?

* Q113. How do test plan templates look like?

* Q114. What is a bug life cycle?

* Q115. When do you choose automated testing??

* Q116. What is the the ratio of developers and testers?

* Q117. What is your role in your current organization?

* Q118. Should I take a course in manual testing?

* Q119. How can I learn to use WinRunner, without any...?

* Q120. To learn WinRunner, should I sign up for a course...?

* Q121. I don't have a lot of money. How can I become...?

* Q122. What software tools are in demand these days?

* Q123. Which of these tools should I learn?

* Q124. What are the SCM tools?

* Q125. What is software configuration management?

* Q126. What other roles are in testing?

* Q127. Which of these are the best and most popular ?

* Q128. What is the difference between priority and severity?

* Q129. What is the difference between efficient and effective?

* Q130. What is the difference between verification...?

* Q131. What is documentation change management?

* Q132. What is up time?

* Q133. What is an upwardly compatible software?

* Q134. What is upward compression?

* Q135. What is usability?

* Q136. What is user documentation?

* Q137. What is a user manual?* Q138. What is the difference between user...?

* Q139. What is user friendly software?

* Q140. What is a user friendly document?

* Q141. What is a user guide?

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* Q142. What is user interface?

* Q143. What is a utility?

* Q144. What is utilization?

* Q145. What is V&V?

* Q146. What is variable trace?

* Q147. What is a value trace?

* Q148. What is a variable?

* Q149. What is a variant?

* Q150. What is verification and validation?

* Q151. What is a software version?

* Q152. What is a document version?

* Q153. What is VDD?

* Q154. What is a version description document?

* Q155. What is a vertical microinstruction?

* Q156. What is a virtual address?

* Q157. What is virtual memory?

* Q158. What is virtual storage?

* Q159. What is a waver?

* Q160. What is the waterfall model?

* Q161. What are the phases of the SDLC?

* Q162. What is models are used in the SDLC?

* Q163. What is SDLC?

* Q164. Can you give me more information on software QA?

* Q165. What is the difference between system testing and...?

* Q166. What are the parameters of performance testing?

* Q167. What types of testing can you tell me about?

* Q168. What is disaster recovery testing?

* Q169. How do you conduct peer reviews?

Q170. How do you check the security of an application?

* Q171. How do you check the password field?

* Q172. When testing the password field, what is your focus?

* Q173. What stage of bug fixing is the most cost effective?

* Q174. What is the objective of regression testing?

* Q175. What types of white box testing can you tell me about?

* Q176. What types of black box testing can you tell me...?

* Q177. Is regression testing performed manually?

* Q178. Give me others' FAQs on testing.

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* Q179. Can you share with me your knowledge of...?

* Q180. How can I learn software testing?

* Q181. What is your view of software QA/testing?

* Q182. How can I be a good tester?

* Q183. What is the difference between a software bug and...?

* Q184. How can I improve my career in software QA/testing?

* Q185. How do you compare two files?

* Q186. What do we use for comparison?

* Q187. What is the reason we compare files?

* Q188. When is a process repeatable?

* Q189. What does a test strategy document contain?

* Q190. What is test methodology?

* Q191. How can I start my career in automated testing?

* Q192. What is monkey testing?

* Q193. What is stochastic testing?

* Q194. What is mutation testing?

* Q195. What is PDR?

* Q196. What is wrong with PDRs?

* Q197. Why is it that my company requires PDRs?

* Q198. Give me a list of ten problems with PDRs!

* Q199. What is the exit criteria?

* Q200. What is the entry criteria?.* Q201. What are the parameters for peer reviews?

* Q202. Have you attended any review meetings?

* Q203. What types of review meetings can you tell me about?

* Q204. How can I shift my focus and area of work from QC...?

* Q205. What techniques and tools can enable me to migrate...?

* Q206. What is the difference between build and release?

* Q207. What is CMM?

* Q208. What are CMM levels and their definitions?

* Q209. What is the difference between bug and defect in...?

* Q210. What is grey box testing?

* Q211. What is the difference between version and release?

* Q212. What is data integrity?

* Q213. How do you test data integrity?

* Q214. What is data validity?

* Q215. What is the difference between data validity and...?

* Q216. What is TestDirector?

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* Q217. Tell me about TestDirector?

* Q218. What is structural testing?

* Q219. How can I improve my career in software testing...?

* Q220. What is the difference between static and dynamic...?

* Q221. What testing tools should I use?

