Learn how to minimize test writing by automating test generation! Linda Mier presents an overview and demonstration of a Microsoft Access '97 application that, in combination with a Microsoft Word template, automatically performs many of the tasks normally required when writing/tracking tests. Discover how these same principles and implementation techniques are applicable for automating test generation for other applications.

It is too easy to fall into fruitless battles over bugs. In many cases, the dispute really comes down to the fact that customers and developers have different ideas regarding what counts as a defect. Testers, on the other hand, are often stuck in the middle. The solution isn't to decide who's right but to find a way to acknowledge the different perspectives. In this presentation, learn two methods for increasing mutual understanding-helping testers and developers work together to create software of which they can be proud.

This presentation raises several of the issues involved in partial or complete outsourcing of the software testing effort. Attorney Cem Kaner presents his negotiating checklist, including how to evaluate the costs, benefits, and risks of test outsourcing. Learn how to effectively use an outsourcer's staff with your testing projects.

The component testing phase remains mostly a human activity. In particular, the conception of test cases, which can be a very tedious task, is usually completely manual. Although existing tools alleviate the task of the tester and increase his or her productivity, very few actually help in the generation of input test data. Discover a new generation of tools that can automatically generate test cases parameterized with various test objectives (functional, structural, and both). Learn how these tools use advanced technologies in software analysis as abstract interpretation.