Normal testing

Оригинал

One of the three founders of modern software testing, Boris Beizer, identified five phases of a tester’s mental life:

• Phase 0: There’s no difference between testing and debugging. Other than in support of debugging, testing has no purpose.
• Phase 1: The purpose of testing is to show that the software works.
• Phase 2: The purpose of testing is to show that the software doesn’t work.
• Phase 3: The purpose of testing is not to prove anything, but to reduce the perceived risk of the software not working to an acceptable value.
• Phase 4: Testing is not an act. It is a mental discipline that results in low-risk software without much testing effort.

The first two phases can be thought of as myths of individuals and organizations with immature testing practices and processes.

This leads you to the practical testing reality in phase 2. Some testers stop here. In some organizations, that’s fine. If all your peers and managers expect from you is that you find lots of important bugs, and find them quickly and cheaply, then this book can teach you how to do that.

However, you can also progress to phase 3. In this phase, testing is part of an overall strategy of risk management. Testing is risk focused. Testing produces risk-related information. This book can teach you how to do that too.

Phase 4 represents more of an organizational mindset than a tester’s mindset. Once testing — and the implications of testing — become pervasive throughout the organization, everyone will start to act in a way that reduces bugs before a single test is run.

So, what phase do you find yourself in right now, and why? In which phase do your peers and managers expect to find you, and why? In which phase does your organization need you to be, and why?

О книге

A hands-on guide to testing techniques that deliver reliable software and systems

Testing even a simple system can quickly turn into a potentially infinite task. Faced with tight costs and schedules, testers need to have a toolkit of practical techniques combined with hands-on experience and the right strategies in order to complete a successful project. World-renowned testing expert Rex Black provides you with the proven methods and concepts that test professionals must know. He presents you with the fundamental techniques for testing and clearly shows you how to select and apply successful strategies to test a system with budget and time constraints.

Black begins by discussing the goals and tactics of effective and efficient testing. Next, he lays the foundation of his technique for risk-based testing, explaining how to analyze, prioritize, and document risks to the quality of the system using both informal and formal techniques. He then clearly describes how to design, develop, and, ultimately, document various kinds of tests. Because this is a hands-on activity, Black includes realistic, life-sized exercises that illustrate all of the major test techniques with detailed solutions.

By the end of this book, you’ll know more about the nuts and bolts of testing than most testers learn in an entire career, and you’ll be ready to put those ideas into action on your next test project.

With the help of real-world examples integrated throughout the chapters, you’ll discover how to:

• Analyze the risks to system quality
• Allocate your testing effort appropriately based on the level of risk
• Choose the right testing strategies every time
• Design tests based on a system’s expected behavior (black box) or internal structure (white box)
• Plan and perform integration testing
• Explore and attack the system
• Focus your hard work to serve the needs of the project

The author’s companion Web site provides exercises, tips, and techniques that can be used to gain valuable experience and effectively test software and systems.

Wiley Technology Publishing Timely. Practical. Reliable.

Visit the author’s Web site at http://www.rexblackconsulting.com/

About the Author

Rex Black is a 20-plus-year software and systems engineering veteran, and President and Principal Consultant of RBCS, Inc., a leader in software, hardware, and systems testing. He is the author of Managing the Testing Process as well as numerous articles. Black is also President of both the International Software Testing Qualifications Board and the American Software Testing Qualifications Board.

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