The Latest

How We Get More Power from Existing Tests[magazine]

Richard Schooler works with the development and testing of InCert's software behavior analysis tools. In this article, Schooler describes how InCert leveraged their automated tests by thinking carefully about changes that allowed test reuse.

Richard Schooler
A look at QARun, a GUI test automation tool[magazine]

QACenter provides an integrated solution that will help you test GUI applications and track the bugs you find. As with most tool suites, you get the best results if you use all the features. If you don't need some parts of QACenter, the integration is less important to you. Then the strengths and weaknesses of the individual tools, like QARun, are more significant.

Noel Nyman
Software Measurement Programs[magazine]

A metrics program is any planned activity in which you use measurement to meet some specific goal. If you do not have a clear technical goal for a metrics program, then you are almost certainly not ready for such a program. Here's how to design a measurement program that leads to decisions and actions.

Norman Fenton
Making the Right Choice: The Features You Need in a GUI Test Automation Tool[magazine]

GUI (graphical user interface) tools can boast a lot of capabilities. Approaching GUI test automation as a programming project, you'll need a tool appropriate to the size of your project. Here's a rundown of the key features you'll need in the GUI test automation product you buy.

Elisabeth Hendrickson's picture Elisabeth Hendrickson
How to Ensure that Your Configuration Management System will Function Fully and Correctly[magazine]

No matter what the origin of your CM software, improper installation, poor training, and program defects can lead to disaster. This article discusses how to make the most of your current CM tools, and how to ensure that your CM system will do what it's supposed to do.

Bob Johnson
Getting Automated Testing Under Control[magazine]

The authors have overcome a lot of the roadblocks to systems testing, especially automated testing. In this article they present their ideas and techniques that are easy to implement (for example, test clusters, templates, and navigation methods).

Anticipating Human Error[magazine]

This article makes three points. First, errors happen. Second, systems can encourage errors. Third, a basic understanding of the kinds of errors humans make can help us design better systems. Here are some suggestions to help avert trouble.
 

Ramon M. Felciano
A Recipe for Success: Ingredients for Building a Great Software Team[magazine]

Great people, interesting work, and smart referees make for a successful software team. Bobbie Patnode recommends some ways to keep your team engaged, including treating them well, paying them well, and training them well.

Bobbie Patnode
It's January 1, 2000 . . . What Have You Overlooked?[magazine]

You have a Y2K effort in place, and it's all about preparation for an event you know is coming. What have you overlooked that’s going to bite you? This article will help give you 20-20 foresight to anticipate potential "gotchas."

Robin F. Goldsmith
Packaged-Software Indigestion[magazine]

Vendor reviews are a wonderful technique to taste before you swallow commercial, off-the-shelf software. They're also a great way to build a partnership with your business decision-makers on packaged-software projects, instead of being brought in late or left out completely. Here are some important things to consider when conducting a vendor review.

Eileen M. Strider
Reporting Systems: Tracking the Details[magazine]

If you're paying the bill for all the graphics, glitz, and applets, you're going to want to have some evidence that thousands of potential customers have actually seen your Web site. Here is a step-by-step recipe for testing system, network, and Internet reporting systems.

Len DiMaggio
Web Load Test Planning[magazine]

Predicting how a particular Web site will respond to a specific load is a real challenge. Here are three basic steps necessary to design highly realistic and accurate Web site load tests.

Alberto Savoia
Adventures in Automated Testing[magazine]

Sometimes the best teacher is experience. Here's a look at four real-life projects, each with a different problem domain, testing approach, and test tool, and the lessons they offered in automatic test generation.

Pete TerMaat
Test Design: Developing Test Cases from Use Cases[magazine]

A use case is a sequence of actions performed by a system, which combined together produce a result of value to a system user. Use cases describe the "process flows" through a system based on its actual likely use, so the test cases derived from use cases are most useful in uncovering defects in the process flows during real-world use of the system. Here is an example of how a use case is used to derive and prioritize test cases.

Ross Collard's picture Ross Collard
Application Integration[magazine]

Building an integrated suite of applications can be complicated, especially when several groups are working on the project in different locations. Here are some risks, as well as recommendations for allowing planning, development, and testing artifacts to be shared between disparate groups.

Sam Guckenheimer

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