(2) manual testing faq

8/9/2019 (2) Manual Testing Faq

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Manual Testing Faq's

What is software testing?

Software testing is the process used to help identify the correctness, completeness,

security, and quality of developed computer software.

Testing involves operation of a system or application under controlled conditions and

evaluating the results. Controlled conditions should include both normal and abnormal

Why Management some times not serious about testing?

Solving problems is a high-visibility process; preventing problems is low-visibility.

What is verification?

Verification ensures the product is designed to deliver all functionality to the customer; it

typically involves reviews and meetings to evaluate documents, plans, code, requirementsand specifications; this can be done with checklists, issues lists, walkthroughs and

inspection meetings. You CAN learn to do verification, with little or no outside help. Get

CAN get free information. Click on a link!

What is validation?

Validation ensures that functionality, as defined in requirements, is the intended behavior

of the product; validation typically involves actual testing and takes place afterverifications are completed.

What is a walkthrough?

A walkthrough is an informal meeting for evaluation or informational purposes. Awalkthrough is also a process at an abstract level. It's the process of inspecting software

code by following paths through the code (as determined by input conditions and choices

made along the way). The purpose of code walkthroughs is to ensure the code fits thepurpose. Walkthroughs also offer opportunities to assess an individual's or team's

competency

What is an inspection?

An inspection is a formal meeting, more formalized than a walkthrough and typically

consists of 3-10 people including a moderator, reader (the author of whatever is beingreviewed) and a recorder (to make notes in the document). The subject of the inspection

is typically a document, such as a requirements document or a test plan. The purpose of

an inspection is to find problems and see what is missing, not to fix anything. The result


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of the meeting should be documented in a written report. Attendees should prepare for

this type of meeting by reading through the document, before the meeting starts; most

problems are found during this preparation. Preparation for inspections is difficult, but isone of the most cost-effective methods of ensuring quality, since bug prevention is more

cost effective than bug detection.

What is quality?

Quality software is software that is reasonably bug-free, delivered on time and withinbudget, meets requirements and expectations and is maintainable. However, quality is a

subjective term. Quality depends on who the customer is and their overall influence in the

scheme of things. Customers of a software development project include end-users,

customer acceptance test engineers, testers, customer contract officers, customermanagement, the development organization's management, test engineers, testers,

salespeople, software engineers, stockholders and accountants. Each type of customer

will have his or her own slant on quality. The accounting department might define quality

in terms of profits, while an end-user might define quality as user friendly and bug free.

What is good code?

A good code is code that works, is free of bugs and is readable and maintainable.

Organizations usually have coding standards all developers should adhere to, but everyprogrammer and software engineer has different ideas about what is best and what are too

many or too few rules. We need to keep in mind that excessive use of rules can stifle both

productivity and creativity. Peer reviews and code analysis tools can be used to check for

problems and enforce standards.

What is good design?

Design could mean to many things, but often refers to functional design or internal

design. Good functional design is indicated by software functionality can be traced back

to customer and end-user requirements. Good internal design is indicated by softwarecode whose overall structure is clear, understandable, easily modifiable and maintainable;

is robust with sufficient error handling and status logging capability; and works correctly

when implemented.

What is software life cycle?

Software life cycle begins when a software product is first conceived and ends when it isno longer in use. It includes phases like initial concept, requirements analysis, functional

design, internal design, documentation planning, test planning, coding, document

preparation, integration, testing, maintenance, updates, re-testing and phase-out.

Why are there so many software bugs?

Generally speaking, there are bugs in software because of unclear requirements, software

complexity, programming errors, changes in requirements, errors made in bug tracking,


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time pressure, poorly documented code and/or bugs in tools used in software

development.

There are unclear software requirements because there is miscommunication as towhat the software should or shouldn't do.

Software complexity. All of the followings contribute to the exponential growthin software and system complexity: Windows interfaces, client-server and

distributed applications, data communications, enormous relational databases andthe sheer size of applications.

Programming errors occur because programmers and software engineers, like

everyone else, can make mistakes.

As to changing requirements, in some fast-changing business environments,

continuously modified requirements are a fact of life. Sometimes customers do

not understand the effects of changes, or understand them but request themanyway. And the changes require redesign of the software, rescheduling of

resources and some of the work already completed have to be redone or discarded

and hardware requirements can be effected, too. Bug tracking can result in errors because the complexity of keeping track of

changes can result in errors, too.

Time pressures can cause problems, because scheduling of software projects is

not easy and it often requires a lot of guesswork and when deadlines loom and thecrunch comes, mistakes will be made.

Code documentation is tough to maintain and it is also tough to modify code that

is poorly documented. The result is bugs. Sometimes there is no incentive forprogrammers and software engineers to document their code and write clearly

documented, understandable code. Sometimes developers get kudos for quickly

turning out code, or programmers and software engineers feel they cannot have

job security if everyone can understand the code they write, or they believe if thecode was hard to write, it should be hard to read.

Software development tools , including visual tools, class libraries, compilers,

scripting tools, can introduce their own bugs. Other times the tools are poorlydocumented, which can create additional bugs.

How do you introduce a new software QA process?

It depends on the size of the organization and the risks involved. For large organizations

with high-risk projects, a serious management buy-in is required and a formalized QAprocess is necessary. For medium size organizations with lower risk projects,

management and organizational buy-in and a slower, step-by-step process is required.

Generally speaking, QA processes should be balanced with productivity, in order to keepany bureaucracy from getting out of hand. For smaller groups or projects, an ad-hoc

process is more appropriate. A lot depends on team leads and managers, feedback to

developers and good communication is essential among customers, managers,

developers, test engineers and testers. Regardless the size of the company, the greatestvalue for effort is in managing requirement processes, where the goal is requirements that

are clear, complete and testable.


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Give me five common problems that occur during software development.

Poorly written requirements, unrealistic schedules, inadequate testing, adding new

features after development is underway and poor communication.

1. Requirements are poorly written when requirements are unclear, incomplete, toogeneral, or not testable; therefore there will be problems.

2. The schedule is unrealistic if too much work is crammed in too little time.

3. Software testing is inadequate if none knows whether or not the software is anygood until customers complain or the system crashes.

