Session-based exploratory testing is an effective means to test when time is short and requirements are not clearly defined. Is it advisable to use session-based exploratory testing when the requirements are known and documented? How about when the test cases are already defined? What if half of the test team is unfamiliar with the software under test? The answers are yes, yes, yes. Brenda Lee explains how her team modified the session-based exploratory testing approach to include requirements and test cases as part of its charter. In one instance, during the short seven-day test window the team validated forty-one out of forty-five requirements, executed more than 200 test cases using seventeen charters, and identified fifteen new, significant issues. The team was able to present a high-level test summary to the customer only two days after the conclusion of system test. What did the customer say?

To test professionally and understand software risks fully, we need to know what our tests cover. Counting test cases is not enough-that's like sizing business requirements by counting program modules. Neil Thompson presents a test analysis and design method that integrates four key elements into a holistic approach: test items, testable features, test basis documents, and product risks. Testing standards and many textbooks have anaesthetized us into the delusion that test cases are simple and can easily be derived through basic techniques. This is false thinking. According to Neil, we must consider and prioritize all available test techniques, incorporating both exploratory techniques and new thinking into our testing. Join Neil to learn a holistic approach for test design and the need for more complete information traceability.

• The different types of coverage-logical and physical

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. He describes how to evaluate the maturity of your own test process and compute the true costs and potential savings of offshore testing. Learn what is needed to coordinate test practices at home with common offshore practices, how to measure and report progress, and when to escalate problems. Jim shares the practices for staffing and retention, including assessing cultural nuances and understanding foreign educational systems.

Manually testing software with a complex user interface (UI) is time-consuming and expensive. Historically the development and maintenance costs associated with automating UI testing have been very high. Vijay Upadya presents a case study on the approaches and methodologies his Microsoft Visual C# test team adopted to answer the testing challenges that have plagued them for years. Vijay explains how the test team worked with developers to design high levels of testability into Microsoft Visual Studio 2005. These testability features enabled the test team to design a highly robust and effective test suite which completely bypasses the UI. Join Vijay to find out how they adopted data driven testing below the UI and achieved dramatic cost reductions in developing and maintaining their tests.

• How to bypass the user interface without compromising test effectiveness
• Designs for software with high testability