Software testing q as collection by ravi

Software Testing and Technical FAQs
- Ravi S

Software QA/Testing Technical FAQs
Are you a Software QA engineer or Software tester? Need to update your software QA/testing
knowledge or need to prepare for a job interview? Check out this collection of Software
QA/Testing Technical FAQs ...

Software Quality Assurance
(1) A planned and systematic pattern of all actions necessary to provide adequate confidence
that an item or product conforms to established technical requirements.
(2) A set of activities designed to evaluate the process by which products are developed or
manufactured.

What's difference between client/server and Web Application ?
Client/server based is any application architecture where one server application and one or
many client applications are involved like your mail server and MS outlook Express, it can be a
web application as well, where the Web Application is a kind of client server application that is
hosted on the web server and accessed over the internet or internet. There are lots of things
that differs between testing of the two type above and cann't be posted in one post but you can
look into the data flow, communication and server side variable like session and security etc

Software Quality Assurance Activities
 Application of Technical Methods (Employing proper methods and tools for developing
software)
 Conduct of Formal Technical Review (FTR)
 Testing of Software
 Enforcement of Standards (Customer imposed standards or management imposed
standards)
 Control of Change (Assess the need for change, document the change)
 Measurement (Software Metrics to measure the quality, quantifiable)
 Records Keeping and Recording (Documentation, reviewed, change control etc. i.e.
benefits of docs).

What's the difference between STATIC TESTING and DYNAMIC TESTING?

Answer1:
Dynamic testing: Required program to be executed
static testing: Does not involve program execution

The program is run on some test cases & results of the program’s performance are examined to
check whether the program operated as expected
E.g. Compiler task such as Syntax & type checking, symbolic execution, program proving, data
flow analysis, control flow analysis

Answer2:
Static Testing: Verification performed with out executing the system code
Dynamic Testing: Verification and validation performed by executing the system code

Software Testing
Software testing is a critical component of the software engineering process. It is an element of
software quality assurance and can be described as a process of running a program in such a
manner as to uncover any errors. This process, while seen by some as tedious, tiresome and
unnecessary, plays a vital role in software development.

Testing involves operation of a system or application under controlled conditions and evaluating
the results (eg, 'if the user is in interface A of the application while using hardware B, and does
C, then D should happen'). The controlled conditions should include both normal and abnormal
conditions. Testing should intentionally attempt to make things go wrong to determine if things
happen when they shouldn't or things don't happen when they should. It is oriented to
'detection'.

Organizations vary considerably in how they assign responsibility for QA and testing.
Sometimes they're the combined responsibility of one group or individual. Also common are
project teams that include a mix of testers and developers who work closely together, with
overall QA processes monitored by project managers. It will depend on what best fits an
organization's size and business structure.

What's difference between QA/testing
The quality assurance
process is a process for providing adequate assurance that the software products and
processes in the product life cycle conform to their specific requirements and adhere to their
established plans."
The purpose of Software Quality Assurance is to provide management with appropriate visibility
into the process being used by the software project and of the products being built

What black box testing types can you tell me about?
Black box testing is functional testing, not based on any knowledge of internal software design
or code.
Black box testing is based on requirements and functionality. Functional testing is also a black-
box type of testing geared to functional requirements of an application.
System testing is also a black box type of testing. Acceptance testing is also a black box type of
testing. Functional testing is also a black box type of testing. Closed box testing is also a black
box type of testing. Integration testing is also a black box type of testing.

What is software testing methodology?
One software testing methodology is the use a three step process of...
1. Creating a test strategy;
2. Creating a test plan/design; and
3. Executing tests. This methodology can be used and molded to your organization's needs.
Rob Davis believes that using this methodology is important in the development and ongoing
maintenance of his clients' applications.

What’s the difference between QA and testing?
TESTING means “Quality Control”; and
QUALITY CONTROL measures the quality of a product; while
QUALITY ASSURANCE measures the quality of processes used to create a quality product.

Why Testing CANNOT Ensure Quality
Testing in itself cannot ensure the quality of software. All testing can do is give you a certain
level of assurance (confidence) in the software. On its own, the only thing that testing proves is
that under specific controlled conditions, the software functioned as expected by the test cases
executed.

How to find all the Bugs during first round of Testing?
Answer1:
I understand the problems you are facing. I was involved with a web-based HR system that was
encountering the same problems. What I ended up doing was going back over a few release
cycles and analyzing the types of defects found and when (in the release cycle including the
various testing cycles) they were found. I started to notice a distinct trend in certain areas.
For each defect type, I started looking into the possibility if it could have been caught in the prior
phase (lots of things were being found in the Systems test phase that should have been caught

earlier). If so, why wasn't it caught? Could it have been caught even earlier (say via a peer
review)? If so, why not? This led me to start examining the various processes and found a
definite problem with peer reviews (not very thorough IF they were even being done) and with
the testing process (not rigorous enough). We worked with the customer and folks doing the
testing to start educating them and improving the processes. The result was the number of
defects found in the latter test stages (System test for example) were cut by over half! It was
getting harder to find problems with the product as they were discovering them earlier in the
process -- saving time & money!

Answer2:
There could be several reasons for not catching a showstopper in the first or second build/rev. A
found defect could either functionally or physiologically mask a second or third defect.
Functionally the thread or path to the second defect could have been boken or rerouted to
another path or physiologically the tester who found the first defect knows the app must go back
and be rewritten so he/she procedes halfheartedly on and misses the second one. I've seen
both cases. It is difficult to keep testing on a known defective app. The testers seem to lose
interest knowing that what effort they put in to test it, will have to be redone on the next iteration.
This will test your metal as a lead to get them to follow through and maintain a professional
attitude.

Answer3:
The best way is to prevent bugs in the first place. Also testing doesn't fix or prevent bugs. It just
provides information. Applying this information to your situation is the important part.
The other thing that you may be encountering is that testing tends to be exploratory in nature.
You have stated that these are existing bugs, but not stated whether tests already existed for
these bugs.
Bugs in early cycles inhibit exploration. Additionally, a tester's understanding of the application
and its relationships and interactions will improve with time and thus more 'interesting' bugs tend
to be found in later iterations as testers expand their exploration (ie. think of new tests).
No matter how much time you have to read through the documents and inspect artefacts,
seeing the actual application is going to trigger new thoughts, and thus introduce previously
unthought of tests. Exposure to the application will trigger new thoughts as well, thus the longer
your testing goes, the more new tests (and potential bugs) are going to be found. Iterative
development is a good way to counter this, as testers get to see something physical earlier, but
this issue will always exist to some degree as the passing of time, and exploration of the
application allow new tests to be thought of at inconvenient moments.

Is regression testing performed manually?
The answer to this question depends on the initial testing approach. If the initial testing
approach was manual testing, then the regression testing is usually performed manually.

Conversely, if the initial testing approach was automated testing, then the regression testing is
usually performed by automated testing.

How to choose which defect to remove in 1000000 defects? (because It will take too
much resources in order to remove them all.)

Answe1:
Are you the programmer who has to fix them, the project manager who has to supervise the
programmers, the change control team that decides which areas are too high risk to impact, the
stakeholder-user whose organization pays for the damage caused by the defects or the tester?
The tester does not choose which defects to fix.
The tester helps ensure that the people who do choose, make a well-informed choice.
Testers should provide data to indicate the *severity* of bugs, but the project manager or the
development team do the prioritization.
When I say "indicate the severity", I don't just mean writing S3 on a piece of paper. Test groups
often do follow-up tests to assess how serious a failure is and how broad the range of failure-
triggering conditions.
Priority depends on a wide range of factors, including code-change risk, difficulty/time to
complete the change, which stakeholders are affected by the bug, the other commitments being
handled by the person most knowledgeable about fixing a certain bug, etc. Many of these
factors are not within the knowledge of most test groups.

Answe2:
As a tester we don't fix the defects but we surely can prioritize them once detected. In our org
we assign severity level to the defects depending upon their influence on other parts of
products. If a defect doesnt allow you to go ahead and test test the product, it is critical one so it
has to be fixed ASAP. We have 5 levels as
1-critical
2-High
3-Medium
4-Low
5-Cosmetic

Dev can group all the critical ones and take them to fix before any other defect.

Answer3:
Priority/Severity P1 P2 P3
S1
S2
S3

Generally the defects are classified in aboveshown grid. Every organization / software has some
target of fixing the bugs.
Example -
P1S1 -> 90% of the bugs reported should be fixed.
P3S3 -> 5% of the bugs reported may be fixed. Rest are taken in letter service packs or
versions.

Thus the organization should decide its target and act accordingly.
Basically bugfree software is not possible.

Answer4:
Ideally, the customer should assign priorities to their requirements. They tend to resist this. On a
large, multi-year project I just completed, I would often (in the lack of customer guidelines) rely
on my knowledge of the application and the potential downstream impacts in the modeled
business process to prioritize defects.
If the customer doesn't then I fell the test organization should based on risk or other, similar
considerations.

