The Latest

Pressure-Cooker Testing: What to Do When the Squeeze is On[presentation]

All things are possible in the face of adversity, even an under-resourced testing project with an immovable deadline. Many testing projects start out with high ideals, then descend into mad panic when the realities begin to set in.

Geoff Horne, iSQA
STARWEST 2002: How to Break Software[presentation]

Trying to figure out how you can become a more effective tester? That's easy: Become a better bug hunter.

James Whittaker, Florida Institute of Technology
PeopleSoft Load Testing: Strategies and Techniques[presentation]

This session is a case study that demonstrates how to plan and execute pre-launch performance-and-tuning tests using commercially available performance testing tools.

Dan Downing, Mentora Inc
A Custom Automation Framework and Test Case Management Solution[presentation]

Interested in seeing a real test automation solution in action? Automated testing is an exciting thing to be part of, but automating the automation is even better.

Darin Magoffin, Todd Hovorka, and Rich Wolkins, PowerQuest Corporation Inc
Smarter Testing with the 80:20 Rule[presentation]

It may not be a silver bullet, but knowledge of the 80:20 rule, and the special variation that applies to software testing, can help you dramatically improve your testing-and your entire software development lifecycle.

Erik Petersen, Specialist
A Missing Link: Project Management in the Testing Organization[presentation]

The emerging discipline of project management within the information technology arena can be a major move toward your testing organization accomplishing its stated goals.

Karol Vastrick, Federal Express
Testing a Distributed Application Written in Embedded Windows CE[presentation]

How will your Windows CE application perform once you start deploying it in the "real world"? This session addresses the many issues developers face when building distributed applications using embedded Windows.

Jim Walters, BSQUARE Corporation
Testing for Section 508 Accessibility Compliance[presentation]

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act is a key issue affecting testing for more and more companies.

Bill Chandler, Rational Software
Laws of Testability[presentation]

This presentation explains the four "laws" of testability: test automation isn't possible without some level of testability; test automation is most successful when developers focus on providing testability; there is no clear distinction betw

Bret Pettichord, Pettichord Consulting
Testing from Use Cases Using Path Analysis Technique[presentation]

Use cases are an industry-standard method of specifying user interaction with the system, and hence have become part of the requirements definition phase of many software projects.

Naresh Ahlowalia, Object System Group
STARWEST 2002: How to Break Software Security[presentation]

This presentation addresses classifying, finding, and attacking software security vulnerabilities.

James Whittaker, Florida Institue of Technology and Herbert Thompson, System Integrity
Keeping Your Outsourced Testing Under Control[presentation]

As companies focus on their core business, the option to outsource software testing becomes more and more attractive. And there are plenty of organizations out there that specialize in the practice.

Martin Pol, POLTEQ IT Services BV
Preventing Web Service Security Breaches with Unit Testing[article]

As Web services increase in complexity and connectivity, security is growing as a major concern. Many security breaches have been the result of poorly tested software that allows unexpected inputs to pass and weaken security measures. Such inputs can create conditions in which intruders can obtain access to parts of the system that would otherwise be secure. One effective way for development teams to prevent unexpected inputs is to perform thorough white-box testing at the unit level. Unlike specification testing (which tests that code behaves as it was intended), white-box testing checks for the conditions and inputs that are not expected, thereby enabling developers to more thoroughly test for what they cannot foresee. By performing such testing at the unit level, developers can quickly and easily identify and correct any weaknesses before security breaches have the opportunity to occur.

TechWell Contributor's picture TechWell Contributor
What Does Your Title Say About Your Job?[article]

"That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." True, sloppy naming schemes may be all right in some cases. But as Johanna Rothman explains in this column, when software professionals are looking for a job, hiring, or negotiating work assignments, it's crucial for their job titles to accurately portray the work they do. Read on to see if you agree with the definitions Johanna assigns to the more common QA-related job titles.

Johanna Rothman's picture Johanna Rothman
The Missing Link[article]

The testing environment of many corporations is all too often composed of young employees thrust into the technical world fresh out of college. They are eager and completely overwhelmed with their new environment. Managers are called upon to teach these employees the ways of their company testing. The result is predictable. Managers with limited skills wind up with a work group that reflects these limitations. Even skilled managers with seasoned workers are facing significant problems. It is estimated that over eighty-five percent of all IT projects are delayed or delivered without meeting the predefined specifications by those authorizing the work. In addition, managers do not typically receive training in newer management methodologies such as project management. One organization that faced just such a dilemma was Software Engineering Services, Worldwide Revenue Capture Systems, Information Technology Division within Federal Express Services. Over a period of eighteen months, this department went from not meeting project load dates to an organization that delivered software on-time with fewer software defects. It is the purpose of this paper to provide a blueprint for other organizations looking to reengineer their testing processes based on this experience.

Karol Vastrick

Pages

AgileConnection is a TechWell community.

Through conferences, training, consulting, and online resources, TechWell helps you develop and deliver great software every day.