STAREAST 2009 - Software Testing Conference

Although most test managers know they need to improve their processes, many don't know how to go about it. How do you understand the effectiveness of your current test process and then move forward for quick wins and long-term gains? Clive Bates presents a step-by-step approach to gather information on the existing process using special questionnaires and interviews that help you compare your organization with others and identify short and long-term improvement activities.

Traditionally, testing IT applications is done in isolation on a stand-alone platform. However, when applications interface with the corporate IT infrastructure, you need to plan, engineer, and execute an additional level of integration testing. David Watt describes a typical IT infrastructure and the historical problems, costs, and complexities of conducting infrastructure integration testing. Because of the complexities common to many IT infrastructures, this level of testing is often ignored and omitted.

One problem with iterative software development is that teams are forced to write and test software incrementally-and repeatedly. Testers know that any change could break features in both obvious and hidden ways. Developers know that a change to their stable design is just around the corner. So, should we go back to designing software all up front and testing the whole product just before delivery? Of course not!

Have you ever read a book, taken a class, or attended a conference session on test design concepts that you never actually incorporated into your work? Have others on your team rejected new design techniques that appeared promising to you? Sometimes the path from concept to real-world application can be wrought with challenges. Marie Lipinski Was shares the path she took to bring formal test design techniques from the classroom to the workroom.