What is Software “Quality”?
Quality software is reasonably bug-free, delivered on time and within budget, meets
requirements and/or expectations, and is maintainable.
However, quality is a subjective term. It will depend on who the ‘customer’ is and their overall
influence in the scheme of things. A wide-angle view of the ‘customers’ of a software
development project might include end-users, customer acceptance testers, customer contract
officers, customer management, the development organisation’s
management/accountants/testers/salespeople, future software maintenance engineers,
stockholders, magazine reviewers, etc. Each type of ‘customer’ will have their own view on
‘quality’ - the accounting department might define quality in terms of profits while an end-user
might define quality as user-friendly and bug-free.

What is retesting?
Answer1:
Retesting is usually equated with regression testing (see above) but it is different in that is
follows a specific fix--such as a bug fix--and is very narrow in focus (as opposed to testing entire
application again in a regression test). A product should never be released after any change has
been applied to the code, with only retesting of the bug fix, and without a regression test.

Answer2:

1. Re-testing is the testing for a specific bug after it has been fixed.(one given by your
definition).
2. Re-testing can be one which is done for a bug which was raised by QA but could not be
found or confirmed by Development and has been rejected. So QA does a re-test to make sure
the bug still exists and again assigns it back to them.
when entire project is tested & client have some doubts about the quality of testing, Re-Testing
can be called. It can also be testing the same application again for better Quality.

Answer3:
Regression Testing is, the selective retesting of a system that has been modified to ensure that
any bugs have been fixed and that no other previously working functions have failed as a result
of the reparations and that newly added features have not created problems with previous
versions of the software. Also referred to as verification testing
It is important to determine whether in a given set of circumstances a particular series of tests
has been failed. The supplier may want to submit the software for re-testing. The contract
should deal with the parameters for retests, including (1) will test program which are doomed to
failure be allowed to finish early, or must they be completed in their entirety? (2) when can, or
must, the supplier submit his software for retesting?, and (3) how many times can the supplier
fail tests and submit software for retesting ñ is this based on time spent, or the number of
attempts? A well drawn contract will grant the customer options in the event of failure of
acceptance tests, and these options may vary depending on how many attempts the supplier
has made to achieve acceptance.
So the conclusion is retesting is more or less regression testing. More appropriately retesting is
a part of regression testing.

Answer4:
Re-testing is simply executing the test plan another time. The client may request a re-test for
any reason - most likely is that the testers did not properly execute the scripts, poor
documentation of test results, or the client may not be comfortable with the results.
I've performed re-tests when the developer inserted unauthorized code changes, or did not
document changes.
Regression testing is the execution of test cases "not impacted" by the specific project. I am
currently working on testing of a system with poor system documentation (and no user
documentation) so our regression testing must be extensive.

Answer5:
* QA gets a bug fix, and has to verify that the bug is fixed. You might want to check a few things
that are a “gut feel” if you want to and get away by calling it retesting, but not the entire function
/ module / product. * Development Refuses a bug on the basis of it being “Non Reproducible”,
then retesting, preferably in the presence of the Developer, is needed.

How to establish QA Process in an organization?
1.CURRENT SITUATION
The first thing you should do is to put what you currently do in a piece of paper in some sort of a
flowchart diagram. This will allow you to analyze what is being currently done.
2.DEVELOPMENT PROCESS STAGE
Once you have the "big picture", you have to be aware of the current status of your
development project or projects. The processes you select will vary depending if you are in early
stages of developing a new application (i.e.: developing a version 1.0), or maintaining an
existing application (i.e.: working on release 6.7.1).
3. PRIORITIES
The next thing you need to do is identify the priorities of your project, for example: - Compliance
with industry standards - Validation of new functionality (new GUIs, etc) - Security - Capacity
Planning ( You should see "Effective Methods for Software Testing" for more info). Make a list of
the priorities, and then assign them values of (H)igh, (M)edium and (L)ow.
4. TESTING TYPES
Once you are aware of the priorities, focus on the High first, then Medium, and finally evaluate
whether the Low ones need immediate attention.
Based on this, you need to select those Testing Types that will provide coverage for your
priorities. Example of testing types:
- Functional Testing
- Integration Testing
- System Testing
- System-to-System Testing (for testing interfaces)
- Regression Testing
- Load Testing
- Performance Testing
- Stress Testing
Etc.

5. WRITE A TEST PLAN
Once you have determined your needs, the simplest way to document and implement your
process is to elaborate a "Test Plan" for every effort that you are engaged into (i.e.: for every
release).
For this you can use generic Test Plan templates available in the web that will help you
brainstorm and define the scope of your testing:
- Scope of Testing (defects, functionality, and what will be and will not be tested).
- Testing Types (Functional, Regression, etc).
- Responsible people
- Requirements traceability matrix (match test cases with requirements to ensure coverage)
- Defect tracking

- Test Cases
DURING AND POST-TESTING ACTIVITIES
Make sure you keep track of the completion of your testing activities, the defects found, and that
you comply with an exit criteria prior to moving to the next stage in testing (i.e. User Acceptance
Testing, then Production Release).
Make sure you have a mechanism for:
- Reporting
- Test tracking

What is software testing?
1) Software testing is a process that identifies the correctness, completenes, and quality of
software. Actually, testing cannot establish the correctness of software. It can find defects, but
cannot prove there are no defects.
2) It is a systematic analysis of the software to see whether it has performed to specified
requirements. What software testing does is to uncover errors however it does not tell us that
errors are still not present.

Any recommendation for estimation how many bugs the customer will find till gold
release?

Answer1:
If you take the total number of bugs in the application and subtract the number of bugs you
found, the difference will be the maximum number of bugs the customer can find.
Seriously, I doubt you will find any sort of calculations or formula that can answer your question
with much accuracy. If you could refernce a previous application release, it might give you a
rough idea. The best thing to do is insure your test coverage is as good as you can make it then
hope you've found the ones the customer might find.
Remember Software testing is Risk Management!

Answer2:
For doing estimation :
1.)Find out the Coverage during testing of ur software and then estimate keeping in mind 80-20
principle.
2.)You can also look at the deepening of your test cases e.g. how much unit level testing and
how much life cycle teting have you performed (Believe that most of the bugs from customer
comes due to real use of lifecycle in the software)
3.)You can also refer the defect density from earlier releases of the same product line.
by doing these evaluation you can find out the probability of bugs at an approximately optimum
estimation.

Answer3:
You can look at the customer issues mapping from previous release (If you have the same
product line) to the current release ,This is the best way of finding estimation for gold release of
migration of any product.Secondly, till gold release most of the issues comes from various
combination of installation testing like cross-platform,i18 issues,Customization,upgradation and
migration.
So ,these can be taken as a parameter and then can estimation be completed.

When the build comes to the QA team, what are the parameters to be taken for
consideration to reject the build upfront without committing for testing ?

Answer1:
Agree with R&D a set of tests that if one fails you can reject the build. I usually have some build
verification tests that just make sure the build is stable and the major functionality is working.
Then if one test fails you can reject the build.

Answer2:
The only way to legitimately reject a build is if the entrance criteria have not been met. That
means that the entrance criteria to the test phase have been defined and agreed upon up front.
This should be standard for all builds for all products. Entrance criteria could include:
- Turn-over documentation is complete
- All unit testing has been successfully completed and U/T cases are documented in turn-over
- All expected software components have been turned-over (staged)
- All walkthroughs and inspections are complete
- Change requests have been updated to correct status
- Configuration Management and build information is provided, and correct, in turn-over
The only way we could really reject a build without any testing, would be a failure of the turn-
over procedure. There may, but shouldn't be, politics involved. The only way the test phase can
proceed is for the test team to have all components required to perform successful testing. You
will have to define entrance (and exit) criteria for each phase of the SDLC. This is an effort to be
taken together by the whole development team. Developments entrance criteria would include
signed requirements, HLD doc, etc. Having this criteria pre-established sets everyone up for
success

Answer3:
The primary reason to reject a build is that it is untestable, or if the testing would be considered
invalid.
For example, suppose someone gave you a "bad build" in which several of the wrong files had
been loaded. Once you know it contains the wrong versions, most groups think there is no point

continuing testing of that build.
Every reason for rejecting a build beyond this is reached by agreement. For example, if you set
a build verification test and the program fails it, the agreement in your company might be to
reject the program from testing. Some BVTs are designed to include relatively few tests, and
those of core functionality. Failure of any of these tests might reflect fundamental instability.
However, several test groups include a lot of additional tests, and failure of these might not be
grounds for rejecting a build.
In some companies, there are firm entry criteria to testing. Many companies pay lipservice to
entry criteria but start testing the code whether the entry criteria are met or not. Neither of these
is right or wrong--it's the culture of the company. Be sure of your corporate culture before
rejecting a build.

Answer4:
Generally a company would have set some sort of minimum goals/criteria that a build needs to
satisfy - if it satisfies this - it can be accepted else it has to be rejected
For eg.
Nil - high priority bugs
2 - Medium Priority bugs
Sanity test or Minimum acceptance and Basic acceptance should pass The reasons for the new
build - say a change to a specific case - this should pass Not able to proceed - non - testability
or even some more which is in relation to the new build or the product If the above criterias don't
pass then the build could be rejected.

