QTP Tutorials & Interview Questions

Mercury QuickTest Professional : provides the industry's best solution for functional test and regression test automation - addressing every major software application and environment.

Points worth noticing about QTP (QuickTest Professional):

As QTP (QuickTest Professional) is relatively easy to use, an organization has to spend minimal time, money and effort in training its employees on QTP.
QTP allows you to do regression testing with ease on repeatedly changing applications and environments.
QTP allows sharing automated testing assets, functions, and objecting repositories enabling an organization to deliver quality products and services, and improve revenues and profitability.
QTP can be integrated with WinRunner, LoadRunner, and TestDirector.

Please keep visiting this Blog as I will be updating and expanding it at regular intervals. If you have any comments/suggestions please email me at dhall.sachin@gmail.com

SCRUM

noreply@blogger.com (sachin) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 16:36:00 +0000

Scrum is a project management technique which uses the notion of a Product Owner (secures funding, manages issues list), Development Team, and SCRUM Master which collectively plan Sprints (2 - 4 week development, documentation, and testing regimes) to complete chunks of functionality. Implicit in this methodology is that software development is inherently difficult to predict so empirical iterative rather than highly prescriptive predefined processes tend to produce better results. [Source]

Best Scrum Resources: (including videos & discussions)

The Scrum Software Development Process for Small Teams - Why Scrum?, How does Scrum work?, What happens during a sprint?, How do you plan and estimate?, Who leads the team?, What happens at the end of a sprint?, What happens during a Scrum meeting? etc.
IEEEScrum

Scrum in five minutes - Scrum – an introduction, Roles, Process, Common questions about Scrum etc.
Scrum

SCRUM - Using High Impact Teamwork To Tackle Software Development Projects An Overview of Scrum Framework, Scrum Rules, Scrum Meetings, How Scrum Generates Business Value, Challenges etc.
bettersoftware

SCRUM Development Process
Overview of SCRUM, SCRUM Methodology, Comparison of SCRUM characteristics to those of other methodologies like Waterfall, Spiral, Iterative etc., SCRUM Phases, SCRUM Controls, SCRUM Deliverables, SCRUM Project Team, SCRUM Characteristics, Advantages of the SCRUM Methodology, SCRUM Project Estimating etc.
SCRUM

Before Implementing Scrum, Consider This...
So, you want to practice Scrum? Great idea, but don't be fooled. Great ideas are rarely easy to implement. Alicia Yanik found implementing Scrum to be anything but easy. In this week's column, Alicia contests that the process is certainly worthwhile, makes sense, yet definitely is nothing close to easy to implement.
Scrum

Agile Scrum - The 30 Day Sprint and The Daily Scrum Meeting
This newsletter is one in a series of newsletters that will discuss the agile Scrum process and will end with variants of Scrum that can be used to aid in improving your software releases. It discusses best practices for the thirty day sprint.
Scrum

Agile Scrum - Understanding Scrum Rules
Many of us have experienced projects that drag on much longer than expected and cost more than planned. Companies looking to improve their software development processes are now exploring how agile can help their enterprise quickly deliver more reliable software, iteratively and with a feature set that hits that mark. While agile has different "flavors", Scrum is one process for implementing agile. This newsletter is one in a series of newsletters that will discuss the agile Scrum process and will end with variants of Scrum that can be used to aid in improving your software releases.
Scrum

What is Scrum?
What Is Scrum?, Scrum: Skeleton and Heart, Scrum: Roles, Scrum: Flow, Scrum: Artifacts etc.
SCRUM

Agile and Scrum methodologies from a testing/QA perspective
Agile software development is already beyond the innovation stage and rapidly moving through an early adoption stage. Have you noticed agile and Scrum being mentioned "everywhere" you look? This write-up will describe key agile/Scrum concepts, the different phases of an agile project managed using Scrum, and the top three things that you should expect as a QA engineer/tester professional. If your organization is looking at agile/Scrum, or you want to keep up-to-date on industry trends, read on.
SCRUM

What is Scrum?
What is Scrum, Why Scrum, Scrum Practices, Why Scrum works, Pros and Cons etc.
SCRUM

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective ScrumMasters
This article discusses seven best practices for agile ScrumMasters.
Agile ScrumMasters

How To Implement Scrum in 10 Easy Steps
Scrum in 10 Easy Steps

SCRUM
What is SCRUM?, SCRUM Values, The SCRUM Process, The SCRUM Team etc.
SCRUM

Scrum Library - Few White papers and other stuff on SCRUM.
SCRUM

What are the major benefits of scrum as a methodology?
Answer

What is the difference between Scrum and Extreme Programming?
Answer

Scrum Process Management - tips, pitfalls, ideas
Answer

How about using Scrum in fix-length/fix-priced projects?
Answer

How does Scrum work when you have multiple projects?
Answer

Best practices when using Sharepoint as a Scrum communication tool
Answer

Best Scrum Tools
Scrum Tools

Which open-source Scrum project management tool do you use?
Answer

Scrum Tools Roundup
Scrum Tools

Hamid Shojaee in Scrum in 10 Minutes
Scrum Video

Bruno Sbille and his team in Scrum applied on a real-world project
Scrum Video

Jeff Sutherland in Scrum Tuning: Lessons learned from Scrum implementation at Google
Scrum Video

RAD Questions

noreply@blogger.com (sachin) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 08:01:00 +0000

When to use RAD?

Reasonably well-known requirements.
User involved throughout the life cycle.
Project can be time-boxed.
Functionality delivered in increments.
High performance not required.
Low technical risks.
System can be modularized.
The team includes programmers and analysts who are experienced with it.
The project involves a novel ecommerce application and needs quick results.

Explain weaknesses of RAD.

Accelerated development process must give quick responses to the user.
Risk of never achieving closure.
Hard to use with legacy systems.
Requires a system that can be modularized.
Developers and customers must be committed to rapid-fire activities in an abbreviated time frame.

Explain strengths of RAD.

Reduced cycle time and improved productivity with fewer people means lower costs.
Time-box approach mitigates cost and schedule risk.
Customer involved throughout the complete cycle minimizes risk of not achieving customer satisfaction and business needs.
Focus moves from documentation to code (WYSIWYG).
Uses modeling concepts to capture information about business, data, and processes.

RAD Tools
Wikipedia - RAD Tools
Stackoverflow - RAD Tools

WHEN RAD WORKS AND WHEN IT DOESN'T
Answer

What do you consider the most rapid RAD environment for a working prototype?
Answer

Also See:
Explain RAD.

Prototyping Questions

noreply@blogger.com (sachin) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 07:19:00 +0000

Provide three examples of software development projects that would be amenable to prototyping. Name two or three applications that would be more difficult to prototype.

Software applications that are relatively easy to prototype almost always involve human-machine interaction and/or heavy computer graphics. Other applications that are sometimes amenable to prototyping are certain classes of mathematical algorithms, subset of command driven systems and other applications where results can be easily examined without real-time interaction. Applications that are difficult to prototype include control and process control systems.

Explain Structured Evolutionary Prototyping Model.

• Developers build a prototype during the requirements phase.
• Prototype is evaluated by end users.
• Users give corrective feedback.
• Developers further refine the prototype.
• When the user is satisfied, the prototype code is brought up to the standards needed for a final product.

Steps followed during Structured Evolutionary Prototyping Model.

• A preliminary project plan is developed.
• An partial high-level paper model is created.
• The model is source for a partial requirements specification.
• A prototype is built with basic and critical attributes.
• The designer builds
– the database
– user interface
– algorithmic functions
• The designer demonstrates the prototype, the user evaluates for problems and suggests improvements.
• This loop continues until the user is satisfied.

Explain strengths Structured Evolutionary Prototyping.

• Customers can "see" the system requirements as they are being gathered.
• Developers learn from customers.
• A more accurate end product.
• Unexpected requirements accommodated.
• Allows for flexible design and development.
• Steady, visible signs of progress produced.
• Interaction with the prototype stimulates awareness of additional needed functionality.