4. It's extremely common that new features are added after development is

underway.

5. Miscommunication either means the developers don't know what is needed, orcustomers have unrealistic expectations and therefore problems are guaranteed.

Do automated testing tools make testing easier?

Yes and no. For larger projects, or ongoing long-term projects, they can be valuable. But

for small projects, the time needed to learn and implement them is usually notworthwhile. A common type of automated tool is the record/playback type. For example,

a test engineer clicks through all combinations of menu choices, dialog box choices,

buttons, etc. in a GUI and has an automated testing tool record and log the results. Therecording is typically in the form of text, based on a scripting language that the testing

tool can interpret. If a change is made (e.g. new buttons are added, or some underlying

code in the application is changed), the application is then re-tested by just playing back

the recorded actions and compared to the logged results in order to check effects of thechange. One problem with such tools is that if there are continual changes to the product

being tested, the recordings have to be changed so often that it becomes a very time-consuming task to continuously update the scripts. Another problem with such tools is theinterpretation of the results (screens, data, logs, etc.) that can be a time-consuming task.

You CAN learn to use automated testing tools, with little or no outside help. Get CAN

get free information. Click on a link!

Give me five solutions to problems that occur during software development.

Solid requirements, realistic schedules, adequate testing, firm requirements and good

communication.

1. Ensure the requirements are solid, clear, complete, detailed, cohesive, attainableand testable. All players should agree to requirements. Use prototypes to help naildown requirements.

2. Have schedules that are realistic. Allow adequate time for planning, design,

testing, bug fixing, re-testing, changes and documentation. Personnel should beable to complete the project without burning out.

3. Do testing that is adequate. Start testing early on, re-test after fixes or changes,

and plan for sufficient time for both testing and bug fixing.


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4. Avoid new features. Stick to initial requirements as much as possible. Be prepared

to defend design against changes and additions, once development has begun and

be prepared to explain consequences. If changes are necessary, ensure they'readequately reflected in related schedule changes. Use prototypes early on so

customers' expectations are clarified and customers can see what to expect; this

will minimize changes later on.5. Communicate. Require walkthroughs and inspections when appropriate; make

extensive use of e-mail, networked bug-tracking tools, tools of change

management. Ensure documentation is available and up-to-date. Usedocumentation that is electronic, not paper. Promote teamwork and cooperation.

What makes a good test engineer?

Rob Davis is a good test engineer because he

Has a "test to break" attitude,

Takes the point of view of the customer, Has a strong desire for quality,

Has an attention to detail, He's also

Tactful and diplomatic and

Has good a communication skill, both oral and written. And he Has previous software development experience, too.

Good test engineers have a "test to break" attitude. We, good test engineers, take the

point of view of the customer, have a strong desire for quality and an attention to detail.

Tact and diplomacy are useful in maintaining a cooperative relationship with developersand an ability to communicate with both technical and non-technical people. Previous

software development experience is also helpful as it provides a deeper understanding ofthe software development process, gives the test engineer an appreciation for thedevelopers' point of view and reduces the learning curve in automated test tool

programming.

What makes a good QA engineer?

The same qualities a good test engineer has are useful for a QA engineer. Additionally,

Rob Davis understands the entire software development process and how it fits into the

business approach and the goals of the organization. Rob Davis' communication skillsand the ability to understand various sides of issues are important. Good QA engineers

understand the entire software development process and how it fits into the business

approach and the goals of the organization. Communication skills and the ability tounderstand various sides of issues are important.

What makes a good resume?

On the subject of resumes, there seems to be an unending discussion of whether you

should or shouldn't have a one-page resume. The followings are some of the comments I


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have personally heard: "Well, Joe Blow (car salesman) said I should have a one-page

resume." "Well, I read a book and it said you should have a one page resume." "I can't

really go into what I really did because if I did, it'd take more than one page on myresume." "Gosh, I wish I could put my job at IBM on my resume but if I did it'd make my

resume more than one page, and I was told to never make the resume more than one page

long." "I'm confused, should my resume be more than one page? I feel like it should, but Idon't want to break the rules." Or, here's another comment, "People just don't read

resumes that are longer than one page." I have heard some more, but we can start with

these. So what's the answer? There is no scientific answer about whether a one-pageresume is right or wrong. It all depends on who you are and how much experience you

have. The first thing to look at here is the purpose of a resume. The purpose of a resume

is to get you an interview. If the resume is getting you interviews, then it is considered to

be a good resume. If the resume isn't getting you interviews, then you should change it.The biggest mistake you can make on your resume is to make it hard to read. Why?

Because, for one, scanners don't like odd resumes. Small fonts can make your resume

harder to read. Some candidates use a 7-point font so they can get the resume onto one

page. Big mistake. Two, resume readers do not like eye strain either. If the resume ismechanically challenging, they just throw it aside for one that is easier on the eyes.

Three, there are lots of resumes out there these days, and that is also part of the problem.Four, in light of the current scanning scenario, more than one page is not a deterrent

because many will scan your resume into their database. Once the resume is in there and

searchable, you have accomplished one of the goals of resume distribution. Five, resume

readers don't like to guess and most won't call you to clarify what is on your resume.Generally speaking, your resume should tell your story. If you're a college graduate

looking for your first job, a one-page resume is just fine. If you have a longer story, the

resume needs to be longer. Please put your experience on the resume so resume readerscan tell when and for whom you did what. Short resumes -- for people long on experience

-- are not appropriate. The real audience for these short resumes is people with short

attention spans and low IQ. I assure you that when your resume gets into the right hands,it will be read thoroughly..

What makes a good QA/Test Manager?

QA/Test Managers are familiar with the software development process; able to maintain

enthusiasm of their team and promote a positive atmosphere; able to promote teamwork

to increase productivity; able to promote cooperation between Software and Test/QAEngineers, have the people skills needed to promote improvements in QA processes, have

the ability to withstand pressures and say *no* to other managers when quality is

insufficient or QA processes are not being adhered to; able to communicate withtechnical and non-technical people; as well as able to run meetings and keep them

focused.

What is the role of documentation in QA?