What is software testing?
Software testing is more than just error detection;
Testing software is operating the software under controlled conditions, to (1) verify that it
behaves “as specified”; (2) to detect errors, and (3) to validate that what has been specified is
what the user actually wanted.
Verification is the checking or testing of items, including software, for conformance and
consistency by evaluating the results against pre-specified requirements. [Verification: Are we
building the system right?]
Error Detection: Testing should intentionally attempt to make things go wrong to determine if
things happen when they shouldn’t or things don’t happen when they should.
Validation looks at the system correctness – i.e. is the process of checking that what has been
specified is what the user actually wanted. [Validation: Are we building the right system?]
In other words, validation checks to see if we are building what the customer wants/needs, and
verification checks to see if we are building that system correctly. Both verification and validation
are necessary, but different components of any testing activity.

The definition of testing according to the ANSI/IEEE 1059 standard is that testing is the process

of analysing a software item to detect the differences between existing and required conditions
(that is defects/errors/bugs) and to evaluate the features of the software item.

What is the testing lifecycle?
There is no standard, but it consists of:
Test Planning (Test Strategy, Test Plan(s), Test Bed Creation)
Test Development (Test Procedures, Test Scenarios, Test Cases)
Test Execution
Result Analysis (compare Expected to Actual results)
Defect Tracking
Reporting

How to validate data?
I assume that you are doing ETL (extract, transform, load) and cleaning. If my assumetion is
correct then
1. you are builing data warehouse/ data minning
2. you ask right question to wrong place

What is quality?
Quality software is software that is reasonably bug-free, delivered on time and within budget,
meets requirements and expectations and is maintainable. However, quality is a subjective
term. Quality depends on who the customer is and their overall influence in the scheme of
things. Customers of a software development project include end-users, customer acceptance
test engineers, testers, customer contract officers, customer management, the development
organization's management, test engineers, testers, salespeople, software engineers,
stockholders and accountants. Each type of customer will have his or her own slant on quality.
The accounting department might define quality in terms of profits, while an end-user might
define quality as user friendly and bug free.

What is Benchmark?
How it is linked with SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle)?
or SDLC and Benchmark are two unrelated things.?
What are the compoments of Benchmark?
In Software Testing where Benchmark fits in?
A Benchmark is a standard to measure against. If you benchmark an application, all future
application changes will be tested and compared against the benchmarked application.

Which of the following Statements about gernerating test cases is false?
Which of the following Statements about gernerating test cases is false?
1. Test cases may contain multiple valid conditions
2. Test cases may contain multiple invalid conditions
3. Test cases may contain both valid and invalid conditions
4. Test cases may contain more than 1 step.
5. test cases should contain Expected results.

Answer1:
all the conditions mentioned are valid and not a single condition can be stated as false.
Here i think, the condition means the input type or situation (some may call it as valid or invalid,
positive or negative)
Also a single test case can contain both the input types and then the final result can be verified
(it obviously should not bring the required result, as one of the input condition is invalid, when
the test case would be executed), this usually happens while writing secnario based test cases.
For ex. Consider web based registration form, in which input data type for some fields are
positive and for some fields it is negative (in a scenario based test case)
Above screen can be tested by generating various scenario's and combinations. The final result
can be verified against actual result and the registration should not be carried out sucessfully
(as one/some input types are invalid), when this test case is executed.
The writing of test case also depends upon the no. of descriptive fields the tester has in the test
case template. So more elaborative is the test case template, more is the ease of writing test
cases and generating scenario's. So writing of test cases totally depends on the indepth thinking
of the tester and there are no predefined or hard coded norms for writing test case.
This is according to my understanding of testing and test case writing knowledge (as for many
applications, i have written many positive and negative conditions in a single test case and
verified different scenario's by generating such test cases)

Answer2:
The answer to this question will be 3 Test cases may contain both valid and invalid conditions.
Since there is no restriction for the test case to be of multiple steps or more than one valid or
invalid conditions. But A test case whether it is feature ,unit level or end to end test case ,it can
not contain both valid and invalid condition in a unit test case.
Because if this will happen then the concept of test case for a result will be dwindled and hence
has no meaning.

What is “Quality Assurance”?
“Quality Assurance” measures the quality of processes used to create a quality product.
Software Quality Assurance (‘SQA’ or ‘QA’) is the process of monitoring and improving all

activities associated with software development, from requirements gathering, design and
reviews to coding, testing and implementation.
It involves the entire software development process - monitoring and improving the process,
making sure that any agreed-upon standards and procedures are followed, and ensuring that
problems are found and dealt with, at the earliest possible stage. Unlike testing, which is mainly
a ‘detection’ process, QA is ‘preventative’ in that it aims to ensure quality in the methods &
processes – and therefore reduce the prevalence of errors in the software.
Organisations vary considerably in how they assign responsibility for QA and testing.
Sometimes they’re the combined responsibility of one group or individual. Also common are
project teams that include a mix of testers and developers who work closely together, with
overall QA processes monitored by project managers or quality managers.

Quality Assurance and Software Development
Quality Assurance and development of a product are parallel activities. Complete QA includes
reviews of the development methods and standards, reviews of all the documentation (not just
for standardisation but for verification and clarity of the contents also). Overall Quality
Assurance processes also include code validation.
A note about quality assurance: The role of quality assurance is a superset of testing. Its
mission is to help minimise the risk of project failure. QA people aim to understand the causes
of project failure (which includes software errors as an aspect) and help the team prevent,
detect, and correct the problems. Often test teams are referred to as QA Teams, perhaps
acknowledging that testers should consider broader QA issues as well as testing.

Which things to consider to test a mobile application through black box technique?

Answer1:
Not sure how your device/server is to operate, so mold these ideas to fit your app. Some
highlights are:
Range testing: Ensure that you can reconnect when leaving and returning back into range.
Port/IP/firewall testing - change ports and ips to ensure that you can connect and disconnect.
modify the firewall to shutoff the connection.
Multiple devices - make sure that a user receives his messages with other devices connected to
the same ip/port. Your app should have a method to determine which device/user sent the
message and only return to it. Should be in the message string sent and received. Unless you
have conferencing capabilities within the application.
Cycle the power of the server and watch the mobile unit reconnect automatically.
Mobile unit sends a message and then power off the unit, when powering back on and
reconnecting, ensure that the message is returned to the mobile unit.

Answer2:
Not clearly mentioned which area of the mobile application you are testing with. Whether is it
simple SMS application or WAP application, you need to specify more details.If you are working
with WAP then you can download simulators from net and start testing over it.

What is the general testing process?
The general testing process is the creation of a test strategy (which sometimes includes the
creation of test cases), creation of a test plan/design (which usually includes test cases and test
procedures) and the execution of tests. Test data are inputs that have been devised to test the
system
Test Cases are inputs and outputs specification plus a statement of the function under the test.
Test data can be generated automatically (simulated) or real (live).

The stages in the testing process are as follows:
1. Unit testing: (Code Oriented)
Individual components are tested to ensure that they operate correctly. Each component is
tested independently, without other system components.

2. Module testing:
A module is a collection of dependent components such as an object class, an abstract data
type or some looser collection of procedures and functions. A module encapsulates related
components so it can be tested without other system modules.

3. Sub-system testing: (Integration Testing) (Design Oriented)
This phase involves testing collections of modules, which have been integrated into sub-
systems. Sub-systems may be independently designed and implemented. The most common
problems, which arise in large software systems, are sub-systems interface mismatches. The
sub-system test process should therefore concentrate on the detection of interface errors by
rigorously exercising these interfaces.

4. System testing:
The sub-systems are integrated to make up the entire system. The testing process is concerned
with finding errors that result from unanticipated interactions between sub-systems and system
components. It is also concerned with validating that the system meets its functional and non-
functional requirements.

5. Acceptance testing:
This is the final stage in the testing process before the system is accepted for operational use.
The system is tested with data supplied by the system client rather than simulated test data.
Acceptance testing may reveal errors and omissions in the systems requirements definition(

user - oriented) because real data exercises the system in different ways from the test data.
Acceptance testing may also reveal requirement problems where the system facilities do not
really meet the users needs (functional) or the system performance (non-functional) is
unacceptable.

Acceptance testing is sometimes called alpha testing. Bespoke systems are developed for a
single client. The alpha testing process continues until the system developer and the client
agrees that the delivered system is an acceptable implementation of the system requirements.
When a system is to be marketed as a software product, a testing process called beta testing is
often used.

Beta testing involves delivering a system to a number of potential customers who agree to use
that system. They report problems to the system developers. This exposes the product to real
use and detects errors that may not have been anticipated by the system builders. After this
feedback, the system is modified and either released fur further beta testing or for general sale.