Explain weaknesses Structured Evolutionary Prototyping.

• Tendency to abandon structured program development for "code-and-fix" development.
• Bad reputation for "quick-and-dirty" methods.
• Overall maintainability may be overlooked.
• The customer may want the prototype delivered.
• Process may continue forever (scope creep).

When to useStructured Evolutionary Prototyping?

• Requirements are unstable or have to be clarified.
• As the requirements clarification stage of a waterfall model.
• Develop user interfaces.
• Short-lived demonstrations.
• New, original development.
• With the analysis and design portions of object-oriented development.

Compare Traditional SDLC with Prototyping

Document comparing Traditional SDLC with Prototyping.

Evolutionary vs Throwaway Prototyping

Difference between Evolutionary vs Throwaway Prototyping.

References:
http://www-users.cs.umn.edu/~heimdahl
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/7806897/SDLC-Models

Iterative / Incremental Methodology Questions

noreply@blogger.com (sachin) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 17:52:00 +0000

Explain Iterative Methodology.
Answer

Explain Incremental Methodology.
Answer

Basic rule of thumb:

Iterative
– Each iteration implements a subset of requirements through the test phase.
– Each iteration adds new functionality and/or refines existing functionality.

Incremental
– Each increment corresponds to a release with new functionality.
– Each increment has gone through several iterations.

Explain in your own words a distinction between the iterative and incremental life cycle models.

Iterative Methodology – Multiple passes through the process life cycle, resulting in changes to previously delivered functionality and/or new functionality.

Incremental Methodology – Delivering functionality piecemeal. Usually uses iterative development approach, but doesn't have to.

What are the strengths of incremental model?

Develop high-risk or major functions first.
Each release delivers an operational product.
Customer can respond to each build.
Uses "divide and conquer" breakdown of tasks.
Lowers initial delivery cost.
Initial product delivery is faster.
Customers get important functionality early.
Risk of changing requirements is reduced.

What are the weaknesses of incremental model?

Requires good planning and design.
Requires early definition of a complete and fully functional system to allow for the definition of increments.
Well-defined module interfaces are required (some will be developed long before others).
Total cost of the complete system is not lower.

When to use incremental model?

Risk, funding, schedule, program complexity, or need for early realization of benefits.
Most of the requirements are known up-front but are expected to evolve over time.
A need to get basic functionality to the market early.
On projects which have lengthy development schedules.
On a project with new technology.

You are currently working for a networking company that is working on optical networks, which is the hottest, fastest growing area. You are a software engineering hired to write the software to configure and test the hardware (i.e., set up and configure the new optical routers).
The software must ship with the hardware, otherwise the hardware is useless. Unfortunately, the hardware is constantly being changed and will not be finalized until a few weeks before shipping.

What process model would you use? What team organization would you use? Briefly justify your answers.

Answer: The incremental model is a definite choice here since you need to produce a working product in a very short amount of time. The basic features could be included in the first release and more advanced features added in later releases. Prototyping is not appropriate because you need to construct a real deliverable. The waterfall model is not appropriate as well given the constantly changing environment. Finally, extreme programming may be a viable alternative if you can talk to the hardware engineers frequently. However, its democratic team structure may not work well with a strict deadline.

Given the strict deadline, a controlled team organization is needed. A controlled-decentralized organization is probably best, since the technology is new and therefore problem solutions could require some originality. A democratic team organization is definitely not a good idea if you want to ship the product on time.

Which software process model best supports development of applications with successful user interfaces, and why?

Several do. The Spiral model and any incremental model do. They work because the process allows users to state their initial goals and requirements, all the developers to work ahead a bit (do an initial UI design, e.g.), and then give the users the opportunity to review and rethink what they want.

References:
http://www.apl.jhu.edu/Notes/Demasco/605704/SoftwareLifeCycles.pdf
http://www.computing.dcu.ie/~hamilton
http://www.cse.scu.edu/~atkinson
http://www.coursehero.com/file/2043196/MidtermSolutionKeydoc

Iterative Methodology

noreply@blogger.com (sachin) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 04:47:00 +0000

Explain Iterative Methodology

The basic principle of the iterative methodology is to release bigger and bigger portions of the complete project to discover problems early and make necessary adjustments when the requirements cannot be adequately defined by users. In the waterfall methodology, you go live once, and prior to that you have a period of testing when you try to fix errors. In the iterative methodology, you release a version of the system several times into production to be used by selected users. For example, say it will take eight months to build a data warehouse system; using the waterfall methodology, it is going live in month 8. If you use the iterative methodology, you will be releasing a version in months 3, 6, and 8 (three times) into production. You build the data warehouse in pieces horizontally. In each iteration, you build a piece from end to end. In other words, in each iteration you do the requirements, design, build, test, put it into production, and have the users use it. And you build all the necessary components to support that piece in production.
[Source]

Also See:
Questions on Iterative/Incremental Methodology

Spiral Model Questions

noreply@blogger.com (sachin) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:17:00 +0000

A few years ago, Sun Microsystems decided to develop and market StarOffice, a set of desktop tools that would be comparable to Microsoft’s Office suite of tools but would be targeted for UNIX rather than Windows. At that time, no other major UNIX vendor had developed or was planning to develop such a product.
What process model would you use? What team organization would you use? Briefly justify your answers.

Answer: Given the well-defined requirements and lack of constraints, the Spiral model would be the best choice. You could argue for the waterfall model, although the project is very large and an evolutionary model is probably needed. The incremental model is not needed since there is plenty of time, personnel, and money for the project.
A controlled team organization would be appropriate. The project is quite large and does not require innovation, since Microsoft has already done most of that, so a democratic team organization is not suitable. In contrast, a controlled team organization is probably necessary given the scale of the project.

What are the Strengths of Spiral model?

Spiral model provides early indication of insurmountable risks, without much cost.
Users see the system early because of rapid prototyping tools.
Critical high-risk functions are developed first.
The design does not have to be perfect.
Users can be closely tied to all lifecycle steps.
Early and frequent feedback from users.
Cumulative costs assessed frequently.

What are the weaknesses of Spiral model?

Time spent for evaluating risks too large for small or low-risk projects.
Time spent planning, resetting objectives, doing risk analysis and prototyping may be excessive.
The model is complex.
Risk assessment expertise is required.
Spiral may continue indefinitely.
Developers must be reassigned during non-development phase activities.
May be hard to define objective, verifiable milestones that indicate readiness to proceed through the next iteration.

When to use Spiral model?

When creation of a prototype is appropriate.
When costs and risk evaluation is important.
For medium to high-risk projects.
Long-term project commitment unwise because of potential changes to economic priorities.
Users are unsure of their needs.
Requirements are complex.
New product line .
Significant changes are expected (research and exploration).

What major shortcoming of the Waterfall Model does the Spiral Model address?

The Waterfall model provides no means for risk assessment and management during the life cycle.

How does the Spiral Model address the need of accurately determining the software requirements?

The Spiral Model addresses the problem of requirements engineering through the development of prototypes.

How does the Spiral Model handle the need for risk management?

The Spiral Model addresses the need for risk management by performing risk analysis and risk resolution during each spiral of the life cycle.

What are the eight management elements of the Spiral Model?

Objectives, constraints, alternatives, risks, risk resolution, results, plans, and commitment.

How many spirals does the Spiral Model contain?

The exact number of spirals necessary for a given project is flexible and depends on the number of prototypes needed to reach a satisfactory design.

How does the Spiral Model represent maintenance?

Maintenance simply becomes another spiral or phase in the life cycle of the software. Like the previous phase, the maintenance efforts undergo risk assessment to evaluate whether changes are feasible.

Explain how both the waterfall model and the prototyping model can be accommodated in the Spiral process model.

