Managing the Testing Process: Practical Tools and Techniques for Managing Hardware and Software Testing

Managing the Testing Process: Practical Tools and Techniques for Managing Hardware and Software Testing
by Rex Black, Rex Black

Managing the Testing Process: Practical Tools and Techniques for Managing Hardware and Software Testing
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Book Summary Information

Author: Rex Black, Rex Black
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-07-19
ISBN: 0471223980
Number of pages: 528
Publisher: Wiley

Book Reviews of Managing the Testing Process: Practical Tools and Techniques for Managing Hardware and Software Testing

Book Review: Straight forward guide to test management
Summary: 5 Stars

"Managing the Testing Process" is the book that I used as a guide when I started as a tester years ago. I found that, while it focuses on the bigger picture of test management, many of the tidbits included help me to report what I do to non-testers.

It may seem simplistic to use tools like Excel or Access to capture and report information. However, I have worked at companies that didn't want to lay out any cash for testing and testing tools. But what comes installed on most corporate desktops? Excel and Access! They are tools that are easily used and readily available for capturing metrics and generating reports. Metrics and reports are the mainstay of the testing community and demonstrate to others that testing is a critical component of the software development process.

I have recently returned to using some of Rex's reports to highlight the problems that exist in my own projects. Everywhere I have worked there seems to be a common theme that producing quality software is difficult, yet Rex's methods for collecting and reporting project statistics give the most bang for the buck when dealing with people who don't want to understand technical issues or read lengthy documents on the status of a software project.

If you are just setting up a test organization, or are new to testing yourself, this book provides everything you need in order to cover the basics. I also recommend "Managing the Testing Process" to testers just getting their feet wet, even if they're not managing a test team. This book demonstrates why testing is important and gives a good "big-picture" understanding of the artifacts that a test team should be producing.

Summary of Managing the Testing Process: Practical Tools and Techniques for Managing Hardware and Software Testing

An updated edition of the best tips and tools to plan, build, and execute a structured test operation

In this update of his bestselling book, Rex Black walks you through how to develop essential tools and apply them to your test project. He helps you master the basic tools, apply the techniques to manage your resources, and give each area just the right amount of attention so that you can successfully survive managing a test project!

Offering a thorough review of the tools and resources you will need to manage both large and small projects for hardware and software, this book prepares you to adapt the concepts across a broad range of settings. Simple and effective, the tools comply with industry standards and bring you up to date with the best test management practices and tools of leading hardware and software vendors. Rex Black draws from his own numerous testing experiences-- including the bad ones, so you can learn from his mistakes-- to provide you with insightful tips in test project management. He explores such topics as:

  • Dates, budgets, and quality-expectations versus reality
  • Fitting the testing process into the overall development or maintenance process
  • How to choose and when to use test engineers and technicians, contractors and consultants, and external test labs and vendors
  • Setting up and using an effective and simple bug-tracking database
  • Following the status of each test case

The companion Web site contains fifty tools, templates, and case studies that will help you put these ideas into action--fast!


For a practical guide to software testing, readers can look to Rex Black's Managing the Testing Process, a compendium of real-world advice on managing software testing successfully. It is a veritable hodge-podge of sample test documents and is filled with recommendations from an old hand at test management.

Early sections examine the design of test plans, along with strategies for assessing and prioritizing risk as well as catching bugs through effective testing. Sample case studies include a network hardware device and a Java word processor.

Throughout this book, a variety of documents (including Excel spreadsheets and Access databases) are presented to get you started on your own testing projects. (Though reproduced here in truly microscopic print, all sample documents are included on the accompanying CD-ROM.) The book also looks at metrics for measuring the performance of your testing operation.

Managing the Testing Process shows how a bug-tracking database is the most effective model for managing the testing cycle. This book is chock-full of advice on testing management. The author also presents dozens of tips for succeeding in the software Q/A job market.

Sections on designing a lab and staffing it, including a valuable discussion on when to use consultants and when to outsource testing, provide a practical guide to today's testing management. After an introduction to working with other players in today's software organizations, a final chapter looks at managing testing across different locations.

Many developers spend time in Q/A as a stepping stone to careers in software design. And as the author points out, the job of test engineer is growing in popularity. Read this book to find out the often harsh realities of software testing along with strategies for improving the effectiveness of your software testing team. --Richard Dragan

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