What's normal practices of the QA specialists with perspective of software?
These are the normal practices of the QA specialists with perspective of software
[note: these are all QC activities, not QA activities.]
1-Desgin Review Meetings with the System Analyst and If possible should be the part in
Requirement gathering
2-Analysing the requirements and the desing and to trace the desing with respect to the
requirements
3-Test Planning
4-Test Case Identification using different techniques (With respect to the Web Based
Applciation and Desktoip Applications)
5-Test Case Writing (This part is to be assigned to the testing engineers)
6-Test Case Execution (This part is to be assigned to the testing engineers)
7-Bug Reporting (This part is to be assigned to the testing engineers)
8-Bug Review and thier Analysis so that future bus can be removed by desgining some
standards

from low-level to high level (Testing in Stages)
Except for small programs, systems should not be tested as a single unit. Large systems are
built out of sub-systems, which are built out of modules that are composed of procedures and
functions. The testing process should therefore proceed in stages where testing is carried out
incrementally in conjunction with system implementation.
The most widely used testing process consists of five stages

Unit Testing
Component
testing Module
Testing White Box Testing Techniques
Verification
(Tests that are derived from knowledge of
Sub-system (Process
the program's structure and
Integrated Testing Oriented)
implementation)
testing System
Testing
Validation Black Box Testing Techniques
Acceptance
User testing (Product (Tests are derived from the program
Testing
Oriented) specification)
However, as defects are discovered at any one stage, they require program modifications to
correct them and this may require other stages in the testing process to be repeated.
Errors in program components, say may come to light at a later stage of the testing process.
The process is therefore an iterative one with information being fed back from later stages to
earlier parts of the process.

How to test and to get the difference between two images which is in the same window?

Answer1:
How are you doing your comparison? If you are doing it manually, then you should be able to
see any major differences. If you are using an automated tool, then there is usually a
comparison facility in the tool to do that.

Answer2:
Jasper Software is an open-source utility which can be compiled into C++ and has a imgcmp
function which compares JPEG files in very good detail as long as they have the same
dimentions and number of components.

Answer3:
Rational has a comparison tool that may be used. I'm sure Mercury has the same tool.

Answer4:
The key question is whether we need a bit-by-bit exact comparison, which the current tools are
good at, or an equivalency comparison. What differences between these images are not
differences? Near-match comparison has been the subject of a lot of research in printer testing,
including an M.Sc. thesis at Florida Tech. It's a tough problem.

Testing Strategies

Strategy is a general approach rather than a method of devising particular systems for
component tests.
Different strategies may be adopted depending on the type of system to be tested and the
development process used. The testing strategies are

Top-Down Testing
Bottom - Up Testing
Thread Testing
Stress Testing
Back- to Back Testing
1. Top-down testing
Where testing starts with the most abstract component and works downwards.

2. Bottom-up testing
Where testing starts with the fundamental components and works upwards.

3. Thread testing
Which is used for systems with multiple processes where the processing of a transaction
threads its way through these processes.

4. Stress testing
Which relies on stressing the system by going beyond its specified limits and hence testing how
well the system can cope with over-load situations.

5. Back-to-back testing
Which is used when versions of a system are available. The systems are tested together and
their outputs are compared. 6. Performance testing.
This is used to test the run-time performance of software.

7. Security testing.
This attempts to verify that protection mechanisms built into system will protect it from improper
penetration.

8. Recovery testing.
This forces software to fail in a variety ways and verifies that recovery is properly performed.

Large systems are usually tested using a mixture of these strategies rather than any single
approach. Different strategies may be needed for different parts of the system and at different
stages in the testing process.

Whatever testing strategy is adopted, it is always sensible to adopt an incremental approach to
sub-system and system testing. Rather than integrate all components into a system and then
start testing, the system should be tested incrementally. Each increment should be tested
before the next increment is added to the system. This process should continue until all
modules have been incorporated into the system.

When a module is introduced at some stage in this process, tests, which were previously
unsuccessful, may now, detect defects. These defects are probably due to interactions with the
new module. The source of the problem is localized to some extent, thus simplifying defect
location and repai

Debugging
Brute force, backtracking, cause elimination.
Focuses on each module and whether it works properly.
Unit Testing Coding
Makes heavy use of white box testing
Centered on making sure that each module works with
another module.
Comprised of two kinds:
Top-down and
Integration
Design Bottom-up integration.
Testing
Or focuses on the design and construction of the
software architecture.
Makes heavy use of Black Box testing.(Either answer is
acceptable)
Validation
Analysis Ensuring conformity with requirements
Testing
Making sure that the software product works with the
Systems Systems
external environment, e.g., computer system, other
Testing Engineering
software products.
Driver and Stubs

Driver: dummy main program
Stub: dummy sub-program
This is because the modules are not yet stand-alone programs therefore drive and or stubs
have to be developed to test each unit.

When do we prepare a Test Plan?

When do we prepare a Test Plan?
[Always prepared a Test Plan for every new version or release of the product? ]

For four or five features at once, a single plan is fine. Write new test cases rather than new test
plans. Write test plans for two very different purposes. Sometimes the test plan is a product;
sometimes it's a tool.

What is boundary value analysis?
Boundary value analysis is a technique for test data selection. A test engineer chooses values
that lie along data extremes. Boundary values include maximum, minimum, just inside
boundaries, just outside boundaries, typical values, and error values. The expectation is that, if
a systems works correctly for these extreme or special values, then it will work correctly for all
values in between. An effective way to test code is to exercise it at its natural boundaries.

Boundary Value Analysis is a method of testing that complements equivalence partitioning. In
this case, data input as well as data output are tested. The rationale behind BVA is that the
errors typically occur at the boundaries of the data. The boundaries refer to the upper limit and
the lower limit of a range of values or more commonly known as the "edges" of the boundary.

Describe methods to determine if you are testing an application too much?

Answer1:
While testing, you need to keep in mind following two things always:
-- Percentage of requirements coverage
-- Number of Bugs present + Rate of fall of bugs
-- Firstly, There may be a case where requirement is covered quite adequately but number of
bugs do not fall. This indicates over testing.
--- Secondly, There may be a case where those parts of application are also being tested which
are not affected by a CHANGE or BUG FIXTURE. This is again a case of over testing.
-- Third is the case as you have suggested, with slight modification, i.e bug has sufficiently
dropped off but still testing is being at SAME levels as before.

Methods to determine if an application is being over-tested are--
1. Comparison of 'Rate of Drop in number of Bugs' & 'Effort Invested in Testing' (With all
Requirements been met) That is, if bug rate is falling (as it generally happens in all
applications), but effort invested in man hours does not fall, this implies Over testing.
2. Comparison of 'Achievment of bug rate threshold' & 'Effort Invested in Testing' (With all
Requirements been met) That is, if bug rate has already achieved the agreed-upon value with

business and still the testing efforts are being invested with no/little reduction.
3. Verifying if the 'Impact Analysis' for 'Change Requests' has been done properly and being
implemented correctly. That is, to check and verify that the components of AUT which have got
impacted by the new change are being tested only and no other unrequired component is being
tested unneccessarily. If unaffected components are being tested, this implies Over testing.

Answer2:
If the bug find rate has dropped off considerably, the test group should shift its testing strategy.
One of the key problems with heavy reliance on regression testing is that the bug find rate drops
off even though there are plenty of bugs not yet found. To find new bugs, you have to run new
tests.
Every test technique is stronger for some types of bugs and weaker for others. Many test
groups use only a few techniques. In our consulting, James Bach and I repeatedly worked with
companies that relied on only one or two main techniques.
When one technique, any one test technique, yields few bugs, shifting to new technique(s) is
likely to expose new problems.
At some point, you can use a measure that is only partially statistical -- if your bug find rate is
low AND you can't think of any new testing approaches that look promising, THEN you are at
the limit of your effectiveness and you should ship the product. That still doesn't mean that the
application is overtested. It just means that YOU'RE not going to find many new bugs.

Answer3:
Best way is to monitor the test defects over the period of time
Refer williams perry book, where he has mentioned the concept of 'under test' and 'over test', in
fact the data can be plotted to see the criteria.
Yes one of the criteria is to monitor the defect rate and see if it is almost zero second method
would be using test coverage when it reach 100% (or 100% requirement coverage)

Procedural Software Testing Issues
Software testing in the traditional sense can miss a large number of errors if used alone. That is
why processes like Software Inspections and Software Quality Assurance (SQA) have been
developed. However, even testing all by itself is very time consuming and very costly. It also ties
up resources that could be used otherwise. When combined with inspections and/or SQA or
when formalized, it also becomes a project of its own requiring analysis, design and
implementation and supportive communications infrastructure. With it interpersonal problems
arise and need managing. On the other hand, when testing is conducted by the developers, it
will most likely be very subjective. Another problem is that developers are trained to avoid
errors. As a result they may conduct tests that prove the product is working as intended (i.e.
proving there are no errors) instead of creating test cases that tend to uncover as many errors
as possible.