The waterfall model is accommodated where there is a low specification risk and no need for prototyping etc. for risk resolution. The activities in the 2nd quadrant of the spiral model are skipped. The prototyping model is accommodated when the specification phase is limited and the prototyping (risk resolution) phase predominates. The activities in the 3rd quadrant of the spiral model are skipped or reduced in scope.

Which software process model best supports development of applications with successful user interfaces, and why?

Several do. The Spiral Model and any incremental model do. They work because the process allows users to state their initial goals and requirements, all the developers to work ahead a bit (do an initial UI design, e.g.), and then give the users the opportunity to review and rethink what they want.

Describe three ways in which the Spiral process model is superior to the Waterfall model.

Explicit provision for risk analysis and mitigation; explicit provision for replanning of the process, in mid-stream; explicit consideration at all stages of alternative approaches; supports exploratory prototyping. Other answers are also possible.

Also See:
Explain Spiral Model

References:
http://www.cse.scu.edu/~atkinson
http://www.scribd.com/doc/19233546/Software-Development-Life-Cycle
http://courses.cs.vt.edu/csonline/SE/Questions/Spiral
http://www-users.cs.umn.edu/~heimdahl/
http://www.ics.uci.edu/~taylor

Waterfall Model Questions

noreply@blogger.com (sachin) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 15:22:00 +0000

What are the two important elements of the Waterfall Model?

Products and processes.

What are the seven products described by the Waterfall Model?

Communicated requirements, requirements specification document, design specification document, executable software modules, integrated software product, delivered software product, and changed requirements.

When is software testing performed in the Waterfall Model?

Testing is part of every phase of the Waterfall Model. Testing is not a separate phase to be performed only after the product has been constructed; it is not to be performed only at the end of each phase. Instead it is done continuously throughout the software process.

Explain the purpose of iteration in the Waterfall Model.

Iteration in the Waterfall Model reflects that fact that the products in this model are developed through progressive refinement. The iteration arrows show how the development of one product can influence the development of previous products.

Provide an example of a software project that would be amenable to the Waterfall Model.

The waterfall model is appropriate for projects with the following characteristics: (1) the problem is well understood (requirements are well-defined); (2) the delivery date is realistic; (3) it's unlikely that major changes in requirements will be requested as the project proceeds. Specific examples might be: (1) a well understood modification to an existing program; (2) a straightforward implementation of a numerical calculation or business rule, even if it's complex; (3) a constrained enhancement to an existing program

What are the situations where Waterfall Model is most appropriate?

1. Project is for development of a mainframe-based or transaction-oriented batch system.
2. Project is large, expensive, and complicated.
3. Project has clear objectives and solution.
4. Pressure does not exist for immediate implementation.
5. Project requirements can be stated unambiguously and comprehensively.
6. Project requirements are stable or unchanging during the system development life cycle.
7. User community is fully knowledgeable in the business and application.
8. Team members may be inexperienced.
9. Team composition is unstable and expected to fluctuate.
10. Project manager may not be fully experienced.
11. Resources need to be conserved.
12. Strict requirement exists for formal approvals at designated milestones.

What are the situations where Waterfall Model is Least appropriate?

1. Large projects where the requirements are not well understood or are changing for any reasons such as external changes, changing expectations, budget changes or rapidly changing technology.
2. Web Information Systems (WIS) primarily due to the pressure of implementing a WIS project quickly; the continual evolution of the project requirements; the need for experienced, flexible team members drawn from multiple disciplines; and the inability to make assumptions regarding the users’ knowledge level.
3. Real-time systems.
4. Event-driven systems.
5. Leading-edge applications.

Briefly describe at least four GOOD things about the Waterfall Model.

• Provides clear phasing of activities.
• Separates requirements from design/development
• Uses intermediate documents for communicating between the phases.
• Allows specialists to work in phases (as opposed to someone who has to work across all phases).
• It is simple.
• There is provision for cycling back to previous phases.

Describe at least two ways in which the Waterfall Model is a POOR guide to software development.

• Requires all requirements to be complete before beginning design.
• None of the benefits of the spiral model.

When is the Waterfall Model an appropriate software life cycle model to use?

The Waterfall Model works when the software requirements are well understood and the nature of the software development involves contractual agreements. The Waterfall Model is a natural fit for contract-based software development since this model is document driven, that is, many of the products such as the requirements specification and the design are documents. These documents then become the basis for the software development contract.

The waterfall model is described as a "document-driven" model, whereas the spiral model is described as a “risk-driven” model. Answer the following questions regarding these models:

(a) What determines when to progress to the next phase or iteration in each model?
Answer: In the waterfall model, we progress to the next stage when the document (requirements document, specification, design document, etc.) is completed and approved. In the spiral model, we progress to the next iteration using the results of risk analysis on the previous iteration.

(b)How are changes in requirements accommodated in each model?
Answer: In the waterfall model, a change in requirements is accommodated by going back to the previous stage or stages and regenerating the document with the appropriate change and then performing the stage or stages again. In the spiral model, a change in requirements is accommodated as the result of risk analysis in
the next iteration.

Waterfall Model Vs Agile Methodology
Waterfall Model Vs Agile - 1

Waterfall Model Vs Agile - 2

Waterfall Model Vs Agile - 3

How do you move from Waterfall model to Agile?
Answer

Waterfall or RAD
Waterfall vs. RAD: How to pick the right method for your project?

Waterfall or RAD? The application may dictate your choice. One member contends that the waterfall methodology means delayed client feedback and inflexibility. Does that make RAD a better approach? Project management expert Tom Mochal says your choice of methodology will often depend on the type of application.

Waterfall Vs Iterative Models
Waterfall vs. Iterative Models

Waterfall versus iterative development misconceptions

The Difference Between Waterfall, Iterative Waterfall, Scrum and Lean Software Development (In Pictures!)

Waterfall Vs Spiral Model
Waterfall Vs Spiral Model - 1

Waterfall Vs Spiral Model - 2

Waterfall Vs Spiral Model - 3

Waterfall Vs Spiral Model - 4 (a)
Waterfall Vs Spiral Model - 4 (b)
Waterfall Vs Spiral Model - 4 (c)
Waterfall Vs Spiral Model - 4 (d)
Waterfall Vs Spiral Model - 4 (e)

Waterfall Vs Incremental
Waterfall Vs Incremental - 1

Waterfall Vs Incremental - 2

What are the problems with Waterfall Model?
problems with Waterfall Model

Why would someone use waterfall over some form of agile with all of the research backing agile? What are strong arguments for using waterfall over agile?
Answer

Successful projects using the Waterfall model?
Answer

Also See:
Explain Waterfall Model

References:
http://courses.cs.vt.edu/csonline/SE/Questions/Waterfall/index.html
http://cs.scu.edu.cn/~liudongquan
http://www.ics.uci.edu/~taylor/
http://courses.cs.vt.edu/csonline/SE/Questions/Spiral/index.html
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/SystemLifecycleFramework/Downloads/SelectingDevelopmentApproach.pdf

Testing Multiple Choice Questions

noreply@blogger.com (sachin) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 17:55:00 +0000

Testing Multiple Choice Questions-10

noreply@blogger.com (sachin) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 04:51:00 +0000

SDLC Process Models Multiple Choice Questions

1
The Prototyping/Incremental model of development reduces total expected post-deployment error correction costs.

A) True
B) False

2
A process model for software engineering is chosen based on the ........

A) nature of the project and application
B) the methods and tools to be used
C) the controls and deliverables that are required
D) All of above

3
RAD takes advantage of automated tools and techniques to restructure the process of building information systems.

A) Waterfall
B) RAD
C) Incremental
D) None

4
Sometimes called the ......, the linear sequential model suggests a systematic, sequential approach to software development that begins at the system level and progresses through analysis, design, coding, testing, and support.

