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Test and QA


Purposeful Clumsiness

Tuesday April 10th 2012 12am Rated 19 11 Comments Test and QA
I generally take an analytical approach to testing. I evaluate the system under test and its requirements, develop an overall test strategy, then generate a set of test cases that fully exercise the system's functional, non-functional and performance requirements. I also use ad hoc and exploratory testing when it's appropriate. Together, those testing methodologies have served me well.
Basic

Automation Testing versus Manual Testing Guidelines

Tuesday October 26th 2010 11am Rated 22 8 Comments Automation Test and QA Testing
I met with my team’s automation experts a few weeks back to get their input on when to automate and when to manually test. The general rule of thumb has always been to use common sense. If you’re only going to run the test one or two times or the test is really expensive to automation, it is most likely a manual test. But then again, what good is saying “use common sense” when you need to come up with deterministic set of guidelines on how and when to automate?
Basic

Quality, Not Testing

Monday June 7th 2010 6am Rated 9 8 Comments Quality Assurance Test and QA Testing
May 24, 2010 When I am asked to review projects, one of the things that I ask to see is the quality plan. Almost always I am handed a test plan, and usually the project manager is very proud of the fact that they have a well-documented test plan. There seems to be a common belief that you can test quality into a project--or perhaps worse, that testing is the same as quality.

Who builds the Test Scenarios?

Tuesday June 7th 2011 8am Rated 18 7 Comments Agile Test and QA Requirements
My favorite book is Digital Fortress by Dan Brown. Without ruining the book for those that have not read it there is a great quote in the book. The phrase “Quis custodiet ipsos custodes” is Latin for “Who guards the guards” I believe this is from the Roman poet Juvenal. The interesting point here is on an Agile team when the developers build and run unit tests, or even integration tests, who checks these?
Basic

Ways to Improve Your Software Testing Skills

Wednesday September 1st 2010 8am Rated 17 6 Comments Test and QA Conference Presentations Development How To Training Agile Black Box Software Testing Software Test Professionals Conference
Ongoing self-discovery and learning have been critical in my own skills growth, and in managing test departments. Even after mastering a technique or achieving a desired outcome, my experiences have shown there is always a better way to do something. Learning new skills is critical for being able to discover those improvements.
Basic

The Automated Testing Handbook

Wednesday June 9th 2010 1pm Rated 17 6 Comments Automation Quality Assurance Test and QA Technology Testing
The risk of software failure has never been greater. The estimated annual economic impact ranges from $60 billion for poor testing to $100 billion in lost revenues and increased costs. Unfortunately, market pressure for the delivery of new functionality and applications has also never been stronger. This combination creates increasing pressure on software test organizations to improve test coverage while meeting ever-shorter deadlines with static or even declining resources. The only practical means to achieving quality goals within the constraints of schedules and budgets is to automate.
Basic

A Brief History of Software Testing

Friday July 16th 2010 6pm Rated 17 5 Comments Test and QA Metrics Development Acceptance Integration Software Testing Unit User
When STP announced the call for nominations for the Software Testing Luminary award, it got me thinking about how software testing came to be a role separate and distinct from software programming with unique and identifiable skills and responsibilities. It also got me thinking about the pioneers who blazed the trails that today’s luminaries strive to bring out of the shadows and into the light, sometimes revealing new trails along the way that improve software’s journey through what I like to call “testerland”.
Basic

New Ways of Thinking in Software Testing

Monday November 28th 2011 6pm Rated 11 5 Comments Agile Software Test and QA Technology Strategy Process Editorial
Five years ago, Cem Kaner held up his cell phone.

A Paradigm Shift in Web Application Architecture and Why Performance Testers Should Care

Thursday October 6th 2011 10am Rated 11 5 Comments Performance Software Test and QA
Modern browsers are turning into miniature operating systems. They can multi-task browsing processes, allocate and manage memory, collect garbage and much more. They are capable of running complex web applications on their own with minimal server interaction. There is now a paradigm shift in the web application architecture as a majority of application processing is shifting from the server to the web browser. The web browser, once called a “Thin” client has become a big fat cat lately.
Basic

Are We in the Business of Quality Assurance or Quality Review?

