Effective Methods for Software Testing, Third Edition

Chapter 6. Overview of the Software Testing Process

Chapters 2 through 5 explained how to establish a test environment. Now you’re ready to:

• Understand the advantages of following a process

• Understand the costs associated with testing

• Introduce the seven-step process that will take you through organizing, planning, testing, and completing your testing project

• Customize the seven-step process to the needs of your organization

• Establish a process to manage the seven-step testing process

The process for software testing described in this chapter is based on the experience of more than 1,000 organizations affiliated with the Quality Assurance Institute.

Advantages of Following a Process

There is no best process for testing software. However, the seven-step process described in this chapter incorporates the best aspects of many different processes. Understanding and using a process for testing software provides the following advantages:

• Testing is consistent. With a process, testing can be performed in a consistent manner from test to test. The use of the process will reduce variability of testing and improve confidence in the test process.

• Testing can be taught. When testing is performed by a process, the process is teachable. When testing is performed as an art or craft, one must study under a master tester to learn how to test. The test process breaks testing into steps and tasks that are easy to teach.

• Test processes can be improved. By using processes, one learns advantages and disadvantages ...