Software Testing Fundamentals

&
Principles
Contents
3.1 General Testing Principles
(The Seven Key Principles)
3.2 Fundamental Test Process
3.3 Psychology of Testing
3.1 General Testing Principles

(The Seven Key Principles)

1. Testing shows presence of Defects

2. Exhaustive Testing is Impossible!
3. Early Testing
4. Defect Clustering
5. The Pesticide Paradox
6. Testing is Context Dependent
7. Absence of Errors Fallacy
General Testing Principles
The Seven Key Principles
1. Testing shows the presence of Defects
( it is not a ghost. It is a fact )
 We test to find Faults (as known as Defects)
 As we find more defects, the probability of undiscovered defects
remaining in a system reduces ( decreasing nature).
 However Testing cannot prove that there are no defects present
Why Testing is necessary
Testing Pearls of Wisdom
• “The probability of the existence of more errors in a
section of a program is proportional to the number of
errors already found in that program”
• “Do not plan a test effort under the tacit assumption that
no errors will be found”
• “A good test is one that has a high probability of
detecting an as yet undiscovered error”
• “A successful test is one that detects an as-yet
undiscovered error”

Myers 2004
General Testing Principles
The Seven Key Principles
2. Exhaustive Testing is Impossible!

 We have learned that we cannot test everything (i.e. all

combinations of inputs and pre-conditions).

 That is we must Prioritise our testing effort using a Risk Based

Approach.
Why Testing is Necessary
Why don’t we test everything ?
System has 20 screens
Average 4 menus / screen
Average 3 options / menu
Average of 10 fields / screen
2 types of input per field
Around 100 possible values

Approximate total for exhaustive testing

20 x 4 x 3 x 10 x 2 x 100 = 480,000 tests
Test length = 1 sec then test duration = 17.7 days
Test length = 10 sec then test duration = 34 weeks
Test length = 1 min then test duration = 4 years
Test length = 10 mins then test duration = 40 years!

It is not a matter of time. But,time is money ( salary is taken by hour. So

second is valuable for software houses)
Urgency of Equilibrium

 If you test too little, Number of

Missed Bugs
Cost of
Testing
the probability of
software failure
increases Q
u
a Testing
n
Under Equilibrium
 If you try to test too t Testing Over
much, the i Testing
development cost t
y
becomes unaffordable

 So, we need to conduct Amount of Testing

some sort of
equilibrium
General Testing Principles
The Seven Key Principles

3.Early testing
 Testing activities should start as early as possible
in the development life cycle

 These activities should be focused on defined

objectives – outlined in the Test Strategy

 Remember from our Definition of Testing, that

Testing doesn’t start once the code has been
written!
 Cost of Fault Correction

100
90
80
70
Relative 60
Multiples 50
Cost
40
30
20
10
0
Reqs Des Code Unit Accept Use
General Testing Principles
The Seven Key Principles
4. Defect Clustering

 Defects are not evenly distributed in a system

 They are ‘clustered’

 In other words, most defects found during testing are usually

confined to a small number of modules ( 80% of uncovered
errors focused in 20% modules of the whole application)
“Pareto law”

 Similarly, most operational failures of a system are usually

confined to a small number of modules
 An important consideration in test prioritisation!
General Testing Principles
The Seven Key Principles

5. The Pesticide Paradox

 Testing identifies bugs, and programmers respond to

fix them
 As bugs are eliminated by the programmers, the
software improves
 As software improves the effectiveness of previous
tests erodes
 Therefore we must learn, create and use new tests
based on new techniques to catch new bugs ( i.e. It
is not a matter of repetition. It is a matter of
learning and improving)
 N.B It's called the "pesticide paradox" after the agricultural phenomenon, where bugs such as the boll weevil build
up tolerance to pesticides, leaving you with the choice of ever-more powerful pesticides followed by ever-more
powerful bugs or an altogether different approach.’ – Beizer 1995
General Testing Principles
The Seven Key Principles
6. Testing is Context (background)Dependent

 Testing is done differently in different contexts

 For example, safety-critical software is tested differently from an e-
commerce site
 Whilst, Testing can be 50% of development costs, in NASA's Apollo
program (it was 80% testing)
 3 to 10 failures per thousand lines of code (KLOC) typical for
commercial software
 1 to 3 failures per KLOC typical for industrial software
 0.01 failures per KLOC for NASA Shuttle code!
 Also different industries impose different testing standards
General Testing Principles
The Seven Key Principles
7. Absence of Errors Fallacy

