Test Engineer

Tutorials

MA Critical Thinking for Software Testers

Michael Bolton, DevelopSense

Mon, 04/07/2014 - 8:30am

Critical thinking is the kind of thinking that specifically looks for problems and mistakes. Regular people don't do a lot of it. However, if you want to be a great tester, you need to be a great critical thinker. Critically thinking testers save projects from dangerous assumptions and ultimately from disasters. The good news is that critical thinking is not just innate intelligence or a talent—it's a learnable and improvable skill you can master.

MB Mobile Applications Testing: From Concepts to Practice

Max Saperstone, Coveros

Mon, 04/07/2014 - 8:30am

As applications for smartphones and tablets become incredibly popular, organizations encounter increasing pressure to quickly and successfully deliver testing for these devices. When faced with a mobile testing project, many testers find it tempting to apply the same methods and techniques used for desktop applications. Although some of these concepts transfer directly, testing mobile applications presents its own special challenges. Max Saperstone says if you follow the same practices and techniques as you have before, you will miss critical defects.

MC Management Issues in Test Automation

Dorothy Graham, Independent Test Consultant

Mon, 04/07/2014 - 8:30am

Many organizations never achieve the significant benefits that are promised from automated test execution. Surprisingly often, this is due not to technical factors but to management issues, especially at system testing level. Surprisingly often, this is due not to technical factors but to management issues. Dot Graham describes the most important management concerns the test manager must address for test automation success, and helps you understand and choose the best approaches for your organization—no matter which automation tools you use or your current state of automation.

MD Seven Keys to Navigating Your Agile Testing Transition NEW

Bob Galen, Velocity Partners

Mon, 04/07/2014 - 8:30am

So you’ve “gone agile” and have been relatively successful for a year or so. But how do you know how well you’re really doing? And how do you continuously improve your practices? When things get rocky, how do you handle the challenges without reverting to old habits? You realize that the path to high-performance agile testing isn’t easy or quick. It also helps to have a guide. So consider this workshop your guide to ongoing, improved, and sustained high-performance. Join seasoned agile testing coach Bob Galen as he share lessons from his most successful agile testing transitions.

ME Essential Test Management and Planning

Rick Craig, Software Quality Engineering

Mon, 04/07/2014 - 8:30am

The key to successful testing is effective and timely planning. Rick Craig introduces proven test planning methods and techniques, including the Master Test Plan and level-specific test plans for acceptance, system, integration, and unit testing. Rick explains how to customize an IEEE-829-style test plan and test summary report to fit your organization’s needs. Learn how to manage test activities, estimate test efforts, and achieve buy-in. Discover a practical risk analysis technique to prioritize your testing and become more effective with limited resources.

MF Security Testing for Testing Professionals NEW

Jeff Payne, Coveros, Inc.

Mon, 04/07/2014 - 8:30am

Today’s software applications are often security-critical, making security testing an essential part of a software quality program. Unfortunately, most testers have not been taught how to effectively test the security of the software applications they validate. Join Jeff Payne as he shares what you need to know to integrate effective security testing into your everyday software testing activities. Learn how software vulnerabilities are introduced into code and exploited by hackers. Discover how to define and validate security requirements.

MG Measurement and Metrics for Test Managers NEW

Rick Craig, Software Quality Engineering

Mon, 04/07/2014 - 1:00pm

To be most effective, test managers must develop and use metrics to help direct the testing effort and make informed recommendations about the software’s release readiness and associated risks. Because one important testing activity is to “measure” the quality of the software, test managers must measure the results of both the development and testing processes. Collecting, analyzing, and using metrics is complicated because many developers and testers are concerned that the metrics will be used against them.

MH Managing Application Performance: A Simplified Universal Approach NEW

Scott Barber, SmartBear

Mon, 04/07/2014 - 1:00pm

In response to increasing market demand for well-performing applications, many organizations implement performance testing programs, often at great expense. Sadly, these solutions alone are often insufficient to keep pace with emerging expectations and competitive pressures. Scott Barber shares the fundamentals of implementing T⁴APM™ including specific examples from recent client implementations. T⁴APM™ is a simple and universal approach that is valuable independently or as an extension of existing performance testing programs.

MI Introducing Keyword-driven Test Automation NEW

Hans Buwalda, LogiGear

Mon, 04/07/2014 - 1:00pm

In both agile and traditional projects, keyword-driven testing has proven to be a powerful way to attain a high level of automation—when it is done correctly. Many testing organizations use keyword testing but aren’t realizing the full benefits of scalability and maintainability that are essential to keep up with the demands of testing today’s software. Hans Buwalda outlines how you can meet what he calls the 5 percent challenges—automating 95 percent of your tests with no more than 5 percent of your total testing effort—using the proven, keyword-driven test method he uses.

MJ Team Leadership: Telling Your Testing Stories NEW

Bob Galen, Velocity Partners

Mon, 04/07/2014 - 1:00pm

It used to be that your work and results spoke for themselves. No longer is that the case. Today you need to be a better collaborator, communicator, and facilitator so that you focus your teams on delivering value. Join Bob Galen to explore the power of the story, one of the most effective communication paradigms. You can tell stories that create powerful collaboration. You can tell stories that communicate product requirements and customer needs. You can tell stories that inspire teams to deliver results.

