Effective Methods for Software Testing, Third Edition

Chapter 11. Step 5: Analyzing and Reporting Test Results

Testers should write two types of reports: interim reports and final reports. Interim test reports are necessary for both testers and management; testers need to know testing defect identification and correction status, and management needs to know the status of the overall project effort and the risks the organization faces as a consequence.

This chapter builds on the material presented so far in this book. In earlier steps, the test objectives are decomposed into a test plan, which eventually is decomposed into specific tests; tests are executed, and then the results are rolled up into test reports. The test results are compared against the expected results and experience with similar software systems. Reports are then prepared to provide the information that the user of the software system needs to make effective business decisions.

Overview

The user of the software system is responsible for deciding whether the software system should be used as presented and, if so, which precautions must be taken to ensure high-quality results. It is the testers who provide the information on which those decisions will be based. Thus, the testers are responsible not only for testing, but to consolidate and present data in a format that is conducive to good business decision making.

The project team is responsible for reporting the project’s status. However, experience has shown that project teams tend to be overly optimistic about their ability ...