Process

Conference Presentations

Is Quality Negotiable? Experiences of an eXtreme Programming Tester

If you want a higher quality product in an eXtreme Programming (XP) project, you must be prepared to pay a higher price. We make decisions and compromises based on quality versus cost every day. Extreme programming teams are driven to do their best work, but customers have the right to specify and pay for only the level of quality they require. This presentation explores ways to resolve these two potentially conflicting points of view.

Lisa Crispin, BoldTech Systems
STARWEST 2001: Bug Hunting: Going on a Software Safari

This presentation is about bugs: where they hide, how you find them, and how you tell other people they exist so they can be fixed. Explore the habitats of the most common types of software bugs. Learn how to make bugs more likely to appear and discover ways to present information about the bugs you find to ensure they get fixed. Drawing on real-world examples of bug reports, Elisabeth Hendrickson reveals tips and techniques for capturing the wiliest and most squirmy critters crawling around in your software.

Elisabeth Hendrickson, Quality Tree Software
Managing the Test Effort Using Requirements-Based Testing Metrics

It's difficult to quantify the true state of a test effort. Often, it's measured by quantity of work combined with deadline compliance. But if this is the case, then the true level of quality remains unknown. The Requirements-Based Testing (RBT) process offers a set of metrics that can be utilized throughout the development cycle. These metrics can provide an accurate picture of the test effort at any given time.

Gary Mogyorodi, Bit Inc.
Evolution of Automated Testing for Enterprise Systems

The key to accelerating test automation in any project is for a well-rounded, cohesive team to emerge that can marry its business knowledge with its technical expertise. This session is an in-depth case study of the evolution of automated testing at the BNSF Railroad. From record-and-playback to database-driven robust test scripts, this session will take you through each step of the $24 billion corporation's efforts to implement test automation.

Cherie Coles, BNSF Railroad
Introduction to Usability Testing

What is usability? Why is it important? If these questions wake you in the middle of the night, then this presentation is for you. Cheryl Nesta discusses the relevance of usability testing within the broad framework of quality assurance and appropriate expectations based on its uses and applicability. Explore methodology, process flow, goal identification, and definition. Real-world examples create a hands-on introductory experience.

Cheryl L. Nesta, Vanteon
Revealing the Mysteries of Test Measurement

Contrary to popular belief, test measurement is not a mysterious art. Rather, it's a vital part of test management. This presentation will assist those new to test measurement-and those that have been intimidated by measurement and its complexities in the past-discover that test measurement can and should be a part of your test plan. Learn metrics and techniques that are easy to understand as well as implement.

David Hutcheson, Glen Abbot Ltd.
A Framework for Testing Real-Time and Embedded Systems

What do we mean when we say local, remote, simultaneous, and distributed testing? Alan Haffenden of The Open Group explores the differences, and explains why the architecture of a distributed test execution system must be different from that of non-distributed systems. An overview of POSIX 1003.13 profiles and units of functionality helps advanced users build a good foundation for testing both their real-time and embedded systems.

Alan Haffenden, The Open Group
STAREAST 2001: Managing the End Game of a Software Project

How do you know when a product is ready to ship? QA managers have been faced with this question for many years. Using the methodology discussed in this presentation, you take the guessing out of shipping a product and replace it with key metrics to help you rationally make the right decision. Learn how to estimate, predict, and manage your software project as it gets closer to its release date. Learn how to define which metrics to track--and how to measure them. Discover how to define the ratings scale for each metric and how to create a spider chart for product readiness. This presentation is a must for any individual or organization that is serious about maximizing the results of positive events and minimizing the consequences of adverse ones.

Mike Ennis, BMC Software
Metrics Collection and Analysis for Web Sites

To many organizations, the concept of metrics is foreign. Even after taking training on metrics usage, few organizations take advantage of the value metrics can bring. This paper presents the special challenges online companies face, describes a practical plan for rolling out
test metrics, and shows how test metrics collection and analysis can reduce cycle time and provide meaningful information to the development team.

Joe Polvino, Element K
STAREAST 2001: Measuring the Value of Testing

How can we make testing more visible and appreciated? Without measurement, we only have opinions. This presentation outlines simple and practical ways to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of testing, particularly the metric Defect Detection Percentage. Learn how this measure can be implemented in your organization to keep track of defects found in testing (and afterwards). Explore choices, problems, and benefits in using this measure as well as other useful measures.

Dorothy Graham, Grove Consultants

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