Put Models at the Heart of Testing Prior Year Content

Models exist all around us. To the untrained, models appear rather esoteric. In fact, our brain is a fantastic modeling engine. How do you think we can move without collision, use language, reason, and make sense of our world? Paul Gerrard explains how models underpin the common test methods. We testers can use models at every level of our work—to simplify the testing problem, to scope the testing tasks, to communicate with stakeholders and peers, to inform test design/selection decisions, and to measure coverage or progress in our work. Rather than guessing what to test, models can be the basis of effective test design. Some models come “for free” in documentation—state models, decision tables, and use cases. Sometimes we have to craft our own. Some models are written down; others exist solely in our minds. Join Paul as he explains why test techniques can be difficult to use systematically and how you can model a testing problem to exploit your innate testing powers.