Introducing Software Testing

Rating:
Summary: It's about time!
Review: Finally! A book that answers the real questions about testing: how to write and manage test plans.

I had despaired of finding a good book that reflected the real work testers do, which is analyzing, strategizing and writing. Indeed, the act of testing is only the tip of the iceberg of the testing process and this book shows how to do what testers do, and do it the right way.

What makes this book so special is the way Louise Tamres shows the big picture in the introductory chapter, then leads you through the process of creating and refining test outlines that are used to develop test cases. This is the most confusing part of testing for anyone who has been thrust into that role, and is made more confusing because many companies don't have standards. The few times I have had to function as a test analyst there was no agreed upon approach, and it was like the blind leading the blind. This book will prevent that from ever happening again because it clearly shows what needs to be done and how. I like the way that simple test management tools like spreadsheets are used, because a lot of books on the subject cite very expensive test tools that are outside the budget of small companies. This makes the book realistic and practical. I also like the way each chapter is summarized, and the cases and examples are used to make the information real to the reader.

While the book shows how to develop the plans and test cases it also shows basic test techniques, including testing various software environments (web, object-oriented, performance and load, and end-to-end). These are like a compass to the new tester because they give a direction. I also like the way that associated activities, such as project and configuration management are included because these, too, are things that the new tester needs to be aware of.

If you're new to testing get this book and keep it nearby. If you are experienced, you'll still learn a lot from the book.

Rating:
Summary: It's about time!
Review: Finally! A book that answers the real questions about testing: how to write and manage test plans.

I had despaired of finding a good book that reflected the real work testers do, which is analyzing, strategizing and writing. Indeed, the act of testing is only the tip of the iceberg of the testing process and this book shows how to do what testers do, and do it the right way.

What makes this book so special is the way Louise Tamres shows the big picture in the introductory chapter, then leads you through the process of creating and refining test outlines that are used to develop test cases. This is the most confusing part of testing for anyone who has been thrust into that role, and is made more confusing because many companies don't have standards. The few times I have had to function as a test analyst there was no agreed upon approach, and it was like the blind leading the blind. This book will prevent that from ever happening again because it clearly shows what needs to be done and how. I like the way that simple test management tools like spreadsheets are used, because a lot of books on the subject cite very expensive test tools that are outside the budget of small companies. This makes the book realistic and practical. I also like the way each chapter is summarized, and the cases and examples are used to make the information real to the reader.

While the book shows how to develop the plans and test cases it also shows basic test techniques, including testing various software environments (web, object-oriented, performance and load, and end-to-end). These are like a compass to the new tester because they give a direction. I also like the way that associated activities, such as project and configuration management are included because these, too, are things that the new tester needs to be aware of.

If you're new to testing get this book and keep it nearby. If you are experienced, you'll still learn a lot from the book.

Rating:
Summary: A sound introduction to testing
Review: I'll readily admit at first I was 'lost' in the first two chapters, lost in the thought I really didn't need to know the intricate workings of the US tax system or of how a cooker was intended to operate. But stopping and reflecting on the thought that this is a book to introduce you to testing and the relevancy of it becomes clear.

For experienced testers or test managers the bulk of the material may already be known, but consider the extensive references and the very useful appendices, then this book provides not only a good grounding for the test team but also a valuable reference book for experienced testers and managers.

Is it useful or just theory? I'd hazard a guess that marked improvement in test effectiveness would be achieved just by applying "2.3.2 Test categories" as a form of checklist. Add in the rest of the books contents and we have an essential book that's sitting well along others such as Whittaker/Thompson's How To series.


Rating:
Summary: A Very Practical Book on Testing Based on Solid Techniques
Review: Introducing Software Testing is a good treatment of many techniques that have been successfully used by testers over the years. This book has a good philosophy behind it that says requirements and processes are important in testing. However, the book presents the information in a way that people in organizations that may not have firmly defined requirements or processes can still easily apply the techniques described in the book.

There was a lot for me to like about this book. First, there is a wide coverage of test and test-related topics. There are many topics in software testing - just go to a testing conference to see some of the possibilities. Tamres does a good job in covering the major topics in a way that leaves the reader with an understanding of what's needed for software testing. Second, the book is appropriate for testers at all levels. Although the title is "Introducing Software Testing," I would not dismiss it too quickly as being a book just for beginners. I have been a full-time tester and trainer in testing for 14 years and still learned valuable things from this book. Third, there is adequate detail. I never left any topic asking "why?" or "how?". The level of detail is a good balance between readability and having enough detail to explain the topics. For every topic, there are multiple examples of how to apply the techniques described in the book. These examples show realistic ways the techniques would be applied in an actual project. Finally, the book is based on proven and practical techniques. The techniques shown in the book are the same ones that testers have been using for many years, but having them in one book is a great thing. The techniques are easy to understand and apply. I'm all for creative and new techniques for testing, but for foundational approaches that have been proven to work and to scale for large projects, I like to keep firmly grounded in good practices.