* Q222. Why should I use static testing techniques?

Software Testing Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is 'Software Quality Assurance'?

2. What is 'Software Testing'?

3. What are some recent major computer system failures caused by software bugs?

4. Why is it often hard for management to get serious about quality assurance?5. Why does software have bugs?

6. How can new Software QA processes be introduced in an existing organization?

7. What is verification? Validation?

8. What is a 'walkthrough'?

9. What's an 'inspection'?

10. What kinds of testing should be considered?

11. What are 5 common problems in the software development process?

12. What are 5 common solutions to software development problems?

13. What is software 'quality'?

14. What is 'good code'?

15. What is 'good design'?

16. What is SEI? CMM? CMMI? ISO? Will it help?

17. What is the 'software life cycle'?

18. Will automated testing tools make testing easier?

1.What is 'Software Quality Assurance'?Software QA involves the entire software development Process - monitoring andimproving the process, making sure that any agreed-upon standards and proceduresare followed, and ensuring that problems are found and dealt with. It is oriented to'prevention'. (See the Books section for a list of useful books on Software QualityAssurance.)

2.What is 'Software Testing'?

Testing involves operation of a system or application under controlled conditions andevaluating the results (eg, 'if the user is in interface A of the application while usinghardware B, and does C, then D should happen'). The controlled conditions shouldinclude both normal and abnormal conditions. Testing should intentionally attempt tomake things go wrong to determine if things happen when they shouldn't or thingsdon't happen when they should. It is oriented to 'detection'.

Organizations vary considerably in how they assign responsibility for QA and testing.

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Sometimes they're the combined responsibility of one group or individual. Alsocommon are project teams that include a mix of testers and developers who workclosely together, with overall QA processes monitored by project managers. It willdepend on what best fits an organization's size and business structure.

3. What are some recent major computer system failures caused by softwarebugs?

* Media reports in January of 2005 detailed severe problems with a $170 millionhigh-profile U.S. government IT systems project. Software testing was one of the fivemajor problem areas according to a report of the commission reviewing the project.Studies were under way to determine which, if any, portions of the project could besalvaged.

* In July 2004 newspapers reported that a new government welfare managementsystem in Canada costing several hundred million dollars was unable to handle a

simple benefits rate increase after being put into live operation. Reportedly theoriginal contract allowed for only 6 weeks of acceptance testing and the system wasnever tested for its ability to handle a rate increase.

* Millions of bank accounts were impacted by errors due to installation ofinadequately tested software code in the transaction processing system of a majorNorth American bank, according to mid-2004 news reports. Articles about theincident stated that it took two weeks to fix all the resulting errors, that additionalproblems resulted when the incident drew a large number of e-mail phishing attacksagainst the bank's customers, and that the total cost of the incident could exceed $100million.

* A bug in site management software utilized by companies with a significantpercentage of worldwide web traffic was reported in May of 2004. The bug resultedin performance problems for many of the sites simultaneously and required disablingof the software until the bug was fixed.

* According to news reports in April of 2004, a software bug was determined to be amajor contributor to the 2003 Northeast blackout, the worst power system failure inNorth American history. The failure involved loss of electrical power to 50 millioncustomers, forced shutdown of 100 power plants, and economic losses estimated at $6billion. The bug was reportedly in one utility company's vendor-supplied powermonitoring and management system, which was unable to correctly handle and reporton an unusual confluence of initially localized events. The error was found andcorrected after examining millions of lines of code.

* In early 2004, news reports revealed the intentional use of a software bug as acounter-espionage tool. According to the report, in the early 1980's one nationsurreptitiously allowed a hostile nation's espionage service to steal a version ofsophisticated industrial software that had intentionally-added flaws. This eventually

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resulted in major industrial disruption in the country that used the stolen flawedsoftware.

* A major U.S. retailer was reportedly hit with a large government fine in October of2003 due to web site errors that enabled customers to view one anothers' online

orders.

* News stories in the fall of 2003 stated that a manufacturing company recalled alltheir transportation products in order to fix a software problem causing instability incertain circumstances. The company found and reported the bug itself and initiatedthe recall procedure in which a software upgrade fixed the problems.

* In January of 2001 newspapers reported that a major European railroad was hit bythe aftereffects of the Y2K bug. The company found that many of their newer trainswould not run due to their inability to recognize the date '31/12/2000'; the trains werestarted by altering the control system's date settings.

