The Latest
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Surviving the Witch Hunt[magazine] A witch hunt is the search for whoever let those darned bugs out into the field. How do you stop a witch hunt? The best way is to refocus attention from "someone to blame" to "something to fix." If you focus on what in the process is causing the defects and discuss how to minimize or even eliminate the causes, you have a real chance to turn things around. |
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Salary Survey 2002: Are You Weathering the Storm?[magazine] The results of the third annual STQE magazine/StickyMinds.com salary survey give the temperature of the testing industry. Thanks to our readers' continued participation, we now have three years' worth of data and the ability to start looking for trends. |
Anne Meilof
October 18, 2002 |
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A Look at TeamTrack by TeamShare[magazine] David Lee's company needed a system to track customer support and development issues—one that had the right combination of tools and the scalability they needed to effectively address their customer needs, as well as their own internal requirements. Here is a discussion of why they chose Team Track, and an evaluation of the tool. |
David S. Lee
October 18, 2002 |
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How to Avoid Adaptive Testing Syndrome[magazine] Adaptive Testing Syndrome happens when, for various reasons, test team members become blind to the idiosyncrasies of the software and even accept them as a normal part of the design. However, when a different tester, or maybe just a different set of tests, comes in contact with the software, the bugs become painfully obvious. Here's how to diagnose and avoid ATS. |
Paul Sixt
October 18, 2002 |
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Karl Wiegers on Software Inspections and Peer Reviews[magazine] Peer reviews and inspections are among the highest-leverage software quality practices available. Here are some useful sources of guidance on how to perform software inspections and peer reviews, as well as some tools and online resources that can help you jump-start your fledgling review program. |
Karl E. Wiegers
October 18, 2002 |
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If at First, and Last, You Don't Succeed ...[magazine] Sometimes, no matter how talented you are and how hard you work, you will not be able to succeed, at least within the constraints you are handed. If your boss says you have to achieve project goals with the resources you have, what can you do? Esther Derby suggests: 1) Start by assuming that a reasonable approach will get reasonable results; 2) If your boss isn't willing or able to hear what you have to say, decide what you are willing to do; and 3) Consider what you might do differently next time. |
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Project Archaeology[magazine] This article aims to show you the rich variety of information that can be used to help you build a good model of the system you are involved with. Some of the areas covered are: the business context; the language; the organizational structure; the culture; and cross-departmental relationships. |
Andy Schneider
October 17, 2002 |
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Bypassing the GUI[magazine] Graphical User Interfaces make test automation hard. The problems are well known. You need specialized tools to drive the GUI. Those tools can be confused by the common programming practice of inventing custom user interface controls. When they are used in the simplest way, the tools lead to fragile tests that tend to break en masse when the GUI changes. Making the test resistant to change requires elaborate and sometimes awkward testing frameworks. Learn how to use a scripting interface to get around the GUI problem. |
Brian Marick
October 17, 2002 |
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Delivering Unwelcome News to Developers[magazine] How well you present a defect to a developer can impact when a defect is resolved–or whether it is resolved at all. Deliver the information abruptly or inappropriately, and you run the risk of alienating a person or creating project hot spots that aren't needed. Deliver news too passively, and your report may be discarded. Karen Johnson describes some ways to soften the blow so that your defects are not only acknowledged, but fixed. |
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A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words[magazine] Maps are a universal way of describing an area. You use them to plan your route and find your destination. Just as it's a good idea to have a map when traveling, it's a good idea to have a picture of the software you're testing. Elisabeth Hendrickson describes UML, parts maps, flow charts, state diagrams, and more. |
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A Measured Response[magazine] An infinite number of metrics can be applied to various aspects of software development. In fifteen years of managing software development, Mike Cohn has found a handful of metrics that really help him do his job--and keep him cool and confident when the heat is on. Here, he describes product stabilization metrics, programmer quality metrics, customer satisfaction metrics, and complexity metrics. |
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A Closer Look at Estimating the Testing Process[article] While the process of estimating testing in the software industry may be different for each project, all share the common thread of Requirements. This article has attempted to introduce guidelines to simplify this process. |
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Software Process Improvement (SPI): Modeling Return on Investment (ROI)[article] This article exhibits metrics and models for estimating return on |
David Rico
September 24, 2002 |
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Automation Opportunities: Finding the Sweet Spot in Your Project[presentation] In any test automation effort, there are "sweet spots," points of leverage where you get more for your automation efforts. |
Elisabeth Hendrickson, Quality Tree Consulting, Inc.
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Seven Steps to Test Automation Success[presentation] Test automation raises our hopes yet often frustrates and disappoints us. Although automation promises to deliver us from a tough situation, automating implemented tests can create as many problems as it solves. |
Bret Pettichord, Tivoli Systems
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