Some S/W testing terms

 

1:What is testing?

  Testing is the process of executing a program with an intent to find errors.
  The major components of testing process are:

     Test Planning
     Test case preparation
     Test execution
     Defect Reporting
     Regression testing

 

2:What is test procedure?

Test procedure is a document specifying a sequence of actions for the execution of one or more test cases. It is also known as test script or manual test script.
    This is detailed instructions for the set-up, execution, and evaluation of results for a given test case. The reference to the test procedure needs to be specified in the test log.

 

3:What are the steps in Software Testing Life Cycle?

Every project has to follow the waterfall model of the testing process.
The waterfall model is as given below

1.Test Strategy & Planning
2. Test Design
3. Test Environment setup
4. Test Execution
5. Defect Analysis & Tracking
6. Final Reporting

According to the respective projects, the scope of testing can be tailored, but the process mentioned above is common to any testing activity.

 

4:What is V & V?

V & V means Verification and Validation. Review is a verification activity and Testing is a validation activity.

We perform peer reviews for all the artifacts created in the project. We do unit testing, Integration testing and System testing for the executables.

 

5: What is a Test Strategy?

Test Strategy is a high-level document defining the test levels to be performed and the testing within those levels for one or more projects.
It describes the overall scope and approach in testing the project.

A Test Strategy must answer the following questions:
    1. What kind of testing will occur?
    2. What are the risks?
    3. What are the critical success factors?
    4. What are the testing objectives?
    5. What are the  trade–offs?

Since effective testing before delivery is essential to ensure product quality, the Test Strategy is a critical artifact for a project.

 

6: What is a test case document?

It is a document specifying what a tester should do and how the system will respond. It essentially contains Test cases(what a tester should do), Expected results (what the system should do) and Actual results (pass/fail).

 

7: What is Acceptance testing?

Acceptance testing is a formal testing conducted to determine whether or not a system satisfies its acceptance criteria. Acceptance criteria should be specified in SOW.
 
   The acceptance testing is done by customer.  Generally the acceptance criteria will be the successful execution of all the acceptance test cases.

 

8: What is performance testing?

It is the testing conducted to evaluate the compliance of a system or component with specified performance requirements.

The performance requirements are to be determined at the start of the project so that the architecture and design can be done to meet the performance requirements

 

9:What is a test bed?

Test Bed is an environment that contains the integral hardware, instrumentation, simulations, software tools and other support elements needed to conduct software testing.

This is typically the testing environment which we specify in our test strategy/plan. It should be the replica of production environment.

 

10: What is Defect Causal Analysis?

It is the exercise carried out to identify the defect types/causes for the identified defects and plan the necessary corrective/preventive actions. Pareto analysis is generally done to identify the problem areas, i.e., to find which all defect types/causes contributes to 80% of defects.