* News reports in September of 2000 told of a software vendor settling a lawsuit witha large mortgage lender; the vendor had reportedly delivered an online mortgageprocessing system that did not meet specifications, was delivered late, and didn'twork.

* In early 2000, major problems were reported with a new computer system in a largesuburban U.S. public school district with 100,000+ students; problems included10,000 erroneous report cards and students left stranded by faile d class registrationsystems; the district's CIO was fired. The school district decided to reinstate it'soriginal 25-year old system for at least a year until the bugs were worked out of thenew system by the software vendors.

* In October of 1999 the $125 million NASA Mars Climate Orbiter spacecraft wasbelieved to be lost in space due to a simple data conversion error. It was determinedthat spacecraft software used certain data in English units that should have been inmetric units. Among other tasks, the orbiter was to serve as a communications relayfor the Mars Polar Lander mission, which failed for unknown reasons in December1999. Several investigating panels were convened to determine the process failuresthat allowed the error to go undetected.

* Bugs in software supporting a large commercial high-speed data network affected70,000 business customers over a period of 8 days in August of 1999. Among thoseaffected was the electronic trading system of the largest U.S. futures exchange, whichwas shut down for most of a week as a result of the outages.

* January 1998 news reports told of software problems at a major U.S.telecommunications company that resulted in no charges for long distance calls for amonth for 400,000 customers. The problem went undetected until customers called upwith questions about their bills.

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4.Why is it often hard for management to get serious about quality assurance?

* Solving problems is a high-visibility process; preventing problems is low-visibility.This is illustrated by an old parable: In ancient China there was a family of healers,

one of whom was known throughout the land and employed as a physician to a greatlord.

5.Why does software have bugs?

* Miscommunication or no communication - as to specifics of what an applicationshould or shouldn't do (the application's requirements).

* Software complexity - the complexity of current software applications can bedifficult to comprehend for anyone without experience in modern-day softwaredevelopment. Multi-tiered applications, client-server and distributed applications,

data communications, enormous relational databases, and sheer size of applicationshave all contributed to the exponential growth in software/system complexity.

* Programming errors - programmers, like anyone else, can make mistakes.

* Changing requirements (whether documented or undocumented) - the end-user maynot understand the effects of changes, or may understand and request them anyway -redesign, rescheduling of engineers, effects on other projects, work already completedthat may have to be redone or thrown out, hardware requirements that may beaffected, etc. If there are many minor changes or any major changes, known andunknown dependencies among parts of the project are likely to interact and causeproblems, and the complexity of coordinating changes may result in errors.Enthusiasm of engineering staff may be affected. In some fast-changing businessenvironments, continuously modified requirements may be a fact of life. In this case,management must understand the resulting risks, and QA and test engineers mustadapt and plan for continuous extensive testing to keep the inevitable bugs fromrunning out of control - see 'What can be done if requirements are changingcontinuously?' in Part 2 of the FAQ. Also see information about 'agile' approachessuch as XP, also in Part 2 of the FAQ.

* Time pressures - scheduling of software projects is difficult at best, often requiringa lot of guesswork. When deadlines loom and the crunch comes, mistakes will bemade.

* egos - people prefer to say things like:

* * 'no problem'

* * 'piece of cake'

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* * 'I can whip that out in a few hours'

* * 'it should be easy to update that old code'

* instead of:

* * 'that adds a lot of complexity and we could end up making a lot of mistakes'

* * 'we have no idea if we can do that; we'll wing it'

* * 'I can't estimate how long it will take, until I take a close look at it'

* * 'we can't figure out what that old spaghetti code did in the first place'

If there are too many unrealistic 'no problem's', the result is bugs.

* Poorly documented code - it's tough to maintain and modify code that is badlywritten or poorly documented; the result is bugs. In many organizations managementprovides no incentive for programmers to document their code or write clear,understandable, maintainable code. In fact, it's usually the opposite: they get pointsmostly for quickly turning out code, and there's job security if nobody else canunderstand it ('if it was hard to write, it should be hard to read').

* Software development tools - visual tools, class libraries, compilers, scripting tools,etc. often introduce their own bugs or are poorly documented, resulting in addedbugs.

6.How can new Software QA processes be introduced in an existing

organization?

* A lot depends on the size of the organization and the risks involved. For largeorganizations with high-risk (in terms of lives or property) projects, seriousmanagement buy-in is required and a formalized QA process is necessary.

* Where the risk is lower, management and organizational buy-in and QAimplementation may be a slower, step-at-a-time process. QA processes should bebalanced with productivity so as to keep bureaucracy from getting out of hand.