How do I start with testing?
Think twice (or may be more) times before you choose a career. Are you interested in it or do u
just want to jump on the bandwagon?
Prerequisite
You can join a software development company as a tester if you can convince the interviewer
1. You have a knack for breaking software
2. You are aware of basic Quality concepts and belive in them
3. You want to pursue Testing as a career and not just to try it

OO Software Testing Issues
A common way of testing OO software testing-by-poking-around (Binder, 1995). In this case the
developer's goal is to show that the product can do something useful without crashing. Attempts
are made to "break" the product. If and when it breaks, the errors are fixed and the product is
then deemed "tested".
Testing-by-poking-around method of testing OO software is, in my opinion, as unsuccessful as
random testing of procedural code or design. It leaves the finding of errors up to a chance.
Another common problem in OO testing is the idea that since a superclass has been tested, any
subclasses inheriting from it don't need to be.
This is not true because by defining a subclass we define a new context for the inherited
attributes. Because of interaction between objects, we have to design test cases to test each
new context and re-test the superclass as well to ensure proper working order of those objects.
Yet another misconception in OO is that if you do proper analysis and design (using the class
interface or specification), you don't need to test or you can just perform black-box testing only.
However, function tests only try the "normal" paths or states of the class. In order to test the
other paths or states, we need code instrumentation. Also it is often difficult to exercise
exception and error handling without examination of the source code.

What is the purpose of black box testing?

Answer1:
The main purpose of BB Testing is to validate that the application works as the user will be
operating it and in the environments of their systems. How do you do system testing and
integration testing?
You may lose time and money but you may also lose Quality and eventually Customers!

Answer2:
"What is the purpose of black box testing?"
Black-box testing checks that the user interface and user inputs and outputs all work correctly.

Part of this is that error handling must work correctly. It's used in functional and system testing.
"We do everything in white box testing: - we check each module's function in the unit testing"
Who is "we"? Are you programmers or quality assurance testers? Usually, unit testing is done
by programmers, and white-box testing would be how they'd do it.
"- once unit test result is ok, means that modules work correctly (according to the requirement
documemts)"
Not quite. It means that on a stand-alone basis, each module is okay. White box testing only
tests the internal structure of the program, the code paths. Functional testing is needed to test
how the individual components work together, and this is best done from an external
perspective, meaning by using the software the way an end user would, without reference to the
code (which is what black-box testing is).
if we doing testing again in black box will we lose time and money?"
No, the opposite: You'll lose money from having to repair errors you didn't catch with the white-
box testing if you don't do some black-box testing. It's far more expensive to fix errors after
release than to test for them and fix them early on.
But again, who is "we"? The black box testers should not be the people who did the
programming; they should be the QA team -- also some end users for the usability testing.
Now that I've said that, good programmers will run some basic black-box tests before handing
the application to QA for testing. This isn't a substitute for having QA do the tests, but it's a lot
quicker for the programmer to find and fix an error right away than to have to go through the
whole process of reporting a bug, then fixing and releasing a new build, then retesting.

How do you create a test plan/design?
Test scenarios and/or cases are prepared by reviewing functional requirements of the release
and preparing logical groups of functions that can be further broken into test procedures. Test
procedures define test conditions, data to be used for testing and expected results, including
database updates, file outputs, report results. Generally speaking...
* Test cases and scenarios are designed to represent both typical and unusual situations that
may occur in the application.
* Test engineers define unit test requirements and unit test cases. Test engineers also execute
unit test cases.
* It is the test team that, with assistance of developers and clients, develops test cases and
scenarios for integration and system testing.
* Test scenarios are executed through the use of test procedures or scripts.
* Test procedures or scripts define a series of steps necessary to perform one or more test
scenarios.
* Test procedures or scripts include the specific data that will be used for testing the process or
transaction.
* Test procedures or scripts may cover multiple test scenarios.
* Test scripts are mapped back to the requirements and traceability matrices are used to ensure

each test is within scope.
* Test data is captured and base lined, prior to testing. This data serves as the foundation for
unit and system testing and used to exercise system functionality in a controlled environment.
* Some output data is also base-lined for future comparison. Base-lined data is used to support
future application maintenance via regression testing.
* A pretest meeting is held to assess the readiness of the application and the environment and
data to be tested. A test readiness document is created to indicate the status of the entrance
criteria of the release.
Inputs for this process:
* Approved Test Strategy Document.
* Test tools, or automated test tools, if applicable.
* Previously developed scripts, if applicable.
* Test documentation problems uncovered as a result of testing.
* A good understanding of software complexity and module path coverage, derived from general
and detailed design documents, e.g. software design document, source code, and software
complexity data.
Outputs for this process:
* Approved documents of test scenarios, test cases, test conditions, and test data.
* Reports of software design issues, given to software developers for correction.

What is the purpose of a test plan?
Reason number 1: We create a test plan because preparing it helps us to think through the
efforts needed to validate the acceptability of a software product.
Reason number 2: We create a test plan because it can and will help people outside the test
group to understand the why and how of product validation.
Reason number 3: We create a test plan because, in regulated environments, we have to have
a written test plan.
Reason number 4: We create a test plan because the general testing process includes the
creation of a test plan.
Reason number 5: We create a test plan because we want a document that describes the
objectives, scope, approach and focus of the software testing effort.
Reason number 6: We create a test plan because it includes test cases, conditions, the test
environment, a list of related tasks, pass/fail criteria, and risk assessment.
Reason number 7: We create test plan because one of the outputs for creating a test strategy is
an approved and signed off test plan document.
Reason number 8: We create a test plan because the software testing methodology a three step
process, and one of the steps is the creation of a test plan.
Reason number 9: We create a test plan because we want an opportunity to review the test
plan with the project team.

Reason number 10: We create a test plan document because test plans should be documented,
so that they are repeatable.

Can we prepare Test Plan without SRS?
It is not always mandatory that you should have SRS document to prepare a Test Plan. This
kind of Documents Hierarchy is maintained to maintain Organizational standards and also to
have clear understanding of the things.
Yes you can Prepare a Test plan directly without SRS, When the Requirements are clear with
your clients,and when your URD(User Requirement Document ) is supportive enough to clarify
the issues.
Though we don't have SRS clients will be giving some information SRS only contains mainly
Product information
But we will not know the Testing effort if we don't have SRS.
SRS contains How many cycles we are testing, and on the platforms we are testing , etc.
Actually there won't be any harm in doing so, becoz, ultimately you will send your Test plan
document to your client and after getting approval from him only you start Testing.
(Note:- SRS is the document which you get in the Analysis phase of your Software
Development. Test plan is the document , which contains the details of Product interms of , Tset
strategy , Scope of testing, Types of tests to be conducted,Risk Managemnet , Mention of
Automation Tool ,About Bug tracking Tool, etc..,)

How do test plan templates look like?
The test plan document template helps to generate test plan documents that describe the
objectives, scope, approach and focus of a software testing effort. Test document templates are
often in the form of documents that are divided into sections and subsections. One example of a
template is a 4-section document where section 1 is the description of the "Test Objective",
section 2 is the the description of "Scope of Testing", section 3 is the the description of the "Test
Approach", and section 4 is the "Focus of the Testing Effort".
All documents should be written to a certain standard and template. Standards and templates
maintain document uniformity. They also help in learning where information is located, making it
easier for a user to find what they want. With standards and templates, information will not be
accidentally omitted from a document. Once Rob Davis has learned and reviewed your
standards and templates, he will use them. He will also recommend improvements and/or
additions.
A software project test plan is a document that describes the objectives, scope, approach and
focus of a software testing effort. The process of preparing a test plan is a useful way to think
through the efforts needed to validate the acceptability of a software product. The completed
document will help people outside the test group understand the why and how of product
validation.

How to Test a desktop systems ?
You will likely have to use a programming or scripting language to interact with the service
directly. You will have more control over the raw information that way.
You will have to determine what the service is supposed to do and how it is supposed to interact
with other applications and services. A data dictionary likely exists. It may not be called that
however. What this document does is explain what commands the service will respond to and
what sort of data should be sent. You will have to use this document to do your testing. Get
close to the person or people who created the document or the service and expect them to keep
you in the loop when changes take place (it doesn't help anyone if you report a defect and it's
really only reflecting an expected change in the operation of the service).
Desktop applications are generally designed to run and quit. You have to be concerned with
memory leaks and system usage.

How do you create a test strategy?
The test strategy is a formal description of how a software product will be tested. A test strategy
is developed for all levels of testing, as required. The test team analyzes the requirements,
writes the test strategy and reviews the plan with the project team. The test plan may include
test cases, conditions, the test environment, a list of related tasks, pass/fail criteria and risk
assessment.
* A description of the required hardware and software components, including test tools. This
information comes from the test environment, including test tool data.
* A description of roles and responsibilities of the resources required for the test and schedule
constraints. This information comes from man-hours and schedules.
* Testing methodology. This is based on known standards.
* Functional and technical requirements of the application. This information comes from
requirements, change request, technical and functional design documents.
* Requirements that the system can not provide, e.g. system limitations.
* An approved and signed off test strategy document, test plan, including test cases.
* Testing issues requiring resolution. Usually this requires additional negotiation at the project
management level.

