Preface of software test management

Is it art? Is it a responsibility? Is it science? Is this a decision?

Different people have different understandings of management. Although many masters have made various definitions of management, the editor believes that no matter what management is, managers must master different technologies and methods in the industry. The correct application of these technologies and methods is the premise of becoming a successful manager, which is also applicable to the management of software testing:

When you master FMEA (Failure Mode and Impact Analysis), it will be easier to manage test risk.

When you understand TPI, TMM and other models, the improvement of software testing process will not be so headache.

After reading the cases of different metrics in the book, you will not be at a loss in the face of a bunch of test data.

When you know the quality cost, it will be easier for you to communicate with other stakeholders in the test.

When you know all the stages and activities of the testing process, you will no longer be confused about software testing management.

This book is used to solve the technical and methodological problems in the process of software test management. There are no great ideas and lofty life realm in the book, some are classic and practical technologies and methods, some are editing the software test management experience in recent 10 years, and combining technologies, methods and experiences, some methods to solve test management problems are extracted. I believe that the technology, methods and practical experience introduced in the book can bring readers a new understanding of software testing management. Time flies, in a blink of an eye, we have entered the field of software testing for 10 years. During the period of 10, I participated in the testing of many projects, some of which were successful and some failed, and the ups and downs were constantly changing with the editor's experience, roles and responsibilities.

Looking back on the road of software testing in 10, we can clearly feel the rapid development of the whole software testing industry in China: software testing has changed from the role of "handyman" at the beginning of editing to an important part of software engineering. The low level of software testing industry, low skill level of testers and poor treatment of testers are common viewpoints and arguments in the past. But today, we have completely disagreed with this view. In the past 10 years, software testing in China has made rapid development. Both the talent pool, test technology and test management ability, and the status of software testing practitioners have been greatly improved, and the overall level is getting closer to the world-class level. Even in the process implementation and technical application, it can keep pace with the world level.

However, we should still realize the gap between us and the mature software testing industry in Europe and America in some aspects, such as grasping and promoting the development trend of the industry. There are many senior software testing experts who have worked in the software testing industry for more than 20 years abroad, and they are constantly promoting the progress of the whole software testing industry.

In contrast, such an atmosphere has not yet formed in China. Although the more years of work, it does not fully represent the stronger ability, but people who can focus on an industry for more than 20 years have a deep understanding of this industry, which deserves our respect and study. Therefore, the software testing industry in China still has a long way to go. We also hope that more people in China can devote their whole lives to the software testing industry, thus promoting the continuous development of the software testing industry. Although I have great interest in software testing after work, I systematically studied software testing management at the first International Software Testing and Certification Committee (ISTQB) advanced testing management certification training held in China in 2007. The training was taught by Hans Schaefer, an internationally renowned software testing expert (Chairman of Norwegian Software Testing Certification Committee). During the training, I got to know many experts in the field of software testing, and at the same time I began to realize the profundity of software testing management. Software test management not only depends on the experience accumulated in our daily work, but also needs the technology and methods provided by the software test management knowledge system to constantly guide us to do the right thing.

When I was working at Alcatel, Ma Junfei and I were colleagues in the same project. We are all interested in software testing and often discuss some software testing issues together. In the spring of 2009, when we were chatting, we felt that we had been in the field of software testing for nearly 10 years and accumulated some experience in test management. Should we write a book about software test management? By publishing books, we closely combine our own experience with software test management techniques and methods, and extract different solutions applied in the process of test management, hoping to share these experiences with more people.

After determining the writing goal, we began to collect materials, prepare materials, organize the framework structure, then divide the work according to everyone's expertise and experience, and then start writing separately. Because the two of us had a lot of communication in testing and test management before, we basically buried ourselves in our own problems after we started writing. Ma Junfei and I spent nearly four months in our spare time and finished our writing tasks in June 2009.

The next job is to review each other's content. Because there is no intermediate output review in the writing process, the content review of all parties has been carried out for two rounds. The previous review is the most difficult process, which not only consumes a lot of energy, but also often argues for a management point for several hours because everyone can't convince each other on some knowledge points and experience.

It was not until June 5438+February 2009 that the first draft version was completed. On the basis of this draft version, each of us continued to review the whole book for two rounds, mainly modifying the format, typos and other low-level mistakes. In February of 20 10, another milestone was finally ushered in: the final version. At this time, the creation of this book was completed, and we were quite satisfied with the quality of the whole book.