Documentation plays a critical role in QA. QA practices should be documented, so thatthey are repeatable. Specifications, designs, business rules, inspection reports,


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configurations, code changes, test plans, test cases, bug reports, user manuals should all

be documented. Ideally, there should be a system for easily finding and obtaining of

documents and determining what document will have a particular piece of information.Use documentation change management, if possible.

What about requirements?

Requirement specifications are important and one of the most reliable methods of

insuring problems in a complex software project is to have poorly documentedrequirement specifications. Requirements are the details describing an application's

externally perceived functionality and properties. Requirements should be clear,

complete, reasonably detailed, cohesive, attainable and testable. A non-testable

requirement would be, for example, "user-friendly", which is too subjective. A testablerequirement would be something such as, "the product shall allow the user to enter their

previously-assigned password to access the application". Care should be taken to involve

all of a project's significant customers in the requirements process. Customers could be

in-house or external and could include end-users, customer acceptance test engineers,testers, customer contract officers, customer management, future software maintenance

engineers, salespeople and anyone who could later derail the project. If his/herexpectations aren't met, they should be included as a customer, if possible. In some

organizations, requirements may end up in high-level project plans, functional

specification documents, design documents, or other documents at various levels ofdetail. No matter what they are called, some type of documentation with detailed

requirements will be needed by test engineers in order to properly plan and execute tests.

Without such documentation there will be no clear-cut way to determine if a software

application is performing correctly. You CAN learn to capture requirements, with little orno outside help. Get CAN get free information. Click on a link!

What is a test plan?

A software project test plan is a document that describes the objectives, scope, approach

and focus of a software testing effort. The process of preparing a test plan is a useful wayto think through the efforts needed to validate the acceptability of a software product. The

completed document will help people outside the test group understand the why and how

of product validation. It should be thorough enough to be useful, but not so thorough thatnone outside the test group will be able to read it.

What is a test case?

A test case is a document that describes an input, action, or event and its expected result,

in order to determine if a feature of an application is working correctly. A test case

should contain particulars such as a...

Test case identifier

Test case name

Objective


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Test conditions/setup

Input data requirements/steps, and

Expected results.

Please note, the process of developing test cases can help find problems in the

requirements or design of an application, since it requires you to completely thinkthrough the operation of the application. For this reason, it is useful to prepare test cases

early in the development cycle, if possible.What should be done after a bug is found?

When a bug is found, it needs to be communicated and assigned to developers that can

fix it. After the problem is resolved, fixes should be re-tested. Additionally,

determinations should be made regarding requirements, software, hardware, safetyimpact, etc., for regression testing to check the fixes didn't create other problems

elsewhere. If a problem-tracking system is in place, it should encapsulate these

determinations. A variety of commercial, problem-tracking/management software tools

are available. These tools, with the detailed input of software test engineers, will give theteam complete information so developers can understand the bug, get an idea of its

severity, reproduce it and fix it.

What is configuration management?

Configuration management (CM) covers the tools and processes used to control,

coordinate and track code, requirements, documentation, problems, change requests,

designs, tools, compilers, libraries, patches, changes made to them and who makes the

changes. Rob Davis has had experience with a full range of CM tools and concepts. RobDavis can easily adapt to your software tool and process needs.

What if the software is so buggy it can't be tested at all?

In this situation the best bet is to have test engineers go through the process of reporting

whatever bugs or problems initially show up, with the focus being on critical bugs. Sincethis type of problem can severely affect schedules and indicates deeper problems in the

software development process, such as insufficient unit testing, insufficient integration

testing, poor design, improper build or release procedures, managers should be notifiedand provided with some documentation as evidence of the problem.

How do you know when to stop testing?

This can be difficult to determine. Many modern software applications are so complex

and run in such an interdependent environment, that complete testing can never be done.

Common factors in deciding when to stop are...

Deadlines, e.g. release deadlines, testing deadlines

Test cases completed with certain percentage passed

Test budget has been depleted


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Coverage of code, functionality, or requirements reaches a specified point

Bug rate falls below a certain level or

Beta or alpha testing period ends.

What if there isn't enough time for thorough testing?

Since it's rarely possible to test every possible aspect of an application, every possible

combination of events, every dependency, or everything that could go wrong, risk

analysis is appropriate to most software development projects. Use risk analysis todetermine where testing should be focused. This requires judgment skills, common sense

and experience. The checklist should include answers to the following questions:

Which functionality is most important to the project's intended purpose?

Which functionality is most visible to the user?

Which functionality has the largest safety impact?

Which functionality has the largest financial impact on users?

Which aspects of the application are most important to the customer? Which aspects of the application can be tested early in the development cycle?

Which parts of the code are most complex and thus most subject to errors?

Which parts of the application were developed in rush or panic mode?

Which aspects of similar/related previous projects caused problems? Which aspects of similar/related previous projects had large maintenance

expenses?

Which parts of the requirements and design are unclear or poorly thought out?

What do the developers think are the highest-risk aspects of the application?

What kinds of problems would cause the worst publicity?

What kinds of problems would cause the most customer service complaints?

What kinds of tests could easily cover multiple functionalities? Which tests will have the best high-risk-coverage to time-required ratio?

What if the project isn't big enough to justify extensive testing?

Consider the impact of project errors, not the size of the project. However, if extensive

testing is still not justified, risk analysis is again needed and the considerations listedunder "What if there isn't enough time for thorough testing?" do apply. The test engineer

then should do "ad hoc" testing, or write up a limited test plan based on the risk analysis.

What can be done if requirements are changing continuously?

Work with management early on to understand how requirements might change, so thatalternate test plans and strategies can be worked out in advance. It is helpful if the

application's initial design allows for some adaptability, so that later changes do not

require redoing the application from scratch. Additionally, try to...

Ensure the code is well commented and well documented; this makes changeseasier for the developers.


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Use rapid prototyping whenever possible; this will help customers feel sure of

their requirements and minimize changes.

In the project's initial schedule, allow for some extra time to commensurate withprobable changes.

Move new requirements to a 'Phase 2' version of an application and use the

original requirements for the 'Phase 1' version. Negotiate to allow only easily implemented new requirements into the project;

move more difficult, new requirements into future versions of the application.

