Testing in the New World of Off-the-Shelf Software
Testing an off-the-shelf, sometimes called COTS, system? Often, project managers and stakeholders mistakenly believe that one benefit of purchasing software is that there is little, if any, testing required. This could not be further from the truth. Testing COTS software requires a different focus from traditional testing approaches. Although no software package will be delivered free of bugs, the testing focus from the purchasing organization’s perspective is not on validating the base functionality. Gerie Owen and Peter Varhol share a framework for testing COTS packages and discuss in detail each of the major focus areas―customizations and configurations, integration, data, and performance. Discover how to work with business processes and integration maps to design an effective test strategy. Whether you are testing a small COTS package or a large enterprise COTS application, join Gerie and Peter to learn how to focus your testing effectively and develop a new test skill set.
Gerie Owen is a test architect at Eversource Energy, Certified ScrumMaster, conference presenter, and author on testing/test management topics. She is developing a test center of excellence and consults on test processes and tools. Gerie manages large, complex projects involving multiple applications; coordinates test teams across multiple time zones; and delivers high-quality projects on time and within budget. She enjoys mentoring new QA leads and brings a cohesive team approach to testing. Learn more about Gerie on her website, her Software Testing in the Trenches blog, and on Twitter @GerieOwen.
Peter Varhol is principal technology evangelist at Technology Strategy Research and a consulting QA lead for a leading digital design firm. An accomplished and frequent speaker at technology conferences and user groups, Peter’s topics cover software development to testing and application lifecycle. As a technology journalist and thought leader, he has authored hundreds of articles, white papers, and blog posts on software development, testing, and related topics. His past roles include technology journalist, software product manager, software developer, and university professor. Learn more about Peter on his website, on his Cutting Edge Computing blog, and on Twitter @pvarhol.