Conference Presentations

Preparing for Test Automation-Are You Ready?

Test automation requires an investment in software testing tools, equipment, personnel, and time. There is also continuous maintenance required in keeping existing test scripts current as well as developing new ones. This presentation reviews some fundamental factors to consider before making these investments. Learn how to answer the question, "Are you ready to begin automating your testing processes?" And, for those of you who answer "yes," learn an approach on implementing automated software testing in your organization based on real-world expectations.

Kerry Zallar, Bank of America
Test Automation Management

Automating the execution of tests is becoming more and more popular as the need to improve software quality amidst increasing system complexity becomes ever stronger. The appeal of having the computer run the tests in a fraction of the time it takes to perform them manually has
led many organisations to attempt test automation without a clear understanding of all that is involved. Consequently, many attempts have failed to achieve real or lasting benefits. This paper highlights a few of the more common mistakes that have contributed to these failures and offers
some thoughts on how they may be avoided.

Mark Fewster, Grove Consultants
A How-To Guide to Choosing Tools

You've been tasked with finding a new software tool to help automate your organization's testing. With so many tools on the market, though, where do you start? In this presentation, Elisabeth Hendrickson walks you through the selection process-from determining your organization's needs to acquiring the tool and then rolling it out to the entire organization. You will learn when to build a tool from scratch rather than buy it, and what to ask the vendor before committing to purchase it. Discover how to assess test automation tools and how to roll out new tools throughout your organization.

Elisabeth Hendrickson, Quality Tree Software, Inc. and Johanna Rothman, Rothman Consulting Group, Inc.
How to Evaluate and Select High-End Load Testing Tool

This presentation addresses the following topics related to selecting a load testing tool: what tool characteristics matter; gathering information from vendors; determining metrics to collect; executing the test; analyzing the results; the recording process; and lessons learned.

Marquis Harding, TestMark.net
Create Your Own Luck: Get Organized for Test Success

The four "lucky" organizational factors are: clearly defined roles within-and interfaces between-test team and project; early test team involvement in project; sharing of test cases, data, and tools across test participants and phases (levels); and a project culture that promotes understanding and valuing test team's contributions. How do these factors promote test success? How can we institute these auspicious circumstances on our projects?

Rex Black, Rex Black Consulting Services, Inc.
STARWEST 2001: Exploratory Testing in Pairs

Exploratory testing involves simultaneous activities-learning about the program and the risks associated with it, planning and conducting tests, troubleshooting, and reporting results. This highly skilled work depends on the ability of the tester to stay focused and alert. Based on a successful pilot study, Cem Kaner and James Bach discuss why two testers can be more effective working together than apart. Explore the advantages of testing in pairs, including ongoing dialogue to keep both testers alert and focused, faster and more effective troubleshooting, and an excellent opportunity for a seasoned tester to train a novice.

James Bach, Satisfice, Inc. and Cem Kaner, Florida Institute of Technology
Establishing Best Testing Practices in Your Organization

The path to best testing practices begins with communication. By building relationships with a product's key players-developers, analysts, and end users-your test team can achieve a higher level of both quality and customer satisfaction. Discover the link between effective communication and implementing critical step-by-step test processes such as test conditions, test case design, test data construction, and reporting.

Michelle Lynn Baldwin, Booz, Allen & Hamilton
Test Progress Reporting Using Functional Readiness

Are you looking for a way to effectively set the expectations of senior management? The Functional Readiness Matrix (FRM) is a decision-making tool that offers a simple way to represent test progress based on the functional areas or features of an application. By enabling the test team to track actual test progress against the implementation goals established early on, the FRM allows for the presentation of valid test metrics to management in a way they can understand.

Robyn Brilliant, Fannie Mae
Theory and Practice in Test Process Improvement at Barclays Bank

How do you obtain buy-in on a test process improvement project in an organization with nearly two thousand developers? This presentation gives the inside story of how Barclays Bank Plc. set out to improve their test process, and how they succeeded. Kath Harrison and Martin Pol discuss their first-hand experience, offer recommendations for dealing with obstacles, and put the spotlight on possible pitfalls to avoid. They also detail the method used by Barclay's to implement best process improvement on one of its major Internet applications.

Kath Harrison, Barclays Bank Plc. and Martin Pol, POLTEQ IT Services B.V.
Is Quality Negotiable? Experiences of an eXtreme Programming Tester

If you want a higher quality product in an eXtreme Programming (XP) project, you must be prepared to pay a higher price. We make decisions and compromises based on quality versus cost every day. Extreme programming teams are driven to do their best work, but customers have the right to specify and pay for only the level of quality they require. This presentation explores ways to resolve these two potentially conflicting points of view.

Lisa Crispin, BoldTech Systems

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