ECE 453 – CS 447 – SE 465

Software Testing &

Quality Assurance
Instructor
Kostas Kontogiannis

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 Welcome
• Welcome to the Software Testing and
Quality Assurance course
• Demanding, challenging and, rewarding
course
• A glimpse of what software testing in
theory and practice is all about

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 How to reach me
• Kostas Kontogiannis
– Web: www.swen.uwaterloo.ca/~kostas
– E-mail: kostas@swen.uwaterloo.ca
– Tel. (ext. 2840)
– Office hours:
• Monday 17:30 – 18:30
• DC 2539

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Software Testing

CHAPTER 1
Unit 1

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 Outline for today
Introduction
• Course description
• Software Testing, Quality Assurance,
and Evolution basics

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 Course components
• 3 lectures
– SE 465 MC 4045
• 14:30-15:20 MWF
– ECE 453 / CS 447 RCH 301
• 16:30 – 17:20 MWF
• 3 tutorials
– SE 465 MC 4045
• 15:30 – 16:20 MW
– ECE 453 / CS 447 RCH 305
• 8:00 – 8:50 W
• 1 project
– Evolution
– Testing

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 Course website
• http://www.swen.uwaterloo.ca/~kostas/ECE453-06/
• schedule
• lecture notes & slides
• recommended book
– Software Testing A Craftsman's Approach
2nd edition,
Paul C. Jorgensen,
CRC Press
• past exams
• project description
• grade allocation
• course news system

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 Project component
• Design and implement
software for an IP
Telephony application
• Groups of 4
• 30% of total grade
• Two parts:
– System Enhancements
• Requirements
• Design
• Implementation
– Testing
• Black Box
• White Box

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 Goals of this course
• Become familiar with software testing concepts
• Learn how to design and plan software testing
activities
• Experience software testing in a project that uses
several components
 Note:
– “Scratching the surface of software testing and QA”
– “Fitting you to become an amateur software tester”

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 Course outline
Unit 1: Overview of Software Testing (Chapter 1-2)
• Unit 2: Mathematics for S/W Testers (Chapters 3-4)
• Unit 3: Black Box / Functional Testing (Chapters 5-8)
• Unit 4: White Box / Structural Testing (Chapters 9-11)
• Unit 5: Integration and System Testing (Chapter 12-13)
• Unit 6: Software Reliability and Quality Assurance
Basics
• Unit 7: Software Reengineering and Evolution Basics
• Unit 8: Project Planning and Management

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 What to do as a first Task
• Visit the Web site
• Go to the Project section
– Complete Part I
• Administration
– Complete Part II
• Preparation

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 Outline for today
• Introduction
• Course description
Software testing basics

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 Software Lifecycle
• Requirements phase
• Analysis phase
• Design phase (System and Object)
• Implementation phase
• Testing phase
• Integration phase
• Maintenance phase
• Retirement
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 Software Lifecycle Activities
...and their models

Requirements System Object Implemen-

Analysis Testing
Elicitation Design Design tation

Implemented
Expressed in By
Structured By Realized By
Terms Of Verified
By

class...
class...
class... ?
class.... ?
Use Case Application Solution
Domain Subsystems Source Test
Model Domain
Objects Code Cases
Objects
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 Software Testing : Definition
“The process of devising a set of inputs to a given piece of
software that will cause the software to exercise some
portion of its code.

The developer of the software can then check that the results
produced by the software are in accord with his or her
expectations.”

www.reactive-systems.com/esda-glossary.msp
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 Software Testing : Definition
“Software testing is a process used to identify the correctness,
completeness and quality of developed computer software.

Actually, testing can never establish the correctness of

computer software, as this can only be done by formal
verification (and only when there is no mistake in the
formal verification process). It can only find defects, not
prove that there are none.”

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_testing
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 A Testing Cycle
• Although testing varies between organizations, there is a cycle to testing:

1. Requirements Analysis: Testing should begin in the requirements phase of the

software life cycle (SDLC).
2. Design Analysis: During the design phase, testers work with developers in
determining what aspects of a design are testable and under what parameter those
testers work.
3. Test Planning: Test Strategy, Test Plan(s), Test Bed creation.
4. Test Development: Test Procedures, Test Scenarios, Test Cases, Test Scripts to use
in testing software.
5. Test Execution: Testers execute the software based on the plans and tests and
report any errors found to the development team.
6. Test Reporting: Once testing is completed, testers generate metrics and make final
reports on their test effort and whether or not the software tested is ready for
release.
7. Retesting the Defects