A) classic life cycle
B) the waterfall model
C) Incremental
D) Both A & B

5
Evolutionary process model resembles iterative enhancement model.

A) True
B) False

6
When your customer has a legitimate need but is clueless about the details, develop a ....... as a first step

A) dummy
B) Incremental model
C) prototype
D) All of above

7
Rapid application development (RAD) is an incremental software development process
model that emphasizes an extremely long development cycle.

A) True
B) False

8
The development of a prototype might involve extra cost, but overall cost might turnout to be lower than that of an equivalent system developed using the waterfall model.

A) True
B) False

9
The ........ combines elements of the linear sequential model (applied repetitively) with the iterative philosophy of prototyping.

A) sequential model
B) Incremental model
C) prototype model
D) RAD model

10
A spiral model is divided into a number of framework activities, also called ...... regions.

A) task
B) work
C) model
D) frame

11
The goal is to identify risk and focus on it early.

A) RAD
B) Spiral
C) Incremental
D) Sequential

Answers

1) a, 2) d, 3) b, 4) d, 5) a, 6) c, 7) b, 8) a, 9) b, 10) a, 11) b

Testing Multiple Choice Questions-9

noreply@blogger.com (sachin) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 04:45:00 +0000

Unit Testing Multiple Choice Questions

1
The goal of unit testing is to isolate each part of the program and show that the individual parts are correctly.

A) True
B) False

2
When software is developed using a test-driven approach, the unit test may take the place of ...... Each unit test can be seen as a design element specifying classes, methods, and observable behavior.

A) informal design
B) formal design
C) unique design
D) both A & B

3
Unit testing is commonly automated, but cannot still be performed manually.

A) True
B) False

4
To ensure testing robustness and simplify maintenance, tests should never rely on other tests nor should they depend on the ordering in which tests are executed.

A) True
B) False

5
Select all unit testing frameworks

A) ASUnit
B) ASPUnit
C) FCTX
D) MinUnit
E) All of above

6
Unit tests should be written without explicit knowledge of the environment context in which they are executed so that they can be run anywhere at anytime.

A) True
B) False

7
As a consequence, unit testing is traditionally a motivator for programmers to create .... and ....... code bodies. This practice promotes healthy habits in software development.

A) uncoupled, uncohesive
B) decoupled, cohesive
C) decohesive, coupled
D) uncoupled, cohesive

8
The most common approach to unit testing requires drivers and stubs to be written.

A) True
B) False

9
The exact scope of a unit is left to interpretation. Supporting test code, sometimes called ......, may be necessary to support an individual test.

A) Conjucture
B) RemUnit
C) scaffolding
D) All of above

10
Internal and unit testing can be automated with the help of ....... tools.

A) Testing
B) coverage
C) scaffolding
D) None

Answers

1) a, 2) b, 3) b, 4) a, 5) e, 6) a, 7) b, 8) a, 9) c, 10) b

Testing Multiple Choice Questions-8

noreply@blogger.com (sachin) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 04:41:00 +0000

Requirements Multiple Choice Questions

1
The prime objective of the requirements definition process is to achieve agreement on what is to be produced.

A) True
B) False

2
......is a complete listing of everything the customer wants to achieve. ........restates the requirements as a specification of how the proposed system shall behave.

A) Requirements specification, Requirements definition
B) Requirements definition, Requirements specification
C) Requirements document, Requirements specification
D) Requirements definition, Requirements felicitation

3
Different techniques for requirements elicitation and analysis are

A) Brainstorming
B) Interviewing
C) Stories
D) Viewpoint
E) All of above

4
Requirements must be checked for:

A) Validity
B) traceability
C) realism
D) verifiability
E) All of above

5
........ concerned with the relationships between requirements (dependencies), their sources and the system design.

A) Requirements management
B) Requirements view
C) Requirements traceability
D) All of above

6
.............. deals with the process of managing changes in the requirements during the requirements engineering process and system development.

A) Requirements management
B) Requirements view
C) Requirements traceability
D) Requirements document

7
Software requirements change, but the impact of change varies with the time at which it is introduced.

A) True
B) False

8
It is not difficult for the customer to state all requirements explicitly.

A) True
B) False

9
A system engineer works to understand system requirements by working with the ....

A) customer
B) future users
C) stakeholders
D) All of above

10
Requirements engineering provides the appropriate mechanism for

A) understanding what the customer wants,
B) analyzing need,
C) assessing feasibility,
D) negotiating a reasonable solution,
E) specifying the solution unambiguously, validating the specification

Answers

1) a, 2) b, 3) e, 4) e, 5) c, 6) a, 7) a, 8) b, 9) d, 10) a,b,c,d,e

Testing Multiple Choice Questions-7

noreply@blogger.com (sachin) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 04:36:00 +0000

Debugging Multiple Choice Questions

1
Debugging is a two-step process that begins when you find an error as a result of a successful test case. Step 1 is the determination of the exact nature and location of the suspected error within the program. Step 2 consists of .......

A) viewing the error
B) locating the error
C) fixing the error
D) filing the error

2
Debugging schemes includes ......

A) Brute Force
B) Induction
C) Deduction
D) Backtracking
E) Testing

3
....... establishes the existence of errors. ......... locates and corrects the errors.

A) DEBUGGING, TESTING
B) TESTING, DEBUGGING
C) Testing, Verifying
D) Testing, Validation

4
....... take memory dumps, do run-time tracing, put print statements everywhere, you will be swamped with data!!

A) Brute force
B) Induction
C) Backtracking
D) Testing

5
........ Begin at the point where the symptom occurs…… trace backwards step by step, by hand, Only feasible for small programs

A) Brute force
B) Induction
C) Backtracking
D) Testing

6
........ uses deduction to list all possible causes devise tests to eliminate them one by one
(try to find the simplest input that shows the symptom)
A) Brute force
B) Induction
C) Deduction
D) Cause elimination

7
The biggest problem with the brute-force methods is that they ignore the most powerful debugging tool in existence, a well trained and disciplined human brain.

A) True
B) False

8
Testing and subsequent debugging can account for ......... of software development effort.

A) 5-10 percent
B) 10-20 percent
C) 30-40 percent
D) 80-90 percent

9
Debugging occurs as a consequence of unsuccessful testing.

A) True
B) False

10
.......... is a fairly common debugging approach that can be used successfully in small programs.(the simplest input that shows the symptom)

A) Brute force
B) Induction
C) Backtracking
D) Cause elimination

Answers

1) c, 2) a,b,c,d,e 3) b, 4) a, 5) c, 6) d, 7) a, 8) c, 9) b, 10) c

Testing Multiple Choice Questions-6

noreply@blogger.com (sachin) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 04:31:00 +0000

Testing SCM/SCI Multiple Choice Questions
1
SCM activities are developed to

A) identify change,
B) control change,
C) ensure that change is being properly implemented,
D) report changes to others who may have an interest.
E) All of above

2
All SCM systems provide the following essential features:

A) Concurrency Management
B) Versioning
C) Synchronization
D) Collaboration

3
When SCM is properly implemented then every work product can be

A) created
B) controlled
C) accounted for,
D) traced,
E) demystified

4
SCM constitutes good engineering practice for ......

A) phased development
B) rapid prototyping
C) ongoing maintenance
D) All of above

5
A ........ is a software configuration management concept that helps us to control change without seriously impeding justifiable change.

A) CaseLine
B) ProLine
C) Baseline
D) All of above

6
........ combines procedures and tools to manage different versions of configuration objects that are created during the software process.

A) SCI control
B) Configuration control
C) Version control
D) Change Control

7
.......... combines human procedures and automated tools to provide a mechanism for the control of change.

A) SCI control
B) Configuration control
C) Version control
D) Change Control

8
The ......... is an SQA activity that helps to ensure that quality is maintained as changes are made.

A) SCI audit
B) configure audit
C) mgmnt audit
D) configuration audit

9
SCM Best Practices

A) Organize and integrate consistent sets of versions using activities.
B) Maintain stable and consistent workspaces.
C) Support concurrent changes to artifacts and components.
D) Integrate early and often.
E) A, B and D
F) All of Above

10
...... are organized to form configuration objects that may be cataloged in the project database with a single name.

