Risks are endemic in every step of every software project. A well-established key to project success is to proactively identify, understand, and mitigate these risks. However, risk management is not the sole domain of the project manager, particularly with regard to product quality where test managers and testers can significantly influence the project outcome. Julie Gardiner demonstrates how to evaluate and mitigate product risk from a testing perspective. She describes different approaches to risk management, the benefits of each, and how to use them. With an understanding and appreciation for product risk analysis, the test manager and team can then assess which testing approaches and techniques they should apply to reduce these risks. Julie demonstrates an easy way to report on progress to business management and stakeholders using product risk as its basis.

Crowdsourced testing has emerged as a startlingly effective by-product of social networking. Manoj Narayanan describes how many organizations are leveraging crowdsourcing to reduce testing costs and increase product quality. They are learning that the value of crowdsourced testing can differ significantly based on whether you are testing a web application, mobile device, or gaming app. To help you evaluate the benefits and constraints, Manoj compares the business model crowdsourced vendors are adopting to traditional testing approaches. Explore how crowdsourced vendors are now focusing on vertical integration through partnerships with both cloud-based infrastructure services and on-demand testing tool vendors to improve ROI. Manoj concludes by exploring how greater integration between social networking and crowdsourcing can further enhance the testing business model.

Although risk identification, analysis, and mitigation are critically important parts of any software project effort, agile projects require non-traditional techniques that are much quicker and easier to use than classical risk techniques. James McCaffrey focuses-not on theory-but on realistic risk analysis methods agile teams can readily implement with lightweight tools. James explains and demonstrates how you can employ taxonomy and storyboarding methods to recognize project meta-risks and identify product risks throughout the development lifecycle. Using “central moment” and “PERIL” techniques, you'll learn to analyze these risks and develop management and mitigation strategies dynamically, while the project is underway.

Through the stories and parables of Theodor Geisel, we can learn simple, yet remarkably powerful approaches for solving testing problems. In a tour of common issues we encounter in testing-test planning, staff training, communications, test case design, test execution, status reporting, and more, Robert Sabourin explains how you can apply lessons from the great books of Dr. Seuss to testing. Green Eggs and Ham teaches us combinations; Go, Dog, Go teaches us the value of persistence; Because a Little Bug Went Kachoo teaches us about side effects, chaos, and risk management. Others such as Hop on Pop, Marvin K Mooney, I Can Read with My Eyes Shut, and Inside Outside UpSide Down all have important lessons about how to get things done on software projects. Learn some simple truths and take away some heuristic testing aids to become a more productive and effective tester.

• Important heuristics to better test planning