The Latest

White Paper: Test Case Point Analysis[article]

This is a white paper on Test Case Point (TCP) Analysis, which basically deals with the estimation of the effort needed for testing projects. The purpose of this article is to provide an introduction to TCP Analysis and its application in non-traditional computing situations. This approach is technology independent and supports the need for estimating, project management and measuring quality.

Nirav Patel
Managing Concurrent Software Releases in Management and Test[article]

Customers are requiring frequent and feature-rich releases of software products to support Lucent Hardware. The fundamental problem is that the time required to develop and test features often exceeds the release interval. One option to meet the needs of our customers is to use concurrent development and testing; however, the use of concurrent development has several potential pitfalls. The primary problems associated with concurrent development are: 1) How to isolate the long lead features from the features that fit within a development cycle, 2) How to manage the propagation of bugs fixed between releases that are in the field and releases that are still being developed, and 3) Developers must be trained to work in the concurrent paradigm. This paper describes a unique approach, using existing Configuration Management tools, to managing the development load lines in support of concurrent Fixed Interval Feature Delivery (FIFD). Software load line management is the infrastructure and p

David Shinberg
Measurement in the CMM[article]

A recent question in the Quality Engineering-Metrics message board (on StickyMinds.com) asked about measurement at the different levels in the Software Capability Maturity Model. This article begins a series that will highlight the measurement requirements at each of the CMM Levels, starting with Level 2. Measurement in the CMM is often misunderstood when people focus only on the "Measurements and Analysis" sections of the model. This article offers an in-depth explanation of the CMM.

Ed Weller's picture Ed Weller
Using Statistics to Evaluate Processes[article]

It is often necessary or advantageous to examine differences between processes (or technologies), for the purpose of making business decisions. Statistical thinking is needed to evaluate the impact of process of other changes on organizational performance. In statistical thinking, past experience is summarized or generalized. Statistical thinking allows us to make predictions and reach conclusions.

Paul Below
A Tester’s Tips for Dealing with Developers[article]

Is the tester doing a good job or a bad job when she proves that the program is full of bugs? It’s a bad job from some developers’ points of view. Ridiculous as it seems, there are project managers blaming testers for the late shipment of a product and developers complaining (often jokingly) that “the testers are too tough on the program.” Obviously, there is more to successful testing than bug counts. Here are some tips about how testers can build successful relationships with developers.

Yogita Sahoo's picture Yogita Sahoo
e-Talk Radio: Paulk, Mark, 28 November 2000[article]

Ms. Dekkers and Mr. Paulk discuss the history of standardized, high maturity processes in the field of software development.

Carol Dekkers
e-Talk Radio: Derby, Esther, 4 January 2001[article]

Ms. Dekkers and Ms. Derby talk about various management issues (e.g., promotions based on technical skills instead of people management skills, and the importance of interpersonal skills training for managers) and modeling organizational change.

Esther Derby's picture Esther Derby
A Child's-Eye View of Software Testing[article]

You've had to explain and justify your job to Management, to Human Resources, and to everyone at your high school reunion. But now comes the ultimate test: Your child's assignment for the next show-and-tell is to describe what her mom or dad does for a living. You scramble for an easy way to explain—maybe for the first time—what you do at the office, but your software testing reference books just don't have enough pictures of cute animals to really do the trick. This book might be just what you're looking for.

Alyn Wambeke
What Is Exploratory Testing?[article]

Exploratory software testing is a powerful and fun approach to testing. In some situations, it can be orders of magnitude more productive than scripted testing. I haven't found a tester yet who didn't, at least unconsciously, perform exploratory testing at one time or another. Yet few of us study this approach, and it doesn't get much respect in our field. It's high time we stop the denial, and publicly recognize the exploratory approach for what it is: scientific thinking in real time. Friends, that's a good thing.

James Bach's picture James Bach
e-Talk Radio: Yourdon, Ed, 21 November 2000[article]

About the Show: Ms. Dekkers and Mr. Yourdon discuss bottom-up quality, CMM, and eXtreme Programming.

TechWell Contributor's picture TechWell Contributor
System Testing Strategies for Highly Available Clustered Systems[article]

This paper focuses on the strategies and challenges of testing real-world, large and complex, highly available clustered systems in the following areas: Test planning, Strategies and methodologies; Defect tracking processes; System Configuration tests; Cluster and storage fault injection tests; Effective testing practices.

The information provided in this paper is aimed at helping test engineers understand many of the quality assurance issues involved in testing large and complex systems.

Subbarao Jagannatha
A Fable about Developer/Tester Relationships[article]

Does trying to get developers to test their code feel like trying to get your children to clean their rooms? Some say yes. In this column, the author spins a tongue-in-cheek fable about room cleaning strategies. Your comments are invited.

Lee Copeland's picture Lee Copeland
Software Development Lifecycle: Defect and Test Case Measurement[article]

This article focuses on how to manage the defect and test case measurement during the software development lifecycle. This should be a practical resource for software developers and project managers.

Steve Miller
Software Inspection Master Plan (template)[article]

This Software Inspection Master Plan template is a revised version from the original in Gilb & Graham's book, Software Inspection. This template is partially filled out to give you an exmple of how to use it.

Steve Allott
Beyond Compare 3 for Testers: An Evaluation Beyond Compare 3 for Testers: An Evaluation[article]

This article is an evaluation of Beyond Compare as it can be used in a software testing context. Jey and Areeb discuss what the tool does, specific ways it is used, similar tools, learning curves, support, and licensing.

Areeb Shams Jey Sabapathipillai

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