Rapid Testing (Software Quality Institute Series) (Paperback)

by Robert Culbertson (Author), Chris Brown (Author), Gary Cobb (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Offers a three part approach to help you streamline your testing process and increase quality without sacrificing time; principles and processes of rapid testing techniques, tips, and real-life examples a complete set of sample test documentation. A handy reference.

From the Back Cover

Faster testing for faster time-to-market.

• Accelerated testing strategies to beat the competition
• Tips for successfully integrating testing into a fast-track development strategy
• Templates for creating your own testing documentation instantly

The breakneck pace and fierce competition in today's software market demand that products get to market as quickly as possible. The challenge of maintaining quality while meeting deadlines leads to new strategies for testing through the development process. While no software is flawless, the goal of rapid testing is to identify major bugs early in the development process, requiring integration of test planning, execution, and reporting throughout the life cycle.

Rapid Testing offers a three-part approach to help you streamline your testing process and increase quality without sacrificing time:

• principles and processes of rapid testing
• techniques, tips, and real-life examples
• a complete set of sample test documentation

With an emphasis on speed and integration, Rapid Testing covers the entire testing life cycle, including:

• Planning and test case design and development
• Bug tracking and reporting
• Verification and validation techniques
• Testing metrics and test resource estimation
• Measurement, reporting, documentation, and evaluation

Conveniently organized for handy reference, Rapid Testing is an ideal guide for test engineers and managers, as well as other developers and managers involved in the testing process.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR (January 8, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130912948
• ISBN-13: 978-0130912947
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,025,741 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Viable process that does not compromise quality, March 23, 2002

By	Mike Tarrani "www.tarrani.com" (Deltona, FL USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

Rapid Testing
This book provides a testing process and associated techniques that adds the agility required to meet fast-paced business requirements without sacrificing the due diligence or controls necessary to manage risk.

There is nothing especially new about the processes or techniques that the author proposes and explains; however, the way the processes are designed recasts tried and true methods into a streamlined process. Indeed, if the rapid testing process is correctly implemented it's possible to reduce testing cycle time while *improving* quality. I like the way the author begins by clearly defining terms. I know from experience that "acceptance test" means one thing in one organization, and something quite different in another. What I especially like, though, is the clear process itself, which consists of four major elements, each of which is thoroughly addressed in the book: (1) people, (2) integrated test process, (3) static testing and (4) dynamic testing.

Another key strength of this book is the way the traditional (and much maligned) waterfall model is transformed into a hybrid called a parallel waterfall. This hybrid model is the best of the waterfall and V model, and like the V model, it tightly integrates testing and development. The author's approach to activity-input-output in the discussion of life cycle models is close to the entry-task-validation-exit process model, and the structure that is presented allows you to develop a process chain that produces predictable and repeatable results. This approach is partially why the testing process can be rapid without compromising quality or ignoring risks.

In Part II the book provides tips and techniques. Again, there is nothing especially new, but all of the key techniques are covered, including requirements and analysis, test planning, executing and reporting. Black box testing is covered well, as are an array of dynamic testing techniques (equivalence partitioning, boundary value analysis, memory leak testing, use case testing and performance tests.) If you're in a Microsoft-centric environment you'll appreciate the material on memory leak testing, and if you are in a development environment that employs UML or the Rational Unified Process the techniques for use case testing will prove helpful.

Part III provides detailed examples that are based on material presented in Part II. Overall this book lives up to its title by providing a 'safe' and effective process for rapid testing.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent handbook for Exploratory/Rapid Testing, April 26, 2003

By	Jason Sheets (Boise, ID) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am the Exploratory/Rapid test lead for Manpower Managed Service that is contracted to do the HP LaserJet R&D testing. I have over 3 years of hands on experience in this capacity and had a conserable amount of training from Satisfice.

Exploratory and Rapid based testing differ from the more accepted automated system test infrastructure because tests are developed, executed and evaluated in real time by the test technician, this form of testing is extremely valuable and finds a great many defects and is best used in conjunction with automated regression and feature tests.

Because one person is doing what 3 people normally are tasked with the person must develop excellent critical thinking skills as well as the ability toe recognize and work around their own biases.

This book covers many of the important aspects of Exploratory/Rapid Based testing in a fun and easy to read way, the layout of the book is excellent.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent handbook for Exploratory/Rapid Testing, April 26, 2003

By	Jason Sheets (Boise, ID) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am the Exploratory/Rapid test lead for Manpower Managed Service that is contracted to do the HP LaserJet R&D testing. I have over 3 years of hands on experience in this capacity and had a conserable amount of training from Satisfice.

Exploratory and Rapid based testing differ from the more accepted automated system test infrastructure because tests are developed, executed and evaluated in real time by the test technician, this form of testing is extremely valuable and finds a great many defects and is best used in conjunction with automated regression and feature tests.

Because one person is doing what 3 people normally are tasked with the person must develop excellent critical thinking skills as well as the ability toe recognize and work around their own biases.

This book covers many of the important aspects of Exploratory/Rapid Based testing in a fun and easy to read way, the layout of the book is excellent.