|
|
Testing Software Builds Automatically Using Virtual PC Software When they receive a new software build, testers usually start their automated testing runs. Instead, what if they could execute tests automatically at the end of the build process? Using Microsoft Virtual PC 2004 as the example tool, Geoff Stewart shares his experiences using virtual PC software to configure, baseline, and isolate a test environment and automatically execute tests as part of the build process. By using virtual machine software via a command line interface, anyone can run tests without knowledge of the testing tool. Geoff demonstrates the technique and explains how he saves test results in XML for easier post-processing and historical reference. Get a head start on test execution, eliminate version conflicts, and save time installing test tools on host machines.
- An overview of virtual machine technology
- Integrating test execution with an automated build process
|
Geoff Stewart, Itron Inc
|
|
|
Free Test Tools are Like a Box of Chocolates You never know what you are going to get! Until you explore, it can be hard to tell whether a free, shareware, or open source tool is an abandoned and poorly documented research project or a robust powerhouse of a tool. In this information-filled presentation, Danny Faught shows you where open source and freeware tools fit within the overall test tool landscape. During this double session, Danny installs and tries out several tools right on the spot and shares tips on how to evaluate tools you find on the Web. Find out about licensing, maintenance, documentation, Web forums, bugs, and more. Discover the many different types of testing tools that are available for free and where to find them. Danny demonstrates examples of tools that you can put to use as soon as you get back to the office.
|
Danny Faught, Tejas Software Consulting
|
|
|
Using Personas to Improve Testing Too often testers are thrown into the testing process without direct knowledge of the customers' behaviors and business process. As a tester, you need to think and act like a customer to make sure the software does-in an easy-to-use way-what the customer expects. By defining personas and using them to model the way real customers will use the software, you can have the complete customer view in designing test cases. Get the basics of how to implement customer personas, their limitations, and ways to create tests using them. See examples of good bugs found using personas while learning to write bug reports based on them.
- What you need to know to develop customer personas
- Use customer personas for designing test cases
- The types of bugs found by using personas but missed by other techniques
|
Robyn Edgar, Microsoft
|
|
|
A "Follow the Sun" Test Automation Strategy In this case study of an award winning project, Andy Redwood describes how his team used "best shoring" of testing services to reduce costs, reuse assets, and get the best from their test automation tools. In an enterprise-wide transformation process at a large investment bank, his team used available infrastructure, technology, tools, and process to reduce business risk from software changes with a new automated regression test suite. With some facts and figures and a little hindsight, you will learn how to provide global, automated testing services on a twenty-four hours a day/seven days a week, on-demand basis. Find out what metrics you need to accurately measure the costs and benefits of a "follow the sun" test automation strategy.
- A successful outsource project that measurably improved business resilience
- The do's and don'ts of offshore testing
|
Andy Redwood, Buttonwood Tree Group
|
|
|
Conveying Performance Test Results with Data Visualization Performance and load testing generate barrels of data about transaction times, hardware resource utilization, and system behaviors. Your job as a performance engineer is not only to know how to use automated tools to create this data, but also to summarize, interpret, draw conclusions, and effectively communicate the results of tests. Do your job well, and management will be compelled to act on your recommendations. Dan Downing describes the tools and techniques he regularly employs for creating displays and graphs that visually correlate complex application performance and system resources metrics, turning a mass of data into concise and powerful information. Participants will walk away with specific techniques for using Excel and commercial or open source load testing tools to develop and clearly communicate performance test results.
- The results graphs that support performance/load testing objectives
|
Dan Downing, Mentora Inc
|
|
|
Asia as a Test Outsource Center Outsourcing testing software projects to countries in Asia is a trend that is here to stay. You have a growing number of choices for an outsourcing country in Asia-India, China, Taipei, Korea, and others. Although India currently dominates the scene and both Taipei and Korea have historically provided excellent quality, though at a higher cost, China is quickly moving to become the leader with even lower billing rates and a large number of experienced and educated engineers. In this session, Jacob Hsu offers an overview of the Asian outsource scene including the latest trends and data. Take away a checklist of best practices for successfully outsourcing product testing to Asia, including how to manage distributed testing teams, how to overcome language/cultural issues by country, and what types of testing should (and should not) be outsourced offshore.
|
Jacob Hsu, Symbio Group
|
|
|
The Four Schools of Software Testing Testing experts often disagree. Why? Different testers have different understandings of the role and mission of software testing. This session presents four schools of software testing, each with a different understanding of the purpose and foundation of testing. One school sees testing based on mathematics. Another sees it as an activity that needs to be planned and managed. A third sees it as a basis for understanding and improving software process. And the fourth sees it as an intelligence service, providing actionable information. These all sound reasonable enough, but each has provided the foundation for a school of testing and different hierarchies of values. Learn more about the four schools of software testing and the effects they have on your life. You may find that you, your colleagues, and management are operating in different schools.
|
Bret Pettichord, ThoughtWorks
|
|
|
The Journey to Successful Execution of Outsourced Testing Whether we like it or not, outsourcing has become mainstream in the development world and is now being imposed on testing organizations. If not done properly, an outsourcing venture can add costs, distract the internal QA organization, and increase business risks to the enterprise. This session describes practical steps to successfully execute outsourced QA projects. Rutesh Shah, who has years of experience on both sides of the table, explains what should and should not be outsourced, common vendor practices, risk management issues, relationship management, and a practical, proven process for outsourcing test activities. Use the knowledge gained from this session to ensure that your team makes efficient and informed decisions before outsourcing testing. Measure progress and determine the true ROI (or lack of it) when outsourcing testing.
|
Rutesh Shah, InfoStretch Corporation
|
|
|
Testers and Testing in the Agile Development You have heard about agile software development techniques such as eXtreme Programming (XP), Scrum, and Agile Modeling (AM). The industry is buzzing with everything from "this is the greatest thing ever" to "it's just hacking with a fancy new name." Comments like "there is no place for testers because developers and users do the testing now" and "testers play an important role in the agile methods" are both common. Scott Ambler, an early proponent of the agile movement, explains the fundamentals, values, and principles of agile development. He describes a range of agile techniques and explores many myths and misconceptions surrounding agility. Agile software development is real, it works, and it may be an important part of your future in testing. Better testing and improved quality are critical aspects of agile software development, but the roles of traditional testers and QA professionals on agile projects remain unclear.
|
Scott Ambler, Ronin International, Inc.
|
|
|
Get Your Testing Message Across We all know how important test progress (or lack of) is to the success of the project. But why is it that sometimes no one takes notice? Valuable test reports provide information that is needed, not just easy to gather. Test progress reports aid management in decision-making and risk assessment and help testing teams set priorities. In this presentation, Isabel Evans asks, "Do our reports add value for their audience or are we just supplying 'chart junk' that will not be read? Are we providing teams and managers with information they need or giving them what we have? Do our reports and charts emphasize or hide our message? Are our reports clear and to the point?" She discusses what types of information different audiences need and when; how to display information using charts, diagrams, and text to be effective; and how to predict future progress from past reports.
|
Isabel Evans, Testing Solutions Group Ltd.
|
