Home > Articles > Programming

This chapter is from the book

This chapter is from the book

A Waterfall Test Process

In the traditional waterfall model shown in Figure 1.2, the role of the test organization is not made explicit until the system testing and acceptance testing phases. Most of the activity of the earlier phases, such as design, coding, and unit testing, are associated primarily with the software development team. For this reason it is useful to derive a corresponding life cycle model

Table 1.1 Inputs and Outputs for the Waterfall Test Process

Activity

Inputs

Outputs

Requirements analysis

Requirements definition, requirements specification

Requirements traceability matrix

Test planning

Requirements specification, requirements trace matrix

Test plan—test strategy, test system, effort estimate and schedule

Test design

Requirements specification, requirements trace matrix, test plan

Test designs—test objectives, test input specification, test configurations

Test implementation

Software functional specification, requirements trace matrix, test plan, test designs

Test cases—test procedures and automated tests

Test debugging

"Early look" build of code, test cases, working test system

Final test cases

System testing

System test plan, requirements trace matrix, "test-ready" code build, final test cases, working test system

Test results—bug reports, test status reports, test results summary report

Acceptance testing

Acceptance test plan, requirements trace matrix, beta code build, acceptance test cases, working test system

Test results

Operations and maintenance

Repaired code, test cases to verify bugs, regression test cases, working test system

Verified bug fixes


Requirements Analysis

When analyzing software requirements, the goals of the test team and the development team are somewhat different. Both teams need a clear, unambiguous requirements specification as input to their jobs. The development team wants a complete set of requirements that can be used to generate a system functional specification, and that will allow them to design and code the software. The test team, on the other hand, needs a set of requirements that will allow them to write a test plan, develop test cases, and run their system and acceptance tests.

A very useful output of the requirement analysis phase for both development and test teams is a requirements traceability matrix. A requirements traceability matrix is a document that maps each requirement to other work products in the development process such as design components, software modules, test cases, and test results. It can be implemented in a spreadsheet, word processor table, database, or Web page. The requirements trace matrix and its role in "gluing together" the various activities of the development and test processes will be discussed in more detail in Chapter 2.

Test Planning

By test planning we mean determining the scope, approach, resources, and schedule of the intended testing activities. Efficient testing requires a substantial investment in planning, and a willingness to revise the plan dynamically to account for changes in requirements, designs, or code as bugs are uncovered. It is important that all requirements be tested or, if the requirements have been prioritized, that the highest priority requirements are tested. The requirements traceability matrix is a useful tool in the test planning phase because it can be used to estimate the scope of testing needed to cover the essential requirements.

Ideally, test planning should take into account static as well as dynamic testing, but since the waterfall test process described in Figure 1.3 and Table 1.1 is focused on dynamic testing, we'll exclude static testing for now. The activities of the test planning phase should prepare for the system test and acceptance test phases that come near the end of the waterfall, and should include:

  • Definition of what will be tested and the approach that will be used.

  • Mapping of tests to the requirements.

  • Definition of the entry and exit criteria for each phase of testing.

  • Assessment, by skill set and availability, of the people needed for the test effort.

  • Estimation of the time needed for the test effort.

  • Schedule of major milestones.

  • Definition of the test system (hardware and software) needed for testing.

  • Definition of the work products for each phase of testing.

  • An assessment of test-related risks and a plan for their mitigation.

Figure 1.3 Waterfall test process.

The work products or outputs that result from these activities can be combined in a test plan, which might consist of one or more documents. Test planning will be discussed in more detail in Chapter 3 and an example test plan will be provided in Part III.

Test Design, Implementation, and Debugging

Dynamic testing relies on running a defined set of operations on a software build and comparing the actual results to the expected results. If the expected results are obtained, the test counts as a pass; if anomalous behavior is observed, the test counts as a fail, but it may have succeeded in finding a bug. The defined set of operations that are run constitute a test case, and test cases need to be designed, written, and debugged before they can be used.

A test design consists of two components: test architecture and detailed test designs. The test architecture organizes the tests into groups such as functional tests, performance tests, security tests, and so on. It also describes the structure and naming conventions for a test repository. The detailed test designs describe the objective of each test, the equipment and data needed to conduct the test, the expected result for each test, and traces the test back to the requirement being validated by the test. There should be at least a one-to-one relationship between requirements and test designs.

Detailed test procedures can be developed from the test designs. The level of detail needed for a written test procedure depends on the skill and knowledge of the people that run the tests. There is a tradeoff between the time that it takes to write a detailed, step-by-step procedure, and the time that it takes for a person to learn to properly run the test. Even if the test is to be automated, it usually pays to spend time up front writing a detailed test procedure so that the automation engineer has an unambiguous statement of the automation task.