Ensure customers and management understand scheduling impacts, inherent risksand costs of significant requirements changes. Then let management or the

customers decide if the changes are warranted; after all, that's their job.

Balance the effort put into setting up automated testing with the expected effort

required to redo them to deal with changes. Design some flexibility into automated test scripts;

Focus initial automated testing on application aspects that are most likely to

remain unchanged;

Devote appropriate effort to risk analysis of changes, in order to minimizeregression-testing needs;

Design some flexibility into test cases; this is not easily done; the best bet is tominimize the detail in the test cases, or set up only higher-level generic-type test

plans;

Focus less on detailed test plans and test cases and more on ad-hoc testing with an

understanding of the added risk this entails.

What if the application has functionality that wasn't in the requirements?

It may take serious effort to determine if an application has significant unexpected or

hidden functionality, which it would indicate deeper problems in the softwaredevelopment process. If the functionality isn't necessary to the purpose of the application,it should be removed, as it may have unknown impacts or dependencies that were not

taken into account by the designer or the customer.

If not removed, design information will be needed to determine added testing needs or

regression testing needs. Management should be made aware of any significant addedrisks as a result of the unexpected functionality. If the functionality only affects areas,

such as minor improvements in the user interface, it may not be a significant risk.

How can software QA processes be implemented without stifling productivity?

Implement QA processes slowly over time. Use consensus to reach agreement onprocesses and adjust and experiment as an organization grows and matures. Productivity

will be improved instead of stifled. Problem prevention will lessen the need for problem

detection. Panics and burnout will decrease and there will be improved focus and less

wasted effort. At the same time, attempts should be made to keep processes simple andefficient, minimize paperwork, promote computer-based processes and automated

tracking and reporting, minimize time required in meetings and promote training as part


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of the QA process. However, no one, especially talented technical types, like bureaucracy

and in the short run things may slow down a bit. A typical scenario would be that more

days of planning and development will be needed, but less time will be required for late-night bug fixing and calming of irate customers.

What if organization is growing so fast that fixed QA processes are impossible?

This is a common problem in the software industry, especially in new technology areas.

There is no easy solution in this situation, other than...

Hire good people

Ruthlessly prioritize quality issues and maintain focus on the customer;

Everyone in the organization should be clear on what quality means to the

customer.

How is testing affected by object-oriented designs?

A well-engineered object-oriented design can make it easier to trace from code to internal

design to functional design to requirements. While there will be little affect on black box

testing (where an understanding of the internal design of the application is unnecessary),

white-box testing can be oriented to the application's objects. If the application was welldesigned this can simplify test design.

Why do you recommended that we test during the design phase?

Because testing during the design phase can prevent defects later on. Werecommend verifying three things...

1. Verify the design is good, efficient, compact, testable and maintainable.2. Verify the design meets the requirements and is complete (specifies all

relationships between modules, how to pass data, what happens in exceptionalcircumstances, starting state of each module and how to guarantee the state of

each module).

3. Verify the design incorporates enough memory, I/O devices and quick enough

runtime for the final product.

What is software quality assurance?

Software Quality Assurance, is oriented to *prevention*. It involves the entire software

development process. Prevention is monitoring and improving the process, making sureany agreed-upon standards and procedures are followed and ensuring problems are foundand dealt with. Software Testing, is also oriented to *detection*. Testing involves the

operation of a system or application under controlled conditions and evaluating the

results. Organizations vary considerably in how they assign responsibility for QA andtesting. Sometimes they're the combined responsibility of one group or individual. Also

common are project teams, which include a mix of test engineers, testers and developers


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who work closely together, with overall QA processes monitored by project managers. It

depends on what best fits your organization's size and business structure.

Process and procedures - why follow them?

Detailed and well-written processes and procedures ensure the correct steps are beingexecuted to facilitate a successful completion of a task. They also ensure a process is

repeatable.

What is black box testing?

Black box testing is functional testing, not based on any knowledge of internal softwaredesign or code. Black box testing are based on requirements and functionality.

What is white box testing?

White box testing is based on knowledge of the internal logic of an application's code.Tests are based on coverage of code statements, branches, paths and conditions.

What is unit testing?

Unit testing is the first level of dynamic testing and is first the responsibility ofdevelopers and then that of the test engineers. Unit testing is performed after the expected

test results are met or differences are explainable/acceptable.

What is parallel/audit testing?

Parallel/audit testing is testing where the user reconciles the output of the new system tothe output of the current system to verify the new system performs the operations

correctly.

What is functional testing?

Functional testing is black-box type of testing geared to functional requirements of an

application. Test engineers *should* perform functional testing.

What is usability testing?

Usability testing is testing for 'user-friendliness'. Clearly this is subjective and depends onthe targeted end-user or customer. User interviews, surveys, video recording of user

sessions and other techniques can be used. Programmers and developers are usually notappropriate as usability testers.

What is incremental integration testing?


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Incremental integration testing is continuous testing of an application as new

functionality is recommended. This may require that various aspects of an application's

functionality are independent enough to work separately, before all parts of the programare completed, or that test drivers are developed as needed. This type of testing may be

performed by programmers, software engineers, or test engineers.

What is integration testing?

Upon completion of unit testing, integration testing begins. Integration testing is blackbox testing. The purpose of integration testing is to ensure distinct components of the

application still work in accordance to customer requirements. Test cases are developed

with the express purpose of exercising the interfaces between the components. This

activity is carried out by the test team.

Integration testing is considered complete, when actual results and expected results are

either in line or differences are explainable/acceptable based on client input.

What is system testing?

System testing is black box testing, performed by the Test Team, and at the start of the

system testing the complete system is configured in a controlled environment. Thepurpose of system testing is to validate an application's accuracy and completeness in

performing the functions as designed. System testing simulates real life scenarios that

occur in a "simulated real life" test environment and test all functions of the system thatare required in real life. System testing is deemed complete when actual results and

expected results are either in line or differences are explainable or acceptable, based on

client input.

Upon completion of integration testing, system testing is started. Before system testing,all unit and integration test results are reviewed by Software QA to ensure all problems

have been resolved. For a higher level of testing it is important to understand unresolved

problems that originate at unit and integration test levels.