A) VCIs
B) SCIs
C) MCIs
D) DCIs

Answers

1) e, 2) a,b,c 3) b,c,d 4) d, 5) c, 6) c, 7) d, 8) d, 9) f, 10) b

Testing Multiple Choice Questions-5

noreply@blogger.com (sachin) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 04:21:00 +0000

Testing Metrics Multiple Choice Questions

1
.......is possibly the most widely used metric for program size.

A) FP
B) CC
C) LOC
D) VV

2
Defect Density is ......

A) no. of defects in a software product / .5 x size of product
B) no. of defects in a software product / total size of product
C) no. of defects in a software product / Half size of product
D) no. of defects in a software product / Complexity of product

3
A line of code is any line of program text that is not a comment or a blank line, regardless of the number of statements or fragments of statements on the line. This specifically includes all lines containing .........

A) program headers
B) declarations
C) executable statements
D) non-executable statements
E) all of above

4
....... The activities involved in identifying defects or potential defects and preventing them from being introduced into a product.

A) debugging
B) defect prevention
C) catching defects
D) bug tracking

5
........ is the number of defects that are outstanding and unresolved at one point in time with respect to the number of defects arriving.

A) Defect log
B) Defect tracking
C) Defect density
D) Defect backlog

6
Test case effectiveness is ........

A) (Faults found by test cases / Total number of faults reported)*1000%
B) (Faults found by test cases / Total number of faults reported)*100%
C) (Faults found by test cases / Faults found by test cases + Total number of faults reported)*100%
D) (Faults found by test cases / Faults found by Use cases + Total number of faults reported)*100%

7
Defect spoilage is calculated as

A) Spoilage = Sum of (Number of Defects x defect %age) / Total number of defects
B) Spoilage = Sum of (Number of Defects + defect age) / Total number of defects
C) Spoilage = Sum of (Number of Defects _ defect age) / Total number of defects
D) Spoilage = Sum of (Number of Defects x defect age) / Total number of defects

8
Metrics usually fall into a few categories: ..........

A) project management (which includes process efficiency)
B) process improvement
C) Variation Matrices
D) Validation matrices

9
......... is the accumulated difference between defect arrivals and defects that were closed.

A) Defect accumulated
B) Defect Density
C) Defect backlog
D) Defect per module

10
Metrics are used as a tool for process improvement and to identify where improvement efforts should be concentrated and measure the effects of process improvement efforts.

A) True
B) False

Answers

1) c, 2) b, 3) e, 4) b, 5) d, 6) b, 7) d, 8) a,b, 9) c, 10) a

Testing Multiple Choice Questions-4

noreply@blogger.com (sachin) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 04:15:00 +0000

Verification & Validation Multiple Choice Questions

1
"if a user presses a request button at floor i, an available elevator must arrive at floor i soon" can be ....... but not .......

A) validated, verified
B) verified, validated

2
A major justification for an early verification activity is that many costly errors are made before coding begins.

A) True
B) False

3
Identify the verification activities done during Requirements phase of SDLC:

A) Determine verification approach
B) Determine adequacy of requirements
C) Generate functional test data
D) Determine consistency of design with requirements
E) All of above

4
The most common approach for verification for output of the design is ........

A) design meeting
B) design review meeting
C) design review
D) design formal method

5
It should be pointed out that inspection is a general verification approach that can be applied for detecting defects in any document.

A) True
B) False

6
Unit testing is essentially for verification of the code produced by individual programmers, and is typically done by the ....... of the module.

A) Tester
B) Programmer
C) Manager
D) Team Lead

7
When conducting functional tests, you’ll be using ...... techniques almost exclusively.

A) Formal
B) Both validation & verificaiton
C) Verification
D) validation

8
An SRS provides a reference for validation of the final product.

A) True
B) False

9
The basic objective of the requirements validation activity is to ..... A related objective is to .......

A) ensure that the SRS reflects the actual requirements accurately and clearly, check that the SRS document is itself of good quality.
B) check that the SRS document is itself of good quality, ensure that the SRS reflects the actual requirements accurately and clearly.

10
..... a software system means to check if the needs that a user of the system has will be met. ..... is an internal quality process to determine compliance with a specification.

A) Verification, Validating
B) Validating, Verification

Answers

1) a, 2) a, 3) e, 4) c, 5) a, 6) b, 7) d, 8) a, 9) a, 10) b

Testing Multiple Choice Questions-3

noreply@blogger.com (sachin) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 04:07:00 +0000

Testing Review Multiple Choice Questions

1
In static unit testing, code is reviewed by applying techniques commonly known as .........

A) inspection
B) walkthrough
C) Checklist
D) Technical reviews
E) Both A & B

2
A main focus of reviews and other static tests is ........

A) to carry out testing as early as possible
B) finding and fixing defects more cheaply
C) preventing defects from appearing at later stages of this project
D) To help remove the need of testing altogether

3
Regardless of whether a review is called an inspection or a walkthrough, it is a systematic approach to examining source code in detail.

A) True
B) False

4
....... It is a review where the author leads the team through a manual or simulated execution of the product using predefined scenarios.

A) inspection
B) walkthrough
C) Checklist
D) Technical reviews
E) Simple reviews

5
........ A series of probing questions designed to review a predetermined area or function.

A) Plan List
B) Meeting List
C) Checklist
D) Minutes

6
........ reviews: Reviews conducted during the systems development process, normally in accordance with systems development methodology. The primary objective of design reviews is to ensure compliance to the design methodology.

A) Technical
B) Process
C) Design
D) Requirements
E) Peer

7
............ review. A review process that uses peers to review that aspect of the systems development life cycle with which they are most familiar. Typically, the ...... review offers compliance to standards, procedures, guidelines, and the use of good practices, as opposed to efficiency, effectiveness, and economy of the design and implementation.

A) Technical
B) Process
C) Design
D) Requirements
E) Peer

8
Technical reviews are more ........ that is, they aim to remove defects as soon as possible.

A) Descriptive
B) Preventive
C) Subjective
D) Objective

9
........... - Developer reviews code for accuracy.

A) Technical check
B) Process Check
C) Design Check
D) Requirements Check
E) Desk checking

10
The two major quality assurance verification approaches for each life cycle phase are ..........

A) Technical check
B) technical reviews
C) Design Check
D) Requirements Check
E) Desk checking
F) software testing

11
An inspection process is characterized by:

A) Roles (who are the inspectors?)
B) Process (how do the inspectors organize their work?)
C) Reading techniques (how are artifacts examined?)
D) Both A & B
E) both B & c
F) A, B, C

12
Inspection technique was developed by

A) Michael E. Fagan
B) Bezier
C) Carlos Inpection
D) None of above

Answers

1) e, 2) a,b,c 3) a, 4) b, 5) c, 6) c, 7) e, 8) b, 9) e, 10) b,f 11) f 12) a

Testing Multiple Choice Questions-2

noreply@blogger.com (sachin) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 04:00:00 +0000

White-box Testing Multiple Choice Questions:

White-box testing - A type of testing in which you examine the internal structure of a program. [The Art of Software Testing]

1
The testing technique that requires preparing test cases to exercise the internal logic of a software module is .......

A) behavioral software testing
B) black-box testing
C) grey-box testing
D) white-box testing

2
Test case designing white box stratagies include

A) Statement coverage
B) Decision coverage
C) Condition coverage
D) Decision-condition coverage
E) Multiple-condition coverage
F) All of above

3
White-box testing techniques are useful when testing Website architecture.

A) True
B) False

4
White-box testing, sometimes called glass-box testing is a test case design method that uses the ...... structure of the procedural design to derive test cases.

