Test Management

Tutorials

Peter Zimmerer, Siemens AG

Mon, 06/08/2015 - 8:30am

Testability is the degree to which a system can be effectively and efficiently tested. This key software attribute indicates whether testing (and subsequent maintenance) will be easy and cheap—or difficult and expensive. In the worst case, a lack of testability means that some system components cannot be tested at all. Testability is not free; it must be explicitly designed into the system through adequate design for testability. Peter Zimmerer describes influencing factors (controllability, visibility, operability, stability, simplicity) and constraints (conflicting nonfunctional requirements, legacy code), and shares his experiences implementing and testing highly-testable software. Peter offers practical guidance on two key actions: (1) designing well-defined control and observation points in the architecture, and (2) specifying testability needs for test automation early. He shares creative and innovative approaches to overcome failures caused by deficiencies in testability. Peter presents a new and comprehensive strategy for testability design that you can implement to gain the benefits in a cost-efficient manner.

MM Test Attacks to Break Mobile and Embedded Software NEW

Jon Hagar, Grand Software Testing

Mon, 06/08/2015 - 1:00pm

In the tradition of James Whittaker’s book series How to Break Software, Jon Hagar applies the testing “attack” concept to the domain of mobile and embedded software systems. First, Jon defines the environments of mobile and embedded software. He then examines the issues of software product failures caused by defects found in these types of software. Next, Jon shares a set of attacks against mobile and embedded software based on common modes of failure that teams can direct against their software. Like different kinds of software design patterns, attacks are test design patterns that must be customized for particular contexts. For specific attacks, Jon explains when and how to conduct the attack—and why the attack works to find bugs. In addition to learning these testing concepts, you can practice the attack patterns on devices containing mobile and/or embedded software―so bring your smart phones.

TC Rapid Software Testing for Programmers NEW

James Bach, Satisfice, Inc.

Tue, 06/09/2015 - 8:30am

Perhaps you’re a programmer, trying to identify important problems in your code before they affect customers. Or a tester with skills in reading or writing code on a mission to find coding defects. James Bach presents Rapid Software Testing, a universal methodology for testing that consists of both a mindset and a skillset that can be applied whether or not you have a technical background. However, for people with coding skills, it has additional dimensions. Long before you can apply tools or write code to help solve problems, you must identify technical risk and consider the costs and benefits of various testing tactics. This is not a session about canned test tools and how to use them. It does not cover the mechanics of any specific tool or simple technique. Instead, we use practical exercises and Socratic questioning to explore the deeper skills of investigating, framing, and solving real testing problems using the skills and perspective of a programmer.

LAPTOP REQUIRED. Delegates must bring Windows-based laptops to this tutorial.

TN Testing the Data Warehouse: Big Data, Big Problems NEW

Geoff Horne, NZTester Magazine

Tue, 06/09/2015 - 1:00pm

Data warehouses have become a popular mechanism for collecting, organizing, and making information readily available for strategic decision making. The ability to review historical trends and monitor near real-time operational data has become a key competitive advantage for many organizations. Yet the methods for assuring the quality of these valuable assets are quite different from those of transactional systems. Ensuring that the appropriate testing is performed is a major challenge for many enterprises. Geoff Horne has led a number of data warehouse testing projects in both the telecommunications and ERP sectors. Join Geoff as he shares his approaches and experiences, focusing on the key “uniques” of data warehouse testing including methods for assuring data completeness, monitoring data transformations, and measuring quality. He explores the opportunities for test automation as part of the data warehouse process, describing how you can harness automation to streamline and minimize overhead.

Concurrent Sessions

BW4 Mobile App Testing: Design Automation Patterns You Should Use

Jon Hagar, Grand Software Testing

Wed, 06/10/2015 - 11:30am

In mobile app development, better test design is important to project velocity and user satisfaction. Jon Hagar explores underused or poorly practiced test design automation approaches that you should employ in development and testing. Jon begins by defining the domain of mobile app software and examines common industry patterns of product failures. He then shares three approaches you can use to speed development and improve quality for native, web-based, and hybrid apps. The methods examined—each supported with detailed checklists—are combinatorial testing, model-based testing, and user experience testing. Jon explains when, where, and how each testing approach can be used to support improved testing and to benefit the whole team. In addition to mobile apps, you and your team can use these same three approaches in other software environments to reduce technical debt during development.

BW6 Requirements and Acceptance Tests: Yes, They Go Together

Ken Pugh, Net Objectives

Wed, 06/10/2015 - 1:30pm

The practice of software development requires a clear understanding of business needs. Misunderstanding requirements causes waste, slipped schedules, and mistrust. Developers implement their perceived interpretation of requirements; testers test against their perceptions. Disagreement can arise about implementation defects, when the cause is really a disagreement about a requirement. Ken Pugh shows how early acceptance test development decreases requirements misunderstandings by both developers and testers. A testable requirement provides a single source that serves as the analysis document, acceptance criteria, regression test suite, and progress tracker for each feature. Explore how the business, testers, and developers can create, evaluate, and use testable requirements. Join Ken to examine how to transform requirements into stories, which are small units of work that have business value, small implementation effort, and easy-to-understand acceptance tests. Learn how testers and requirement elicitors can work together to create acceptance tests prior to implementation.

BT3 Cloud-Based, Automated Mobile App Testing for the Enterprise

Joe Schulz, Orasi Software

Thu, 06/11/2015 - 10:00am

Mobile applications are now a required component of enterprise operations, with both consumers and workers relying on mobile technologies for communications and productivity. To ensure a functional, secure, and worthwhile mobile experience, enterprises must stay abreast of growing complexity in mobile devices, applications, and platforms while remaining responsive to unforgiving user expectations for speed and service. To meet this challenge, many firms are turning to cloud-based automated testing, which reduces the complexity and cost of manual, on-premise testing and offers extraordinary flexibility to accommodate a variety of scenarios. Joe Schulz outlines the reasons why cloud-based application testing is beneficial, discusses the role it plays in supporting testing automation, and explores the best practices for adopting this solution. Get a practical grounding in cloud-based automated mobile testing. Learn how this approach helps companies speed time to market, optimize security and performance, increase user satisfaction, and contain costs.

BT8 The Value of A/B Testing

Alan Page, Microsoft

Thu, 06/11/2015 - 11:30am

Recently, a wide range of new testing ideas has emerged that makes testing online systems easier and faster. One idea goes beyond functional testing to a more basic question: Does the system convert shoppers into buyers? Since that is a key function of commercial websites, it is important for an organization to understand its website’s effectiveness. One way to do this is to create two different variations of the site—the A and B versions—and then assess the more-effective variation. The A/B tester plays a key role in the entire effort. His role is to gather A/B test requirements; prioritize, develop, and execute the tests; and partner with the analytics team to report the findings. Venkat Atigadda explains the types of tests involved, advantages, best practices, and key guidelines for performing A/B testing. This approach can be generalized to test for signing up for additional services, viewing the site longer, and visiting additional parts of the site.