What is end-to-end testing?

Similar to system testing, the *macro* end of the test scale is testing a complete

application in a situation that mimics real world use, such as interacting with a database,

using network communication, or interacting with other hardware, application, or system.

What is regression testing?

The objective of regression testing is to ensure the software remains intact. A baseline setof data and scripts is maintained and executed to verify changes introduced during the

release have not "undone" any previous code. Expected results from the baseline are

compared to results of the software under test. All discrepancies are highlighted andaccounted for, before testing proceeds to the next level.


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What is performance testing?

Although performance testing is described as a part of system testing, it can be regarded

as a distinct level of testing. Performance testing verifies loads, volumes and responsetimes, as defined by requirements.

What is load testing?

Load testing is testing an application under heavy loads, such as the testing of a web site

under a range of loads to determine at what point the system response time will degrade

or fail.

What is installation testing?

Installation testing is testing full, partial, upgrade, or install/uninstall processes. The

installation test for a release is conducted with the objective of demonstrating production

readiness. This test includes the inventory of configuration items, performed by theapplication's System Administration, the evaluation of data readiness, and dynamic tests

focused on basic system functionality. When necessary, a sanity test is performed,

following installation testing.

What is recovery/error testing?

Recovery/error testing is testing how well a system recovers from crashes, hardwarefailures, or other catastrophic problems.

What is compatibility testing?

Compatibility testing is testing how well software performs in a particular hardware,

software, operating system, or network environment.

What is comparison testing?

Comparison testing is testing that compares software weaknesses and strengths to those

of competitors' products.

What is acceptance testing?

Acceptance testing is black box testing that gives the client/customer/project manager theopportunity to verify the system functionality and usability prior to the system beingreleased to production. The acceptance test is the responsibility of the client/customer or

project manager, however, it is conducted with the full support of the project team. The

test team also works with the client/customer/project manager to develop the acceptancecriteria.

What is alpha testing?


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Alpha testing is testing of an application when development is nearing completion. Minor

design changes can still be made as a result of alpha testing. Alpha testing is typically

performed by a group that is independent of the design team, but still within thecompany, e.g. in-house software test engineers, or software QA engineers.

What is beta testing?

Beta testing is testing an application when development and testing are essentially

completed and final bugs and problems need to be found before the final release. Betatesting is typically performed by end-users or others, not programmers, software

engineers, or test engineers.

What testing roles are standard on most testing projects?

Depending on the organization, the following roles are more or less standard on most

testing projects: Testers, Test Engineers, Test/QA Team Lead, Test/QA Manager, System

Administrator, Database Administrator, Technical Analyst, Test Build Manager and TestConfiguration Manager. Depending on the project, one person may wear more than one

hat. For instance, Test Engineers may also wear the hat of Technical Analyst, Test BuildManager and Test Configuration Manager.

What is a Test/QA Team Lead?

The Test/QA Team Lead coordinates the testing activity, communicates testing status to

management and manages the test team.

What is a Test Engineer?

Test Engineers are engineers who specialize in testing. We, test engineers, create testcases, procedures, scripts and generate data. We execute test procedures and scripts,

analyze standards of measurements, evaluate results of system/integration/regression

testing. and also...

Speed up the work of the development staff

Reduce your organization's risk of legal liability

Give you the evidence that your software is correct and operates properly

Improve problem tracking and reporting Maximize the value of your software

Maximize the value of the devices that use it Assure the successful launch of your product by discovering bugs and design

flaws, before users get discouraged, before shareholders loose their cool and

before employees get bogged down

Help the work of your development staff, so the development team can devote itstime to build up your product

Promote continual improvement


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Provide documentation required by FDA, FAA, other regulatory agencies and

your customers

Save money by discovering defects 'early' in the design process, before failures

occur in production, or in the field Save the reputation of your company by discovering bugs and design flaws,before

bugs and design flaws damage the reputation of your company.

What is a Test Build Manager?

Test Build Managers deliver current software versions to the test environment, install the

application's software and apply software patches, to both the application and the

operating system, set-up, maintain and back up test environment hardware. Depending onthe project, one person may wear more than one hat. For instance, a Test Engineer may

also wear the hat of a Test Build Manager.

What is a Technical Analyst?

Technical Analysts perform test assessments and validate system/functional test

requirements. Depending on the project, one person may wear more than one hat. Forinstance, Test Engineers may also wear the hat of a Technical Analyst.

What is a Test Configuration Manager?

Test Configuration Managers maintain test environments, scripts, software and test data.

Depending on the project, one person may wear more than one hat. For instance, Test

Engineers may also wear the hat of a Test Configuration Manager.

What is a test schedule?

The test schedule is a schedule that identifies all tasks required for a successful testing

effort, a schedule of all test activities and resource requirements.

What is software testing methodology?

One software testing methodology is the use a three step process of...

1. Creating a test strategy2. Creating a test plan/design and

3. Executing tests.

This methodology can be used and molded to your organization's needs. Rob Davisbelieves that using this methodology is important in the development and in ongoing

maintenance of his customers' applicationsWhat is the general testing process?


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The general testing process is the creation of a test strategy (which sometimes includes

the creation of test cases), creation of a test plan/design (which usually includes test cases

and test procedures) and the execution of tests.

How do you create a test strategy?

The test strategy is a formal description of how a software product will be tested. A test

strategy is developed for all levels of testing, as required. The test team analyzes the

requirements, writes the test strategy and reviews the plan with the project team. The testplan may include test cases, conditions, the test environment, a list of related tasks,

pass/fail criteria and risk assessment.

Inputs for this process:

A description of the required hardware and software components, including testtools. This information comes from the test environment, including test tool data.

A description of roles and responsibilities of the resources required for the test

and schedule constraints. This information comes from man-hours and schedules. Testing methodology. This is based on known standards.

Functional and technical requirements of the application. This information comes

from requirements, change request, technical and functional design documents.

Requirements that the system can not provide, e.g. system limitations.

Outputs for this process:

An approved and signed off test strategy document, test plan, including test cases.

