Introduction to Testing

Abstract

Section 2.1 describes the testing challenges posed by IT systems and applications in large organizations running mission-critical legacy applications coexisting with new strategic solutions. Banking platform renewal, SOA, and global testing are key themes for business and IT management. What is the real value of testing? Section 2.2 shows the impact of defective requirements in the production chain and the multiple risks associated with basic errors. Recommendations based on best practices could help the reader to better manage requirements. Section 2.3 addresses the nonconformity problem and explains how defects are generated by a nonconformity to standards and rules, the aging of product components, environmental changes, and software complexity. Section 2.4 gives an overview of the kind of test artifacts used in practice and explains the data lifecycle, whose understanding is of prime importance for good testing. Section 2.5. Testing predictability is an important aspect which is examined from the angle of interface coupling and business rules management. Section 2.6 presents the pros and cons of the most used software development methods today in large-scale software projects. The latest developments in software engineering show that the V-Model can be adapted and used for agile software development in a very effective manner. In Section 2.7 the testing value chain and quality gates are explained