Yoursquo;ve had to explain and justify your job to Management, to Human Resources, and to everyone at your high school reunion. But now comes the ultimate test: Your childrsquo;s assignment for the next show-and-tell is to describe what her mom or dad does for a living. You scramble for an easy way to explain (maybe for the first time) what you do...   Read Article.

Fifty exercises to help you find bugs faster--with less aggravation! Bug hunting is an art, and you need to be a master. Get quot;Find the Bugquot;, and you'll become one. Long-time Microsoft programmer Adam Barr presents fifty programs, each with exactly one bug. Your assignment: find it. As you do, Barr will teach you how to quot;think like your...   Read Article.

While attending testing seminars, I noticed that there was a gap in what was being taught. Therersquo;s a lot of theory presented, a lot of lsquo;why testrsquo; classes and a lot of classes on specific techniques--but nothing on a couple of practices that will go a long way towards improving the testing process in a company, specifically, setting...   Read Article.

How you feel about bugs can affect how productive your work is, how you feel about your job, and how others feel about you. In this column, Bret looks at how we respond to finding bugs and how a neutral, professional attitude can make a big difference....   Read Article.

Pragmatic and real-world oriented, this book teaches numerous shortcuts and tricks of the trade, including ways to reduce product risk and overall test costs by efficient ordering of test tasks. It also details how to test effectively when the developer gives few or inaccurate specifications, how to work with constantly changing designs and schedules,...   Read Article.

Testing new software and hardware products is essential, which requires developing a test plan, establishing a test lab, staffing, and overcoming corporate challenges and hurdles. This new edition offers an in-depth examination of all the essential elements to the overall testing and development process. The book also includes Appendices with related...   Read Article.

Faster testing for faster time-to-market.nbsp; * Accelerated testing strategies to beat the competition nbsp; * Templates for creating your own testing documentation instantly nbsp; * Tips for successfully integrating testing into a fast-track development strategy nbsp; nbsp; The breakneck pace and fierce competition in today's software market...   Read Article.

When an error is found in an application during development, the automated error prevention method helps you correlate that error to a specific point in the development process, and allows you to modify your processes to remove it, and more important, to prevent it from happening again. Preventing errors, rather than chasing them, dramatically improves...   Read Article.

nbsp;In October 1997, the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) initiated an effort to increase the visibility of software usability. Cooperating in the IUSR project are prominent suppliers of software and representatives from large consumer organizations. The goals of the initiative are: 1. Encourage software suppliers and consumer...   Read Article.

This brief article by Linda Westfall defines the defect metric of Defect Density and gives two examples of how it could be reported and utilized.nbsp;...   Read Article.

This paper describes a software metric ldquo;Functional Reliabilityrdquo; used since January 1995 by the Food Service Management division of the CBORD. Functional Reliability combines an assessment of reliability with operational analysis. We use Functional Reliability to organize and prioritize faults, monitor progress towards targeted reliability...   Read Article.

One of the goals of testing is to find as many of the quot;big bugsquot; as possible while covering as much of the functionality as possible before the implementation date. On many projects the implementation date is not flexible and it is difficult to make a case to management for moving the date or at least considering the risk of implementing before...   Read Article.

Test managers often feel that while somebody might be in control of schedules or resources, they certainly are not. An experienced test manager shares ways to develop and use professional influence to help the test group. bull; Communicating needs and problems bull; Identifying and strategically utilizing your value...   Read Article.

This article highlights four keys to getting better organized: 1. A common set of ground rules on the test progress, defect reporting, and verification; 2. The ability to convey how your teamrsquo;s testing is going--on a frequent basis; 3. Knowing what needs to be tested--and being able to stand behind the reasons why; 4. Maintaining good communication...   Read Article.

Tracking test results is one of the fundamental tasks that your software testing organization must perform to be successful. Explore how a customized database can enhance that process....   Read Article.

Using the right tools for the job is always important; with tools that become components of your software production line, it is critical. Perforce is a version control system with ready hooks for integration into bug tracking systems. The author explains the advantages of using Perforce and why you should consider it for your team....   Read Article.

There seemed to be a disjoint between development and test groups. There were four things that became very obvious to me, that were necessary to get better organized: 1. To have a common set of ground rules on the test progress, defect reporting, and verification. 2. Be able to convey how is testing going on a frequent basis. 3. Be able to determine...   Read Article.

Everyone knows that it is the responsibility of the tester not only to find and report bugs, but also to manage and handle bugs efficiently until they have been fixed. How do you form an opinion about the nature of a software error and estimate the merit of that error? Though it may look easy, in reality, it is not. In this article, the author describes...   Read Article.

nbsp;In this paper, Rajesh talks about the awareness of defect prevention by analyzing issues and presenting solutions to issues in order to achieve a quality culture within an organization....   Read Article.

White Paper: Evaluating a bug tracking system requires that you understand how specific features, such as configurable workflow and customizable fields, relate to your requirements and your current bug tracking process. This white paper provides tips and guidelines for evaluating features, and explains how these features fit into a defect tracking process....   Read Article.