CAST 2013

This tutorial teaches you how to coach software testers. In particular, it focuses on coaching testers on skill and developing a questioning mindset. 

A lot of tester training focuses on explaining definitions. It explains testing by pointing to a test methodology, or test case template. 

Experienced testers know though, that there is more to testing than this. Give two testers the same test, one tester will find great bugs while the other struggles to find anything beyond the superficial. 

This is because great testing requires great skill. Part of that skill is learning the ability to ask useful questions. 

The coaching that I do, focuses on improving skill through questioning and practice to develop a deep understanding of testing and how to perform it. 

Specifically coaching can help:

• Sharpen your reasoning


• Explain your actions while testing


• Defend your reasoning 


• Understand and deal with ambiguity


• testing concepts 

The coaching model that I use is being developed by myself and James Bach. It uses Socratic questioning to probe the students knowledge, challenging them to think deeper and through practice come to a greater understanding of what testing is as well as how to test in a better way.  

The intent is for the tester to leave coaching feeling enthusiastic about testing, with the motivation to continue self-learning. 

The tutorial will examine the coaching model. In particular we will look at the following: 

•  Socratic Questioning 


• Coaching Task 


• Managing a coaching session


• Evaluating Coaching

Testers will have the opportunity to observe, analyse and practice and steer coaching sessions throughout the day.

This workshop is suitable for experienced testers and test managers who want to learn how to coach testers either remotely or in a team environment. 

This tutorial offers ideas on how to approach testing a product from beginning to reporting using a flexible methodology.

You have just been assigned to a new testing project. What do you need to do? How can you organize yourself to develop a plan and start testing? How will you report on your progress?

This tutorial is designed to show you multiple methods of approaching new test projects that should enable you to plan, test and report effectively and efficiently. This approach was developed through much trial and error over a 5 year span as a practical implementation of the Heuristic Software Test Model from Rapid Software Testing concepts. Multiple ideas will be shown and the participants will be able to select the methods that can be directly applied or adapted to their own environments.

You will be instructed during hands-on testing of a product from the software being handed to you through to your final report. You will start by creating three raw lists (Product Coverage Outline, Potential Risks, and Test Ideas) that will help ensure high levels of product coverage and also assist, later on, in reporting your test activities. These lists will be referenced to create your initial list of test charters. The use of “advanced” test management tools (Microsoft Excel and Whiteboards with sticky notes) will be discussed and how these can be used to create useful test reports without using “bad metrics” (e.g.: pass/fail counts of test cases, % of test cases executed vs. plan).

You will be able to look forward to your next testing project with these new ideas on how to improve your preparation, your testing, and your test reporting.

Many testing organizations are in a rut. Some testers spend a lot of time completing templates generating repetitive ineffective tests while important bugs slip right by. There is little time available to test increasingly complex solutions being developed. Visual test design techniques enable testers to create powerful test cases with less effort. Visual test design is about focusing on what really matters to customers, developers and all project stakeholders

The test design approaches covered include a blend of classical test design methods using applied discrete math, a smattering of statistics and some experience based software engineering techniques. Core to all of these methods is the creation of visual images used to represent and communicate testing focus.

The course starts with using mind maps to identify test variables, and then moves on to visual models used to isolate critical test values using domain analysis, equivalence partitioning and boundary conditions. Storyboards are used to elicit and design usage scenario based tests. Control flow testing is used to isolate critical pathways to test in project workflows, data flows and even source code. Business rules are tested using simple and complex multiple variable decision tables. Transactional and embedded systems are testing with a blend of state model and state table approaches. Interdependent multiple variable testing is approached from two perspectives using Pareto charts for identifying commonly used transaction pathways and then with pairwise combinations using orthogonal arrays.

Delegates will have a chance to apply many of the methods explored in the class by designing and implementing powerful visual tests for Edgy the Lego® MindStorm robot.

Real world case studies and detailed examples help you get started right away. Rob also shows how some simple tools can help generate powerful visual test designs (blending commercial, free and open source tools).

Today's expectations for many software testers include addressing mobile and embedded devices. Unfortunately for many companies, churning out complex or critical mobile and embedded applications while keeping pace with emerging technologies is fast becoming the norm rather than the exception it was just a few years ago. Competitive pressures place a burden on software testing resources to succeed with shortened project schedules, minimal strategic planning and/or staff new to mobile and embedded software.

In the style of James Whittaker’s Books on breaking software, Jon Hagar and Jean Ann Harrison will provide specific in depth test attacks aimed at uncovering common mobile-embedded software bugs. The session provides an opportunity to gain a basic introduction to a series of attacks which are based on industry error taxonomy. Exercises to test for bugs within software on real devices will give attendees hands-on testing experience. Attacks are applicable to software systems include: mobile-smart phones, medical systems, automotive devices, avionics systems, and industrial devices.

The tutorial is hands on, so bring your mobile devices (smart phones, tablets or any mobile device). Also, we will provide some devices (robots and games) so attendees can practice some attacks. The goal of the session is to give attendees practical test attacks for use on their future mobile and embedded software projects.