Review By: Mike Tarrani
08/31/2008This book provides a detailed roadmap for establishing and managing a comprehensive test process that is closely aligned to the IEEE standards for software testing. The process, called Systematic Test and Evaluation Process (STEP) is designed to improve quality by early involvement in the development life cycle instead of having testing as an activity on the critical path at the end of the build phase. This approach ensures early detection of defects, including those introduced in the requirements, specifications and design milestones. Clearly, the STEP approach supports testing and SQA (where SQA is an oversight function outside of the testing domain).

The STEP process has three main steps:
1. Plan the test strategy (develop a master test plan and associated detailed test plans).
2. Acquire testware (define test objectives, design and create test plans).
3. Measure (execute the tests, ensure that tests are adequate and monitor the process itself).
This framework is supported in Chapters 2-8, each of which addresses supporting activities and artifacts in detail. Chapter 2 covers risk analysis since testing is by its nature done to reduce the risk of defects escaping into production systems. I like the way the authors separate technical and schedule risks in this chapter because each are integral to the realities of testing.

Chapters 3 and 4 show how to perform master and detailed test planning, and provide example plan templates and how to develop them, and requirements and factors for each test phase for the detailed planning (unit, integration, system and acceptance testing).

The analysis and design activities covered in chapter 5 are focused on test design. The systematic and structured way the authors approach these activities walks you through developing test cases. You're shown how to ensure that they account for requirements and features, and are given high level advice about how to types of tests to employ. Test implementation covered in Chapter 6 introduces organization and process issues from a team perspective. One of the strongest chapters, 7, does deeply into the issues and factors surrounding test execution, and gives metrics to consider and internal processes for managing defects. I felt that this chapter should have paid more attention to issue and defect management from an enterprise problem management perspective, but despite this the information is solid.

The chapters that will most benefit test managers, especially new ones, are 8 through 10 that address the test organization, people and management issues. These sections would warm the heart of HR professionals and is unique in that leadership is given the same weight as management techniques. The detailed comparison of certifications from ASQ (CSQE), IEEE (CSDP), QAI (CSTE) and IIST (CSTP) includes everything you need to know to select the best certification to pursue, including salary increase data for each of these certifications. I also liked the chapter on improving the test process and thought the discussions of the CMM and the TPI model that is the subject of Test Process Improvement: A Practical Step-by-Step Guide to Structured Testing discussed. The appendices are also valuable in that they provide a glossary and templates that are consistent with IEEE specifications for software testing, and other valuable aids, such as checklists, an example master test plan and process diagrams.

Overall, the 15 years of field experience in teaching testing that is embodied in this book shows. It's practical, captures best practices and provides a solid model for a process-oriented test organization that employs preventive techniques.