Testing issues requiring resolution. Usually this requires additional negotiation at

the project management level.

How do you create a test plan/design?

Test scenarios and/or cases are prepared by reviewing functional requirements of the

release and preparing logical groups of functions that can be further broken into test

procedures. Test procedures define test conditions, data to be used for testing and

expected results, including database updates, file outputs, report results. Generallyspeaking...

Test cases and scenarios are designed to represent both typical and unusual

situations that may occur in the application.

Test engineers define unit test requirements and unit test cases. Test engineersalso execute unit test cases.

It is the test team that, with assistance of developers and clients, develops test

cases and scenarios for integration and system testing. Test scenarios are executed through the use of test procedures or scripts.

Test procedures or scripts define a series of steps necessary to perform one or

more test scenarios.


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summary report. The summary report is reviewed by the Project Manager,

Software QA Manager and/or Test Team Lead.

After a particular level of testing has been certified, it is the responsibility of theConfiguration Manager to coordinate the migration of the release software

components to the next test level, as documented in the Configuration

Management Plan. The software is only migrated to the production environmentafter the Project Manager's formal acceptance.

The test team reviews test document problems identified during testing, and

update documents where appropriate.Inputs for this process:

Approved test documents, e.g. Test Plan, Test Cases, Test Procedures.

Test tools, including automated test tools, if applicable.

Developed scripts. Changes to the design, i.e. Change Request Documents.

Test data.

Availability of the test team and project team.

General and Detailed Design Documents, i.e. Requirements Document, SoftwareDesign Document.

A software that has been migrated to the test environment, i.e. unit tested code,via the Configuration/Build Manager.

Test Readiness Document.

Document Updates.

Outputs for this process: Log and summary of the test results. Usually this is part of the Test Report. This

needs to be approved and signed-off with revised testing deliverables.

Changes to the code, also known as test fixes.

Test document problems uncovered as a result of testing. Examples are

Requirements document and Design Document problems.

Reports on software design issues, given to software developers for correction.Examples are bug reports on code issues.

Formal record of test incidents, usually part of problem tracking.

Base-lined package, also known as tested source and object code, ready formigration to the next level.

What testing approaches can you tell me about?

Each of the followings represents a different testing approach:

Black box testing

White box testing

Unit testing

Incremental testing

Integration testing

Functional testing System testing

End-to-end testing


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Sanity testing

Regression testing

Acceptance testing

Load testing

Performance testing

Usability testing Install/uninstall testing

Recovery testing

Security testing

Compatibility testing

Exploratory testing,ad-hoc testing

User acceptance testing

Comparison testing Alpha testing

Beta testing and

Mutation testing

What is stress testing?

Stress testing is testing that investigates the behavior of software (and hardware) under

extraordinary operating conditions. For example, when a web server is stress tested,

testing aims to find out how many users can be on-line, at the same time, withoutcrashing the server. Stress testing tests the stability of a given system or entity. It tests

something beyond its normal operational capacity, in order to observe any negative

results. For example, a web server is stress tested, using scripts, bots, and various denial

of service tools.

What is load testing?

Load testing simulates the expected usage of a software program, by simulating multiple

users that access the program's services concurrently. Load testing is most useful and

most relevant for multi-user systems, client/server models, including web servers. Forexample, the load placed on the system is increased above normal usage patterns, in order

to test the system's response at peak loads.

What is the difference between performance testing and load testing?

Load testing is a blanket term that is used in many different ways across the professional

software testing community. The term, load testing, is often used synonymously withstress testing, performance testing, reliability testing, and volume testing. Load testing

generally stops short of stress testing. During stress testing, the load is so great that errors

are the expected results, though there is gray area in between stress testing and loadtesting.

What is the difference between reliability testing and load testing?


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software testing community. The term, load testing, is often used synonymously with

stress testing, performance testing, reliability testing, and volume testing. Load testinggenerally stops short of stress testing. During stress testing, the load is so great that errors

are the expected results, though there is gray area in between stress testing and load

testing

What is the difference between volume testing and load testing?


software testing community. The term, load testing, is often used synonymously with

stress testing, performance testing, reliability testing, and volume testing. Load testing

generally stops short of stress testing. During stress testing, the load is so great that errorsare the expected results, though there is gray area in between stress testing and load

testing.

What is incremental testing?

Incremental testing is partial testing of an incomplete product. The goal of incrementaltesting is to provide an early feedback to software developers.

What is alpha testing?

Alpha testing is final testing before the software is released to the general public. First,

(and this is called the first phase of alpha testing), the software is tested by in-housedevelopers. They use either debugger software, or hardware-assisted debuggers. The goal

is to catch bugs quickly. Then, (and this is called second stage of alpha testing), the

software is handed over to us, the software QA staff, for additional testing in anenvironment that is similar to the intended use.

What is beta testing?

Following alpha testing, "beta versions" of the software are released to a group of people,

and limited public tests are performed, so that further testing can ensure the product has

few bugs. Other times, beta versions are made available to the general public, in order toreceive as much feedback as possible. The goal is to benefit the maximum number of

future users.

What is the difference between alpha and beta testing?

in-house developers and software QA personnel perform alpha testing. The public, a few

select prospective customers, or the general public performs beta testing.

What is clear box testing?


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Clear box testing is the same as white box testing. It is a testing approach that examines

the application's program structure, and derives test cases from the application's program

logic.

What is boundary value analysis?

Boundary value analysis is a technique for test data selection. A test engineer chooses

values that lie along data extremes. Boundary values include maximum, minimum, just

inside boundaries, just outside boundaries, typical values, and error values. Theexpectation is that, if a systems works correctly for these extreme or special values, then

it will work correctly for all values in between. An effective way to test code, is to

exercise it at its natural boundaries.

What is ad hoc testing?

Ad hoc testing is a testing approach; it is the least formal testing approach.

What is gamma testing?

Gamma testing is testing of software that has all the required features, but it did not go

through all the in-house quality checks. Cynics tend to refer to software releases as

"gamma testing".

What is glass box testing?

Glass box testing is the same as white box testing. It is a testing approach that examines

the application's program structure, and derives test cases from the application's program

logic.

What is open box testing?

