Summary

The methods discussed in this book provide an effective risk-based approach to software test estimation, testing, and evaluation. This approach is called the Most Important Tests method, or MITs. MITs gives testers a defensible set of test methods, metrics, and tools with which to accomplish their testing tasks.

Most software testing today is conducted without benefit of formal methods or metrics. The major distinction between a formal method and an informal method is in the measurement tools used to accomplish the goals and the quality of the product produced. The process described in the MITs' steps probably sounds familiar, but the end result of a test effort that does not use formal methods and metrics like the ones described here is likely to be described in terms like "I tested it." Testers using the methods in this book will have much better answers than "I tested it," and they will conduct a better test effort in the available time and produce a higher-quality product.

One of the best things about the MITs method is that you don't have to do all the steps as I describe them in this book, nor do you have to execute every step in the list in order to succeed. Start with the step(s) that you (1) can use, (2) need, (3) understand, and (4) think will help; add others when it makes sense. Be sure to select the methods that work in your particular situation. MITs helps the plan-driven effort predict what is coming, and it helps the Agile test group retain its flexibility. So, on the heavyweight side of development, MITs give you solid, defensible, fast ways to estimate your needs. In the middle ground, you can quickly estimate your test needs, prioritize the requirements, promise coverage, and provide accurate status reporting with a minimum of effort. On the lightweight side, you can provide quick estimates and give your management the high-quality, blow-by-blow status information that they must have to succeed.

Hopefully this chapter, with all its examples, will give you some ideas, or perhaps simply corroborate your own experiences.



Software Testing Fundamentals
Software Testing Fundamentals: Methods and Metrics
ISBN: 047143020X
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 132

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