ISEB Foundation Certificate in Software Testing
The Psychology Of Testing
SIM Group Ltd., SQS Group AG, 2002
The Psychology Of Testing
In this session we will
Understand what qualities make good testers Look at a testers relationship with developers
Look at a testers relationship with management
Understand the issues with testing independence
SIM Group Ltd., SQS Group AG, 2002
What makes a Tester?
Testing is primarily to find faults
Can be regarded as destructive Development is constructive Testing asks questions
Testers need to ask questions
A tester needs many qualities...
SIM Group Ltd., SQS Group AG, 2002
What makes a Tester?
Intellectual qualities
Can absorb incomplete facts Can work with incomplete facts Can learn quickly on many levels
Good verbal communication
Good written communication Ability to prioritise
Self-organisation
SIM Group Ltd., SQS Group AG, 2002
What makes a Tester?
Knowledge
How projects work How computer systems and business needs interact What makes IT tick - technology
What makes IT tick - commercial aspects
Testing techniques Testing best practice
To be able to think inside and outside of a system specification
SIM Group Ltd., SQS Group AG, 2002
What makes a Tester?
More skills to acquire
How to find bugs - planning, preparation & execution How to understand systems How to read specifications
How to extract testable functionality
How to work efficiently How to focus on essentials
SIM Group Ltd., SQS Group AG, 2002
Reporting Defects
Defects need to be reported to
Developers to enable them to fix them Management so they can track progress
Communication to both groups is vital
SIM Group Ltd., SQS Group AG, 2002
Communication with Developers
A good relationship is vital
Developers need to keep testers up to date with changes to the application Testers need to inform developers of defects to allow fixes to be applied
SIM Group Ltd., SQS Group AG, 2002
Communication with Management
Managers need progress reports The best way is through metrics
Number of tests planned & prepared Number of tests executed to date
Number of defects raised & fixed
How long planning, preparation and execution stages take
SIM Group Ltd., SQS Group AG, 2002
The Psychology of Testing
Testing Independence
SIM Group Ltd., SQS Group AG, 2002
Testing Independence
It is important that testing is separate from development
The developer is likely to confirm adherence not deviation The developer will make assumptions - the same when testing as developing
SIM Group Ltd., SQS Group AG, 2002
Testing Independence
Levels of Independence
Low - Developers write their own tests Medium - Tests are written by another developer
High - Tests written by an independent body
Tests written by another section Tests written by another organisation
Utopia - Tests generated automatically
SIM Group Ltd., SQS Group AG, 2002
The Psychology Of Testing
Summary
Testers require a particular set of skills
The desire to break things The desire to explore and experiment Communication Questioning
Testing requires a different mentality to development
Destroying things rather than creating them
Testing should be separate from development
SIM Group Ltd., SQS Group AG, 2002