Open box testing is same as white box testing. It is a testing approach that examines theapplication's program structure, and derives test cases from the application's program

logic.

What is black box testing?

Black box testing a type of testing that considers only externally visible behavior. Black

box testing considers neither the code itself, nor the "inner workings" of the software.

What is functional testing?

Functional testing is same as black box testing. Black box testing a type of testing that

considers only externally visible behavior. Black box testing considers neither the codeitself, nor the "inner workings" of the software.


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What is closed box testing?

Closed box testing is same as black box testing. Black box testing a type of testing that

considers only externally visible behavior. Black box testing considers neither the codeitself, nor the "inner workings" of the software.

What is bottom-up testing?

Bottom-up testing is a technique for integration testing. A test engineer creates and uses

test drivers for components that have not yet been developed, because, with bottom-up

testing, low-level components are tested first. The objective of bottom-up testing is to calllow-level components first, for testing purposes.

What is software quality?

The quality of the software does vary widely from system to system. Some common

quality attributes are stability, usability, reliability, portability, and maintainability. Seequality standard ISO 9126 for more information on this subject.

How do test case templates look like?

Software test cases are in a document that describes inputs, actions, or events, and their

expected results, in order to determine if all features of an application are working

correctly. Test case templates contain all particulars of every test case. Often thesetemplates are in the form of a table. One example of this table is a 6-column table, where

column 1 is the "Test Case ID Number", column 2 is the "Test Case Name", column 3 is

the "Test Objective", column 4 is the "Test Conditions/Setup", column 5 is the "Input

Data Requirements/Steps", and column 6 is the "Expected Results". All documentsshould be written to a certain standard and template. Standards and templates maintain

document uniformity. They also help in learning where information is located, making iteasier for users to find what they want. Lastly, with standards and templates, information

will not be accidentally omitted from a document.

What is a software fault?

Software faults are hidden programming errors. Software faults are errors in the

correctness of the semantics of computer programs.

What is software failure?

Software failure occurs when the software does not do what the user expects to see.

What is the difference between a software fault and a software failure?

Software failure occurs when the software does not do what the user expects to see. A

software fault, on the other hand, is a hidden programming error. A software fault


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becomes a software failure only when the exact computation conditions are met, and the

faulty portion of the code is executed on the CPU. This can occur during normal usage.

Or, when the software is ported to a different hardware platform. Or, when the software isported to a different complier. Or, when the software gets extended.

What is a test engineer?

Test engineers are engineers who specialize in testing. We, test engineers, create test

cases, procedures, scripts and generate data. We execute test procedures and scripts,analyze standards of measurements, evaluate results of system/integration/regression

testing.

What is the role of test engineers?

Test engineers speed up the work of the development staff, and reduce the risk of your

company's legal liability. We, test engineers, also give the company the evidence that the

software is correct and operates properly. We also improve problem tracking andreporting, maximize the value of the software, and the value of the devices that use it. We

also assure the successful launch of the product by discovering bugs and design flaws,before users get discouraged, before shareholders loose their cool and before employees

get bogged down. We, test engineers help the work of software development staff, so the

development team can devote its time to build up the product. We, test engineers alsopromote continual improvement. They provide documentation required by FDA, FAA,

other regulatory agencies, and your customers. We, test engineers save your company

money by discovering defects EARLY in the design process, before failures occur in

production, or in the field. We save the reputation of your company by discovering bugsand design flaws, before bugs and design flaws damage the reputation of your company.

What is a QA engineer?

QA engineers are test engineers, but QA engineers do more than just testing. Good QA

engineers understand the entire software development process and how it fits into thebusiness approach and the goals of the organization. Communication skills and the ability

to understand various sides of issues are important. We, QA engineers, are successful if

people listen to us, if people use our tests, if people think that we're useful, and if we'rehappy doing our work. I would love to see QA departments staffed with experienced

software developers who coach development teams to write better code. But I've never

seen it. Instead of coaching, we, QA engineers, tend to be process people.

What metrics are used for bug tracking?

Metrics that can be used for bug tracking include: total number of bugs, total number ofbugs that have been fixed, number of new bugs per week, and number of fixes per week.

Metrics for bug tracking can be used to determine when to stop testing, e.g. when bug

rate falls below a certain level.


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What is role of the QA engineer?

The QA Engineer's function is to use the system much like real users would, find all the

bugs, find ways to replicate the bugs, submit bug reports to the developers, and to providefeedback to the developers, i.e. tell them if they've achieved the desired level of quality.

What are the responsibilities of a QA engineer?

Let's say, an engineer is hired for a small software company's QA role, and there is no

QA team. Should he take responsibility to set up a QA infrastructure/process, testing and

quality of the entire product? No, because taking this responsibility is a classic trap thatQA people get caught in. Why? Because we QA engineers cannot assure quality. And

because QA departments cannot create quality. What we CAN do is to detect lack of

quality, and prevent low-quality products from going out the door. What is the solution?We need to drop the QA label, and tell the developers, they are responsible for the quality

of their own work. The problem is, sometimes, as soon as the developers learn that there

is a test department, they will slack off on their testing. We need to offer to help withquality assessment only.

What metrics can be used in software development?

Metrics refer to statistical process control. The idea of statistical process control is a great

one, but it has only a limited use in software development. On the negative side,

statistical process control works only with processes that are sufficiently well definedAND unvaried, so that they can be analyzed in terms of statistics. The problem is, most

software development projects are NOT sufficiently well defined and NOT sufficiently

unvaried. On the positive side, one CAN use statistics. Statistics are excellent tools that

project managers can use. Statistics can be used, for example, to determine when to stoptesting, i.e. test cases completed with certain percentage passed, or when bug rate falls

below a certain level. But, if these are project management tools, why should we labelthem quality assurance tools?

How do you perform integration testing?

First, unit testing has to be completed. Upon completion of unit testing, integration

testing begins. Integration testing is black box testing. The purpose of integration testing

is to ensure distinct components of the application still work in accordance to customerrequirements. Test cases are developed with the express purpose of exercising the

interfaces between the components. This activity is carried out by the test team.Integration testing is considered complete, when actual results and expected results areeither in line or differences are explainable/acceptable based on client input.