Once a test procedure is written, it needs to be tested against a build of the product software. Since this test is likely to be run against "buggy" code, some care will be needed when analyzing test failures to determine if the problem lies with the code or with the test.

System Test

A set of finished, debugged tests can be used in the next phase of the waterfall test process, system test. The purpose of system testing is to ensure that the software does what the customer expects it to do. There are two main types of system tests: function tests and performance tests.

Functional testing requires no knowledge of the internal workings of the software, but it does require knowledge of the system's functional requirements. It consists of a set of tests that determines if the system does what it is supposed to do from the user's perspective.

Once the basic functionality of a system is ensured, testing can turn to how well the system performs its functions. Performance testing consists of such things as stress tests, volume tests, timing tests, and recovery tests. Reliability, availability, and maintenance testing may also be included in performance testing.

In addition to function and performance tests, there are a variety of additional tests that may need to be performed during the system test phase; these include security tests, installability tests, compatibility tests, usability tests, and upgrade tests. More details on system testing will be given in Chapter 5 and in Part II.

Acceptance Test

When system testing is completed, the product can be sent to users for acceptance testing. If the users are internal to the company, the testing is usually called alpha testing. If the users are customers who are willing to work with the product before it is finished, the testing is beta testing. Both alpha and beta tests are a form of pilot tests in which the system is installed on an experimental basis for the purpose of finding bugs.

Another form of acceptance test is a benchmark test in which the customer runs a predefined set of test cases that represent typical conditions under which the system is expected to perform when placed into service. The benchmark test may consist of test cases that are written and debugged by your test organization, but which the customer has reviewed and approved. When pilot and benchmark testing is complete, the customer should tell you which requirements are not satisfied or need to be changed in order to proceed to final testing.

The final type of acceptance test is the installation test, which involves installing a completed version of the product at user sites for the purpose of obtaining customer agreement that the product meets all requirements and is ready for delivery.

Maintenance

Maintenance of a product is an often challenging task for the development team and the test team. Maintenance for the developer consists of fixing bugs that are found during customer operation and adding enhancements to product functionality to meet evolving customer requirements. For the test organization, maintenance means verifying bug fixes, testing enhanced functionality, and running regression tests on new releases of the product to ensure that previously working functionality has not been broken by the new changes.

Even though the acceptance test and maintenance activities are important, they will not be discussed in detail in this book. The basic principles of regression testing and bug verification apply well to these phases of the life cycle. For a detailed treatment of software maintenance from a testing perspective, Lewis (2000) offers a great deal of information.

InformIT Promotional Mailings & Special Offers

I would like to receive exclusive offers and hear about products from InformIT and its family of brands. I can unsubscribe at any time.

Overview


Pearson Education, Inc., 221 River Street, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030, (Pearson) presents this site to provide information about products and services that can be purchased through this site.

This privacy notice provides an overview of our commitment to privacy and describes how we collect, protect, use and share personal information collected through this site. Please note that other Pearson websites and online products and services have their own separate privacy policies.

Collection and Use of Information


To conduct business and deliver products and services, Pearson collects and uses personal information in several ways in connection with this site, including:

Questions and Inquiries

For inquiries and questions, we collect the inquiry or question, together with name, contact details (email address, phone number and mailing address) and any other additional information voluntarily submitted to us through a Contact Us form or an email. We use this information to address the inquiry and respond to the question.

Online Store

For orders and purchases placed through our online store on this site, we collect order details, name, institution name and address (if applicable), email address, phone number, shipping and billing addresses, credit/debit card information, shipping options and any instructions. We use this information to complete transactions, fulfill orders, communicate with individuals placing orders or visiting the online store, and for related purposes.

Surveys

Pearson may offer opportunities to provide feedback or participate in surveys, including surveys evaluating Pearson products, services or sites. Participation is voluntary. Pearson collects information requested in the survey questions and uses the information to evaluate, support, maintain and improve products, services or sites, develop new products and services, conduct educational research and for other purposes specified in the survey.

Contests and Drawings

Occasionally, we may sponsor a contest or drawing. Participation is optional. Pearson collects name, contact information and other information specified on the entry form for the contest or drawing to conduct the contest or drawing. Pearson may collect additional personal information from the winners of a contest or drawing in order to award the prize and for tax reporting purposes, as required by law.

Newsletters

If you have elected to receive email newsletters or promotional mailings and special offers but want to unsubscribe, simply email information@informit.com.

Service Announcements

On rare occasions it is necessary to send out a strictly service related announcement. For instance, if our service is temporarily suspended for maintenance we might send users an email. Generally, users may not opt-out of these communications, though they can deactivate their account information. However, these communications are not promotional in nature.