* For small groups or projects, a more ad-hoc process may be appropriate, dependingon the type of customers and projects. A lot will depend on team leads or managers,feedback to developers, and ensuring adequate communications among customers,managers, developers, and testers.

* The most value for effort will often be in (a) requirements management processes,with a goal of clear, complete, testable requirement specifications embodied inrequirements or design documentation, or in 'agile'-type environments extensive

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continuous coordination with end-users, (b) design inspections and code inspections,and (c) post-mortems/retrospectives.

7.What is verification? validation?

* Verification typically involves reviews and meetings to evaluate documents, plans,code, requirements, and specifications. This can be done with checklists, issues lists,walkthroughs, and inspection meetings. Validation typically involves actual testingand takes place after verifications are completed. The term 'IV & V' refers toIndependent Verification and Validation.

8.What is a 'walkthrough'?

* A 'walkthrough' is an informal meeting for evaluation or informational purposes.Little or no preparation is usually required.

9.What's an 'inspection'?

* An inspection is more formalized than a 'walkthrough', typically with 3-8 peopleincluding a moderator, reader, and a recorder to take notes. The subject of theinspection is typically a document such as a requirements spec or a test plan, and thepurpose is to find problems and see what's missing, not to fix anything. Attendeesshould prepare for this type of meeting by reading thru the document; most problemswill be found during this preparation. The result of the inspection meeting should be awritten report.

10.What kinds of testing should be considered?

* Black box testing - not based on any knowledge of internal design or code. Tests arebased on requirements and functionality.

* White box testing - based on knowledge of the internal logic of an application'scode. Tests are based on coverage of code statements, branches, paths, conditions.

* Unit testing - the most 'micro' scale of testing; to test particular functions or codemodules. Typically done by the programmer and not by testers, as it requires detailedknowledge of the internal program design and code. Not always easily done unlessthe application has a well-designed architecture with tight code; may requiredeveloping test driver modules or test harnesses.

* Incremental integration testing - continuous testing of an application as newfunctionality is added; requires that various aspects of an application's functionalitybe independent enough to work separately before all parts of the program arecompleted, or that test drivers be developed as needed; done by programmers or bytesters.

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* Integration testing - testing of combined parts of an application to determine if theyfunction together correctly. The 'parts' can be code modules, individual applications,client and server applications on a network, etc. This type of testing is especiallyrelevant to client/server and distributed systems.

* Functional testing - black-box type testing geared to functional requirements of anapplication; this type of testing should be done by testers. This doesn't mean that theprogrammers shouldn't check that their code works before releasing it (which ofcourse applies to any stage of testing.)

* System testing - black-box type testing that is based on overall requirementsspecifications; covers all combined parts of a system.

* End-to-end testing - similar to system testing; the 'macro' end of the test scale;involves testing of a complete application environment in a situation that mimics real-world use, such as interacting with a database, using network communications, or

interacting with other hardware, applications, or systems if appropriate.

* Sanity testing or smoke testing - typically an initial testing effort to determine if anew software version is performing well enough to accept it for a major testing effort.For example, if the new software is crashing systems every 5 minutes, bogging downsystems to a crawl, or corrupting databases, the software may not be in a 'sane'enough condition to warrant further testing in its current state.

* Regression testing - re-testing after fixes or modifications of the software or itsenvironment. It can be difficult to determine how much re-testing is needed,especially near the end of the development cycle. Automated testing tools can beespecially useful for this type of testing.

* Acceptance testing - final testing based on specifications of the end-user orcustomer, or based on use by end-users/customers over some limited period of time.

* Load testing - testing an application under heavy loads, such as testing of a web siteunder a range of loads to determine at what point the system's response time degradesor fails.

* Stress testing - term often used interchangeably with 'load' and 'performance'testing. Also used to describe such tests as system functional testing while underunusually heavy loads, heavy repetition of certain actions or inputs, input of largenumerical values, large complex queries to a database system, etc.

* Performance testing - term often used interchangeably with 'stress' and 'load'testing. Ideally 'performance' testing (and any other 'type' of testing) is defined inrequirements documentation or QA or Test Plans.

* Usability testing - testing for 'user-friendliness'. Clearly this is subjective, and will

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depend on the targeted end-user or customer. User interviews, surveys, videorecording of user sessions, and other techniques can be used. Programmers and testersare usually not appropriate as usability testers.

