Essential Software Testing: A Use-Case Approach

by Greg Fournier

A Practical Guide to Software Testing Much has been written about the difficulty of software testing. Often these laments are accompanied by cautionary words about how careful one has to be to ensure testing is done properly. However, there is a dearth of resources that give practical guidance on the nuts and bolts of testing. Essential Software A Use-Case Approach describes testing methods and techniques in a common sense manner that is easy to understand, helping readers to quickly and effectively implement project-specific testing solutions. Divided into three parts, the book first discusses ways to make testing agile, providing insight into how testing can be done efficiently in different process environments. Next, the book supplies an overview of testing concepts. Lastly, it demonstrates how to perform the actual test, detailing specific testing activities that can be used on almost any project, with specific attention given to use-case driven testing. It describes how to test using Use Cases regardless of the specific requirements of the project. The author weaves helpful war stories throughout the text, placing the concepts in a concrete framework. This guide gives software testers a firm grasp of all testing how to determine what to test and how to test it, how to select proper tests to match the plan, techniques to build and trace tests, and finally, how to conduct and record tests.

280 pages, Paperback

First published November 8, 2007

Reviews

[Nat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really hate it how the author goes on and on with his "we do testing to prove the program works". Is that what we do? It sounds more like DEMONSTRATION to me rather than TESTING.

[Carlos Ramos · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book to find about how to perform tests.

I must say that I did not learn much of that, and I still am unsure on the how-to of testing.

But I know one thing: almost all projects have crappy requirements and we must deal with it.

All is going to crash, all will seldom go as planned, and we must keep moving, working, delivering.

Even when it is you against the world, even if want you want to do is not authorized, you can do something about it.

I may not have learnt about testing, but I feel better now, knowing that the project I am working on is not the only only astray.

Instead of seeing my job in such a negative light, I have to talk with more people, gather requirements, and explain my interpretation to the stakeholder.

I may not know how to test, but now I know it is needed, that not everybody is going to like it, but that it has to be done anyway.

A three out of five for the perspective.

[Robert Chapman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but not for the reasons I had originally purchased the book. I was interested in user story based testing approaches and the book did provide some good insight, but lacked the depth I was hoping for.

This book is a good resource for anyone who might be just starting out with testing or managing a testing team. What I liked most about the book was the attitude of ownership and self-sufficiency which the author championed throughout the book. Product Management gave you crappy requirements or no requirements at all - so what, instead of complaining make them yourself as it's the test team's job to provide the best test effort possible.

That foundation of ownership and self-sufficiency is what really made this book enjoyable.