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 Some Software Testing Objectives
• Find as many defects as possible.
• Find important problems fast.
• Assess perceived quality risks.
• Advise about perceived project risks.
• Advise about perceived quality.
• Certify to a given standard.
• Assess conformance to a specification
(requirements, design, or product claims).
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 Software Testing in RUP
Phases
Process Workflows Inception Elaboration Construction Transition

Business Modeling
Requirements
Architecture & Design
Implementation
Test
Deployment
Supporting Workflows
Configuration Mgmt
Management
Environment
Preliminary Iter. Iter. Iter. Iter. Iter. Iter. Iter.
Iteration(s) #1 #2 #n #n+1 #n+2 #m #m+1
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Iterations
 Software Testing in RUP
• RUP Testing Philosophy
– Iterative development.
– Low up-front documentation
– Holistic approach.
– Automation
• Actors and Roles
– Test Manager
– Test Analyst
– Test Designer
– Tester

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 Software Testing in XP
• The biggest difference between XP projects and most
‘traditional’ software development projects is the concept
of test-driven development.

• With XP, every chunk of code is covered by unit tests,

which must all pass all the time. The absence of unit-level
and regression bugs means that testers actually get to focus
on their job: making sure the code does what the customer
wanted.

• The acceptance tests define the level of quality the

customer has specified (and paid for!)

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 Software Testing in XP
Characteristics
Planning Every 2-3
weeks • Evolutionary development
• Collection of “12 Best
Write tests
Practices“
• Focus on working code that
Pair Programming implements customer needs
Release
+ Refactoring
(rather than documents)
• Testing is a crucial element of
Test
the process
• Focus on flexibility and
Min.
Integration efficiency of the process
daily
• Designed for small teams (<10)
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 Software Testing in XP
• Activities testers perform on XP teams.
– Negotiate quality with the customer (it’s not YOUR standard of
quality, it’s what the customer desires and is willing to pay for!)
– Clarify stories, flush out hidden assumptions
– Enable accurate estimates for both programming and testing tasks
– Make sure the acceptance tests verify the quality specified by the
customer
– Help the team automate tests
– Help the team produce testable code
– Form an integral part of the continuous feedback loop that keeps
the team on track

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Software Quality Assurance : Definition

“The function of software quality that assures that the

standards, processes, and procedures are appropriate for
the project and are correctly implemented.”

www.hq.nasa.gov/office/codeq/software/umbrella_defs.htm

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 Software process improvement
initiatives
• Capability maturity model (CMM)
– http://www.sei.cmu.edu/cmm/cmms/cmms.html
• ISO 9000-series
• ISO/IEC 15504 – Standard for Software
Process Assessment (SPICE)
– http://www-sqi.cit.gu.edu.au/spice/

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©Steven Schach 2002 [modified]
 Capability Maturity Model
• A set of strategies for improving the software
process
– SW–CMM for software
– P–CMM for human resources (“people”)
– SE–CMM for systems engineering
– IPD–CMM for integrated product development
– SA–CMM for software acquisition
• These strategies are being unified into CMMI
(capability maturity model integration)
• Developed by Software Engineering Institute
(SEI) 26
©Steven Schach 2002 [modified]
 SW–CMM
• A strategy for improving the software process
• Put forward in 1986 by the SEI
• Fundamental ideas:
– Improving the software process leads to
• Improved software quality
• Delivery on time, within budget
– Improved management leads to
• Improved techniques
• Five levels of “maturity” are defined
• Organization advances stepwise from level to
level 27
©Steven Schach 2002
 SW–CMM Summary

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©Steven Schach 2002
 Software Evolution : Definition
“A continuous change from a lesser, simpler, or worse state to
a higher or better state [for a software system]”

www.cc.gatech.edu/reverse/glossary.htm

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Software Maintenance : Definition

“Software maintenance is one of the activities in software

engineering, and is the process of enhancing, porting, and
optimizing deployed software, as well as remedying
defects”

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_maintenance

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 Average cost distribution
(1976–1981 data)

Object-Oriented and Classical Software Engineer 5th Edition, Schach (2002)

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 Summary
• Testing is an important part of the Software
Lifecycle
• Highly technical and challenging
• Is affected by the selected process
• Quality Assurance is paramount both for mission
critical and non-critical systems
• Software Evolution aims to keep systems
operational when environment changes occur

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