testing – Ben Fellows

Testing is applied research into software quality using scientific approaches and evidence to help stakeholders make informed decisions

Testing isn’t algorithms, problem solving, solution building or process management but a knowledge of both is important for testing

Defined as value to some person(s), which can include expectations met and positive feelings

Primarily an ability to solve a problem, complete a task or achieve a goal making software a social or cognitive prosthesis or tool

Focus on people’s feelings as the indicator to quality but be careful to avoid being fooled by illusions

Quality is subjective, relative truth with an objective, relative analysis and is formed from relationships between people and software

Testing is journaling, note-taking and immersion resulting in a written evaluation of quality carefully supported by metrics where appropriate

Avoid misleading information by ensuring consistent and accurate testing through diversity of testing methods and approaches

Testing is scepticism, falsification and invalidation not confirmation, verification or demonstration

Testing is constantly building and falsifying hypotheses of quality using logical reasoning to uncover information

Testing scientific model and process of research question, background investigation, analysis, hypothesis, experiment, evaluation, action (reporting)

Quality is evaluated and communicated as stories of context known as events that contain the who, what, where, when, why and how of value to someone

Testing with and without access or knowledge of software internals to find different problems

Testing with and without executing the software’s code to find different types of problems

Risk/threat modelling 1: Problems occur when value isn’t deliver or when additional harm occurs

Risk/threat modelling 2: Problems occur when nothing happens when expected but also something happened when unexpected

Coverage mindmaps, requirements/risk, charters/questions, designs, environmental/personnel, journaling/noting results

Testing one value either side of valid and invalid data ranges and partitions