Keynotes

K1 Why Software Drives Us Crazy NEW

Michael Bolton, DevelopSense

Tue, 04/08/2014 - 8:30am

Some people insist that machines will replace humans in many different ways; others disagree, but without explaining why. You could say a smartphone app replaces an admin assistant by managing your schedule. However, to make the app work, you must modify your usual behavior by providing input in a formal, explicit way, and then interpreting and correcting its output to make up for the app's inflexibility. But storing, transforming, and displaying data are only part of the picture.

K2 Lightning Strikes the Keynotes

Lee Copeland, Software Quality Engineering

Tue, 04/08/2014 - 3:15pm

Throughout the years, Lightning Talks have been a popular part of the STAR conferences. If you’re not familiar with the concept, Lightning Talks consists of a series of five-minute talks by different speakers within one presentation period. Lightning Talks are the opportunity for speakers to deliver their single biggest bang-for-the-buck idea in a rapid-fire presentation. And now, lightning has struck the STAR keynotes.

K3 The Art of Complex System Testing NEW

Ray Arell, Intel

Wed, 04/09/2014 - 8:30am

It’s one week after your product’s launch, and everyone is happy. After all, for the first time in years, your product development exceeded expectations. Coding was completed on time with very few defects. Suddenly, the report of a major usability and security flaw destroys the euphoria and sends everything into chaos. Unfortunately, this is not uncommon in our industry. So, how can we mitigate such things from happening?

Concurrent Sessions

T2 Test Design Techniques in Exploratory Testing NEW

Gitte Ottosen, Sogeti Denmark

Tue, 04/08/2014 - 10:30am

Not all testers are lucky enough to get a good foundation for their testing—detailed requirements and system specifications. That, combined with the harsh reality of not having enough time, presents a challenge for the tester—How do I test to such an extent that I will be able to identify defects as early as possible and properly inform stakeholders about the quality of the product?

T3 We’re Moving to Agile: What Are Our Testers Going to Do? NEW

Pradeepa Narayanaswamy , Centare

Tue, 04/08/2014 - 10:30am

As more and more organizations transition to agile, many still do not understand how testing fits into agile teams. Does it simply mean placing a tester on every team? Or does it mean doing away with the role of testers? Pradeepa Narayanaswamy explains the importance of working in cross-functional teams that integrate development and testing. Pradeepa shares her insights into the keys of agile testing including understanding the agile testing mindset and goals. She discusses the responsibilities of a tester in an agile team and describes the diverse skill sets required in those teams.

T4 Billion Dollar Bugs: When and How to Test a Spreadsheet NEW

Gregory Pope, Lawrence Livermore National Labs

Tue, 04/08/2014 - 10:30am

The world has become increasingly dependent on computer-based models to make informed decisions. These models may be financial or engineering based and often are built with spreadsheets. We may not think of spreadsheets as software and therefore tend to overlook applying robust testing techniques to them. However, spreadsheet error rates are often ten times those found in rigorously tested commercial software.

T6 CAN I USE THIS?—A Mnemonic for Usability Testing NEW

David Greenlees, Innodev Pty Ltd

Tue, 04/08/2014 - 12:45pm

Often, usability testing does not receive the attention it deserves. A common argument is that usability issues are merely “training issues” and can be dealt with through the product's training or user manuals. If your product is only for internal staff use, this may be a valid response. However, the market now demands easy-to-use products—whether your users are internal or external. David Greenlees shares a tool he has developed to generate test ideas for usability testing. His mnemonic—CAN I USE THIS?—provides a solid starting point for testing any product.

T7 A Tester’s Guide to Collaborating with Product Owners NEW

Bob Galen, Velocity Partners

Tue, 04/08/2014 - 12:45pm

The role of the Product Owner in Scrum is only vaguely defined—owning the Product Backlog and representing the “customer.” In many organizations, Product Owners go it alone, trying their best to represent business needs to their teams.

T8 Become a Big Data Quality Hero

Jason Rauen, LexisNexis

Tue, 04/08/2014 - 12:45pm

Many believe that regression testing an application with minimal data is sufficient. However, the data testing methodology becomes far more complex with big data applications. Testing can now be done within the data fabrication process as well as in the data delivery process. Today, comprehensive testing is often mandated by regulatory agencies—and more importantly by customers. Finding issues before deployment and saving your company’s reputation—and in some cases preventing litigation—is critical.

W6 Security Testing Mobile Applications

Jeff Payne, Coveros, Inc.

Wed, 04/09/2014 - 12:45pm

Due to the sensitive nature of the personal information often stored on mobile phones, security testing is vital when building mobile applications. Jeff Payne discusses some of the characteristics that make testing mobile applications unique and challenging. These characteristics include how mobile devices store data, fluid trust boundaries due to untrusted applications installed on the device, different and unique aspects of device security models, and differences in the types of threats one must be concerned with. Jeff shares hints and tips for effectively testing mobile applications.