Conference Presentations

Adventures in Session-Based Testing

Many projects' first test approaches are characterized by uncontrolled, ad hoc testing. Session-based testing can help you manage unscripted, reactive testing. By using sessions to control and record the work done by the test team, you can use these methods to support and give impetus to ongoing learning and team improvement. You'll be introduced to simple tools and metrics to support test sessions, illustrated by real-world examples from two case studies.

James Lyndsay, Workroom Productions
Understanding Test Oracles

To get value from test execution, the results must be determined and evaluated. This presentation describes the dimensions and alternative approaches to results. It identifies three types of oracles and more than ten different reference functions. Listen as David Gelperin discusses design for testability issues relating to lower-cost oracles and the elements of an oracle strategy.

David Gelperin, Software Quality Engineering
A Method for Test Machine Setup for Multiple Operating Systems

Software testing is becoming more involved all the time: products involve more components; automation tools are used more often; and testing is required on more than one operating system, version, or language. In his presentation, Rick Smith addresses this problem and presents a solution that is automated, flexible, efficient, and repeatable. Learn how to improve--and simplify--software testing efficiency in your organization.

Rick Smith, IBM
Measuring Ad Hoc Testing

Many testers discover most of their bugs through a free-form exploration of a product called ad hoc testing. Ad hoc testing, however, can be difficult to manage. Jonathan Bach presents his experiences in making this intuitive and unstructured process manageable by packaging it in blocks of roughly equivalent effort (called test sessions). Learn how this test session concept allows you to measure and report test effort in a way that supports the needs of management, without burdening the tester with excessive paperwork or intrusive oversight.

Jonathan Bach, Satisfice, Inc.
Use Your Host Computer--To Test

What if we could find a way that would allow us to create tests that worked as well (or better) in an open system environment. This would make the same tests available to anyone and not restrict them to only the tester. No matter haw hard you work in the closed test environment you can never get more work done then you are capable of. But
if we could run in an open test environment we would be able to multiplex the testing
impact on the product many times over. To use a phrase from Object Oriented
Programming we could “write once – use many times.”

Bill Robson, WRQ
Graybox Software Testing in the Real World in Real-Time

The Graybox Testing Methodology is used to test embedded systems. Recent studies have confirmed that the Graybox method can be applied in real-time using software executing on the target platform, expanding the capabilities of this method to include not only path coverage verification but also worst-cast/best-case path timing. Learn how this methodology has been applied in a real-time environment to validate mission-critical embedded software systems.

Andre Coulter, Lockheed Martin
Design and Test of Large-Scale Systems

Increasing complexity and functionality of digital systems--coupled with time-to-market constraints--pose quality challenges. Strategies often include a mix of new development with the integration of pre-existing components from multiple sources. Ann Miller presents some of the software engineering and software management lessons learned from eight years on a large commercial satellite program, as well as several years on military satellite programs. This presentation focuses on the planned evolution of large-scale systems from the design and build of smaller components based on an end-to-end system backbone.

Ann Miller, University of Missouri-Rolla
STAREAST 2002: How to Break Software

Trying to figure out how you can become a more effective tester? That's easy: Become a better bug hunter. This presentation uncovers the root cause of software failure and offers techniques you can use to find bugs. James Whittaker shows you examples of real bugs and diagnoses their cause, while giving you the opportunity to ask questions based on your own determinations. He also describes a set of testing techniques designed to help find bugs in your applications more quickly. You'll even walk away with some fun exercises to help create a better overall testing culture at your company.

James Whittaker, Florida Institute of Technology
Testing in the .NET Maze

.NET is a multi-tiered approach to developing applications for Windows OS and Web applications. While these are new development tools, many testing requirements remain the same, yet require additional emphasis by a QA organization. Plus, with .NET's extra layers of abstraction, even more developers enter the programming arena with fewer technical skills than previously needed for standard Windows development. For instance, if a bug is found "in the depths" there's now more likely to be a work-around to the issue instead of a true fix. In other words, treating the symptoms instead of finding a cure will now become the norm. This presentation introduces you to the big picture of .NET and what you need to be aware of as your employer moves in this new direction.

Thomas Arnold, Xtend Development, Inc.
A Crash Team Approach to Effective Testing

Rapid changes and stunted delivery deadlines are always challenging software testers. To catch up, software testing must take a different approach without cutting corners-hence, the crash team. The crash team approach focuses on integration testing and runs in parallel with functional testing. Its technique discovers system problems early, problems that would be hard to find with traditional methods. It also supports the spiral development model that's been adopted in many rapid application development environments.

Pei Ma, WeiMa Group LLC

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