TestGoal

Result-Driven Testing
By: 
Derk-Jan de Grood
Published: 
2008
Pages: 
397
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Book Description

Software testing is traditionally seen as a difficult and time consuming activity that is hard to embed in the software development process. This book provides a different view. It explains to stakeholders how testing can add value to software development and doing business, and provides the tester with practical information.

TestGoal is not just another methodology. Several good testing methodologies exist. But, like any other profession, also testing encompasses more than the simple application of a methodology. After all, strict adherence to a specific methodology is no guarantee for success. Success stems from the mindset, enthusiasm, knowledge and skill of the tester. These factors determine whether a methodology is applied successfully and whether testing takes on a result-driven character. And that’s what TestGoal is about: a result-driven attitude, testing principles and expertise as fundament, and a hands-on six step plan to enable result driven testing.

Derk-Jan de Grood and his colleagues from Collis, an international software testing company, know about the main pitfalls in test projects from their extensive professional experience. TestGoal has emerged from the office floor and captures over a decade of best practice. TestGoal is made by professionals for professionals, and it combines the mindset, knowledge, and skills required to add value with testing and make software development more successful.

This book explains in a clear language how you can make testing result-driven. It explains why testing is important and describes all of the activities involved in testing. It is enriched with recognizable examples, practical tips and useful checklists. This makes it a "GO kit" that enables testers to immediately get started and add value to their organization.

Member Reviews: 

Review By: Julie Lacroix
04/24/2009"TestGoal: Result-driven Testing" is an interesting book. The result-driven approach presented in this book is useful to any testing community that is having difficulty explaining and demonstrating the added value of software testing to management, customers, or developers.

This book details the author's approach to guiding a software testing strategy around the business goal, a starting point upper management should understand. This goal is the base of the result-driven approach on which every step is associated. The step plan of the result-driven approach is graphically represented in the book by a center pentagon (the goal) surrounded by five hexagons representing the subsequent steps: approach, design, setup, execution, and assurance.

The step plan of the result-driven approach is the more interesting point of the book. As a test manager in a pharmaceutical industry, this approach (and his test plan) will be useful in demonstrating the tasks performed by my team. It will also help me find the right approach to explain the added-value and the necessity of the software testing team to my upper management and customers.

However, the subsequent steps described in this book are not new for anybody who works in the software testing industry. These steps represent the regular approach suggested in many books and other development standards. Regardless, the book is easy to understand and includes a lot of figures and examples that illustrate the facts explained in the book. In addition, the author has a Web site from which one can download templates and examples illustrated in the book. These templates offer a good starting point when implementing the result-driven approach or when simply improving the existing templates already used by your team.

Another interesting fact in the book is the ten testing principles that a result-driven tester should apply to his work. Each of the testing principles is clearly described with examples and is associated with a graphical icon. Each time a testing principles is applicable to the subject introduced in the paragraph, the corresponding icon appears to the left of that paragraph. These graphical reminders ensure the reader will not lose sight of these principles.

I highly recommend this book to any junior testing team that wants to implement a structured approach for their software testing. I also recommend this book to any team who wants to demonstrate added value to their management team.

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