How to do Estimating Testing effort ?
Time Estimation method for Testing Process
Note : folloing method is based on use case driven specification.
Step 1 : count number of use cases (NUC) of system
step 2 : Set Avg Time Test Cases(ATTC) as per test plan

step 3 : Estimate total number of test cases (NTC)
Total number of test cases = Number of usecases X Avg testcases per a use case
Step 4 : Set Avg Execution Time (AET) per a test case (idelly 15 min depends on your system)
Step 5 : Calculate Total Execution Time (TET)
TET = Total number of test cases * AET
Step 6 : Calculate Test Case Creation Time (TCCT)
useually we will take 1.5 times of TET as TCCT
TCCT = 1.5 * TET
Step 7 : Time for ReTest Case Execution (RTCE) this is for retesting
useually we take 0.5 times of TET
RTCE = 0.5 * TET
Step 8 : Set Report generation Time (RGT
usually we take 0.2 times of TET
RGT = 0.2 * TET
Step 9 : Set Test Environment Setup Time (TEST)
it also depends on test plan
Step 10 : Total Estimation time = TET + TCCT+ RTCE + RGT + TEST + some buffer...;)
Example
Total No of use cases (NUC) : 227
Average test cases per Use cases(AET) : 10
Estimated Test cases(NTC) : 227 * 10 = 2270
Time estimation execution (TET) : 2270/4 = 567.5 hr
Time for creating testcases (TCCT) : 567.5*4/3 = 756.6 hr
Time for retesting (RTCE) : 567.5/2 = 283.75 hr
Report Generation(RGT) = 100 hr
Test Environment Setup Time(TEST) = 20 hr.
-------------------
Total Hrs 1727.85 + buffer
-------------------
here 4 means Number of testcases executed per hour
i.e 15 min will take for execution of each test case

What is the purpose of test strategy?
Reason number 1: The number one reason of writing a test strategy document is to "have" a
signed, sealed, and delivered, FDA (or FAA) approved document, where the document includes
a written testing methodology, test plan, and test cases.
Reason number 2: Having a test strategy does satisfy one important step in the software testing
process.
Reason number 3: The test strategy document tells us how the software product will be tested.
Reason number 4: The creation of a test strategy document presents an opportunity to review

the test plan with the project team.
Reason number 5: The test strategy document describes the roles, responsibilities, and the
resources required for the test and schedule constraints.
Reason number 6: When we create a test strategy document, we have to put into writing any
testing issues requiring resolution (and usually this means additional negotiation at the project
management level).
Reason number 7: The test strategy is decided first, before lower level decisions are made on
the test plan, test design, and other testing issues.

What's Quality Approach document? what should be the contents and things like that...

Answer1:
you should start thinking from your company business type, and according to it define different
processes for your organization. like procurment, CM etc
Then think over different matrices you will be calculating for each process, and define them with
formula, the kind of analysis will be doing and when shall the red flag to be raised,
Decide on your audit policies frequencies etc. Think on the change control board if any process
needs modification.

Answer2:
By defining the process i mean the structured collection of practices that describe the
characteristics of the work and its quality. writting process means creating a system with which
every one will work, the benefits of it are like common language and a shared vision across
organization, its will be a frame work for prioritizing actions.
From implementation point of view first you need to break the complete life cycle of your product
in diffrent meaningful steps, and setting the goals for each phase.
you can create different document templates which every one shall follow, Define the
dependencies among different groups for each project, Define risks for each project and what is
mitigation plan for each risk. etc
You can read the CMMI model, customize that as per your organization goal. for a start up
company As per my personal opinion, its better to define and reach at the process for Level 3
First and then go for level 5.

What does a test strategy document contain?
The test strategy document contains test cases, conditions, the test environment, a list of
related tasks, pass/fail criteria and risk assessment. The test strategy document is a formal
description of how a software product will be tested. What is the test strategy document
developed for? It is developed for all levels of testing, as required. How is it written, and who

writes it? It is the test team that analyzes the requirements, writes the test strategy, and reviews
the plan with the project team.

Why Q/A should not report to development?
Based on research from the Quality Assurance Institute, the percent of quality groups in each
location is noted,
50% - reports to Senior IT Manager - This is the best positioning because it gives the Quality
Manager immediate access to the IT Manager to discuss and promote Quality issues, when the
quality manager reports elsewhere, quality issues may not be raised to the appropriate level or
receive the necessary action.
25% - reports to Manager of systems/programming
15 % reports to Manger oprerations.
10 % outside IT function.

Which of the following statements about Regression statements are true?
Which of the following statements about Regression statements are true?
1---Regression testing must consist of a fixed set of tests to create a base line
2---Regression tests should be used to detect defects in new feature
3---Regression testing can be run on every build
4--- Regression testing should be targeted areas of high risk and known code change
5---Regression testing when automated, is highly effective in preventing defects.

Answer1:
1---Regression testing must consist of a fixed set of tests to create a base line
Don't think it is true as a "must" -- it
depends on whether your regression testing style involves repeating identical tests or redoing
testing in previously tested areas with similar tests or tests that address the same risks. For
example, some people do regression testing with tests whose specific parameters are
determined randomly. They broaden the set of values they test while achieving essentially the
same testing. Second example--some regression test suites include random stringing together
of test cases (they include load testing and duration testing in their regression series, reporting
their results as part of the assessment of each build). Depending on your theory of the _point_
of regression testing, these may or may not be entirely valid regression tests.

How do you create new regression tests? Should you design new tests as standalone, or should
you develop a strategy in which the tests you use for bug-hunting are designed to be reusable
as regression tests? If the latter, and I have certainly heard some skilled testers argue that the
latter approach worked well in their sistuation, then #2 is sometimes true.

3---Regression testing can be run on every build
This is true, though it might be silly and a big waste of time.

4--- Regression testing should be targeted areas of high risk and known code change
Hmmm, there's a area of computer science called program slicing and one of the objectives of
this class of work is to figure out how to restrict the regression test suite to a smaller number of
tests, which test only those things that might have been impacted by a change. Bob Glass has
criticized the results of some of this work, but if #4 is false, some Ph.D.'s and big research
grants should be retracted.

Unit-level automated regression testing is highly effective in preventing defects--read up on test-
driven development.

Answer2:
Let me explain why I think 2 & 5 are false
Since regression tests only address existing features and functionality, it can't find defects in
new features. It can only find where existing features and functionality have been broken by
changes.

Since no tests prevent defects, they only find them, it's impossible to prevent defects with a
regression test. I will add, however, that if a developer can use an automated regression test to
test their own code before submitting it to the code repository (say in the form a series of unit
tests coupled to a library, etc.) then you could in some way prevent defects with a regression
test.

I also don't like 1- and 4. 1- since a regression test suite grows as the product does. Therefore
the tests are not fixed. 4- because a regression test tests the whole application, not just a
targeted area. In the past, I have used the concept of test depth (level 1 being the basic
regression tests--higher number reflect additional functionality) so you could run a level one
regression on the whole program but do level three on the transport layer "because we've
updated the library". T

an automated set of tests would be the most likely way to make 3- a possibility. It is unlikely that
with daily builds, as many companies run their build process, that anything short of an
automated regression test suite would be able to be run daily with any efficacy. if the builds
were weekly, then a manual regression test would be likely.

Answer3:
As per the difinition of regression testing and actual workaround if you have to have answer this
question then option 3 & 4 is the best choice among all.The reason behind it is :
3---Regression testing can be run on every build It is a normal phenomenon if there is build
coming on weekly basis or it is a RC build.Since,there is nothing mention about daily build ,only
thing mention is every build so it can be correct.
4---Regression testing should be targeted areas of high risk and known code change This is
also true in most of the situation,it is not universally true but in certain condition where there is
code change and the related modules are only tested in regression automation rather than
whole code.
5 is not true coz in regression we detect the defect not prevent normally.

How do you execute tests?
Execution of tests is completed by following the test documents in a methodical manner. As
each test procedure is performed, an entry is recorded in a test execution log to note the
execution of the procedure and whether or not the test procedure uncovered any defects.
Checkpoint meetings are held throughout the execution phase. Checkpoint meetings are held
daily, if required, to address and discuss testing issues, status and activities.
* The output from the execution of test procedures is known as test results. Test results are
evaluated by test engineers to determine whether the expected results have been obtained. All
discrepancies/anomalies are logged and discussed with the software team lead, hardware test
lead, programmers, software engineers and documented for further investigation and resolution.
Every company has a different process for logging and reporting bugs/defects uncovered during
testing.
* A pass/fail criteria is used to determine the severity of a problem, and results are recorded in a
test summary report. The severity of a problem, found during system testing, is defined in
accordance to the customer's risk assessment and recorded in their selected tracking tool.
* Proposed fixes are delivered to the testing environment, based on the severity of the problem.
Fixes are regression tested and flawless fixes are migrated to a new baseline. Following
completion of the test, members of the test team prepare a summary report. The summary
report is reviewed by the Project Manager, Software QA Manager and/or Test Team Lead.
* After a particular level of testing has been certified, it is the responsibility of the Configuration
Manager to coordinate the migration of the release software components to the next test level,
as documented in the Configuration Management Plan. The software is only migrated to the
production environment after the Project Manager's formal acceptance.
* The test team reviews test document problems identified during testing, and update
documents where appropriate.
* Approved test documents, e.g. Test Plan, Test Cases, Test Procedures.
* Test tools, including automated test tools, if applicable.

