This is a 3-day workshop promoting a cohesive approach to testing: a “how-to” approach with exercises, examples, and templates that can be applied immediately to testing. It addresses the roles and responsibilities of each participant in the software development process. It outlines responsibilities, expectations, and mechanisms to measure performance and progress. The workshop emphasizes a practical approach to testing in order to create better products and addresses the ever -changing needs and resources of an organization. Students will learn how to move testing and QA techniques from “gut feelings & instinct” towards an engineering discipline. The workshop discussion is directed towards practical solutions to quality assurance problems. Techniques to ensure that an information system protects data and maintains functionality are discussed. The question of best ways of involving a QA team in the requirements definition process is investigated. We specifically address the problems of: a lack of resources, insufficient user community involvement, no budget for test automation, poor performance tracking metrics, overlaps in responsibilities, and other common pitfalls in a testing process.

Objectives

Examine the differences between unit testing and system testing.

Review testing in an Agile methodology such as eXtreme Programming and ‘Programming by Contract.

Translate requirements into tests, and demonstrate the value of early testing vs. late testing in a project.

Ensure that testers are testing scenarios that are of concern to the end users.

Develop strategies to implement better approaches to quality assurance.

Ensure that an information system protects data and maintains system functionality.

Use diagraming techniques to identify testable conditions from specifications.

Identify the appropriate metrics to measure progress and performance in your organization.

Write test plans that assure the desired amount of test coverage.

Assess readiness to acquire test tools and automate the testing process.

Establish criteria to start testing and determine when it is completed.

Detailed Outline

1. Introduction: Defect Detection or Defeat Prevention:
   • Objectives / Observations
   • Impediments to Quality
   • Role of the Tester
   • Responsibilities
   • Early Testing vs. Late Testing
   • Quality Assurance Assessment
   • Quality Issues and Elements
   • Quality Improvement Suggestions
   • Quality Tools and Steps
   • Opportunities to Improve the Testing Process
   • System Development Life Cycles
   • Waterfall SDLC
   • Spiral SDLC
   • Agile
   • Phase Objectives
   • Measuring Performance
   • Reliability Metrics
   • Testing Success Factors
   • Product Development and Testing Phases
2. Major Software Development and Testing Issues
   • Preparing Specifications
   • Writing User Manuals
   • Writing Skills
   • QA / QC Responsibilities
   • Reviewing Project Specifications
   • Scripts and Cases
   • Unit vs. System (or Acceptance)
   • Testing
   • Scripted vs. Exploratory Testing
   • Building Confidence in Testing
   • Positive and Negative Testing
   • Blind Testing
   • Unit-level Test Scripts
   • System-level Test Scripts
   • Managing Change
   • Levels of Testing
   • Responsibilities by Test Type
3. Test Methodologies & Checklists
   • Setting Test Objectives and Identifying Tests
   • Test Planning
   • Methodologies
   • Boundary Value Analysis
   • Path Analysis
   • Decision Tables
   • State Machines
   • State Transition
   • Factor Analysis
   • OATS
   • Pairs and Magic Squares
   • Embedded Systems
   • Checklists
4. Risk Analysis
   • Categorical Analysis
   • Factor Breakdown
   • Business Rule Analysis
   • Operational Matrix
5. Test Planning
   • Unit Testing (Early Testing)
   • Integration Testing and System Testing
   • System / Acceptance Testing
   • Creating the Regression Test
   • Traceability Matrix
   • Usability Testing
   • Palm Compliance Testing Checklist
   • Stopping Rules for Testing
   • Estimating with Function Points
   • How Do I Estimate the Testing Effort?
   • Data Dictionaries
   • Approaches to Testing
   • Regression Testing
   • Alternatives to Testing
   • Test Notebook
6. Test Plan Reviews
7. Promotion Rules for Applications
8. Test Modifications
   • Maintenance Issues
   • Maintenance Testing
   • Estimating the Modifications
   • Cost Benefit Identification
9. Upstream/Downstream Testing
10. Integration Testing Errors
    • Checklist of Integration Issues
    • Error Prevention Checklist
11. Degraded Mode Testing Techniques
12. Defect Prevention
    • Checklists
    • Functional Specification Defects
    • Designing Defects
    • Coding Defects
    • Testing Defects
    • Coding / Testing Rules
13. Test Management
    • Test Logs
    • Sample Defect Tracking Report
    • Test Log Scenarios
    • Retesting and Follow-up Procedures
    • Root Cause Analysis
14. Problem Solving Techniques
    • Error Isolation
    • Variable Tracers
    • Flowcharts
    • Deductive Questioning
    • Structured Walkthroughs
    • JAD – Joint Application Design
15. Object-Oriented Testing
    • Definitions
    • 00 vs Traditional Testing
    • Managing Complexity
    • Abstraction
    • Encapsulation
    • Inheritance
    • Object-Oriented Systems Testability Issue
    • Object-Oriented Testing Approach
    • Using Test Clients
    • Other Testing Issues
16. Second Chapter Title
    • Automated Testing Considerations
    • Test Tools
17. Web-based client/Server Testing
    • Web-based Testing-Where to Begin?
    • What Will Be New?
    • Determining What to Test
    • Where to Test: Client-side or Server-side?
    • Web Testing Responsibilities
    • Web Testing Checklist
    • Agile Methodology and Testing Agile Manifesto
    • What Changes with Agile?
    • Agile Principles
    • eXtreme Programming
    • Productivity Measure: Velocity XP Basic
    • Rules and Definitions Testing in XP Shops
    • Basic XP Practices
18. Systems Architecture
    • Test GUIs/APIs
    • Local (One Node) Testing
    • Multiple clients/Multiple Servers
19. Cross Functional Analysis
20. Database Integrity Testing
    • Declarative Checking
    • Procedural Checking
    • Checklists
21. Appendix
    • Increasing Productivity
    • Testing Environment
    • System Testing Without a Specification
    • Job Responsibilities of System Testers
    • Web Sites
22. Glossary