Common System and Software Testing Pitfalls: How to Prevent and Mitigate Them: Descriptions, Symptoms, Consequences, Causes, and Recommendations
“Don’s book is a very good addition both to the testing literature and to the literature on quality assurance and software engineering… . [It] is likely to become a standard for test training as well as a good reference for professional testers and developers. I would also recommend this book as background material for negotiating outsourced software contracts. I often work as an expert witness in litigation for software with very poor quality, and this book might well reduce or eliminate these lawsuits….”
–Capers Jones, VP and CTO, Namcook Analytics LLC

 

Software and system testers repeatedly fall victim to the same pitfalls. Think of them as “anti-patterns”: mistakes that make testing far less effective and efficient than it ought to be. In Common System and Software Testing Pitfalls, Donald G. Firesmith catalogs 92 of these pitfalls. Drawing on his 35 years of software and system engineering experience, Firesmith shows testers and technical managers and other stakeholders how to avoid falling into these pitfalls, recognize when they have already fallen in, and escape while minimizing their negative consequences.

 

Firesmith writes for testing professionals and other stakeholders involved in large or medium-sized projects. His anti-patterns and solutions address both “pure software” applications and “software-reliant systems,” encompassing heterogeneous subsystems, hardware, software, data, facilities, material, and personnel. For each pitfall, he identifies its applicability, characteristic symptoms, potential negative consequences and causes, and offers specific actionable recommendations for avoiding it or limiting its consequences.

 

This guide will help you

  • Pinpoint testing processes that need improvement–before, during, and after the project
  • Improve shared understanding and collaboration among all project participants
  • Develop, review, and optimize future project testing programs
  • Make your test documentation far more useful
  • Identify testing risks and appropriate risk-mitigation strategies
  • Categorize testing problems for metrics collection, analysis, and reporting
  • Train new testers, QA specialists, and other project stakeholders

 

With 92 common testing pitfalls organized into 14 categories, this taxonomy of testing pitfalls should be relatively complete. However, in spite of its comprehensiveness, it is also quite likely that additional pitfalls and even missing categories of pitfalls will be identified over time as testers read this book and compare it to their personal experiences. As an enhancement to the print edition, the author has provided the following location on the web where readers can find major additions and modifications to this taxonomy of pitfalls: http://donald.firesmith.net/home/common-testing-pitfalls

 

Please send any recommended changes and additions to dgf (at) sei (dot) cmu (dot) edu, and the author will consider them for publication both on the website and in future editions of this book.

 

1120732605
Common System and Software Testing Pitfalls: How to Prevent and Mitigate Them: Descriptions, Symptoms, Consequences, Causes, and Recommendations
“Don’s book is a very good addition both to the testing literature and to the literature on quality assurance and software engineering… . [It] is likely to become a standard for test training as well as a good reference for professional testers and developers. I would also recommend this book as background material for negotiating outsourced software contracts. I often work as an expert witness in litigation for software with very poor quality, and this book might well reduce or eliminate these lawsuits….”
–Capers Jones, VP and CTO, Namcook Analytics LLC

 

Software and system testers repeatedly fall victim to the same pitfalls. Think of them as “anti-patterns”: mistakes that make testing far less effective and efficient than it ought to be. In Common System and Software Testing Pitfalls, Donald G. Firesmith catalogs 92 of these pitfalls. Drawing on his 35 years of software and system engineering experience, Firesmith shows testers and technical managers and other stakeholders how to avoid falling into these pitfalls, recognize when they have already fallen in, and escape while minimizing their negative consequences.

 

Firesmith writes for testing professionals and other stakeholders involved in large or medium-sized projects. His anti-patterns and solutions address both “pure software” applications and “software-reliant systems,” encompassing heterogeneous subsystems, hardware, software, data, facilities, material, and personnel. For each pitfall, he identifies its applicability, characteristic symptoms, potential negative consequences and causes, and offers specific actionable recommendations for avoiding it or limiting its consequences.

 

This guide will help you

  • Pinpoint testing processes that need improvement–before, during, and after the project
  • Improve shared understanding and collaboration among all project participants
  • Develop, review, and optimize future project testing programs
  • Make your test documentation far more useful
  • Identify testing risks and appropriate risk-mitigation strategies
  • Categorize testing problems for metrics collection, analysis, and reporting
  • Train new testers, QA specialists, and other project stakeholders

 

With 92 common testing pitfalls organized into 14 categories, this taxonomy of testing pitfalls should be relatively complete. However, in spite of its comprehensiveness, it is also quite likely that additional pitfalls and even missing categories of pitfalls will be identified over time as testers read this book and compare it to their personal experiences. As an enhancement to the print edition, the author has provided the following location on the web where readers can find major additions and modifications to this taxonomy of pitfalls: http://donald.firesmith.net/home/common-testing-pitfalls

 

Please send any recommended changes and additions to dgf (at) sei (dot) cmu (dot) edu, and the author will consider them for publication both on the website and in future editions of this book.

