IT Software Development - Software Development Life Cycle: Testing Overview

Testing is often the most neglected and unappreciated step in the Software Development Life Cycle. This course presents a general overview and insights into some major problems and ways to avoid those problems.

Many Testing problems have their origins in these areas.

« Testers are not involved when the requirements and design are specified.

« Test teams are expected to figure out what needs to be tested from poorly defined or marginal requirement and design specifications.

« Test is allocated insufficient time in the project schedule. There are many reasons for this.

« Test groups are expected to recover the time lost when development does not meet it's schedules, an almost sure situation on most software projects.

« Management assigns newer and less experienced people to testing due to a common misconception that "testing is a good place to learn the product," and similar misconceptions.

« Proper unit testing is not performed or even conducted.

« Development teams are often chartered to do the testing, especially on smaller projects. Major conflict of interest, especially under schedule pressure.

« Test environments are not well defined and "clean." One insidious form of "not clean" is when testing is done on the same machines as development.

« Final Integration tests are not done on builds from source.

« Many more problem origins could be added here.

This course provides insight into the origins and behaviors the lead to problems from these and similar items.

Guidance is provided on how to avoid or minimize project impact due to these and other issues.

Attendees are expected to bring, past or current, test related experiences to the course. The experiences must be those that can be discussed openly with the group.