Month: May 2012

Testing is sometimes incorrectly thought of as an after-the-fact activity; performed after programming is done for a product. Instead, testing should be performed at every development stage of the product. Test data sets must be derived and their correctness and consistency should be monitored throughout the development process. If we divide the lifecycle of software development into “Requirements Analysis”, “Design”, “Programming/Construction” and “Operation and Maintenance”, then testing should accompany each of the above phases. If testing is isolated as a single-phase late in the cycle, errors in the problem statement or design may incur exorbitant costs. Not only must the…

Corrections, modifications, and extensions are bound to occur even for small programs and testing is required every time there is a change. Testing during maintenance is termed regression testing. The test set, the test plan, and the test results for the original program should exist. Modifications must be made to accommodate the program changes, and then all portions of the program affected by the modifications must be re-tested. After regression testing is complete, the program and test documentation must be updated to reflect the changes.

Here the main testing points are: – Check the code for consistency with design – the areas to check to include modular structure, module interfaces, data structures, functions, algorithms, and I/O handling. – Perform the Testing process in an organized and systematic manner with test runs dated, annotated, and saved. A plan or schedule can be used as a checklist to help the programmer organize testing efforts. If errors are found and changes made to the program, all tests involving the erroneous segment (including those which resulted in success previously) must be rerun and recorded. – Asks some colleague for…

The design document aids in programming, communication, and error analysis, and test data generation. The requirements statement and the design document should together give the problem and the organization of the solution i.e. what the program will do and how it will be done. The design document should contain: Principal data structures. Functions, algorithms, heuristics, or special techniques used for processing. The program organization, how it will be modularized and categorized into external and internal interfaces. Any additional information. Here the testing activities should consist of: – Analysis of design to check its completeness and consistency – the total process…

The following test activities should be performed during this stage: 1.1 Invest in analysis at the beginning of the project – Having a clear, concise, and formal statement of the requirements facilitates programming, communication, error analysis, and test data generation. The requirements statement should record the following information and decisions: a. Program function – What the program must do?b. The form, format, data types, and units for input. c. The form, format, data types, and units for output. d. How exceptions, errors, and deviations are to be handled. e. For scientific computations, the numerical method or at least the required…

What Game Playing Platforms are You Familiar With? The fact that you can score well on a particular video game played on one particular system does not qualify you to be a video game tester. Video game development companies often create games for several of the most popular video game systems, as well as the current PC and Mac platforms. To be effective as a game tester, you need to be proficient in all of those platforms. What Kinds of Video Games Do You Play? This question is one that you need to be prepared for by researching the game…

WANT TO GET A JOB AS A TESTER? HERE’S HOW TO PREPARE I recommend that you have a college degree (even if it’s from an online university) before applying for a job as a tester, but it’s possible to get a testing job without one. But consider for a moment — what is your ultimate goal? If you eventually want to become a designer or producer or move up into marketing or become an executive, a college degree is definitely helpful. If you just want to be a tester (and do not have any goals beyond that), then fine, a…

A GLOSSARY OF SOME TERMS FREQUENTLY HEARD IN QA ‘A’ bug — The ‘A’ bug is the very worst kind of bug. This type of bug can be summed up thusly: “It would be an unthinkably bad disaster if the game was released with this problem unfixed.” Some examples: – the game crashes; – there is a virus in the game; – there are obvious spelling errors; – there are obvious graphical or audio problems; – a feature (in a menu or accessed by pressing a button) does not function; – there is no copyright language in the game anywhere;…

Team Leaders have a wide range of responsibilities and may be called on to complete any task that needs a group to succeed. We’ve broken the list into categories: Coaching for Team Success 1. Provide your team with the company’s vision and the objectives of all projects. 2. Create an environment oriented to open communications, creative thinking, cohesive team effort, and workplace trust. 3. Lead by example (be a role model) – make your behavior consistent with your words 4. Manage, train, and help the development of team members; help resolve any dysfunctional behavior 5. Attempt to achieve team consensus…

The below four lines would be the starting sentences of a typical project team meeting.“Is every one there?” Manager asked his team in meeting. Answer “Yes” came in asynchronously from all different voices. “Is everything fine? Anyone facing any issues in their project objectives?” This is the manager’s voice. One member raised the voice and told “I have one issue regarding the database design” ………….. And it goes on for an hour… Why am I presenting the dialogs in the first place to explain the role & responsibilities of the Project Manager? In the above conversation between PM and team,…