* Install/uninstall testing - testing of full, partial, or upgrade install/uninstall

processes.

* Recovery testing - testing how well a system recovers from crashes, hardwarefailures, or other catastrophic problems.

* Failover testing - typically used interchangeably with 'recovery testing'

* Security testing - testing how well the system protects against unauthorized internalor external access, willful damage, etc; may require sophisticated testing techniques.

* Compatability testing - testing how well software performs in a particular

hardware/software/operating system/network/etc. environment.

* Exploratory testing - often taken to mean a creative, informal software test that isnot based on formal test plans or test cases; testers may be learning the software asthey test it.

* Ad-hoc testing - similar to exploratory testing, but often taken to mean that thetesters have significant understanding of the software before testing it.

* Context-driven testing - testing driven by an understanding of the environment,culture, and intended use of software. For example, the testing approach for life-critical medical equipment software would be completely different than that for alow-cost computer game.

* User acceptance testing - determining if software is satisfactory to an end-user orcustomer.

* Comparison testing - comparing software weaknesses and strengths to competingproducts.

* Alpha testing - testing of an application when development is nearing completion;minor design changes may still be made as a result of such testing. Typically done byend-users or others, not by programmers or testers.

* Beta testing - testing when development and testing are essentially completed andfinal bugs and problems need to be found before final release. Typically done by end-users or others, not by programmers or testers.

* Mutation testing - a method for determining if a set of test data or test cases isuseful, by deliberately introducing various code changes ('bugs') and retesting with

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the original test data/cases to determine if the 'bugs' are detected. Properimplementation requires large computational resources.

11.What are 5 common problems in the software development process?

* Solid requirements - clear, complete, detailed, cohesive, attainable, testablerequirements that are agreed to by all players. Use prototypes to help nail downrequirements. In 'agile'-type environments, continuous coordination withcustomers/end-users is necessary.

* Realistic schedules - allow adequate time for planning, design, testing, bug fixing,re-testing, changes, and documentation; personnel should be able to complete theproject without burning out.

* Adequate testing - start testing early on, re-test after fixes or changes, plan foradequate time for testing and bug-fixing. 'Early' testing ideally includes unit testing

by developers and built-in testing and diagnostic capabilities.

* Stick to initial requirements as much as possible - be prepared to defend againstexcessive changes and additions once development has begun, and be prepared toexplain consequences. If changes are necessary, they should be adequately reflectedin related schedule changes. If possible, work closely with customers/end-users tomanage expectations. This will provide them a higher comfort level with theirrequirements decisions and minimize excessive changes later on.

* Communication - require walkthroughs and inspections when appropriate; makeextensive use of group communication tools - e-mail, groupware, networked bug-tracking tools and change management tools, intranet capabilities, etc.; insure thatinformation/documentation is available and up-to-date - preferably electronic, notpaper; promote teamwork and cooperation; use protoypes if possible to clarifycustomers' expectations.

12.What is software 'quality'?

* Quality software is reasonably bug-free, delivered on time and within budget, meetsrequirements and/or expectations, and is maintainable. However, quality is obviouslya subjective term. It will depend on who the 'customer' is and their overall influencein the scheme of things. A wide-angle view of the 'customers' of a softwaredevelopment project might include end-users, customer acceptance testers, customercontract officers, customer management, the development organization's.

* Management/accountants/testers/salespeople, future software maintenanceengineers, stockholders, magazine columnists, etc. Each type of 'customer' will havetheir own slant on 'quality' - the accounting department might define quality in termsof profits while an end-user might define quality as user-friendly and bug-free.

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13.What is 'good code'?

* * 'Good code' is code that works, is bug free, and is readable and maintainable.Some organizations have coding 'standards' that all developers are supposed to adhereto, but everyone has different ideas about what's best, or what is too many or too few

rules. There are also various theories and metrics, such as McCabe Complexitymetrics. It should be kept in mind that excessive use of standards and rules can stifleproductivity and creativity. 'Peer reviews', 'buddy checks' code analysis tools, etc. canbe used to check for problems and enforce standards. For C and C++ coding, here aresome typical ideas to consider in setting rules/standards; these may or may not applyto a particular situation:

* Minimize or eliminate use of global variables.

* Use descriptive function and method names - use both upper and lower case, avoidabbreviations, use as many characters as necessary to be adequately descriptive (use

of more than 20 characters is not out of line); be consistent in naming conventions.

