Conference Presentations

Feature Risk Analysis: What Do I Test First?

Feature risk analysis is a quick, valuable method designed to determine which features need the most testing, and which need the least. Steve Tolman shows you how to gain a basic, yet very usable, understanding of how to prioritize the testing of features in any given test cycle. Intended for off-the-shelf software, this method delivers a definable and variable starting and ending point for testing.

Steve Tolman, PowerQuest Corporation Inc
eXtreme Programming's Unit Test Fixtures: Experience from the Field

Are you interested in adopting eXtreme Programming's (XP) unit test fixtures and related methods? Stan Bell shares his team's experiences with the Visual Basic version of the Xunit unit test framework. He then explains the methodology employed in the development shop, i.e., how engineers and QA analysts interacted prior to the application of this technique versus after. He points out the challenges, pitfalls, and successes encountered during the adoption process, and reports on the much-improved defect detection and correction rates that occurred post-adoption.

Stan Bell, McKesson
Making A Difference with Test Assessments

Assessments are a powerful way to understand the current status of your testing. They provide an independent view of where you are and they guide you to where you're going. They also highlight what your team needs to do to reach its testing goals. From her experiences performing test assessments, Sigrid Eldh covers all aspects of her assessment approach including processes, management issues, automation, and test deliverables. You too can use assessments as a tool for your own success because they confront these contextual issues and give you valuable feedback that can be implemented immediately.

Sigrid Eldh, Ericsson AB
Selecting and Implementing a Test Management Tool

Tool selection is always tricky with its endless choices from vendors, boundless feature lists, and myriad of requirements from demanding team members. You've probably read a lot about selecting a test automation tool, but what about a test management tool? Emerging tools are more feature-rich than ever, and in many organizations they've become a permanent fixture in the QA environment. This session gives you a road map for the selection and implementation of a test management tool. Rutesh Shah presents a case study of a tool's implementation in the QA organization of a large banking firm. Learn how to use a test management tool to derive process efficiency, resource utilization, and testing status metrics.

Rutesh Shah, Arsin Corporation and Byron Ackerman, Wells Fargo Internet Services
Hand-Over Tests in the Integration Process

Integration of software components, especially in complex software systems, often fails in testing, which can result in disharmony between the development and test team members. In today's global environment, however, where software components are developed and tested at several locations, there's an even greater probability for integration testing issues to occur. Hand-over tests are a technique designed to improve the integration process, because these integration tests are performed by the tester and the developer . . . together. This process ensures that both sides have the same understanding of requirements, success, and failure. Plus the developer gets instant feedback on existing problems and can investigate them immediately.

Kemal Balioglu, Siemens
Pressure-Cooker Testing: What to Do When the Squeeze is On

All things are possible in the face of adversity, even an under-resourced testing project with an immovable deadline. Many testing projects start out with high ideals, then descend into mad panic when the realities begin to set in. Usually by this stage it's too late to back out of commitments, yet delivering a product that doean't meet customer and business expectations is not an option. Geoff Horne offers some useful insights for taking a resource- and time-challenged project and turning it into a successful endeavor that still delivers a quality solution.

Geoff Horne, iSQA
STARWEST 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 tutorial uncovers the root cause of software failure and offers specific, prescriptive strategies you can use to expose bugs-and system interfaces-to testing scrutiny. 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
PeopleSoft Load Testing: Strategies and Techniques

This session is a case study that demonstrates how to plan and execute pre-launch performance-and-tuning tests using commercially available performance testing tools. The study involves tuning a Web Logic/Oracle human resources system prior to its going live. You'll learn performance testing methodology for J2EE applications and explore the bottlenecks found and corrected in the system.

Dan Downing, Mentora Inc
A Custom Automation Framework and Test Case Management Solution

Interested in seeing a real test automation solution in action? Automated testing is an exciting thing to be part of, but automating the automation is even better. This session presents a system where the test case/automation system is set in motion after configuration management builds a piece of software for a project in which test has been automated. This means thousands of preprogrammed test cases can be run on multiple machines day and night. Darin Magoffin shows you a demonstration of the process, then explains its challenges as well as its flexibility.

Darin Magoffin, Todd Hovorka, and Rich Wolkins, PowerQuest Corporation Inc
Smarter Testing with the 80:20 Rule

It may not be a silver bullet, but knowledge of the 80:20 rule, and the special variation that applies to software testing, can help you dramatically improve your testing-and your entire software development lifecycle. This session explains what the rule is using real-life examples, then shows you how to use it within your test team. Erik Petersen then investigates the different ways the rule is being used by leading testers and developers today. This talk has motivated some Australian testers to change the way they test. Will this approach from Down Under turn your testing ideas upside down?

Erik Petersen, Specialist

Pages

CMCrossroads is a TechWell community.

Through conferences, training, consulting, and online resources, TechWell helps you develop and deliver great software every day.