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System Testing with an Attitude: An Approach That Nurtures Front-Loaded Software Quality
Quality cannot be tested into software, it must be designed in and built in. Understanding and accepting this simple principle can be the first step to preventing serious system defects from reaching users.
Projects that routinely rely on the system test team to uncover major implementation mistakes are bound to fail. The system test phase
occurs too late in the life cycle to make major improvements to the overall quality of the product. Projects striving for high quality and rapid time to market need to adopt an attitude that it is unacceptable for software that does not meet requirements to even reach the system test phase.
Instituting this attitude requires agreement on roles and responsibilities throughout the entire project team. System Testing with an Attitude explains how to cultivate productive relationships between developers and system testers and stresses the importance of identifying and delineating the responsibilities of each group, which can prevent problems in the system before system testing even begins.
However, changing attitudes and allocating responsibilities is only part of the formula for system testing success. The system test team needs a technical and procedural framework to achieve excellence in performing its allocated responsibilities. The book provides system testing solutions that will help you:
* set the right priorities for system testing (which simultaneously clarifies the role of developer testing)
* understand the users of your software
* build well-documented, repeatable, data-dimensional system tests that cover typical business flows
* reduce test-execution costs through the use of automated test tools
* manage the end game of the software development process effectively
* institute a comprehensive measurement program that keeps progress visible and accountability clear
Testers, managers, and developers who are ready to improve their software development process should read this book.
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