Thank you for visiting the Systems Testing & Quality Assurance resource area of our website. Our aim is to help you do a better job as a software tester or QA professional in addition to providing a place for exchanging ideas. We can all learn from the joys of success of our peers. Take a look around and contact us if you have a success story, business challenge, improvements to existing articles/checklists or new contributions to share.
Instructor-led, Virtual and Blended Training
If your search today was a quest to determine training resources for Business Analyst Training; User Accepting Testing; Quality Assurance; Document and Use Case Design; Developer Testing; Reviews and Inspections; and ISTQB Certification – we can help you.
Q: How do I schedule an in-house training session?
We’ve made it as easy as possible. Complete your name and your preferred method of contact and we will contact you to discuss your objectives and step you through the process. We’ll put you on track to add power and precision to your testing practice, reduce software risk and streamline the time to market. Contact us today for your free consultation!
Consulting Services
Another area that we excel in is management awareness for the testing effort and QA process. We will engage with you in a consultative manner and by applying the shared concepts, we will help you find an additional 15% (or more) in your software development budget.
SDLC Selection and Implementation
Having the right Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) process is critical in building, buying and delivering quality software. Without this framework, there is nothing to hold all the other activities together.
Whether you are looking for agile approaches or something more structured, we can help you get the right SDLC in place and working!
Assessments
Our assessment include interviews with key staff at all levels in your organization including testers, test managers, developers, QA team, project managers, business units and senior managers, along with observations of how you actually perform tests, and a review of your existing test documentation. The goals of the assessment are:
- to build upon the strengths of your current processes and practices
- to pinpoint areas of potential test process and organizational improvement
- to align test improvement efforts with your organization’s long term strategic goals
- to produce a meaningful report which coveys details of how to show rapid improvement while sustaining long-term improvement goals
- to help secure senior management support by getting the objective recommendations of a credible testing authority
Just two or three minor changes in test practices can result in tremendous overall improvements to your testing efforts.
Document Reviews
Everyone can profit from an independent review of documents. We have reviewed many test plans, requirements documents, use case documents, etc. We can do the same for you by reviewing document content and identify gaps and strengths. If you need help with document formatting, we can provide a variety of templates you can customize and use quickly.
Test Tool Search
We have extensive experience with test tools of all types and can help find the right tool match for your organization. In addition, we can provide a buffer between you and the vendor to protect you from excessive contact. Using our tried and proven test tool evaluation process, we can save you time and money by screening the most applicable tools on the market and providing you with the finalists for your consideration. You always remain in control of the process – we do the legwork for you!
Plus…we can also provide strategic tool guidance that can also save time and money.
Test Tool Implementation and Integration
Finding and buying a test tools is just the tip of the iceberg. The hard part comes when you deploy the tool in your organization. We can help by:
- Consulting in process re-design to accommodate test tools
- Training your team in basic test automation concepts
- Mentoring your team on an ongoing basis to sustain the tool implementation effort
- Helping secure management support to sustain the tool implementation effort
Optimizing Your Testing Efforts
Often we hear people say “We do a lot of testing, but our customers still find bugs!” Our response is, “What is a ‘lot’ of testing? Time? People? Test cases?” It’s not how much testing you do, but how effective your testing is. Often, more is not better!
Here’s the good news: It’s not uncommon at all for an assessment and subsequent improvements to increase efficiency and effectiveness by 20% or more! What could your test team do with 20% more time?
We do this by:
- Eliminating redundancy in the testing processes
- Getting people (developers, testers, users, etc.) to perform their respective testing at the right time in the right way
- Adding tools in the right places for the right purposes
- Achieving reuse of test cases and scripts
- Leveraging the tester to developer ratio
Adding Value to Your Testing Efforts
In this economy of outsourcing, you need to be able to show clear and tangible ways to add value to your organization in addition to testing. We help you add value by:
- Building your team’s communication skills
- Showing how your team can perform other quality-related tasks besides just testing
- How to write meaningful and persuasive test reports that can be an asset to developers and management
- Helping you identify your team members’ passions in their jobs and plug people into those areas
- Building your team’s skills in the areas that support your organization’s goals
- Learning where your team’s strengths and weaknesses are, and knowing where best to focus your efforts
- Showing how to build and sustain your team’s credibility in your organization
Motivational Management Briefings
Sustained motivation is an individual thing that doesn’t happen from the outside. However, we can address senior management in a way that is credible and engaging to build a business case for your testing and software quality efforts. We can say the things you may be afraid to say to your management in a way that is positive and yet challenging.
With over 35 years of IT experience, building and testing systems we bring the expertise and field experience to help you test your systems better and faster. For more information on any of the above consulting opportunities, contact us today!
Resources
Checklists
– You can use these lists as part of your system specifications or testing processes. We rely on your suggestions to improve these lists and welcome your own checklist contributions. All contributed lists will be posted and made available to visitors of this site.
Software Quality Index
– – Rate your own projects, check out the results from others.
Testing & Quality Assurance presentation slides – (PDF 560K)
Do you have a programming genius on your staff? Learn the tell-tale signs and turn your genius into a blessing.
Testing without specs – (Also available as a PDF 27K)
We’ve all had to do it, but how do you minimize the pitfalls?
Unit Testing Scenario
– (PDF 81K) A sample unit test plan to help reinforce the basic concepts of
software testing.
Monty Hall’s Logic Puzzle
– This puzzle is great fun for starting a bar brawl. Will you agree with the answer? Try it on your friends.
True Tales of Testing
– Stories from the field to brighten your day.
Y2K Archives
A trip back in time – relive what all the fuss was about.
Year 2000
presentation slides – (PDF 159K)