Tuesday July 6th 2010 11am Rated 11 5 Comments Test and QA Quality Assurance Development Life Cycle Software Testing
There is a lot of discussion around the term Quality Assurance in the testing arena. Michael Bolton has a very popular Blog Post he is turning into a session at our October conference called “Testers get out of the Quality Assurance Business”. Words do mean things, and the change of positioning although seemingly small can often bring about greater understanding of the things we do in software testing, within the bigger picture of QA.
Basic

How to Modernize Testing for the Instant-On Enterprise

Tuesday November 8th 2011 11am Rated 7 5 Comments Test and QA
In today’s world of continuous connectivity and instant information, products and services must work with unprecedented speed and reliability. The key to success for businesses is to become Instant-On Enterprises that embed technology into everything they do in order to better address the rapidly changing needs of customers. This allows organizations to remain agile while adapting quickly to change.
Basic

Heusser v. Page: Code Coverage Cage Match!

Tuesday December 22nd 2009 8am Rated 1 5 Comments Newsletters Test and QA Performance Software
As testers, we all have favorites whose blogs we read and who we follow on Twitter. I love it when my favorites disagree, and it always makes me pay attention when I see this happen online. Disagreements can be powerful because they show us a new perspective and give new depth to a topic. I recently noticed a serious discussion on Twitter between Matt Heusser and Alan Page about code coverage metrics.
Pro

The Se7en Deadly Sins in Software Testing

Thursday December 16th 2010 10am Rated 14 4 Comments Software Test and QA Testing Exploratory
Lack of "Lust for finding Defects" – Lust could be an objectionable vice in the Bible, but in the "Bible of Software Testing", lust is a good thing; lust for finding defects that is.

Are project heroes /actually/ bad?

Tuesday August 31st 2010 6am Rated 6 4 Comments Software Testing Test and QA Editorial Management
A little analysis around the cult of the hero and how we should respond to it
Basic

Automation Works When You Do

Saturday May 1st 2010 12am Rated 5 4 Comments Functional Life Cycle Process Quality Assurance Regression Test and QA Testing Automation
Why is the majority of testing still performed manually? True, many tools are too hard to use and maintain, but is that the only reason? Read on to find out what it really takes to make automation successful.

Two Christmas Presents

Tuesday December 27th 2011 7pm Rated 3 4 Comments Software Test and QA Testing
Where Matt wishes a happy (late) Christmas to the readers and offers a small prize. Hey, it beats a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.

A Different Take on Mobile Testing – Test Beyond the GUI

Friday June 15th 2012 5am Rated 14 3 Comments Test and QA
Mobile Testers refer to “Mobile Testing” as testing the functionality of a mobile application on a phone or tablet. But, have you ever thought about what happens when you are performing a function while the battery is being charged?
Basic

Exploring “Exploratory Testing”

Thursday January 13th 2011 9am Rated 11 3 Comments Test and QA Testing Exploratory Strategy
My current team has been integrating exploratory testing techniques for a while now along with the traditional testing methods of manual testing as well as automation. Most of the testing communities that I have known seem to brush this testing technique off simply as “monkey testing” which doesn’t really provide any significant yield on bugs nor achieve high quality bugs. However, I have been observing how powerful this testing method can be from my own perspective as well as by seeing the type of bugs that some of my team mates find.
Basic

What’s going on in the test industry, anyway?

Monday August 22nd 2011 7pm Rated 10 3 Comments Test and QA Testing Trends Software
Where Matt writes about current trends and opportunities (or lack thereof)

Twist #4 - with Jerry Weinberg

Thursday July 22nd 2010 6am Rated 9 3 Comments Test and QA Testing Load Software
For Twist #4 we went all the way to New Mexico. Well ... over the internet, anyway, to interview Jerry Weinberg "The Prince of Testers."
Basic
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