What can we say about the fifth testing principle ‘Tests Wear Out’?
- if the same tests are repeated many times, they become increasingly ineffective in detecting new defects
- to overcome this effect, existing tests and test data may need to be modified,
- and new tests may need to be written
- in some cases repeating the same tests can have
a beneficial outcomee, eg: in automaated regression testing .
What can we say about the sixth testing principle ‘Testing is conext-dependant’?
- there is no single universally applicable approach to
testing - testing is done differntly in different contexts
What can we say about the seventh testing principle
‘Absence-of-defects fallacy’?
it is a fallacy, a misconception to expect that software
verification will ensure the success of a system.
- thoroughly testing all the specified requirements,
and fixing all the defects found could still produce a
system that does not fullfill the users needs and
expectations
- that does not help in achiving the customer’s
business goals,
- and that is inferior compared to other competing systems.
- in addition to verification, validation should also be carried out.
TEST ACTIVITIES, TESTWARE and TEST ROLES
What is a ‘test process’
- testing is context dependent, but at high level,
there are common sets of test activities without which
testing is less lileky to achiev test objectives. - these sets of test activties form a test process
What can we say about the test process?
- the test process can be tailored to a given
situation based on various factors:
- Which test activities are included in this test process,
- how they are implemented, and
- when they occur is normally decided as part of the test planning for the specific situation
TASK ACTIVITIES AND TASKS
What does a test process consist of?
- usually a test process consists of the main group of the following
activities:
1. test planning,
2. test monitoring and control,
3. test analysis,
4. test design,
5. test implementation,
6. test execution,
7. test completion, - although many of these activites may appear to
follow a logical sequence, they are often implemented
iteratively or in parallell. These testing activities
usually need to be tailored to the system and the project.
What is Test Planning?
consists of defining the test objectives
and then selecting an approach that best achieves
the objectives within the constraints imposed by the overall context.
What is Test Monitoring and Control?
involves the ongoing checking of all test activities
and the comparison of actual progress against the plan.
test control involves taking the actions necessary
to meet the objectives of testing
What is test analysis?
- test analysis includes analyzing the test basis
- to identify testable features
- and to define and prioritize associated test conditions,
- together with the related risks and risk levels
- the test basis and test objectives are also evaluated to identify defects they may contain
- and to assess their testability
- Test analysis is often supported by the use of test techniques
- test analysis answers the question ‘what to test’ in terms of measurable coverage criteria
