Change-Based Test Management: Improving the Software Validation Process [Paperback]

Jon Sistowicz (Author), Ray Arell (Author)

Book Description

Series: Engineer to Engineer series | Publication Date: January 2002

With the difficulties of today's economy, many companies are placing a renewed emphasis on reducing expenses. Unfortunately, software validation is often one of the first areas to feel the pressure of lower budgets. With the ever-increasing complexity and speed of today's hardware, how can you continue to produce a high quality product while maintaining or even lowering your operational costs? The answer lies in refining the validation process. This book is an introduction to Change-Based Test Management (CBTM), specifically written for software engineers and testing specialists. CBTM is a prioritization scheme that focuses on testing the changed portions of software first. Using this new methodology, software quality can be significantly improved, while development time can be reduced. Topics include an overview of current development models and test methodologies, a complete and comprehensive study of CBTM, in-depth case studies, and test automation techniques. Learn how to: * Use CBTM to increase software quality and decrease testing time and cost * Validate earlier in the development cycle to lower the cost of removing defects * Write better tests, monitor their performance, and measure the improvement * Automate the validation tasks using the right tools for the job

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An essential book for any developer involved with software testing. Extremely practical." -- Virginia Aldrich, Senior Software Engineer, Express Imaging

About the Author

Jon Sistowicz is a member of Intel's chipset software validation team where he helped develop and introduce CBTM. Jon created the first delta report generator, which established CBTM as a cornerstone of Intel's driver validation efforts. As part of Intel's chipset team, Jon implemented VHDL coverage practices and helped write a key feature specification for Intel's next generation graphics chipset. Prior to Intel, Jon worked for Unisys Corporation where he wrote Java applications enabling legacy hardware for the Internet. Jon holds a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Engineering from Pennsylvania State University.

Ray Arell manages the Validation Architecture department within Intel's Desktop Platforms Group. Ray has over 18 years of development, validation, and management experience, and has been with Intel for 10 years. During this time, he has worked on a variety of teams focused on CPU, chipsets, and graphics system-level testing including the i386™, i486™, and Pentium® processors, and supporting chipsets. Ray’s programming projects have included a variety of test applications, including the concept and development of key validation capabilities like the Visual Test Creator graphics tool.

Product Details

• Paperback: 186 pages
• Publisher: Intel Press (January 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0971786127
• ISBN-13: 978-0971786127
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,842,114 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and workable approach, June 29, 2004

By 

Mike Tarrani "www.tarrani.com" (Deltona, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Change-Based Test Management: Improving the Software Validation Process (Paperback)

You need not change your existing testing process to accommodate the central ideas from this book - the method of managing testing can be bolted onto most standard approaches.

The keys to change-based testing are:

- prioritization and delta testing
- validation
- layered testing (from regression at the least complex level, to structural performance, to certification and standards testing at the most complex level and when appropriate)

Delta testing - focusing on changes in the code or product base - is the essence of this approach and from where the title was derived.

Validation, which follows verification, is another key component. Note that verification is assuring that all requirements are included, and validation is assuring that they correctly function. This means that testing begins early in the life cycle, at the requirements and design stages where it is significantly less costly to remove a defect than in the test phase. This also expands the scope of most testing organizations, and makes it more akin to SQA than testing. The differences are not so subtle. Although not directly stated in the book, as the additional elements of change-based testing are bolted on, defect removal efficiency (a key metric indicating test effectiveness) can be replaced by defect density metrics which identify where in the life cycle a defect was introduced. This leads to process improvement opportunities that will strengthen the entire development process.

The validation cycle is a 5-step process as follows:
Step 1: Planning
Step 2: Test Development
Step 3: Test Execution and Monitoring
Step 4: Measuring
Step 5: The Feedback Loop

Subsequent chapters go into detail about test design, test plan development, management of the testing process and test execution and results monitoring. The book ends with an excellent information about measurement, team organization and automation issues.

I stated in the beginning that this approach could be bolted onto an existing testing process, which it can; however, it can also be used as the main testing process if you are starting a test organization from scratch. At the very least you will gain some excellent ideas from this book.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book. Very straightforward and clear., August 29, 2003

By 

Robert (Mountain View, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Change-Based Test Management: Improving the Software Validation Process (Paperback)

This book gave insightful and pratical ways to better test software projects. As our software becomes more and more complex, we need ways to ensure we're meeting our customers expectation and not creating "blue screens of death." The concepts given are easy to read and process. I especially liked the little "Ray's Insights" tidbits. It's a good read - one to start some process improvements with.