Testing Tutorial
Software
Testing Terms and Definitions
Verification
and validation
Project
Management
Quality Management
Risk Management
Configuration
Management
Cost
Management
Compatibility
Management
Verification
and validation
Verification
and validation are often used interchangeably but have different definitions.
These differences are important to software testing.
Verification
is the process confirming that software meets its specifications.
Validation is the process confirming that it meets the user’s
requirements.
Verification
can be conducted through Reviews. Quality reviews provides visibility
into the development process throughout the software development life cycle,
and help teams determine whether to continue development activity at various
checkpoints or milestones in the process. They are conducted to identify
defects in a product early in the life cycle.
Types of Reviews
In-process Reviews
:-
They
look at the product during a specific time period of life cycle, such as
during the design activity. They are usually limited to a segment of a
project, with the goal of identifying defects as work progresses, rather than
at the close of a phase or even later, when they are more costly to correct.
Decision-point or phase-end Reviews: -This
type of review is helpful in determining whether to continue with planed
activities or not. They are held at the end of each phase.
Post implementation Reviews: -
These reviews are held after
implementation is complete to audit the process based on actual results.
Post-implementation reviews are also know as “ Postmortems”, and are held to
assess the success of the overall process after release and identify any
opportunities for process improvements.
Classes of Reviews
Informal
or Peer Review:
-
In this type of review generally a one-to one meeting between the author of a
work product and a peer, initiated as a request for input regarding a
particular artifact or problem. There is no agenda, and results are not
formally reported. These reviews occur as need-based through each phase of a
project.
Semiformal
or Walkthrough Review: -
The author of the material being reviewed facilitates this. The participants
are led through the material in one of the two formats: the presentation is
made without interruptions and comments are made at the end, or comments are
made throughout. Possible solutions for uncovered defects are not discussed
during the review.
Formal or Inspection Review: -
An inspection is more formalized than a 'walkthrough', typically with 3-8
people including a moderator, reader, and a recorder to take notes. The
subject of the inspection is typically a document such as a requirements spec
or a test plan, and the purpose is to find problems and see what's missing,
not to fix anything. Attendees should prepare for this type of meeting by
reading thru the document; most problems will be found during this
preparation. The result of the inspection meeting should be a written report.
Thorough preparation for inspections is difficult, painstaking work, but is
one of the most cost effective methods of ensuring quality.
Three rules should be
followed for all reviews:
1.
The product is
reviewed, not the producer.
2.
Defects and
issues are identified, not corrected.
3.
All members of
the reviewing team are responsible for the results of the review.
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