The Standard for Definitions in This Book

The standard for all definitions given in this book is Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language (College Edition, Prentice Hall). However, any good dictionary should be acceptable. When I refer to a definition from some other work, I will cite the work. I have tried to limit such references to works that are readily available to everyone today.

One of the major stumbling blocks I have encountered in educating people involved in developing and testing software is the lack of consensus on the meaning of basic terms. This is richly illustrated in the test survey discussed in Chapter 1 and presented in Appendix B of this book.

The biggest reason for this lack of consensus is that while there are plenty of standards published in this industry, they are not readily available or easy to understand. The second reason for the lack of consensus is simple disagreement. I have often heard the argument, "That's fine, but it doesn't apply here." It's usually true. Using the dictionary as the standard solves both of these problems. It is a starting point to which most people have access and can acknowledge. It is also necessary to go back to basics. In my research I am continually confronted with the fact that most people do not know the true meaning of words we use constantly, such as test, verify, validate, quality, performance, effectiveness, efficiency, science, art, and engineering.

To those who feel I am taking a step backward with this approach, it is a requirement of human development that we must learn to creep before we can crawl, to crawl before we can walk, and to walk before we can run. The level of mastery that can be achieved in any phase of development is directly dependent on the level of mastery achieved in the previous phase. I will make as few assumptions as possible about my readers' level of knowledge.

We software developers and testers came to this industry from many directions, many disciplines, and many points of view. Because of this, consensus is difficult. Nevertheless, I believe that our diversity gives us great strength. The interplay of so many ideas constantly sparks invention and innovation. The computer industry is probably home to the largest cooperative inventive undertaking in human history. It simply needs to be managed.