development lifecycles

Good test data is one of the major factors contributing to successful testing. Efficient test data management is imperative in ensuring software quality. Test data plays a vital role not only in testing but also the entire software lifecycle process. By creating quality test data, defects can be detected at an early stage in the software lifecycle process, which in turn helps to reduce cost and time to market and improves quality. The intent of this paper is to discuss an approach for the creation and utilization of test data, thereby improving the quality and coverage of testing software applications.

We can measure, study, and understand the interactions between software and individual users, but what tools exist to understand the interaction among software creators, the software itself, and millions of users? Chris McMahon says we can't look to computer science, engineering, or manufacturing for tools to understand the experience of a large audience. Instead we should look to the performing arts for help understanding the audience experience.

Change is disruptive. Even when a particular change leads to a positive outcome, the transition from the old way to the new way can be a time of turbulence. Might there be circumstances in which it's appropriate, or even helpful, to prolong that period of turbulence? That's the question Naomi Karten wrestles with in this column.

In this article, Lisa Crispin recalls a time when testers alone were solely responsible for software quality, and compares that to more modern thinking where collaboration between developers and testers is king. Software quality is everyone's job, sometimes it takes independence to get there.