 

35.99 In Stock
Common System and Software Testing Pitfalls: How to Prevent and Mitigate Them: Descriptions, Symptoms, Consequences, Causes, and Recommendations

Common System and Software Testing Pitfalls: How to Prevent and Mitigate Them: Descriptions, Symptoms, Consequences, Causes, and Recommendations

by Donald Firesmith
Common System and Software Testing Pitfalls: How to Prevent and Mitigate Them: Descriptions, Symptoms, Consequences, Causes, and Recommendations

Common System and Software Testing Pitfalls: How to Prevent and Mitigate Them: Descriptions, Symptoms, Consequences, Causes, and Recommendations

by Donald Firesmith

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Overview

“Don’s book is a very good addition both to the testing literature and to the literature on quality assurance and software engineering… . [It] is likely to become a standard for test training as well as a good reference for professional testers and developers. I would also recommend this book as background material for negotiating outsourced software contracts. I often work as an expert witness in litigation for software with very poor quality, and this book might well reduce or eliminate these lawsuits….”
–Capers Jones, VP and CTO, Namcook Analytics LLC

 

Software and system testers repeatedly fall victim to the same pitfalls. Think of them as “anti-patterns”: mistakes that make testing far less effective and efficient than it ought to be. In Common System and Software Testing Pitfalls, Donald G. Firesmith catalogs 92 of these pitfalls. Drawing on his 35 years of software and system engineering experience, Firesmith shows testers and technical managers and other stakeholders how to avoid falling into these pitfalls, recognize when they have already fallen in, and escape while minimizing their negative consequences.

 

Firesmith writes for testing professionals and other stakeholders involved in large or medium-sized projects. His anti-patterns and solutions address both “pure software” applications and “software-reliant systems,” encompassing heterogeneous subsystems, hardware, software, data, facilities, material, and personnel. For each pitfall, he identifies its applicability, characteristic symptoms, potential negative consequences and causes, and offers specific actionable recommendations for avoiding it or limiting its consequences.

 

This guide will help you

  • Pinpoint testing processes that need improvement–before, during, and after the project
  • Improve shared understanding and collaboration among all project participants
  • Develop, review, and optimize future project testing programs
  • Make your test documentation far more useful
  • Identify testing risks and appropriate risk-mitigation strategies
  • Categorize testing problems for metrics collection, analysis, and reporting
  • Train new testers, QA specialists, and other project stakeholders

 

With 92 common testing pitfalls organized into 14 categories, this taxonomy of testing pitfalls should be relatively complete. However, in spite of its comprehensiveness, it is also quite likely that additional pitfalls and even missing categories of pitfalls will be identified over time as testers read this book and compare it to their personal experiences. As an enhancement to the print edition, the author has provided the following location on the web where readers can find major additions and modifications to this taxonomy of pitfalls: http://donald.firesmith.net/home/common-testing-pitfalls

 

Please send any recommended changes and additions to dgf (at) sei (dot) cmu (dot) edu, and the author will consider them for publication both on the website and in future editions of this book.

 


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780133748680
Publisher: Pearson Education
Publication date: 01/17/2014
Series: SEI Series in Software Engineering
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 320
File size: 5 MB
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

Donald G. Firesmith is senior member of technical staff in the Software Solutions Division at the Software Engineering Institute (SEI). There, he helps the U.S. Department of Defense and other agencies acquire large, complex, software-reliant systems. An internationally recognized software and systems engineering expert, he has published books on requirements engineering, architecture engineering, situational method engineering, testing, and object-oriented development.

 

Table of Contents

&n>

Foreword           xiii

Preface             xvii

About the Author            xxiii

 

Chapter 1: Overview               1

1.1 What Is Testing?        1

1.2 Testing and the V Models     2

1.3 What Is a Defect?    5

1.4 Why Is Testing Critical?   7

1.5 The Limitations of Testing    9

1.6 What Is a Testing Pitfall?    10

1.7 Categorizing Pitfalls    11

1.8 Pitfall Specifications    11

 

Chapter 2: Brief Overviews of the Testing Pitfalls       13

2.1 General Testing Pitfalls    13

   2.1.1 Test Planning and Scheduling Pitfalls    13

   2.1.2 Stakeholder Involvement and Commitment Pitfalls    14

   2.1.3 Management-Related Testing Pitfalls   14

   2.1.4 Staffing Pitfalls   15

   2.1.5 Test-Process Pitfalls    16

   2.1.6 Test Tools and Environments Pitfalls    17

   2.1.7 Test Communication Pitfalls   18

   2.1.8 Requirements-Related Testing Pitfalls   19

2.2 Test-Type-Specific Pitfalls   20

   2.2.1 Unit Testing Pitfalls   20

   2.2.2 Integration Testing Pitfalls   20

   2.2.3 Specialty Engineering Testing Pitfalls   21

   2.2.4 System Testing Pitfalls   22

   2.2.5 System of Systems (SoS) Testing Pitfalls   22

   2.2.6 Regression Testing Pitfalls    23

 

Chapter 3: Detailed Descriptions of the Testing Pitfalls           25

3.1 Common Negative Consequences    25

3.2 General Recommendations    26

3.3 General Testing Pitfalls    28

   3.3.1 Test Planning and Scheduling Pitfalls    28

   3.3.2 Stakeholder Involvement and Commitment Pitfalls    44

   3.3.3 Management-Related Testing Pitfalls    51

   3.3.4 Staffing Pitfalls    65

   3.3.5 Test Process Pitfalls   75

   3.3.6 Test Tools and Environments Pitfalls    106

   3.3.7 Test Communication Pitfalls    131

   3.3.8 Requirements-Related Testing Pitfalls   143

3.4 Test-Type-Specific Pitfalls   164

   3.4.1 Unit Testing Pitfalls    164

   3.4.2 Integration Testing Pitfalls    169

   3.4.3 Specialty Engineering Testing Pitfalls    177

   3.4.4 System Testing Pitfalls    206

3.4.5 System of Systems (SoS) Testing Pitfalls    211

3.4.6 Regression Testing Pitfalls    225

 

Chapter 4: Conclusion             241

4.1 Future Work    241

4.2 Maintaining the Lists of Pitfalls    242

 

Appendix A: Glossary         243

 

Appendix B: Acronyms          253

 

Appendix C: Notes             255

 

Appendix D: REFERENCES           269

 

Appendix E: Planning Checklist          271

 

Index             279

 

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