Test Management Test Independence What is test independence

Test Management -Test Independence What is test independence or independent testing? Testing by someone other than the creator is Independent testing Why? Creator / author may not be able to identify defects in his own work Importance of Independent Testing? - Effectiveness of testing is improved (more defects are found) - Different world views of developer and tester Developer perceives what’s produced is what’s required Tester perceives mistakes are common and looks to locate them

Test Management -Test Independence Levels Developer / Creator / Author test their own work Independent Testers within the development team Independent testers reporting to Executive management Independent testers as part of operational business units Independent Specialist testers (Usability testers, Security testers) Outsourced test team or contractors / External agency

Test Management -Test Independence Benefits of Independent Testing Independent Testers are unbiased Tester sees other and more defects than the author Independent testers can verify the assumptions made by author Drawbacks of Independent Testing Isolation from the development team Independent testers may be the bottleneck Developers may lose sense of responsibility to quality

Test Management -Test Independence Test team Test Leader or Test Manager Tester or Test Analyst

Test Management -Test Independence Test leader tasks Plan the tests: -Based on the risks, context & objective select test approach; estimate time, effort and cost; define test levels, test techniques, test cycles; define criteria for entry, exit, suspension & resumption select suitable metrics for test progress monitoring select suitable test environment select suitable configuration management select suitable incident management

Test Management -Test Independence Test leader tasks Initiate and monitor -Test Analysis and design -Implementation and execution Monitor test activities and act to control if necessary Contribute the testing perspective to other activities – Integration planning Monitor test results and check for exit criteria Decide what should be automated and to what degree Select tools to support testing Write test summary reports Write or review test strategy for the project and test policy for the organization Coordinate test strategy and test plan with project managers and others

Test Management -Test Independence Tester tasks Analyze and review requirements for testability Create test specifications -Test condition specifications -Test case specification -Test procedure specification Setup test environment Prepare / Acquire test data Execute tests and record results Evaluate the results and document deviations from expected result Prepare test metrics and report Automate tests Review tests developed by others Review and contribute to test plans