Squeezing Bugs out of Mission-Critical Software with Session-Based Testing

Software created in regulated industries such as medical devices must be developed and tested according to agency-imposed process standards. Every requirement must be tested, and every risk must be mitigated. Could defects
still lurk in software wrung out by such an in-depth process? Unfortunately, yes. In fact, software defects are a major cause of medical device recalls each year.
However, by supplementing mandated requirements-based verification with session-based exploratory testing (SBT), the overall quality of mission-critical software can be significantly improved. Based on eight studies, David James
describes how to fit targeted exploratory testing into a regulated process. Specifically, David has found that defect discovery is twenty times less expensive through SBT than through formal verification. Applying SBT early,
before formal verification allows a less formal and cheaper defect-resolution process. When used after formal verification, SBT found an average of fifty defects per product-defects that formal verification missed.

• Learn what doesn't work in regulated testing processes
• Understand how to implement SBT
• Evaluate how session-based testing might benefit your projects,/li>