* Use descriptive variable names - use both upper and lower case, avoidabbreviations, use as many characters as necessary to be adequately descriptive (useof more than 20 characters is not out of line); be consistent in naming conventions.

* Function and method sizes should be minimized; less than 100 lines of code isgood, less than 50 lines is preferable.

* Function descriptions should be clearly spelled out in comments preceding afunction's code.

* Organize code for readability.

* Use whitespace generously - vertically and horizontally.

* Each line of code should contain 70 characters max.

* One code statement per line.

* Coding style should be consistent throught a program (eg, use of brackets,indentations, naming conventions, etc.)

* In adding comments, err on the side of too many rather than too few comments; acommon rule of thumb is that there should be at least as many lines of comments(including header blocks) as lines of code.

* No matter how small, an application should include documentaion of the overallprogram function and flow (even a few paragraphs is better than nothing); or ifpossible a separate flow chart and detailed program documentation.

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* Make extensive use of error handling procedures and status and error logging.

* For C++, to minimize complexity and increase maintainability, avoid too manylevels of inheritance in class heirarchies (relative to the size and complexity of the

application). Minimize use of multiple inheritance, and minimize use of operatoroverloading (note that the Java programming language eliminates multipleinheritance and operator overloading.)

* For C++, keep class methods small, less than 50 lines of code per method ispreferable.

* For C++, make liberal use of exception handlers.

14.What is 'good design'?

* * 'Design' could refer to many things, but often refers to 'functional design' or'internal design'. Good internal design is indicated by software code whose overallstructure is clear, understandable, easily modifiable, and maintainable; is robust withsufficient error-handling and status logging capability; and works correctly whenimplemented. Good functional design is indicated by an application whosefunctionality can be traced back to customer and end-user requirements.For programsthat have a user interface, it's often a good idea to assume that the end user will havelittle computer knowledge and may not read a user manual or even the on-line help;some common rules-of-thumb include:

* The program should act in a way that least surprises the user

* It should always be evident to the user what can be done next and how to exit

* The program shouldn't let the users do something stupid without warning them.

15.What is SEI? CMM? CMMI? ISO? IEEE? ANSI? Will it help?

* SEI = 'Software Engineering Institute' at Carnegie-Mellon University; initiated bythe U.S. Defense Department to help improve software development processes.

* CMM = 'Capability Maturity Model', now called the CMMI ('Capability MaturityModel Integration'), developed by the SEI. It's a model of 5 levels of process'maturity' that determine effectiveness in delivering quality software. It is geared tolarge organizations such as large U.S. Defense Department contractors. However,many of the QA processes involved are appropriate to any organization, and ifreasonably applied can be helpful. Organizations can receive CMMI ratings byundergoing assessments by qualified auditors.

* Level 1 - characterized by chaos, periodic panics, and heroic efforts required by

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individuals to successfully complete projects. Few if any processes in place;successes may not be repeatable.

* Level 2 - software project tracking, requirements management, realistic planning,and configuration management processes are in place; successful practices can be

repeated.

* Level 3 - standard software development and maintenance processes are integratedthroughout an organization; a Software Engineering Process Group is is in place tooversee software processes, and training programs are used to ensure understandingand compliance.

* Level 4 - metrics are used to track productivity, processes, and products. Projectperformance is predictable, and quality is consistently high.

* Level 5 - the focus is on continouous process improvement. The impact of new

processes and technologies can be predicted and effectively implemented whenrequired.

* Perspective on CMM ratings: During 1997-2001, 1018 organizations were assessed.Of those, 27% were rated at Level 1, 39% at 2, 23% at 3, 6% at 4, and 5% at 5. (Forratings during the period 1992-96, 62% were at Level 1, 23% at 2, 13% at 3, 2% at 4,and 0.4% at 5.) The median size of organizations was 100 softwareengineering/maintenance personnel; 32% of organizations were U.S. federalcontractors or agencies. For those rated at Level 1, the most problematical keyprocess area was in Software Quality Assurance.