A) behavior
B) Control
C) Ariel
D) None of the above

5
........ A white-box criterion in which one writes enough test cases that each condition in a decision takes on all possible outcomes at least once.

A) statement coverage
B) decision coverage
C) condition coverage
D) All of above

6
Using white-box testing methods, the software engineer can derive test cases that
(1) guarantee that all independent paths within a module have been exercised at least once,
(2) exercise all logical decisions on their true and false sides,
(3) execute all loops at their boundaries and within their operational bounds, and
(4) exercise internal data structures to ensure their validity

A) 1
B) 1, 2
C) 1, 2, 3
D) 1, 2, 3, 4

7
White-box testing is concerned with the degree to which test cases exercise or cover the logic (source code) of the program.

A) True
B) False

8
Which one of the below is not a White Box Testing techniques ?

A) Decision Coverage
B) Condition Coverage
C) Multiple Decision Coverage
D) Multiple Condition Coverage

9
Which of the below statements about the component testing standard is not true:

A) white box measurement techniques all have an associated test design technique
B) white box design techniques all have an associated measurement technique
C) cyclomatic complexity is not a test measurement technique
D) black box measurement techniques all have an associated test design technique
E) black box design techniques all have an associated measurement technique

10
Which of the below is NOT a white box testing technique?

A) Statement testing
B) Path testing
C) Data flow testing
D) State transition testing

Answers

1) d, 2) f, 3) a, 4) b, 5) c, 6) d, 7) a, 8) c, 9) e, 10) d

Testing Multiple Choice Questions-1

noreply@blogger.com (sachin) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 03:52:00 +0000

Black-box Testing Multiple Choice Questions:

Black-box testing - A testing approach whereby the program is considered as a complete entity and the internal structure is ignored. Test data are derived solely from the application’s specification. [The Art of Software Testing]

1
With black box testing, the software tester does not (or should not) have access to the source code itself.

A) True
B) False

2
......... testing comes under black box testing.

A) Unit
B) Functional
C) System
D) Both B & C

3
Black box testing attempts to find errors in the external behavior of the code in the following categories.......

A) incorrect or missing functionality
B) interface errors
C) errors in data structures used by interface
D) behavior or performance errors
E) initialization and termination errors
F) All of above

4
It is best if the person who plans and executes black box tests is not the programmer of the code and does not know anything about the structure of the code.

A) True
B) False

5
The four specification-based or black-box techniques are:

A) Control flow graph
B) boundary value analysis
C) decision tables
D) state transition testing
E) equivalence partitioning

6
Which of the below could be used to evaluate the coverage achieved for specification-based (black-box) test techniques?

1 Decision outcomes tables
2 Partitions exercised
3 Boundaries exercised
4 State transitions tables
5 Statements exercised

A) 1,2,4 or 5
B) 2,3 or 5
C) 1,3 or 5
D) 2, 3, 4 or 5

7
What kind of errors are neglected by black-box testing and can be uncovered by white-box testing ?

A) behavioral errors
B) logic errors
C) performance errors
D) typographical errors
E) Synonymous errors
F) both b and d

8
You can develop a reasonably rigorous test by using certain black-box-oriented test-case-design methodologies

A) Equivalence partitioning
B) Boundary-value analysis
C) Cause-effect graphing
D) Error guessing
E) Statement coverage
F) Decision coverage

9
These two properties, although they appear to be similar, describe two distinct considerations. The first implies that each test case should invoke as many different input considerations as possible to minimize the total number of test cases necessary. The second implies that you should try to partition the input domain of a program into a finite number of equivalence classes such that you can reasonably assume (but, of course, not be absolutely sure) that a test of a representative value of each class is equivalent to a test of any other value.These two considerations form a black-box methodology known as ..........

A) Boundary Value Analysis
B) Equivalence Partitioning
C) Error Guessing
D) Cookie Testing

10
Except when used on small programs, function testing is normally a black-box activity.

A) True
B) False

11
Black-box testing tries to look for errors in which of the following categories

A) incorrect or missing functions
B) interface errors
C) performance errors
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

12
Use-cases can provide useful input into the design of black-box tests of OO software.

A) True
B) False

13
Gray-box testing is a combination of .........

A) Back and white-box testing
B) Black- and white-box testing
C) black- and integration testing
D) None of above

14
While creating unit test cases, ..... are created and documented to validate the unit logic and ..... to test the unit against the specifications

A) White-box test cases, black-box test cases
B) black-box test cases, White-box test cases
C) black-box test cases, black-box test cases
D) None of Above

15
........is a testing technique that requires devising test cases to demonstrate that each program function is operational.

A) black-box testing
B) glass-box testing
C) grey-box testing
D) white-box testing

Answers

1) a, 2) d, 3) f, 4) a, 5) b,c,d,e, 6) b, 7) f, 8) a,b,c,d, 9) b, 10) a, 11) d, 12) a, 13) b, 14) a, 15) a

Function Points Calculation Templates

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin Dhall) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:13:00 +0000

Function Point Counting Template - 1
Function Point Analysis

Function Point Counting Template - 2
Function Point Analysis

Function Point Counting Template - 3
Function Point Analysis

Function Point Counting Template - 4
Function Point Analysis

Function Point Counting Template - 5
Function Point Analysis

Also See:
Explain Function Point Analysis

Verification & Validation Questions

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin Dhall) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:05:00 +0000

When Do Verification and Validation Start and End?

Verification and Validation start as soon as we decide to build a software product, or even before. Even when the project is "complete," the software will continue to evolve and adapt to new conditions, such as a new version of the underlying database, or new requirements. Verification and validation activities continue through each small or large change to the system. [Software Testing and Analysis by Michal Young]

Give examples of Verification & Validation?

Unverifiable (but validatable) specification: if a user presses a request button at floor i, an available elevator must arrive at floor i "SOON"....

elevator response Verifiable specification: if a user presses a request button at floor i, an available elevator must arrive at floor i within "30 SECONDS"...

Verification and Validation Example

Requirement R:
"Reverse thrust shall only be enabled when the aircraft is moving on the runway".

Domain Properties D:
Wheel pulses on, if and only if wheels turning.
Wheels turning, if and only if moving on runway.

Specification S:
Reverse thrust enabled if and only if wheel pulses on.

Verification
Does the flight software, P, running on the aircraft flight computer, C, correctly implement S?
Does S, in the context of assumptions D, satisfy R?

Validation
Are our assumptions, D, about the domain correct? Did we miss any?
Are the requirements, R, what is really needed? Did we miss any?
[Source]

Discuss the difference between Verification and Validation, and explain why validation is a particularly difficult process.

See the difference between verification & validation here and here and diagrammatic difference below:

Verification compares the product with the specifications.
Validation confirms that the End User is satisfied.

Verification is the process of evaluating a system/component to determine whether the products of a given development phase satisfy the conditions imposed at the start of that phase. (IEEE/ANSI)

Validation is the process of evaluating a system/component during or at the end of the development process to determine whether it satisfies specified requirements. (IEEE/ANSI)

Unfortunately, customers are often not sure of exactly what they want and need, so it may be completely possible to build a system that does not do everything the customer expects that it should. In software engineering, validating a software might be harder since client’s expectation may be blurred or unclear. Clients may use adjective for their expectation which may result in confusion or misunderstanding.

What are the objectives of Verification & Validation?

Software verification & validation determines that the software performs its intended functions correctly and also ensures that the software performs no unintended functions. In short the discovery of defects in a system.

Software verification & validation measure and assess the quality and reliability of software. The assessment of whether or not the system is useful and usable in an operational situation.

Explain Verification activities during life cycle.

