Better Software Magazine Articles

Issues about Metrics about Bugs

Managers often use metrics to help make decisions about the state of the product or the quality of the work done by the test group. Yet, measurements derived from bug counts can be highly misleading because a "bug" isn't a tangible, countable thing; it's a label for some aspect of some relationship between some person and some product, and it's influenced by when and how we count ... and who is doing the counting.
Michael Bolton's picture Michael Bolton
May 12, 2009
So, You've Got a Problem: Crafting Remarks and Abstracts for Defect Reports

Software defect reports are among the most important deliverables to come out of software testing. They are as important as the test plan and will have more impact on the quality of the product than most other deliverables from the software test team. It's worth the effort to learn how to write an effective defect report that conveys the proper message and simplifies the process for everyone.
Kelly Whitmill
August 28, 2008
Deadlock!

Sean Beatty explains what a deadlock is and why testing probably won't catch it.
Sean M. Beatty
November 19, 2003
Every Crash, Everywhere

You want to know exactly what your users in the field are experiencing. In most cases, they aren’t going to take the time to tell you. Maybe the solution is automated data collection.
Joel Spolsky
November 19, 2003
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Conference Presentations

Damage Prevented: The Value of Testing

Techniques to help your software team prevent defects in projects are detailed. This article also discusses the economic value of testing.
Tim Koomen, Sogeti
Defect Escape Analysis for Test Process Improvement

An escape is a defect that was not found by, or one that escaped from, the test team. Implementing the escape analysis method for test improvement can increase the quality of software by lessening the occurrence of software defects.
Mary Vandermark, IBM Corporation
Bug Taxonomies: How to Generate Better Tests

This article discusses how to use bug taxonomies to help generate better tests. The author explains that a test team's goal should be to create a useful taxonomy that can be used as a framework to brainstorm for possible risks to the application.
Giri Vijayaraghavan, Texas Instruments Inc
STAREAST 2003: How to Break Software

This course will provide you with some ideas to make your testing more effective. These ideas require self-study, practice, practice, and more practice. Take a look inside as James Whittaker teaches you how to break software.
James Whittaker, Florida Institute of Technology
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