Review By: Sunil S. Prasad
08/10/2010"Software Testing as a Service" is a book that blends traditional and modern testing techniques. Author Ashfaque Ahmed uses many examples from the manufacturing industry. The analogies Ashafaque describes can be used in our day-to-day testing activities. This book will benefit beginner and middle management in the software testing industry. It also serves as a good guide to top-level test executives.

The purpose of this book—as the title reveals—is to explain what goes into delivering a world-class product or project. The author starts with management, which I think sets the tone for coming up with a vision and mission for the project. Ashafaque then explains testing’s common and uncommon strategies, estimation, planning, execution, and reporting practices. Risk management is also explained, which is one of my favorite subjects. It seems that we tend to forget about risk management even though it’s a very important aspect of software testing. Ashafaque also delves lightly into offshore testing. Almost all the chapters discuss what goes into making quality software. Overall the constant theme in this book is that the quality of output depends on the quality of input.

This book can be a good source of information to pursue the opportunities of testing as a service. In short, this book demonstrates the hallmarks of effective testing. The author presents quick and easy document-style techniques and focuses on the do’s and don'ts of proficient testing.