The Structured Approach to Testing
Life Cycle Phase	Verification Activities
Requirements	• Determine verification approach • Determine adequacy of requirements • Generate functional Test Data • Determine consistency of design with requirements
Design	• Determine adequacy of design • Generate structural and functional test data • Determine consistency with design
Program (Build/constructi on)	• Determine adequacy of implementation • Generate structural and functional test data for programs
Test	• Test application system
Installation	• Place Tested system into production
Maintenance	• Modify and retest

[Source]

Where exactly Verification and Validation occurs in SDLC?

Verification & Validation activities during SDLC:

[Source]

Explain Independent Verification & Validation?

Independent verification and validation is utilized when the nature of the application is so critical that extra assurance of functionality and performance is required. IV & V activities include analysis and testing in order to assess the software's quality and to ascertain if the critical, i.e., high risk, requirements are achieved in the software. Although the IV & V activities are similar to those of verification and validation performed in the development process, IV & V is managerially independent from the organization(s) implementing verification, validation, and the development process. [Verification and validation of rule-based expert systems By Suzanne Smith, Abraham Kandel]

What are Independent Verification & Validation activities throughout lifecycle?

IV&V Process provides tools and analysis procedures appropriate to each phase of the software development life cycle:

Formulation Phase:

Is development process sound, repeatable, and managed?

Requirements Phase:

Verify that system and software requirements are correct, complete, traceable and testable.
Analyze system-level requirements: Are test plans and acceptance criteria sufficient to validate system requirements and operational needs?
Are testing methods sufficient to verify and validate software requirements?
Are the correct software development, management, and support processes in place?

Design Phase:

Does the design support the requirements?
Are test plans and test environments sufficient to verify and validate software and operational requirements?
Does the design have any characteristics that will cause it to fail under operational scenarios? What solutions are appropriate?

Coding Phase:

Does the code reflect the design?
Is the code correct?
Verify that test cases trace to and cover software requirements and operational needs.
Verify that software test cases, expected results, and evaluation criteria fully meet testing objectives.
Analyze selected code unit test plans and results to verify full coverage of logic paths, range of input conditions, error handling, etc.

Test Phase:

Analyze correct dispositioning of software test anomalies.
Validate software test results versus acceptance criteria.
Verify tracing and successful completion of all software test objectives.

Operational Phase:

Verify that regression tests are sufficient to identify adverse impacts of changes. [Source]

Briefly justify whether each of the following is used for Validation, Verification, or both:

(a) acceptance testing

Answer: Acceptance testing is used for validation since the tests are written by the customer based on the requirements.

(b) white box testing

Answer: White box testing is used for verification since it is done at the level of the implementation to ensure that the code performs correctly.

(c) specification review

Answer: A specification review is used for validation since a specification is simply a formalization of the requirements.

(d) black box testing

Answer: Black box testing is used for validation since the tests are done at the interface level and can therefore test the requirements. It can also be used for verification in unit testing to check that the implementation satisfies the design.

(e) code review

Answer: A code review is used for verification since it checks the implementation against the design. [Source]

Rewrite these requirement specifications so that they are verifiable, splitting them into multiple requirements if you deem that appropriate.

The goal of this question was to transform these requirements into something that could be objectively tested against an implementation later in the Process. Typically, the answer took the form of replacing the adverbs and adjectives in the supplied requirement with an objective metric. The values are arbitrary.

1. The ATM should authenticate the cardholder quickly

The ATM should authenticate the cardholder in [some reasonably short time period].

2. The word processor's user interface should be intuitive to the new user

After [reasonably short time period] of use with the word processor, a new user should be able to correctly use the system’s features [some high frequency value] of the time.

3. The word processor should be able to run well on consumer computers

The word processor should be able to run on popular operating systems (e.g. Windows 2000) on low-end computers (such as are sold at retail outlets like Radio Shack or Best Buy). When running on such low-end computers, most, i.e., [high-percentage], of the features should be able to run in [short time period].

4. The new bank transaction system should be able to handle our expected traffic for the next five years

The new bank transaction system should be able to handle [high-performance quantity] of transactions, which is our projected load for five year’s hence.

5. The air traffic control system shouldn't crash, and if it does, it should be able to "reboot" immediately

The mean-time to failure of the ATC system should be [very high time period, e.g. a month] under [quantify] standard workloads. If it crashes, it should reboot automatically within [very short time period]. [Source]

Prepare for Software Testing Interview

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin Dhall) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 06:54:00 +0000

How to Prepare for Software Testing Interview?

1. Manual Tester, Sr. Tester, Automation Tester, Team Lead, Test Manager etc. are few of the many roles in the testing field today. No matter which role you are in, the Software Testing Concepts (STLC, BBT, WBT, RTM, EP, BVA, Test Case etc.) should always be crystal clear to you.

2. Software Engineering concepts are also equally important. [SDLC, SDLC Models, etc.]

3. For Software Testing freshers without any experience, uTest can be a good starting point. Do some Testng Projects at uTest. uTest not only provides good starting platform for freshers but uTest is also useful place for experienced testers to hone their testing skills. See all the benefits for a tester at uTest.

4. Do not delay in clarifying your doubts. Try to ask doubts (if any) at the earliest possible. These forums may help.

5. A well written and presentable CV always helps. Create a good resume. See below for examples:

Sample Software Testing Resume 1
Sample Software Testing Resume 2
Sample Software Testing Resume 3
Sample Software Testing Resume 4
Sample Software Testing Resume 5

6. Additional skills are always beneficial for a tester. [SQL, PERL, Python, Automation]

7. Get these excellent general interview tips. All tips are equally important - see tip no. 12, which is mostly overlooked.

Some other posts that can be helpful in enhancing your skills as a tester:

Seven habits of successful testers,
Interviews failures and being yourself,
Some more software testing interview tips and questions,
Some advice for budding software testers.

Use Case Templates

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin Dhall) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:42:00 +0000

Use Case Templates

Below are few Use Case Templates either in PDF/DOC format.

Use Case Template 1
Use Case Template 2
Use Case Template 3
Use Case Template 4
Use Case Template 5
Use Case Template 6
Use Case Template 7

Also See:
Use Case, Use Case Diagrams, Use Case Examples

QTP DotNetFactory (A Quick Look)

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin Dhall) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:07:00 +0000

What is DotNetFactory?

DotNetFactory is an object. It enables you to create an instance of a .NET object, and access its methods and properties.

You can also use DotNetFactory to access the static methods and properties of a class that does not have an instance constructor, for example, System.Environment.

DotNetFactory is a part of Utility Object. You do not need to have .NET Add-in installed in order to use this.

Example 1 of DotNetFactory

We will start with a simple example as shown in the QTP Help.

Set var = DotNetFactory.CreateInstance("System.Windows.Forms.Form", "System.Windows.Forms")
var.Show
wait 5
var.Close

[See the screenshot below of the above code run]

In the above example we are using CreateInstance method of DotNetFactory object. We are using CreateInstance method to create an instance of a blank Windows form object, display the form on screen, and then close it after two seconds. Show and Close method simply show and close the form respectively.

We are using System.Windows.Forms namespace and Form class in the first line of the code above. A Form is a representation of any window displayed in your application. The Form class can be used to create standard, tool, borderless, and floating windows. You can also use the Form class to create modal windows such as a dialog box.

CreateInstance Syntax

DotNetFactory.CreateInstance (TypeName [,Assembly] [,args])

TypeName: The full name of the object type e.g. System.Windows.Forms.Form

Assembly: System.Windows.Forms (in System.Windows.Forms.dll) - An Assembly is a logical unit of code, Assembly physically exist as DLLs or EXEs, One assembly can contain one or more files. Source

Args: The required arguments, if any.

Example 2 of DotNetFactory

Set var = DotNetFactory.CreateInstance("System.Environment")
msgbox var.CurrentDirectory

[See the screenshot below of the above code run.]

Above we are creating an instance of System Environment object. In the second line we are using the CurrentDirectory property which gets or sets the fully qualified path of the current working directory.

Similarly you can use:

msgbox var.Username
msgbox var.OSVersion
msgbox var.MachineName etc.