* Developed scripts.
* Changes to the design, i.e. Change Request Documents.
* Test data.
* Availability of the test team and project team.
* General and Detailed Design Documents, i.e. Requirements Document, Software Design
Document.
* A software that has been migrated to the test environment, i.e. unit tested code, via the
Configuration/Build Manager.
* Test Readiness Document.
* Document Updates.
* Log and summary of the test results. Usually this is part of the Test Report. This needs to be
approved and signed-off with revised testing deliverables.
* Changes to the code, also known as test fixes.
* Test document problems uncovered as a result of testing. Examples are Requirements
document and Design Document problems.
* Reports on software design issues, given to software developers for correction. Examples are
bug reports on code issues.
* Formal record of test incidents, usually part of problem tracking.
* Base-lined package, also known as tested source and object code, ready for migration to the
next level.

What is a requirements test matrix?
The requirements test matrix is a project management tool for tracking and managing testing
efforts, based on requirements, throughout the project's life cycle.
The requirements test matrix is a table, where requirement descriptions are put in the rows of
the table, and the descriptions of testing efforts are put in the column headers of the same
table.
The requirements test matrix is similar to the requirements traceability matrix, which is a
representation of user requirements aligned against system functionality. The requirements
traceability matrix ensures that all user requirements are addressed by the system integration
team and implemented in the system integration effort.
The requirements test matrix is a representation of user requirements aligned against system
testing. Similarly to the requirements traceability matrix, the requirements test matrix ensures
that all user requirements are addressed by the system test team and implemented in the
system testing effort.

Can you give me a requirements test matrix template?
For a requirements test matrix template, you want to visualize a simple, basic table that you
create for cross-referencing purposes.
Step 1: Find out how many requirements you have.
Step 2: Find out how many test cases you have.
Step 3: Based on these numbers, create a basic table. If you have a list of 90 requirements and
360 test cases, you want to create a table of 91 rows and 361 columns.
Step 4: Focus on the the first column of your table. One by one, copy all your 90 requirement
numbers, and paste them into rows 2 through 91 of the table.
Step 5: Now switch your attention to the the first row of the table. One by one, copy all your 360
test case numbers, and paste them into columns 2 through 361 of the table.
Step 6: Examine each of your 360 test cases, and, one by one, determine which of the 90
requirements they satisfy. If, for the sake of this example, test case number 64 satisfies
requirement number 12, then put a large "X" into cell 13-65 of your table... and then you have it;
you have just created a requirements test matrix template that you can use for cross-referencing
purposes.

What metrics are used for bug tracking?
Metrics that can be used for bug tracking include the followings: the total number of bugs, total
number of bugs that have been fixed, number of new bugs per week, and the number of fixes
per week. Metrics for bug tracking can be used to determine when to stop testing, for example,
when bug rate falls below a certain level. You CAN learn to use defect tracking software.

In QA team, everyone talks about process. What exactly they are taking about? Are there
any different type of process?

Answer1:
When you talk about "process" you are generally talking about the actions used to accomplish a
task.
Here's an example: How do you solve a jigsaw puzzle?
You start with a box full of oddly shaped pieces. In your mind you come up with a strategy for
matching two pieces together (or no strategy at all and simply grab random pieces until you find
a match), and continue on until the puzzle is completed.
If you were to describe the *way* that you go about solving the puzzle you would be describing
the process.
Some follow-up questions you might think about include things like:
- How much time did it take you to solve the puzzle?
- Do you know of any skills, tricks or practices that might help you solve the puzzle quicker?

- What if you try to solve the puzzle with someone else? Does that help you go faster, or
slower? (why or why not?) Can you have *too* many people on this one task?
- To answer your second question, I'll ask *you* the question: Are there different ways that
people can solve a jigsaw puzzle?
There are many interesting process-related questions, ideas and theories in Quality Assurance.
Generally the identification of workplace processes lead to the questions of improvement in
efficiency and productivity. The motivation behind that is to try and make the processes as
efficient as possible so as to incur the least amount of time and expense, while providing a
general sense of repeatability, visibility and predictability in the way tasks are performed and
completed.
The idea behind this is generally good, but the execution is often flawed. That is what makes
QA so interesting. You see, when you work with people and processes, it is very different than
working with the processes performed by machines. Some people in QA forget that distinction
and often become disillusioned with the whole thing.
If you always remember to approach processes in the workplace with a people-centric view, you
should do fine.

Answer2:
There is:
* Waterfall
* Spiral
* Rapid prototype
* Clean room
* Agile (XP, Scrum, ...)

What metrics are used for test report generation?
Metrics that can be used for test report generation include...
McCabe metrics: cyclomatic complexity metric (v(G)), actual complexity metric (AC), module
design complexity metric (iv(G)), essential complexity metric (ev(G)), pathological complexity
metric (pv(G)), design complexity metric (S0), integration complexity metric (S1), object
integration complexity metric (OS1), global data complexity metric (gdv(G)), data complexity
metric (DV), tested data complexity metric (TDV), data reference metric (DR), tested data
reference metric (TDR), maintenance severity metric (maint_severity), data reference severity
metric (DR_severity), data complexity severity metric (DV_severity), global data severity metric
(gdv_severity).
McCabe object-oriented software metrics: encapsulation percent public data (PCTPUB), access
to public data (PUBDATA), polymorphism percent of unoverloaded calls (PCTCALL), number of
roots (ROOTCNT), fan-in (FANIN), quality maximum v(G) (MAXV), maximum ev(G) (MAXEV),
and hierarchy quality (QUAL).
Other object-oriented software metrics: depth (DEPTH), lack of cohesion of methods (LOCM),
number of children (NOC), response for a class (RFC), weighted methods per class (WMC),

Halstead software metrics program length, program volume, program level and program
difficulty, intelligent content, programming effort, error estimate, and programming time.
Line count software metrics: lines of code, lines of comment, lines of mixed code and
comments, and lines left blank.

What is quality plan?

Answer1:
the test plan is the document created before starting the testing process, it includes that types of
testing that will be performed, high level scope of the project, the envirnmental requirements of
the testing process, what automated testing tools will be used (If available), the schedule of
each test, when it will start and end.

Answer2:
you should not only understand what a Quality Plan is, but you should understand why you're
making it. I don't beleieve that "because I was told to do so" is a good enough reason. If the
person who told you to create it can't tell you 1) what it is, and 2) how to create it, I don't think
that they actually know why it's needed. That breaks the primary rule of all plans used in testing:
We write quality plans for two very different purposes. Sometimes the quality plan is a product;
sometimes it's a tool. It's too easy, but also too expensive, to confuse these goals.
If it's not being used as a tool, don't waste your time (and your company's money) doing this.

What are the five dimensions of the Risks?
Schedule: Unrealistic schedules, exclusion of certain activities when chalking out a schedule
etc. could be deterrents to project delivery on time. Unstable communication link can be
considered as a probable risk if testing is carried out from a remote location.
Client: Ambiguous requirements definition, clarifications on issues not being readily available,
frequent changes to the requirements etc. could cause chaos during project execution.
Human Resources: Non-availability of sufficient resources with the skill level expected in the
project are not available; Attrition of resources - Appropriate training schedules must be planned
for resources to balance the knowledge level to be at par with resources quitting.
Underestimating the training effort may have an impact in the project delivery.
System Resources: Non-availability of /delay in procuring all critical computer resources either
hardware and software tools or licenses for software will have an adverse impact.
Quality: Compound factors like lack of resources along with a tight delivery schedule and
frequent changes to requirements will have an impact on the quality of the product tested.

What is good code?
A good code is code that works, is free of bugs and is readable and maintainable. Organizations
usually have coding standards all developers should adhere to, but every programmer and
software engineer has different ideas about what is best and what are too many or too few
rules. We need to keep in mind that excessive use of rules can stifle both productivity and
creativity. Peer reviews and code analysis tools can be used to check for problems and enforce
standards.

Why back-end testing is required, if we are going to check the front-end ....?
Why we need to do unit testing, if all the features are being tested in System testing.
What extra things are tested in unit testing, which can not be tested in System testing.

Answer1:
Assume that you're thinking client-server or web. If you test the application on the front end only
you can see if the data was stored and retrievd correctly. You can't see if the servers are in an
error state or not. many server processes are monitored by another process. If they crash, they
are restarted. You can't see that without looking at it.
The data may not be stored correctly either but the front end may have cached data lying
around and it will use that instead. The least you should be doing is verifying the data as stored
in the database.
It is easier to test data being transferred on the boundaries and see the results of those
transactions when you can set the data in a driver.

Answer2:
Back-End testing : Basically the requirement of this testing depends on ur project. like Say if ur
project is .Ticket booking system,Front end u will provided with an Interface , where u can book
the ticket by giving the appropriate details ( Like Place to go, and Time when u wanna go etc..).
It will have a Data storage system (Database or XL sheet etc) which is a Back end for storing
details entered by the user.
After submitting the details ,U might have provided with a correct acknowledgement.But in back
end , the details might not updated correctly in Database becoz of wrong logic development.
Then that will cause a major problem.
and regarding Unit level testing and System testing Unit level testing is for testing the basic
checks whether the application is working fyn with the basic requirements.This will be done by
developers before delivering to the QA.In System testing , In addition to the unit checks ,u will
be performing all the checks ( all possible integrated checks which required) .Basically this will
be carried out by tester

Answer3:

Ever heard about divide and conquer tactic ? It is a same method applied in backend and
frontend testing.
A good back end test will help minimize the burden of frontend test.
Another point is you can test the backend while develope the frontend. A true pararelism could
be achived.
Backend testing has another problem which must addressed before front end could use it. The
problem is concurency. Building a scenario to test concurency is formidable task.
A complex thing is hard to test. To create such scenarios will make you unsure which test you
already done and which you haven't. What we need is an effective methods to test our
application. The simplest method i know is using divide and conquer.

