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The knowledge of what constitutes a successful, end-to-end software testing effort is typically gained through experience. In this new book, noted testing expert Elfriede Dustin imparts the best of her collected wisdom. She presents fifty specific tips for a better testing program. These fifty tips are divided into ten sections, and presented so as to mirror the chronology of a software project. Using this book as a guide and reference, quality assurance professionals will be better able to insure the quality of their next application. While testing has historically been viewed as an afterthought in the grand scheme of software engineering, the success of an application, and possibly an organization, can rest on the shoulders of the testing team. That's because the testing program functions as the final "quality gate" for an application. Testing allows or denies the transition of an application into the market. There are a multitude of seemingly minor tasks that must be performed and managed by the testing team. Sailent Features Ready access to the expertise and advice of one of the world's foremost software quality and testing authorities. Fifty specific software testing points that can be directly applied by software professionals to improve their products. Easily digestible lessons for software testers, gleaned from the author's years of valuable experience. Helps testers avoid making costly mistakes and oversights that can delay -- or even derail -- a project. Timely! With the advent of agile methodologies, testing is becoming the responsibility of more and more team members. Table of Content I. Requirements Phase 1. Involve Testers from the Beginning. 2. Verify the Requirements. 3. Design Test Procedures as Soon as Requirements Are Available. 4. Ensure That Requirement Changes Are Communicated. 5. Beware of Developing and Testing Based on an Existing System. II. Test Planning 6. Understand the Task at Hand and the Related Testing Goal. 7. Consider the Risks. 8. Base Testing Efforts on a Prioritized Feature Schedule. 9. Keep Software Issues in Mind. 10. Acquire Effective Test Data. 11. Plan for the Test Environment. 12. Estimate Test Preparation and Execution. III. The Testing Team 13. Define the Roles and Responsibilities. 14. Require a Mixture of Testing Skills, Subject Matter Expertise, and Experience. 15. Evaluate the Testers' Effectiveness. IV. The System Architecture 16. Understand the Architecture and Underlying Components. 17. Verify That the System Supports Testability. 18. Use Logging to Increase System Testability. 19. Verify That the System Supports Debug vs. Release Execution Modes. V. Test Design And Documentation 20. Divide and Conquer. 21. Mandate the Use of a Test Procedure Template, and Other Test Design Standards. 22. Derive Effective Test Cases from Requirements. 23. Treat Test Procedures as "Living" Documents. 24. Use System Design and Prototypes. 25. Use Proven Testing Techniques When Designing Test Case Scenarios. 26. Avoid Constraints and Detailed Data Elements in Test Procedures. 27. Apply Exploratory Testing. VI. Unit Testing 28. Structure the Development Approach to Support Effective Unit Testing. 29. Develop Unit Tests in Parallel or before the Implementation. 30. Make Unit Test Execution Part of the Build Process. VII. Automated Testing Tools 31. Be Aware of the Different Types of Testing Support Tools. 32. Consider Building a Tool Instead of Buying One. 33. Be Aware of the Impact of Automated Tools on the Testing Effort. 34. Focus on the Needs of Your Organization. 35. Test the Tools on an Application Prototype. VIII. Automated Testing—Selected Best Practices 36. Do Not Rely Solely on Capture/Playback. 37. Develop a Test Harness When Necessary. 38. Use Proven Test Script Development Techniques. 39. Automate Regression Tests Whenever Possible. 40. Implement Automated Builds and Smoke-Tests. IX. Nonfunctional Testing 41. Do Not Make Nonfunctional Testing an Afterthought. 42. Conduct Performance Testing with Production Sized Databases. 43. Tailor Usability Tests to the Intended Audience. 44. Consider All Aspects of Security, for Specific Requirements and System-Wide. 45. Investigate the System's Implementation to Plan for Concurrency Tests. 46. Setup an Efficient Environment for Compatibility Testing. X. Managing The Test Execution 47. Clearly Define the Beginning and the End of the Test Execution Cycle. 48. Isolate the Test Environment from the Development Environment. 49. Implement a Defect Tracking Life-Cycle. 50. Track the Execution of the Test Program.