STAREAST 2008 - Software Testing Conference

PRESENTATIONS

Hakernomics

Hackers think differently, have strange goals, and will relentlessly "test" your software for security bugs. Hugh Thompson exposes how attackers view software to find security weaknesses and explains the economics of software risk for organizations. He vividly illustrates the laws of hackernomics with real vulnerabilities and helps you think like an attacker. Hugh takes you through crafting input like an attacker would. He describes the features that attackers find most attractive and why.
Herbert Thompson, Peoples Security
How to Build and Motivate the Ideal Test Team

Testing projects have a habit of getting into trouble. After years of waterfall development in which testing is the last stage in the development pipeline, there are almost always deadline and budget squeezes that require test managers to attempt to do the impossible. Most of us have had to manage risks as part of the test management process. However, the most plausible mitigation strategy is not always the best one.
Lloyd Roden, Grove Consultants
Learning From the Past: Leveraging Defect Data

If test improvement activities are to be successful, we must convince management that our efforts are focused on areas with significant payback opportunities. Brian Robinson reports that in his organization a data-driven approach to improvement has led management, developers, and testers to adopt new approaches and strategies. They collect data from their existing defect tracking system, source code repository, and a document management system used in development.
Brian Robinson, ABB Inc.
Making User Acceptance a Testing Process, Not a Testing Phase

Historically, the user acceptance test (UAT) is the last test we perform before product delivery. Because UAT traditionally demonstrates the entire product, it cannot be done until all other development and testing activities have been completed. This means we are not receiving crucial customer feedback on product acceptability until late in the project life cycle-often much too late to stay on time and within budget when critical design gaps are discovered. Donna McLeod knows it doesn't have to be this way.
Donna McLeod, Safeway Inc
Man and Machine: Combining Automation Tools with the Human Mind

When we think of automated testing, we usually think of unattended tests that are executed by computer software. When we think of manual testing, we think of a human being executing tests without the aid of a machine. These activities need not be mutually exclusive-we can use automation tools to help us as we undertake manual testing. Instead of thinking of tests as either automated or manual, Jonathan Kohl explores areas where you can blend the activities.
Jonathan Kohl, Kohl Concepts Inc.
Managing Contracts for Outsourced Testing

In large outsourced projects, the contractual aspects of testing are often poorly defined even though testing may be half the overall project cost. Why is this? Test activities may be split between the development organization, customer, and test outsourcing partners. When things go wrong, the test process and the contractual obligations relating to testing will come under close scrutiny. Unfortunately, many projects get their contracts wrong with regard to testing.
Paul Gerrard, Gerrard Consulting
Measure Quality on the Way In - Not on the Way Out

If you have been a test manager for longer than a week, you have probably experienced pressure from management to offshore some test activities to save money. However, most test professionals are unaware of the financial details surrounding offshoring and are only anecdotally aware of factors that should be considered before outsourcing. Jim Olsen shares his experiences and details about the total cost structures of offshoring test activities.
Jan Fish, Lifeline Systems
Monty Python's Flying Test Lab

And now for something completely different ... Monty Python's Flying Circus revolutionized comedy and brought zany British humor to a world-wide audience. However, buried deep in the hilarity and camouflaged in its twisted wit, lie many important testing lessons-tips and techniques you can apply to real world problems to deal with turbulent projects, changing requirements, and stubborn project stakeholders.
Robert Sabourin, AmiBug.com Inc
Optimize Your Testing with Virtual Test Lab Automation

The complex nature of software development often requires testing on multiple hardware platforms, operating systems, Web and application servers, and databases. Add to it the many different builds, patches, and regionalized versions that development delivers and you understand the immense challenge faced by test engineers trying to provide adequate test coverage.
Brad Johnson, Borland - The Open ALM Company
Pairwise Testing Comes of Age

You've heard of orthogonal arrays and pairwise testing. Perhaps you've used a pairwise test case generator tool. Have you ever wondered where these popular and powerful techniques originated? Actually they have been around for almost twenty years. During this time, important test design principles have emerged and choices for test generation tools have improved. George Sherwood, inventor of CATS, one of the first pairwise test tools, reviews what we have learned and how it applies to testing today.
George Sherwood, Testcover.com

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