Answer4:
A wide range of errors are hard to see if you don't see the code. For example, there are many
optimizations in programs that treat special cases. If you don't see the special case, you don't
test the optimization. Also, a substantial portion of most programs is error handling. Most
programmers anticipate more errors than most testers.
Programmers find and fix the vast majority of their own bugs. This is cheaper, because there is
no communication overhead, faster because there is no delay from tester-reporter to
programmer, and more effective because the programmer is likely to fix what she finds, and she
is likely to know the cause of the problems she sees. Also, the rapid feedback gives the
programmer information about the weaknesses in her programming that can help her write
better code.
Many tests -- most boundary tests -- are done at the system level primarily because we don't
trust that they were done at the unit level. They are wasteful and tedious at the system level. I'd
rather see them properly done and properly automated in a suite of programmer tests.

What is the difference between verification and validation?
Verification takes place before validation, and not vice versa.
Verification evaluates documents, plans, code, requirements, and specifications. Validation, on
the other hand, evaluates the product itself.
The inputs of verification are checklists, issues lists, walkthroughs and inspection meetings,
reviews and meetings. The input of validation, on the other hand, is the actual testing of an
actual product.
The output of verification is a nearly perfect set of documents, plans, specifications, and
requirements document. The output of validation, on the other hand, is a nearly perfect, actual
product.

What is the difference between efficient and effective?
"Efficient" means having a high ratio of output to input; which means working or producing with
a minimum of waste. For example, "An efficient engine saves gas." Or, "An efficient test
engineer saves time".
"Effective", on the other hand, means producing or capable of producing an intended result, or
having a striking effect. For example, "For rapid long-distance transportation, the jet engine is
more effective than a witch's broomstick". Or, "For developing software test procedures,
engineers specializing in software testing are more effective than engineers who are
generalists".

How effective can we implement six sigma principles in a very large software services
organization?

Answer1:
Effective way of implementing sixsigma.
there are quite a few things one needs
1. management buyin
2. dedicated team both drivers as well as adopters
3. training
4. culture building - if you have a pro process culture, life is easy
5. sustained effort over a period towards transforming, people, thoughts and actions Personally
technical content is never a challenge, but adoption is a challenge.

Answer2:
"Six sigma" is a combination of process recommendations and mathematical model. The name
"six sigma" reflects the notion of reducing variation so much that errors -- events out of
tolerance -- are six standard deviations from a desired mean. The mathematics are at the core
of the process implementation.
The problem is that software is not hardware. Software defects are designed in, not the result of
manufacturing variation.
The other side of six sigma is the drive for continuous improvement. You don't need the six
sigma math for this and the concept has been around long before the six sigma movement.
To improve anything, you need some type of indicator of its current state and a way to tell that it
is improved. Plus determination to improve it. Management support helps.

Answer3:
There are different methodologies adopted in sixsigma. However, it is commonly referenced
from the variance based approach. If you are trying to look at sixsigma from that, for software
services, fundamentally the measurement system should be reliable - industry has not reached

the maturity level of manufacturing industry where it fits to a T. The differences between SW
and HW/manufacturing industry is slightly difficult to address.
There are some areas you can adopt sixsigma in its full statistical form(eg in-process error rate,
productivity improvements etc), some areas are difficult.
The narrower the problem area is, the better it gets even in software services to address
adopting the statistical method.
There are methodologies that have a bundle of tools,along with statistical techniques, are used
on the full SDLC.
A generic observation is ,SS helps if we look for proper fitment of methodology for the purpose.
Else doubts creep in.

What stage of bug fixing is the most cost effective?
Bug prevention techniques (i.e. inspections, peer design reviews, and walk-throughs) are more
cost effective than bug detection.

What is Defect Life Cycle.?

Answer1:
Defect life cycle is....different stages after a defect is identified.
New (When defect is identified)
Accepted (when Development team and QA team accepts it's a Bug)
In Progress (when a person is working to resolve the issue-defect)
Resolved (once the defect resolved)
Completed (Some one who can take up the responsibly Team lead)
Closed/reopened (Retested by TE and he will update the Status of the bug)

Answer2:
Defect Life Cycle is nothing but the various phases a Bug undergoes after it is raised or
reported.
A general Interview answer can be given as:
1. New or Opened
2. Assinged
3. Fixed
4. Tested
5. Closed.

What is the difference between a software bug and software defect?
"Software bug" is nonspecific; it means an inexplicable defect, error, flaw, mistake, failure, fault,
or unwanted behavior of a computer program. Other terms, e.g. "software defect", or "software
failure", are more specific.
While the word "bug" has been a part of engineering jargon for many-many decades; many-
many decades ago even Thomas Edison, the great inventor, wrote about a "bug" - today there
are many who believe the word "bug" is a reference to insects that caused malfunctions in early
electromechanical computers.
In software testing, the difference between "bug" and "defect" is small, and also depends on the
end client. For some clients, bug and defect are synonymous, while others believe bugs are
subsets of defects.
Difference number one: In bug reports, the defects are easier to describe.
Difference number two: In my bug reports, it is easier to write descriptions as to how to replicate
defects. In other words, defects tend to require only brief explanations.
Commonality number one: We, software test engineers, discover both bugs and defects, before
bugs and defects damage the reputation of our company.
Commonality number two: We, software QA engineers, use the software much like real users
would, to find both bugs and defects, to find ways to replicate both bugs and defects, to submit
bug reports to the developers, and to provide feedback to the developers, i.e. tell them if they've
achieved the desired level of quality.
Commonality number three: We, software QA engineers, do not differentiate between bugs and
defects. In our reports, we include both bugs and defects that are the results of software testing.

Are developers smarter than tester? Any suggestion about the future prospects and
technicality involvedin the testing job?

Answer1:
QA & Testing are thankless jobs. In a software development company developer is a core
person. As you are a fresh graduate, it would be good for you to work as a developer. From
development you can always move to testing or QA or other admin/support tasks. But from
Testing or QA it is little difficult to go back to development, though not impossible(as u are BE
comp)
Seeing the job market, it is not possible for each & every fresher to get into development. But
you can keep searching for it.
Some big company's have seperate Verifiction & Validation groups where only testing projects
are executed. Those teams have TLs, PLs who are testing experts. They earn good salary
same as development people.
In technical projects the testing team does lot of technical work. You can do certifications to
improve your technical skills & market value.

It all depends on your way of handling things & interpersonal, communication and leadership
skills. If it is difficult for you to get a job in developement or you really like testing, just go ahead.
Try to achieve excellence as a testing professional. You will never have a job problem .Also you
will always get onsite opportunities too!! Yuo might have to struggle for initial few years like all
other freshers.

Answer2:
QA and Testing are thankless only in some companies.
Testing is part of development. Rather than distinguish between testing and
development,distinguish between testing and programming.
Programming is also thankless in some companies.
Not suggesting that anyone should or should not go into testing. It depends on your skills and
interests. Some people are better at programming and worse at testing, some better at testing
and worse at programming, some are not suited for either role. You should decide what you are
good at and what fascinates you. What type of work would make you WANT to stay at work for
60-80 hours a week for a few years because it is so interesting?
Suggesting that there are excellent testing jobs out there, but there are bad ones too (in testing
and in programming, both).
Have not seen any certification in software testing that improves the technical skill of anyone.
Apparently, testing certification improves a tester's market value in some markets.
Most companies mean testing when they say "QA". Or they mean Testing plus Metrics, where
the metrics tasks are low-skill data collection and basic data analysis rather than thinking up and
justifying measurement systems appropriate to the questions at hand. In terms of skill, salary,
intellectual challenge and value to the company, testing+metrics is the same as testing. Some
companies see QA more strategically, and hire more senior people into their groups. Here is a
hint--if you can get a job in a group called QA with less than 5 years of experience, it's a testing
group or something equivalent to it.

Answer3:
Nothing is considered as great or a mean job. As long as you like and love to do, everything in
that seems to be interesting.
I started as a developer and slowly moved to Testing. I find testing to be more challenging and
interesting. I have solid 6 years of testing experience alone and many sernior people are there
in my team, who are professional testers.

Answer4:
testing is low-skill work in many companies.
Scripted testing of the kind pushed by ISEB, ISTQB, and the other certifiers is low skill, low
prestige, offers little return value to the company that pays for it, and is often pushed to offsite
contracting firms because it isn't worth doing in-house. In many cases, it is just a process of
"going through the motions" -- pretending to do testing (and spending a lot of money in the

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