 If we build a system and, in doing so, find and fix defects ....
It doesn’t make it a good system

 Even after defects have been resolved, it may still be unusable and/or
does not fulfil the users’ needs and expectations

 Visit the following site:

http://www.guru99.com/software-testing-seven-principles.html
3.2 Fundamental Test Process

The five stages of the fundamental test process

• Test Planning and Control

• Test Analysis and Design

• Test Implementation and Execution

• Evaluating Exit Criteria and Reporting

• Test Closure Activities

Fundamental Test Process
Fundamental Test Process
 The process always starts with planning and ends with test closure
activities
 Each phase may have to be executed a number of times in order to fulfil
exit or completion criteria
 Although logically sequential, the activities in the process may overlap
or take place concurrently
Fundamental Test Process
1.Test Planning and Control
Test Planning
 Specifies how the test strategy and project Test
Plan
A document describing the scope, approach,
resources and schedule of intended test activities
apply to the software under test
 Principally:
 verify the mission,
 define the Test objectives
 Specify the Test Activities required to meet the
mission and objectives
Fundamental Test Process
Test Planning and Control
Test Planning (continued)

 Major Tasks are :-

 Identify the objectives of testing

 Determine Scope
 Determine the Test Approach
 Determine the required test resources
 Implement the test policy and/or the test strategy
 Schedule test analysis and design tasks
 Schedule test implementation, execution and evaluation
 Determine the Exit Criteria

 More on Test Planning in Test Management section

Fundamental Test Process
Test Planning and Control
Test Control
 The ongoing activity of comparing actual progress against the plan
 Reporting status, including deviations from the plan
 Taking actions necessary to meet the mission and objectives of the project
 Test Planning takes into account the feedback from monitoring and control
activities.

 Major Tasks are :-

 measure and analyse results
 Monitor and document progress, test coverage and exit criteria
 initiate corrective actions
 make decisions

 More on Test Control in Test Management section

 Fundamental Test Process
2. Test Analysis and Design
• General testing objectives are transformed into tangible Test
Conditions (An item or event of a component or system that could be
verified by one or more test cases, e.g. a function, transaction,
feature, quality attribute, or structural element)

and Test Cases (A set of input values, execution preconditions,

expected results and execution
Post-conditions, developed for a particular objective or test
condition, such as to exercise a particular program path or to verify
compliance with a specific requirement).

• Tests should be designed using the test design techniques selected in

the test planning activity
 Major tasks are:
 Review the Test Basis - in doing so evaluate
testability of Test Basis and Test Object(s)
 From Analysis of Test Basis and Test Items, identify
and prioritize Test Conditions and associated Test
Data
 Test Conditions and associated Test Data are
documented in a Test Design Specification
 Design and prioritize the Test Cases
 Identify Test Data required to support Test Cases
 Design the test environment set-up
 Identify any required infrastructure and tools
Fundamental Test Process
Test Analysis and Design

 Each Test Case is specified in terms of :-

 its objective
 the initial state of the system
 the input
 the expected result.
Fundamental Test Process
Testing Pearl of Wisdom

 “The act of designing tests is one of the most

effective error prevention mechanisms known
... The thought process that must take place to
create useful tests can discover and eliminate
problems at every stage of development.“

Beizer 1983
Fundamental Test Process
3. Test Implementation and Execution

 Test Cases are combined in a particular order to

form Test Procedures Specifications (Test
Scripts) A document specifying a sequence of
actions for the execution of a test. Also known
as test script or manual test script
 Test Data is created
 The test environment is created
Major tasks are:
Create Test Scripts and Data
 Develop, implement and prioritise Test Cases
 Create the Test Scripts
 Create test data
 Preparing test harnesses ( dedicated resources)
 Write automated test scripts
 Create test suites from the test cases for efficient
test execution
Check the Environment
 Verify that the test environment has been set up
correctly
Fundamental Test Process
Test Implementation and Execution

 Major tasks (continued):

Execute the Tests

 Execute the Test Cases (manually or through tools) according to the
planned sequence.
 Log ( record ) the outcome of test execution
 Test execution records should uniquely identify the versions of the
software under test, test tools and Testware
 It should be possible to establish that all testing has been carried out
by reference to the test records.
Fundamental Test Process

Test Implementation and Execution

 Major tasks (continued):

