Section IV - Supporting Technologies

Table of contents:

List

Chapter 15: Defect Taxonomies

Chapter 16: When to Stop Testing

Overview

The Bookends

Two questions, like bookends, frame our software testing:

Where do we start?
When do we stop?

Where do we start testing? Of all the places to look for defects, where should we begin? One answer is with a defect taxonomy. A taxonomy is a classification of things into ordered groups or categories that indicate natural, hierarchical relationships. Taxonomies help identify the kinds of defects that often occur in systems, guide your testing by generating ideas, and audit your test plans to determine the coverage you are obtaining with your test cases. In time, they can help you improve your development process.

And stopping. How do we logically decide when we have tested enough and the software is ready for delivery and installation? Boris Beizer has written, "There is no single, valid, rational criterion for stopping." If he is correct, how do we make that decision?

The next two chapters address these important issues.

Preface

Section I - Black Box Testing Techniques

Section II - White Box Testing Techniques

Section III - Testing Paradigms

Section IV - Supporting Technologies

Section V - Some Final Thoughts