testing

Articles

the UML notation for use cases Use Cases and Testing

This article introduces you to the most important diagrams used in object-oriented development and describes the UML notation used for these diagrams. It also provides practical questions you can ask to evaluate the quality of these object-oriented diagrams: Three sets of questions (complete, correct, and consistent) under three areas of testing (syntax testing, domain expert testing, and traceability testing).

Lee Copeland's picture Lee Copeland
When Being Correct Isn't Enough

It makes sense that people who are always correct will have the power to influence others. But testers who base their authority on correctness might be in for a rough time. Bret Pettichord explains in this week's column why it's a good idea to show concern as well as correctness.

Bret Pettichord's picture Bret Pettichord
A Selection of "Our Take" Columns

"Our Take" is a regular column from the editors at Software Quality Engineering. It appears in the twice-monthly StickyLetter since its inception in September 2000 (originally "STQe-Letter"). From jazz music, to car troubles, to the Lewis and Clark expedition, Robert Rose-Coutré, former StickyMinds.com Editor, will use anything to make a point about building better software. The editors at Software Quality Engineering have compiled a collection of some of these pieces. Musings from StickyLetter's "Our Take" are presented here.

Robert Rose-Coutre's picture Robert Rose-Coutre
Evaluating a Tester's Effectiveness

Test managers are responsible for monitoring the testing program and the people who carry it out. But with all that testing entails, evaluating a tester's performance is often a complicated task. In this week's column, Elfriede Dustin provides some specifics you can use to assess the effectiveness of a tester.

Elfriede Dustin's picture Elfriede Dustin
The Y2K Bust

Where were you on 31 December 1999? Celebrating on a beach in New Zealand, one of the first places in the world to experience the new millennium? Or in your office, hastily testing changes to old computer systems (with all vacation requests denied for a period of six weeks before and after New Year's Eve)? After all, the cover of BusinessWeek magazine had used the term "Global Financial Meltdown" to describe the concern. With hindsight, what have we learned about testing and quality assurance from the year 2000 problem (also called the Y2K or Millennium Bug)? For the last two years nobody has wanted to talk about it-but it should now be safe to bring up the topic.

Ross Collard's picture Ross Collard
Now that the Worse than Worst Case Has Happened

QA professionals get paid to envision bad things happening and to make others aware of risk. But the terrorist attacks and all that has followed illuminate what truly horrific things can happen to any of us. As a New York resident and QA professional, Patricia Ensworth shares her perspective on coping and positively focusing on QA issues that can help secure a project, organization, and the community at large.

Patricia Ensworth
Do You Know What They Want?

When you're testing software, you've got your priorities, right? Find as many of the worst bugs you can in the shortest possible time, of course. But what if the project manager has different priorities, such as reliability of a particular feature, or overall stability of the software under load? In this column, Elisabeth Hendrickson explains why it's best to ask a few questions before embarking on your bad-bug-hunting trek, or you might find yourself on a wild goose chase.

Elisabeth Hendrickson's picture Elisabeth Hendrickson
How Should You Feel When You Find a Bug?

How you feel about bugs can affect how productive your work is, how you feel about your job, and how others feel about you. In this column, Bret looks at how we respond to finding bugs and how a neutral, professional attitude can make a big difference.

Bret Pettichord's picture Bret Pettichord
Understanding Both Sides of the Test Tool Fence

A natural divide exists between those who develop commercial test tools and those who use them. If you're tasked with finding the right test automation technology and tool for your organization, it helps to understand how high this fence is (or should be). This article explains the nature of this fence, how it varies in different types of tools, and what you can look at to get a view of the other side.

Steve Morton
Risk Analysis Basics

Have you ever had a challenging time trying to get a manager or coworker to recognize a potentially project-stalling issue? Risk is inherent when creating something valuable and complex (like software), but sometimes it's hard to analyze and explain in a productive way. Here Johanna Rothman shares her method for addressing risks.

Johanna Rothman's picture Johanna Rothman

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