quality assurance

Articles

Documentation and QA

This article is all about wearing your documentation cap with pride as you do your other technical and quality caps. Documentation is as important as any other aspect of a project, like analysis, design, coding, testing, etc. The problem is that we do not realize its importance. Once we do, we can deliver products with a higher level of perfection. This has to be understood, appreciated, and infused into our system.

Kumar Raman
Real Money: Poor Software Testing Practices Cost US Companies $59 Billion

According to a new government report, inadequate software testing costs the US economy $59.5 billion a year. How's that for proof that software testers perform a vital service? If you'd like to know how that number was derived, read on as Linda Hayes unwraps some of the methodology behind the study.

Linda Hayes's picture Linda Hayes
We're All Human

Before you start criticizing that programmer for all the bugs you're finding in your latest project, read this column by Elisabeth Hendrickson. She advises us all to try to understand the other person's situation before we resort to blaming.

Elisabeth Hendrickson's picture Elisabeth Hendrickson
But I Don't Have Time!

Overworked software professionals sometimes skip things they know they should do, because they "don't have time." In this week's column, Karl Wiegers asks you to think about what you really mean when you say you don't have time, and he cautions you to take time to make time.

Karl E. Wiegers
Is IT Accountable for Corporate Shenanigans?

We have the potential in our professions to encounter unethical and illegal uses of technology and data. In this column, Eileen Strider describes a situation in which you suspect a dishonest use of information in a system you're testing. What do you do?

Eileen Strider
Start a Revolution

What is a software tester's main responsibility? If you think that it's to find as many bugs as possible, you might be surprised to read Linda Hayes' column. She looks at the question from a different angle. Read on and see if you agree with her.

Linda Hayes's picture Linda Hayes
Nasty Question

Getting straight to the point, Tom Van Vleck asks exactly what do you do to ensure quality. He gives examples of the wrong answer, the beat-around-the-bush answer, as well as good answers. He talks about commitment to zero defects, systematic procedures, and continuous improvement. As usual, Van Vleck says a lot in a short space. Keep reading for this, and links to other, Tom Van Vleck articles.

Tom Van Vleck
Don't Become the Quality Police

Most testers are committed to helping produce better software. That's a good thing. But when a tester takes on the role of "quality police," good intentions can turn ugly. The quality police don't just report the bugs. They appoint themselves judge and jury, ready to dispense justice according to their own convictions of what programmers should be doing. And the project is likely to suffer for it.

Bret Pettichord's picture Bret Pettichord
Testing for Knowledge

In a number of manufacturing industries, the quality function has become an integral part of the business. The software quality movement has not had nearly that level of success, but the pressure is building to do so. The obstacle is cost—particularly the cost of delivering that improved software quality. Since the beginnings of our industry, we have emulated the quality movement in hardware manufacturing; unfortunately, that path will not lead us to the success they found. Software development and hardware manufacturing are different. Our goal is the same but the path to success is different. To achieve the success we seek, we must set our own path and expand the testing objective from "test to fail" to "test for knowledge."

Bill Walton
The Cost of Software Quality

Testing can be considered an investment. A software organization-whether an in-house IT shop, market-driven shrink-wrap software vendor, or Internet ASP-chooses to forego spending money on new projects or additional features in order to fund the test team. What's the return on that investment (ROI)? Cost of quality analysis provides one way to quantify ROI.

Rex Black's picture Rex Black

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