Review By: Melissa M. Tondi
11/17/2008

This book is relevant for software development and testing teams within longer-standing and tightly regulated industries. For those organizations that are practicing newer SDLC methodologies such as Extreme Programming (XP) and/or agile, the reader may be left hoping for more information. Although the book clearly states that it serves as a text for the Advanced Level Testing Certification for ISTQB, it also states that it provides an overview for software testing and its purpose and value. I found it emphasized the certification piece but also provided a balanced testing overview. Fundamentally, the information given is well suited for both beginning and advanced QA/test professionals. As a veteran QA/test manager, most of the processes and standards presented were not necessarily new to me, but the author provided a comprehensive assembly of existing and popular practices in a concise manner. I would recommend this book for non-management team members or for managers in need of a reference guide. I have used this book as both a learning tool and study guide.

The author's writing style is easy to read. I appreciate the clear sentence structure, factual information provided, the flow, and organization of the book. It is both usable as a chronological read and as a quick-reference guide; however, for the advanced testing professional, the icons and symbols could be distracting. I think a glossary is pertinent in a reference book and found myself using the index in lieu of one, which was more time-consuming than I would expect. I also found that the questions at the end of each chapter could have been either reduced or removed all together. I did not grasp their purpose – except to cause the reader to answer, and then have to search the chapter to confirm his answers. What is needed is either an answer key or a detailed explanation of the questions’ purpose.

Another point I appreciate is the absence of anecdotal experiences. I find that chapters riddled with an author's first-hand accounts add an informal voice to the book and take away from its purpose. It is clear that Hass has relevant industry experiences as illustrated in the About the Author section, but she refrains from relying on those experiences as the primary vehicle to explain her points.

I am impressed by the introduction of the new-to-me term "Accuracy Testing." Although, I've referred to this type of testing in the more general term, Functional Testing, I have not ascribed it a definition of its own. Since reading this book, I've adopted its usage in our department’s terminology and documentation.

Readers will want this book in their library--even if they don't read it all the way through. I would certainly recommend it to colleagues and members of my own team.