* ISO = 'International Organisation for Standardization' - The ISO 9001:2000standard (which replaces the previous standard of 1994) concerns quality systems thatare assessed by outside auditors, and it applies to many kinds of production andmanufacturing organizations, not just software. It covers documentation, design,development, production, testing, installation, servicing, and other processes. The fullset of standards consists of: (a)Q9001-2000 - Quality Management Systems:Requirements; (b)Q9000-2000 - Quality Management Systems: Fundamentals andVocabulary; (c)Q9004-2000 - Quality Management Systems: Guidelines forPerformance Improvements. To be ISO 9001 certified, a third-party auditor assessesan organization, and certification is typically good for about 3 years, after which acomplete reassessment is required. Note that ISO certification does not necessarilyindicate quality products - it indicates only that documented processes are followed.Also see http://www.iso.ch/ for the latest information. In the U.S. the standards can bepurchased via the ASQ web site at http://e-standards.asq.org/

* IEEE = 'Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers' - among other things,creates standards such as 'IEEE Standard for Software Test Documentation'(IEEE/ANSI Standard 829), 'IEEE Standard of Software Unit Testing (IEEE/ANSIStandard 1008), 'IEEE Standard for Software Quality Assurance Plans' (IEEE/ANSI

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Standard 730), and others.

* ANSI = 'American National Standards Institute', the primary industrial standardsbody in the U.S.; publishes some software-related standards in conjunction with theIEEE and ASQ (American Society for Quality).

* Other software development/IT management process assessment methods besidesCMMI and ISO 9000 include SPICE, Trillium, TickIT, Bootstrap, ITIL, MOF, andCobiT.

16.What is the 'software life cycle'?

* The life cycle begins when an application is first conceived and ends when it is nolonger in use. It includes aspects such as initial concept, requirements analysis,functional design, internal design, documentation planning, test planning, coding,document preparation, integration, testing, maintenance, updates, retesting, phase-out,

and other aspects.

17.Will automated testing tools make testing easier?

* Possibly For small projects, the time needed to learn and implement them may notbe worth it. For larger projects, or on-going long-term projects they can be valuable.

* A common type of automated tool is the 'record/playback' type. For example, atester could click through all combinations of menu choices, dialog box choices,buttons, etc. in an application GUI and have them 'recorded' and the results logged bya tool. The 'recording' is typically in the form of text based on a scripting languagethat is interpretable by the testing tool. If new buttons are added, or some underlyingcode in the application is changed, etc. the application might then be retested by just'playing back' the 'recorded' actions, and comparing the logging results to checkeffects of the changes. The problem with such tools is that if there are continualchanges to the system being tested, the 'recordings' may have to be changed so muchthat it becomes very time-consuming to continuously update the scripts. Additionally,interpretation and analysis of results (screens, data, logs, etc.) can be a difficult task.Note that there are record/playback tools for text-based interfaces also, and for alltypes of platforms.

* Another common type of approach for automation of functional testing is 'data-driven' or 'keyword-driven' automated testing, in which the test drivers are separatedfrom the data and/or actions utilized in testing (an 'action' would be something like'enter a value in a text box'). Test drivers can be in the form of automated test tools orcustom-written testing software. The data and actions can be more easily maintained -such as via a spreadsheet - since they are separate from the test drivers. The testdrivers 'read' the data/action information to perform specified tests. This approach canenable more efficient control, development, documentation, and maintenance ofautomated tests/test cases.

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* Other automated tools can include:

* Code analyzers - monitor code complexity, adherence to standards, etc.

* Coverage analyzers - these tools check which parts of the code have been exercisedby a test, and may be oriented to code statement coverage, condition coverage, pathcoverage, etc.

* Memory analyzers - such as bounds-checkers and leak detectors.

* Load/performance test tools - for testing client/server and web applications undervarious load levels.* Web test tools - to check that links are valid, HTML code usage is correct, client-side and server-side programs work, a web site's interactions are secure.

* Other tools - for test case management, documentation management, bug reporting,and configuration management.

Software Testing Frequently Asked Questions

What makes a good Software Test engineer?

* What makes a good Software QA engineer?

* What makes a good QA or Test manager?

* What's the role of documentation in QA?

* What's the big deal about 'requirements'?

* What steps are needed to develop and run software tests?

* What's a 'test plan'?

* What's a 'test case'?

* What should be done after a bug is found?

* What is 'configuration management'?

* What if the software is so buggy it can't really be tested at all?

* How can it be known when to stop testing?

* What if there isn't enough time for thorough testing?

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* What if the project isn't big enough to justify extensive testing?

* What can be done if requirements are changing continuously?

* What if the application has functionality that wasn't in the requirements?

* How can QA processes be implemented without stifling productivity?

* What if an organization is growing so fast that fixed QA processes are

impossible?

* How does a client/server environment affect testing?

* How can World Wide Web sites be tested?

* How is testing affected by object-oriented designs?

