Customer Reviews

System Testing With an Attitude

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An exceptionally well-written book that explores concepts of system testing and goes on to present a philosophy that can be readily applied on any software project. The author begins with the basics and presents solutions,techniques and tools that encompass this universe - in short a methodology that has not been presented before in the manner in which it is presented here.What sets this book apart is the author's free use of examples,tables and diagrams that eases the understanding of the material.A handy reference for experts and a classic for the rest.

Software testing is one of the most daunting tasks that can ever be attempted. You know up front that not only is it impossible to test all possible scenarios, in nearly all cases the best you can do is test a trivial fraction of the possible scenarios. Furthermore, testing is not a job for those lacking in courage, when the problems are discovered and reported, many programmers tend to give severely negative responses. Finally, there are several levels of testing, the smallest of the unit up through the test of the complete system.
This virtual minefield is one that must be traversed if quality software is to be the final product. Therefore, with no choice, one of the best things that you can do is to don the body armor of having a defensible and sensible plan and the mental force of will to carry it out. Both are contained in this book, the plans and the reasons for them are stated in detail with listings of potential problems. The section headings are:

*) Part I: System Testing Issues
*) Part II: System Testing Solutions
*) Solutions Section A: Establishing the System-Testing Methodology, Techniques and Tools
*) Solutions Section B: Executing System Tests While Influencing Project Behavior
*) Solutions Section C: Organizing and Sizing
*) Solutions Section D: Changing Project Attitudes

As you can see, the emphasis is on solutions rather than explaining the problems to death. This is a commendable approach as the problems are generally well known and in many cases obvious.
When it comes time to establish a testing strategy, and that time is very early in the project, this is one of the books you should reach for. Reading it is one of the best ways to prepare yourself for the trials to come as you move towards your goal of releasing a quality product that you can be proud of.

System Testing With An Attitude: An Approach That Nurture Front-Loaded Software Quality by international software testing consultant Nathan Petschenik offers an informed and informative understanding of the problems and issues often confronted in computer oriented careers. Providing its readers with an invaluable approach to the proper application of system testing and developer-led testing, understanding the software's user, reduction of system-test costs, and increase of productivity by methodical technique and tool utilization, management of the "end game" of software developmental effectiveness, and institution of comprehensive measurement programming, System Testing With An Attitude is a superbly presented, "user-friendly" collection of accessibly helpful, usefully practical, readily applicable information. System Testing With An Attitude is very highly recommended to all readers with an interest in computer and software sciences, particularly career choice advisors in the field of computer repair and maintenance.

I just finished Nathan Petschenik's book; this has got to be one of the best books on System Testing that's available for those of us in the game of Formal System Testing. I'd rank this book "up there" with Rex Black's "Critical Testing Processes", Lee Copeland's "A Practitioner's Guide to Test Design", Rick Craig's "Systematic Software Testing", Lisa Crispin's "Testing Extreme Programming, and William Perry's "Effective Methods of System Testing". (With tongue firmly in cheek, I shouldn't forget to mention my own book, Rodger Drabick's "Best Practices for the Formal Software Testing Process".)

Buy this book (or get your management to buy it for you), and put it on your bookshelf with the other books I've referenced.

Nathan provides a succinct goal for us; "prevent serious defects from reaching the customer." He provides a number of excellent suggestions on what System Test Engineers should do, and suggestions on how to do those things. I especially liked his sections on Establishing System Testing Methodologies, Techniques, and Tools, and Executing System Tests while Influencing Project Behavior.

Nathan starts his book off with a bang, providing a brief "Test on System Testing". Give it to your management staff, and see what the results look like. In chapter 2, he provides a very top-level model of system testing, and refreshes our memory with the classical V-diagram. In Chapter 3, he provides a discussion of "exhaustive" versus "thorough" versus "practical" testing, that covers many points test engineers need to understand. The "practical" point is especially significant, since most project managers understand the terms "exhaustive" and "thorough", but don't understand how we as test engineers need to get to a "practical" set of tests to execute. Nathan uses a simple but revealing case study to illustrate his perspective.

In Chapter 4, Nathan raises the question which we've all discussed and pondered, "Is the System Tester's Role to Help Developers Complete Their Testing?" If you've spent as many years in system test as I have, you'll enjoy both the answer and the thoughts that go along with the answer. Chapter 5 points out something that all of us who've ever worked on "enhancements" or replacement systems understand; users DON'T like surprises. While this is not news to the experienced system test engineer, again the discussion is lively and valuable. In Chapter 6, "The System Test Oracle", Nathan stresses how important having expected results is, and shows us ways to get those results.

In Chapter 7, the author discusses the impact of changes on the System Test team. This chapter is especially worth reading, and raises some points I'd never thought about. In Chapter 8, he discusses Implementation Mistakes versus Symptoms. Chapter 9 provides a summary of the System Testing Issues he's raised to this point.

Chapter 10 begins the "solutions" portion of the text, where Nathan maps the issues to possible solutions for us. In Chapter 11, he provides a list of "practical priorities" for the System Test Engineer. In Chapter 12, he rolls out his suggested methodology; I won't give it away here. Read the book. Chapter 13 provides some insights into understanding your user community. This is a valuable chapter with a significant message, we as Test Engineers are responsible for representing the user.

Chapter 14 is especially valuable, since Nathan discusses an Architecture for System Tests. This is a step that I never personally considered, though it was somewhat implicit in the Test Design I performed. Chapter 15 deals with setting up the sequence of system tests in the Architecture, and provides a number of interesting insights. In Chapter 16, the author describes "The Story of the Test", which shows how testing comes together.

In Chapter 17, he provides information relating to the test environment, which is critical to any test, but is especially critical for System Testing. Chapter 18 discusses Testing Tools, both automated and manual. Chapter 19 sets up a Game Plan for System Testing, and Chapter 20 discusses Test Entry Criteria. You do establish Test Entry Criteria, correct? Chapter 20 also goes into some detail of using User Documentation as a source for testing requirements. My experience is that this documentation is rarely available at the start of the testing interval. A significant "process improvement" would be to make availability of user documentation a project priority before to starting system test. Chapter 21 addresses Test Execution, and Chapter 22 comes back to the subject of Change Management during Test Execution. Chapter 23 addresses Test Maintenance and Enhancement, while Chapter 24 looks at effective Measurement of Testing. Chapter 25 presents a discussion of Test Exit Criteria. Again, we need to know when to stop testing. Finally, Chapter 26 tells us how to use what we've learned in the System Testing Process to influence Release decisions.

Three additional chapters provide some supplements that will be of help to both new and experienced test engineers and test managers; these relate to Effectiveness Studies, Building the Test Team, and Conducting Role Awareness sessions. Never forget that we constantly have to SELL testing, since most project managers are not trained testers, and don't understand what we do.

On the slightly negative side, I'd like to have seen some references to System Testing in the Agile environment in the book, but Lisa Crispin and Tip House have covered that subject more than adequately in their fine book.

Nathan and Dorset House have done a very fine job of proofreading this book; I'm a good proofreader, and only found a misdirected citation of an early figure number in several places in Chapter 29.

Again, I urge you to first buy this book, then read it and use the information contained within. You'll do a better job of System Testing if you do that.

The author has some good ideas, but I think you have to be in an environment where a strong testing function is supported to get the most out of them. I like that the author has strong opinions that he shares. Often, too many authors are trying not to offend people, or are trying to sell some silver bullet, and they make no points worth making. These opinions are where the title flows from I think.

In my experience, my environment didn't support the quality gates that are part of the author's process. This is where I had a hard time applying it to my projects.