I can highly recommend this book to anyone in testing, whether you are the poor soul that has been assigned to test your company's latest project and know nothing about testing, or if you are a test manager looking for a resource to build your team's skills. This book covers the major topics in testing in a way that promotes process-driven and requirements-based project structures, but the techniques can be used in any project environment. This is a must-have book for your technical bookshelf.

Rating:
Summary: The essence of efficient testing
Review: It is impossible to perform effective software testing without an enormous amount of organization. To develop this required level of organization, you must plan, plan and plan. Before that can happen, you must preplan to organize the development of the plan. This is done by using descriptive tools such as state diagrams, spreadsheets and matrices. Using such tools to manage software testing is a complex act, and the main point of this book is showing you how to use them.
As a mathematician, I was delighted to see the section on reducing test cases, where the authors describe how to break the feature set down into equivalence classes. In mathematics, an equivalence class is the group of all values that behave the same when operated on. Therefore, in software testing, the examination of one case will be testing all others in the equivalence class. However, this is not as easy as it may appear at first. Two different features may behave the same for one input, but react quite differently when accepting a different one.
Testing the two main areas of modern software, object-oriented software and web applications, is covered. Many of the difficulties of performing tests that are reasonably complete are examined in detail. For example, the many possibilities as a consequence of the keys that can be pressed to enter data into a textbox are examined. Unusual possibilities such as function keys, control characters, and backspace/delete are put forward as possibilities to consider. While they may not be a concern, such keystrokes should be considered and eliminated or dealt with whenever data is to be entered.
The mathematical laws of combinatorics prevents us from ever examining anything more than a small subset of all possible ways our software can be used. Our only hope is to test a "meaningful subset" of those possibilities, which is a set that we can test in our time window that covers the largest number of most likely scenarios. The information in this book will help you two ways. It will help you increase your efficiency so that you can cover more options and also show you many of the options that are more likely and those which are equivalent to the highest number of scenarios of use.

Rating:
Summary: Raises the bar for SW testing books
Review: Teaches good habits to new testers, and offers much to experienced test professionals. I cannot imagine a better introductory book for software testers because this much needed text bypasses the theory that similar books inundate you with and goes straight to the essence of what testers spend most of their time doing: writing test plans and developing test cases. In fact, the first chapter (Tackling the Testing Maze) is the roadmap for the rest of the book, as well as the test process itself. The approach is modern in that it's aligned to iterative development life cycles, which is based on eight stages:
1. Exploration
2. Baseline test
3. Trend analysis
4. Inventory
5. Inventory combinations
6. Boundaries
7. Data
8. Stress the environment
What I like about this book is the no-nonsense approach to developing a test outline from which the test plan(s) and test cases will be derived, and the way that this documentation is aligned to the real world. For example, due diligence in the form of meticulous attention to sign-offs and authorities to proceed is emphasized. This alone is a common failure point in many test organizations. I also like the way that the realities of the project are highlighted, especially the interactions with the development team and the integration of project considerations into the process - in particular, the schedule constraints that all testers must juggle while meeting quality goals.

Other areas that make this a realistic look at testing include the chapters on object-oriented and web testing, and the inclusion of security testing - especially the latter which has been neglected in many advanced books and is an important, but overlooked, aspect of the full test suite.

Because this is an introductory text the author uses case studies and copious examples to illustrate and reinforce concepts and activities. But most important, the focus is on activities that reflect what testers do and theory only when required. This makes the book interesting and will give to anyone who follows the approach solid skills that will increase their worth to their team as well as dramatically increase their professional knowledge and skills.

For new testers this is probably the most important book you can buy. If you're a test manager you'll find this book to be an ideal training tool, and if combined with Systematic Software Testing by Rick D. Craig and Stefan P. Jaskiel will give you a complete reference library. The approach in the Craig and Jaskiel book is completely consistent with the approach in this one, making both books all the more valuable.

Rating:
Summary: Practical text focusing on test design
Review: This text focuses on test planning and test design. It is loaded with examples and is very practical. Well written and organized with a very useful appendix of test design templates.

Rating:
Summary: Practical text focusing on test design
Review: This text focuses on test planning and test design. It is loaded with examples and is very practical. Well written and organized with a very useful appendix of test design templates.