* What is Extreme Programming and what's it got to do with testing?

What makes a good Software Test engineer?

* A good test engineer has a 'test to break' attitude, an ability to take the point ofview of the customer, a strong desire for quality, and an attention to detail. Tactand diplomacy are useful in maintaining a cooperative relationship withdevelopers, and an ability to communicate with both technical (developers) andnon-technical (customers, management) people is useful. Previous softwaredevelopment experience can be helpful as it provides a deeper understanding ofthe software development process, gives the tester an appreciation for thedevelopers' point of view, and reduce the learning curve in automated test toolprogramming. Judgement skills are needed to assess high-risk areas of anapplication on which to focus testing efforts when time is limited.

What makes a good Software QA engineer?

* The same qualities a good tester has are useful for a QA engineer. Additionally,they must be able to understand the entire software development process and howit can fit into the business approach and goals of the organization. Communicationskills and the ability to understand various sides of issues are important. Inorganizations in the early stages of implementing QA processes, patience anddiplomacy are especially needed. An ability to find problems as well as to see'what's missing' is important for inspections and reviews.

What makes a good QA or Test manager?

A good QA, test, or QA/Test(combined) manager should:

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* be familiar with the software development process

* be able to maintain enthusiasm of their team and promote a positive atmosphere,despite what is a somewhat 'negative' process (e.g., looking for or preventing

problems)

* be able to promote teamwork to increase productivity

* be able to promote cooperation between software, test, and QA engineers

* have the diplomatic skills needed to promote improvements in QA processes

* have the ability to withstand pressures and say 'no' to other managers whenquality is insufficient or QA processes are not being adhered to have peoplejudgement skills for hiring and keeping skilled personnel

* be able to communicate with technical and non-technical people, engineers,managers, and customers.

* be able to run meetings and keep them focused.

What's the role of documentation in QA?

* Critical. (Note that documentation can be electronic, not necessarily paper, maybe embedded in code comments, etc.) QA practices should be documented suchthat they are repeatable. Specifications, designs, business rules, inspection reports,configurations, code changes, test plans, test cases, bug reports, user manuals, etc.should all be documented in some form. There should ideally be a system foreasily finding and obtaining information and determining what documentationwill have a particular piece of information. Change management fordocumentation should be used if possible.

What's the big deal about 'requirements'?

* One of the most reliable methods of ensuring problems, or failure, in a large,complex software project is to have poorly documented requirementsspecifications. Requirements are the details describing an application's externally-perceived functionality and properties. Requirements should be clear, complete,reasonably detailed, cohesive, attainable, and testable. A non-testable requirementwould be, for example, 'user-friendly' (too subjective). A testable requirementwould be something like 'the user must enter their previously-assigned passwordto access the application'. Determining and organizing requirements details in auseful and efficient way can be a difficult effort; different methods are availabledepending on the particular project. Many books are available that describevarious approaches to this task. (See the Books section's 'Software Requirements

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Engineering' category for books on Software Requirements.)

* Care should be taken to involve ALL of a project's significant 'customers' in therequirements process. 'Customers' could be in-house personnel or out, and couldinclude end-users, customer acceptance testers, customer contract officers,

customer management, future software maintenance engineers, salespeople, etc.Anyone who could later derail the project if their expectations aren't met shouldbe included if possible.

* Organizations vary considerably in their handling of requirementsspecifications. Ideally, the requirements are spelled out in a document withstatements such as 'The product shall.....'. 'Design' specifications should not beconfused with 'requirements'; design specifications should be traceable back to therequirements.

* In some organizations requirements may end up in high level project plans,

functional specification documents, in design documents, or in other documents atvarious levels of detail. No matter what they are called, some type ofdocumentation with detailed requirements will be needed by testers in order toproperly plan and execute tests. Without such documentation, there will be noclear-cut way to determine if a software application is performing correctly.

* 'Agile' methods such as XP use methods requiring close interaction andcooperation between programmers and customers/end-users to iteratively developrequirements. The programmer uses 'Test first' development to first createautomated unit testing code, which essentially embodies the requirements.

What steps are needed to develop and run software tests?

The following are some of the steps to consider:

* Obtain requirements, functional design, and internal design specifications andother necessary documents.

* Obtain budget and schedule requirements.

* Determine project-related personnel and their responsibilities, reportingrequirements, required standards and processes (such as release processes, changeprocesses, etc.)

* Determine project context, relative to the existing quality culture of theorganization and business, and how it mi

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