What is integration testing?

Integration testing is black box testing. The purpose of integration testing is to ensure

distinct components of the application still work in accordance to customer requirements.


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Test cases are developed with the express purpose of exercising the interfaces between

the components. This activity is carried out by the test team. Integration testing is

considered complete, when actual results and expected results are either in line ordifferences are explainable/acceptable based on client input.

What is a "bug life cycle"?

Bug life cycles are similar to software development life cycles. At any time during the

software development life cycle errors can be made during the gathering of requirements,requirements analysis, functional design, internal design, documentation planning,

document preparation, coding, unit testing, test planning, integration, testing,

maintenance, updates, re-testing and phase-out. Bug life cycle begins when a

programmer, software developer, or architect makes a mistake, creates an unintentionalsoftware defect, i.e. a bug, and ends when the bug is fixed, and the bug is no longer in

existence. What should be done after a bug is found? When a bug is found, it needs to be

communicated and assigned to developers that can fix it. After the problem is resolved,

fixes should be re-tested. Additionally, determinations should be made regardingrequirements, software, hardware, safety impact, etc., for regression testing to check the

fixes didn't create other problems elsewhere. If a problem-tracking system is in place, itshould encapsulate these determinations. A variety of commercial, problem-

tracking/management software tools are available. These tools, with the detailed input of

software test engineers, will give the team complete information so developers canunderstand the bug, get an idea of its severity, reproduce it and fix it.

When do you choose automated testing?

For larger projects, or ongoing long-term projects, automated testing can be valuable. But

for small projects, the time needed to learn and implement the automated testing tools isusually not worthwhile. Automated testing tools sometimes do not make testing easier.One problem with automated testing tools is that if there are continual changes to the

product being tested, the recordings have to be changed so often, that it becomes a very

time-consuming task to continuously update the scripts. Another problem with such toolsis the interpretation of the results (screens, data, logs, etc.) that can be a time-consuming

task.

What is the ratio of developers and testers?

This ratio is not a fixed one, but depends on what phase of the software development life

cycle the project is in. When a product is first conceived, organized, and developed, thisratio tends to be 10:1, 5:1, or 3:1, i.e. heavily in favor of developers. In sharp contrast,

when the product is near the end of the software development life cycle, this ratio tends

to be 1:1, or even 1:2, in favor of testers.

What is your role in your current organization?


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I'm a Software QA Engineer. I use the system much like real users would. I find all the

bugs, find ways to replicate the bugs, submit bug reports to developers, and provides

feedback to the developers, i.e. tell them if they've achieved the desired level of quality.

What software tools are in demand these days?

The software tools currently in demand include LabView, LoadRunner, Rational Tools,

and Winrunner -- and especially the Loadrunner and Rational Toolset -- but there are

many others, depending on the end client, and their needs, and preferences.

What are some of the software configuration management tools?

Software configuration management tools include Rational ClearCase, DOORS, PVCS,

CVS; and there are many others. Rational ClearCase is a popular software tool, made by

Rational Software, for revision control of source code. DOORS, or "Dynamic Object

Oriented Requirements System", is a requirements version control software tool. CVS, or

"Concurrent Version System", is a popular, open source version control system to keeptrack of changes in documents associated with software projects. CVS enables several,

often distant, developers to work together on the same source code. PVCS is a documentversion control tool, a competitor of SCCS. SCCS is an original UNIX program, based on

"diff". Diff is a UNIX command that compares contents of two files.

What is software configuration management?

Software Configuration management (SCM) is the control, and the recording of, changesthat are made to the software and documentation throughout the software development

life cycle (SDLC). SCM covers the tools and processes used to control, coordinate and

track code, requirements, documentation, problems, change requests, designs, tools,compilers, libraries, patches, and changes made to them, and to keep track of who makesthe changes. Rob Davis has experience with a full range of CM tools and concepts, and

can easily adapt to an organization's software tool and process needs.

What other roles are in testing?

Depending on the organization, the following roles are more or less standard on mosttesting projects: Testers, Test Engineers, Test/QA Team Leads, Test/QA Managers,

System Administrators, Database Administrators, Technical Analysts, Test Build

Managers, and Test Configuration Managers. Depending on the project, one person can

and often wear more than one hat. For instance, we Test Engineers often wear the hat ofTechnical Analyst, Test Build Manager and Test Configuration Manager as well.

What's the difference between priority and severity?

"Priority" is associated with scheduling, and "severity" is associated with standards.

"Piority" means something is afforded or deserves prior attention; a precedenceestablished by order of importance (or urgency). "Severity" is the state or quality of being


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severe; severe implies adherence to rigorous standards or high principles and often

suggests harshness; severe is marked by or requires strict adherence to rigorous standards

or high principles, e.g. a severe code of behavior. The words priority and severity docome up in bug tracking. A variety of commercial , problem-tracking/management

software tools are available. These tools, with the detailed input of software test

engineers, give the team complete information so developers can understand the bug, getan idea of its 'severity', reproduce it and fix it. The fixes are based on project 'priorities'

and 'severity' of bugs. The 'severity' of a problem is defined in accordance to the

customer's risk assessment and recorded in their selected tracking tool. A buggy softwarecan 'severely' affect schedules, which, in turn can lead to a reassessment and

renegotiation of 'priorities'.

What's the difference between efficient and effective?

"Efficient" means having a high ratio of output to input; working or producing with a

minimum of waste. For example, "An efficient engine saves gas". "Effective", on the

other hand, means producing, or capable of producing, an intended result, or having astriking effect. For example, "For rapid long-distance transportation, the jet engine is

more effective than a witch's broomstick".

What is the difference between verification and validation?

Verification takes place before validation, and not vice versa. Verification evaluates

documents, plans, code, requirements, and specifications. Validation, on the other hand,

evaluates the product itself. The inputs of verification are checklists, issues lists,

walkthroughs and inspection meetings, reviews and meetings. The input of validation, onthe other hand, is the actual testing of an actual product. The output of verification is a

nearly perfect set of documents, plans, specifications, and requirements document. Theoutput of validation, on the other hand, is a nearly perfect, actual product.