Check the Results

 Compare actual results with expected results
 Report discrepancies as Incidents
 Analyse Incidents to establish Root cause
 Repeat, as necessary, test activities as result of action taken for each
discrepancy
 The test coverage levels achieved for those measures specified as test
completion criteria should be recorded.
Fundamental Test Process
Testing Pearl of Wisdom

“carefully inspect the

results of each test”

Myers - 2004
Fundamental Test Process
4. Evaluating Exit Criteria and Reporting
 Exit criteria ensures that the testing of the application is completed and
ready.
 Test execution is assessed against the objectives defined in Test Planning
 This should be done for each Test Level (i.e. test stage)

A group of test activities that are organized and

managed together.
 Major tasks are:
 Check test logs against the exit criteria specified in Test Planning
 If the exit criteria has not been met
 Assess if more tests are needed
 Assess which test activities may need to be repeated

 Assess if the exit criteria specified should be changed

 Produce a test summary report for stakeholders review
Fundamental Test Process
How to measure exit criteria ?
1. All the planned requirements must be met

2. All the high Priority bugs should be closed

3. All the test cases should be executed

4. If the scheduled time out is arrived

5. Test manager must sign off the release

Note: All these parameters can be met by percentages( not 100 %)

 Fundamental Test Process
5 Phases of the Fundamental Test Process

Fix test design and repeat

Fix component or test cases/scripts
and repeat

Test Planning Test Analysis Test Implementation Evaluating Exit Criteria Test Closure
and Control and Design and Execution and Reporting Activities

Fix test design and repeat

Fix component test plan and repeat

3.3 Psychology of Testing
The Testing approach
 Historically testing was viewed as showing the system meets its requirements

 This has evolved to a stage where testing is performed with the primary aim
of finding faults rather than proving correctness. It is perceived as a
destructive ( negative ) process

 Seeking to find failures (the right approach) can be viewed as criticism of the
product and/or its author

 But looking for failures as constructive! ( useful)

 Time can be saved
 Risks reduced
 Costs reduced
 Skills improved
 Psychology of Testing
The Testing approach

 It is important that the Objectives of testing

are clearly understood as humans will
moderate their behaviour accordingly
(however sub-consciously):-
 “If testing is showing the system meets its requirements then I will just produce
tests that show this.”
 “If testing is aimed at finding faults then I will be measured on this so I will put
effort into designing tests that are more likely to find faults.”

 The Testing approach is different from a Developer’s

Psychology of Testing

Testing Pearl of Wisdom

 “Testing is an extremely creative and

intellectually challenging task”

 “Tests must be written for invalid and

unexpected, as well as valid and expected,
input conditions”

Myers - 1979
Psychology of Testing

Traits of Good Testers

 A Tester needs:

 good communication skills

 good observation skills
 people handling skills
 Curiosity ( testing activities interest )
 patience
 reliability
 Thoroughness ( carefulness)
 an inquisitive nature
 attention to detail
 creativity in terms of identifying likely faults
 Experience

 However as with most other disciplines an effective test team will need a
mix of skills so it is difficult to generalise
 Psychology of Testing
Developer vs Tester Relationship

 The relationship between a Developer and a Tester is

not normally an easy one because:-
 testers point out problems with software
 developers like to think their software is perfect
 testers are perceived as delaying the project by
finding faults in the system
 when the development slips, testers normally
have to work long hours to test the product,
which in turn can cause anger
 It is important that they work together
 It is also important that they have mutual respect
for each other.
 Collaboration is the right approach – we work to a
common goal!
 Communicate findings objectively, not subjectively
Psychology of Testing

Independent testing
 The right approach could enable Developers to test the code

 However, passing this responsibility to trained and professional testing

resources has many benefits (such as higher defect find rates)

 Authors tend to bring across assumptions they have made when developing
the software. They are less likely to write tests to show faults in their own
software (human nature)

 With testing performed by independent testers, testing effort is focused and

not compromised by development effort and bias

 It is generally believed that objective independent testing is more effective

Psychology of Testing
Independent testing

 Thereare several levels of

Independence (from Low to High):
 Tests designed by the person(s) who wrote the software under
test
 Tests designed by another person(s) (e.g. from the
development team).
 Tests designed by a person(s) from a different organizational
group (e.g. an independent test team).
 Tests designed by a person(s) from a different organization or
company (e.g. outsourcing to an in-house or external test
specialist organisation)