Ma Junfei and I cooperated very well in the whole process of writing and reviewing. We not only have a deeper understanding of software testing management, but also have a new understanding of writing skills, communication and cooperation, which will also promote our continuous progress in future cooperation. Chapter ***8 of this book, based on the whole software testing process, explains the test management knowledge points related to each stage in the testing process. According to the test management knowledge points and corresponding solutions in this book, readers can complete daily test management and achieve the basic test management objectives: the balance between test quality, test progress, test cost and test resources.

Chapter 1 introduces the characteristics, purposes and test environment requirements of different software development models, including component testing, integration testing, system testing and acceptance testing. Two concrete systems: integrated system and safety-critical system are expounded. Through specific cases, the important guiding role of measurement in test monitoring and decision-making is illustrated.

The second chapter, based on the test process, expounds the components of the system test process: test planning and control, test analysis and design, test realization and execution, export evaluation standards and reports, and test ending activities. For each stage of the test process, the main test activities, inputs and outputs of each stage, as well as the measurement indicators for monitoring these test activities are expounded respectively.

The third chapter describes many aspects of the test management process in detail, including: test management documents, test estimation, test planning, test process monitoring, test business value, test outsourcing, risk-based testing, failure mode and impact analysis, and test management issues.

Chapter 4 introduces the main stages, roles and responsibilities of the basic audit process; This paper expounds the differences between different review types, and analyzes how to choose the appropriate review type in the examination process and how to ensure the expected effect of review.

Chapter 5 introduces how to establish a complete set of procedures and rules to track and manage defects, so as to ensure the effective and timely solution of defects found in the testing process; It also introduces how to measure the testing process and quality through the attributes of defects, and the problems related to defects in the testing process and their solutions.

Chapter 6 expounds the relevant standards of test process improvement and the process of test process improvement and optimization. Through specific cases, this paper expounds the functions and steps of several software testing related competency models (TMM, TPI, CTP, STEP and CMMI) in the improvement of testing process, as well as matters needing attention.

Chapter 7 describes all kinds of testing tools that run through the whole software testing process, and introduces the costs and benefits of testing tools; The test tools and automation strategies are described in detail through cases, and how to effectively introduce test tools and automation.

The eighth chapter expounds all kinds of testing skills and soft skills that testers should have, and describes how to evaluate personal skills effectively through cases, so as to provide appropriate standards for recruiting suitable testers; At the same time, it describes the structure and characteristics that a successful test team should have, and how to effectively motivate and communicate the testers in the test team. This book combines the practical management experience of ZTE, Huawei, Alcatel, Lucent, IBM and other companies, and systematically introduces the software test management knowledge system with a large-scale project case as the background. Each chapter sets a clear learning goal, which is conducive to readers' understanding and learning. Learning objectives are divided into four grades: K 1 (remember), K2 (understand), K3 (apply) and K4 (analyze). For a detailed introduction, see "Learning Target Achievement of this Book". Unified software testing terms are adopted in the book, and the terms appearing in each chapter are explained.

This book not only introduces my own experience, but also introduces a large number of industry best practices, which combines the ideological essence of experts in the field of software testing at home and abroad. This book directly quotes hundreds of documents and provides them to readers in the form of footnotes, which provides convenience for readers to expand their reading.

If readers want to fully understand the knowledge of software test management, it is recommended to read it in order from beginning to end. If you are only interested in certain chapters for the time being, you can also skip to the relevant chapters directly. This book systematically introduces the knowledge of software test management. It is difficult for readers to read it all at once, which involves many technologies and methods. Readers can look back when using this book. I believe that some contents in the book will be helpful to readers' study and work. The publication of this book is inseparable from our classmates, colleagues and friends who helped us when we were growing up. We especially want to thank Dr. Liu Qin and Mr. Zhou for their help. Their professional knowledge and professionalism have always inspired us to make continuous progress and growth. The publication of this book can not be separated from the help of Dr. Cui Qiliang and Mr. Kerry Zhu, who put forward valuable opinions for the publication of this book.

Thanks to Sun and Li, editors of Electronic Industry Press, for their valuable opinions and strong support to this book, so that this book can meet with you in such a short time; At the same time, I would like to thank editor Yang Xiuguo and other colleagues of Bowen. We are moved by their professional quality and professionalism.

Finally, I want to thank my family. The writing of this book takes up a lot of time in the evenings and weekends. Without their support and encouragement, this book is difficult to meet with everyone.

Due to the limitation of editor's level and time, mistakes will inevitably appear in the book. Readers are welcome to correct me.

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