Software Testing: Fundamental Test Process

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Software Testing / Chapter 01 01 / 07

Fundamental
Test Process.

Five parts · Applicable at all stages

Planning, analysing, executing, evaluating, closing.

◉ ISTQB FOUNDATION · SECTION 1.8

The framework · five parts 02 / 07

The most visible part of testing is test execution — but it is not the only part

Planning and analysing are very necessary activities that amplify the benefits of execution.

01

Planning & Control

Define

02

Analysis & Design

Detail

03

Implementation & Execution

Run

04

Exit Criteria & Reporting

Evaluate

05

Test Closure

Tidy

The reality · iterative not rigid 03 / 07

Activities may need to be revisited

Although in broad sequence, they are not rigid.

A defect found in test execution can sometimes be resolved by adding functionality that was originally not present. The new features themselves have to be tested, so the 'earlier' activity of analysis and design has to be performed.

We sometimes need to do two or more of the main activities in parallel. Time pressure can mean that we begin test execution before all tests have been designed.

Parallel Activities

Overlapping phases.

Planning feeds into control. Analysis bridges planning and execution. Execution loops back to analysis when new features emerge. The process is alive.

Stage 01 & 02 · planning and analysis 04 / 07

Stage 01

↺

Planning
& Control.

Determining what is going to be tested and how. Drawing the map, defining who will do what, and setting test completion criteria. Control is comparing progress against the plan — monitoring to measure, control to adjust.

Stage 02

⇌

Analysis
& Design.

The bridge between planning and execution. Looking backward to schedules and forward to expected results. Reviewing the test basis, identifying test conditions, designing tests with priority, and detailing the test environment and data required.

If we do not detail expected outcomes before starting test execution, there is a real danger that we will miss the one item of detail that is vital, but wrong.

Stage 03 · implementation and execution 05 / 07

The most visible part of testing

Not just running tests — but combining, logging, comparing, and investigating.

Test implementation and execution involves running tests, including any set-up and tear-down activities. The most important tests need to be run first — determined during planning and refined during design.

One important aspect is combining test cases into an overall run procedure, so that the outcome of one test creates the preconditions for later tests.

→Develop and prioritise test casesPREP

→Collect into test suitesORDER

→Check environment set-upENV

→Run tests in determined orderEXEC

→Log outcomes and versionsLOG

→Compare actual vs. expectedCOMPARE

→Report discrepancies as incidentsRAISE

Stage 03 continued · two types of testing on change 06 / 07

When anything changes, we need two kinds of testing

Re-testing

Has the
problem
been fixed?

Looking in fine detail at the changed area of functionality. Re-executing a previously failed test to confirm that the fix is effective.

&

Regression Testing

Has anything
else
broken?

Covering all the main functions to ensure that no unintended changes have occurred. On a financial system, include end of day/month/year processing.

Stage 04 & 05 · evaluation and closure 07 / 07

Stage 04

⊘

Evaluating exit
criteria & reporting.

Exit criteria were defined during planning. At the end of execution, check if they have been met. If the target was 85% statement coverage and the result is 75%, there are two options: change the exit criteria, or run more tests. Write a test summary for stakeholders.

Stage 05

■

Test closure
activities.

Making sure everything is tidied away. Documentation in order, incidents closed, deferred defects clearly marked. Archiving the test environment and passing testware to the maintenance team. Writing down lessons learned to improve testing maturity.

Conclusion · the fundamental test process 08 / 08

Applicable at all stages of testing

Five stages. One process.

— STAGE / 01

Plan & Control

— STAGE / 02

Analyse & Design

— STAGE / 03

Implement & Execute

— STAGE / 04

Evaluate & Report

— STAGE / 05

Close

It is no good testing without deciding how, when and what to test. Planning and analysing enhance and amplify the benefits of the test execution itself — ensuring that testing is a structured, measurable, and repeatable process.

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