Customer Service

We communicate with users on a regular basis to provide requested services and in regard to issues relating to their account we reply via email or phone in accordance with the users' wishes when a user submits their information through our Contact Us form.

Other Collection and Use of Information


Application and System Logs

Pearson automatically collects log data to help ensure the delivery, availability and security of this site. Log data may include technical information about how a user or visitor connected to this site, such as browser type, type of computer/device, operating system, internet service provider and IP address. We use this information for support purposes and to monitor the health of the site, identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents and appropriately scale computing resources.

Web Analytics

Pearson may use third party web trend analytical services, including Google Analytics, to collect visitor information, such as IP addresses, browser types, referring pages, pages visited and time spent on a particular site. While these analytical services collect and report information on an anonymous basis, they may use cookies to gather web trend information. The information gathered may enable Pearson (but not the third party web trend services) to link information with application and system log data. Pearson uses this information for system administration and to identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents, appropriately scale computing resources and otherwise support and deliver this site and its services.

Cookies and Related Technologies

This site uses cookies and similar technologies to personalize content, measure traffic patterns, control security, track use and access of information on this site, and provide interest-based messages and advertising. Users can manage and block the use of cookies through their browser. Disabling or blocking certain cookies may limit the functionality of this site.

Do Not Track

This site currently does not respond to Do Not Track signals.

Security


Pearson uses appropriate physical, administrative and technical security measures to protect personal information from unauthorized access, use and disclosure.

Children


This site is not directed to children under the age of 13.

Marketing


Pearson may send or direct marketing communications to users, provided that

  • Pearson will not use personal information collected or processed as a K-12 school service provider for the purpose of directed or targeted advertising.
  • Such marketing is consistent with applicable law and Pearson's legal obligations.
  • Pearson will not knowingly direct or send marketing communications to an individual who has expressed a preference not to receive marketing.
  • Where required by applicable law, express or implied consent to marketing exists and has not been withdrawn.

Pearson may provide personal information to a third party service provider on a restricted basis to provide marketing solely on behalf of Pearson or an affiliate or customer for whom Pearson is a service provider. Marketing preferences may be changed at any time.

Correcting/Updating Personal Information


If a user's personally identifiable information changes (such as your postal address or email address), we provide a way to correct or update that user's personal data provided to us. This can be done on the Account page. If a user no longer desires our service and desires to delete his or her account, please contact us at customer-service@informit.com and we will process the deletion of a user's account.

Choice/Opt-out


Users can always make an informed choice as to whether they should proceed with certain services offered by InformIT. If you choose to remove yourself from our mailing list(s) simply visit the following page and uncheck any communication you no longer want to receive: www.informit.com/u.aspx.

Sale of Personal Information


Pearson does not rent or sell personal information in exchange for any payment of money.

While Pearson does not sell personal information, as defined in Nevada law, Nevada residents may email a request for no sale of their personal information to NevadaDesignatedRequest@pearson.com.

Supplemental Privacy Statement for California Residents


California residents should read our Supplemental privacy statement for California residents in conjunction with this Privacy Notice. The Supplemental privacy statement for California residents explains Pearson's commitment to comply with California law and applies to personal information of California residents collected in connection with this site and the Services.

Sharing and Disclosure


Pearson may disclose personal information, as follows:

  • As required by law.
  • With the consent of the individual (or their parent, if the individual is a minor)
  • In response to a subpoena, court order or legal process, to the extent permitted or required by law
  • To protect the security and safety of individuals, data, assets and systems, consistent with applicable law
  • In connection the sale, joint venture or other transfer of some or all of its company or assets, subject to the provisions of this Privacy Notice
  • To investigate or address actual or suspected fraud or other illegal activities
  • To exercise its legal rights, including enforcement of the Terms of Use for this site or another contract
  • To affiliated Pearson companies and other companies and organizations who perform work for Pearson and are obligated to protect the privacy of personal information consistent with this Privacy Notice
  • To a school, organization, company or government agency, where Pearson collects or processes the personal information in a school setting or on behalf of such organization, company or government agency.

Links


This web site contains links to other sites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of each and every web site that collects Personal Information. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this web site.

Requests and Contact


Please contact us about this Privacy Notice or if you have any requests or questions relating to the privacy of your personal information.

Changes to this Privacy Notice


We may revise this Privacy Notice through an updated posting. We will identify the effective date of the revision in the posting. Often, updates are made to provide greater clarity or to comply with changes in regulatory requirements. If the updates involve material changes to the collection, protection, use or disclosure of Personal Information, Pearson will provide notice of the change through a conspicuous notice on this site or other appropriate way. Continued use of the site after the effective date of a posted revision evidences acceptance. Please contact us if you have questions or concerns about the Privacy Notice or any objection to any revisions.

Last Update: November 17, 2020