Few Methods and Properties can be found here.

Example 3 of DotNetFactory

Set var = DotNetFactory.CreateInstance("System.IO.File", "C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\mscorlib.dll")
x= var.readalltext ("c:\a.txt")
msgbox x

File Class of System.IO namespace provides static methods for the creation, copying, deletion, moving, and opening of files etc.

The above example should also work fine without the assembly path as below:

Set var = DotNetFactory.CreateInstance("System.IO.File")
x= var.readalltext ("c:\a.txt")
msgbox x

ReadAllText: Opens a text file, reads all lines of the file, and then closes the file. It returns a string containing all lines of the file.

Example 4 of DotNetFactory

Set var = DotNetFactory.CreateInstance("System.IO.File")
set x= var.opentext ("c:\a.txt")
Do
s=x.readline()
If (s="") Then
Exit do
End If
msgbox s
Loop

OpenText Method opens an existing UTF-8 encoded text file for reading. It returns a value of type StreamReader. ReadLine Method of StreamReader object reads a line of characters from the current stream and returns the data as a string.

Example 5 of DotNetFactory

Set my_stack = DotnetFactory.CreateInstance("System.Collections.Stack")

my_stack.push("one")
my_stack.push("two")
my_stack.push("three")

msgbox my_stack.count
msgbox my_stack.pop

Stack Class represents a simple last-in-first-out collection of objects.
Push inserts an object at the top of the Stack.
Pop removes and returns the object at the top of the Stack.
See all classes represented by System.Collections Namespace here.

Example 6 of DotNetFactory

Set my_array = DotnetFactory.CreateInstance("System.Collections.ArrayList")

my_array.add("Hello")
my_array.add("World")
my_array.add("!")
msgbox my_array.count

For i = 0 To my_array.Count - 1
a=my_array.Item(cint(i))
msgbox a
Next

ArrayList Class of System.Collections namespace implements the IList (Represents a non-generic collection of objects that can be individually accessed by index.) interface using an array whose size is dynamically increased as required.

You can use the CInt function to provide internationally aware conversions from any other data type to an Integer subtype.

More on ArrayList members here.

Example 7 of DotNetFactory

Set sb = DotNetFactory.CreateInstance( "System.Text.StringBuilder" )
sb.Append "sachin"
sb.Append "ii"
sb.Replace "i", "x"
msgbox sb.ToString
msgbox sb.Length

StringBuilder Class represents a mutable (Changeable) string of characters.

Append (String) Method of StringBuilder class appends a copy of the specified string to the end of this instance. It returns a reference to this instance after the append operation has completed.

Replace replaces all occurrences of a specified character or string in this instance with another specified character or string.

ToString Method of StringBuilder class Converts the value of this instance to a String. It returns a string whose value is the same as this instance.

Above ii is being appended to sachin to form sachinii and then Replace replaces all i's in sachinii to x.

Example 8 of DotNetFactory

Set dt = DotNetFactory.CreateInstance( "System.DateTime" )
msgbox dt.now

Set sb = DotNetFactory.CreateInstance( "System.DateTime" )
set dt= sb.now
msgbox dt.day
msgbox dt.month
msgbox dt.year

DateTime Structure of System Namespace represents an instant in time, typically expressed as a date and time of day.

Now property gets a DateTime object that is set to the current date and time on computer, expressed as the local time.

Day gets the day of the month represented by this instance.

Month gets the month component of the date represented by this instance.

Year gets the year component of the date represented by this instance.

Set object = DotNetFactory.CreateInstance( "System.DateTime", ,year, month, day, hour, minute, second, millisecond )

Set two = DotNetFactory.CreateInstance( "System.DateTime", ,1998, 9, 1, 16, 30, 22, 5 )
msgbox two.tostring()

Set object = DotNetFactory.CreateInstance( "System.DateTime", ,year, month, day, hour, minute, second)

Set tme = DotNetFactory.CreateInstance( "System.DateTime", ,1980, 8, 15, 21, 30, 9)
msgbox tme.tostring()

More on DateTime members here.

Example 9 of DotNetFactory

format = "{0} Current Date & Time is {1}"
Set TDT = DotNetFactory.CreateInstance( "System.DateTime" )
Set SB = DotNetFactory.CreateInstance( "System.Text.StringBuilder" )
SB.AppendFormat format, "Hello,", TDT.now
Msgbox SB.ToString()

format is a variable. AppendFormat appends - Hello (in the {0}th place) and TDT.Now which is current date & time (in the {1}st place) - to the string contained in format.

Use Case, Use Case Diagrams, Use Case Examples

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin Dhall) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:44:00 +0000

Use Case

A use case is a typical sequence of actions that an actor performs in order to complete a given task. [Source]

A use case is a technique for capturing functional requirements of systems and systems-of-systems. Each use case provides one or more scenarios. [Source]

A description of system behavior, in terms of sequences of actions between an actor and the system. A use case should yield an observable result. [Source]

Use Case Analysis

An object-oriented method for designing information systems by breaking down requirements into user functions. Each use case is a transaction or sequence of events performed by the user. Use cases are studied to determine what objects are required to accomplish them and how they interact with other objects. [Source]

The objective of use case analysis is to model the system from the point of view of how users or other systems interact with this system, when trying to achieve their objectives. A Use-case model consists of a set of use cases, and an optional description or diagram indicating how they are related. [Source]

Use Case Diagram

A use case diagram in the Unified Modeling Language (UML) is a type of behavioral diagram defined by and created from a Use-case analysis. The main purpose of a use case diagram is to show what system functions are performed for which actor. [Wikipedia]

A use case diagram shows the actors and use cases in a system. Provide a graphical way to summarize the functionality of the system, to facilitate communication with stakeholders including customers and developers. [Source]

Few documents to help you develop Use Cases

Shows how to create Use Case, Use Case Template and Use Case Example
Develop Use Case Document

Use Case guidelines by Alistair Cockburn
Use Case Guidelines

What is the primary purpose of a use-case model?, What is a use-case?, Developing a use-case model etc.
Use Case

Use Cases, Structuring Use Cases, Use Case Diagram, Use Case Template, Use Case Guidelines, The Role of Use Cases in the Architecting Process etc.
Functional Requirement

What are Use cases?, A Use case Example, Where are they used?, Use case FAQ.
Use Case FAQ

Use Cases – A Review, The Use Case View, The Use Case Model, Use Case Example etc.
Use Cases

A Use Case Template, Example of a Use Case, Using a Use Case, Extending a Use Case etc.
HP Use Cases

Define Use Cases, Use Case Terminology, Parts of a Use Case etc.
Use Cases

Follow the procedure in the below document to generate the use cases, using the questions provided to identify discrepancies in the requirements:
Use Case Technique

The first in a two-part series that appeared in The Rational Edge, this article presents a case study that analyzes the requirements captured in use cases and transforms them into implementable representations that can be directly coded.
Use Cases

This document attempts to answer questions concerning the implementation of Use Case Analysis into a project scope. It attempts to answer questions such as what is a Use Case, how is one created, what does it contain, how do you write one, what is a Use Case Model Survey, what does it look like, what does it contain, and what is it used for? Also included are style guidelines on writing Use Cases.
Writing Use Cases

Few documents to help you develop Use Case diagrams

Use Case Diagrams: Tips and FAQ
Use Case Diagrams

Use Case Diagrams - When to Use: Use Cases Diagrams, How to Draw: Use Cases Diagrams etc.
Use Case Diagrams

All about Use Case Diagram, How to read Use Case Diagram etc.
Use Case Diagrams

Creating Use Case Diagrams, Elements of a Use Case Diagram, Writing a Use Case Specification etc.
Creating Use Case Diagrams

Use Cases and Use Case Diagrams, Purpose of Use Case Diagrams, Guidelines for creating a Use Case Diagram, Uses of Use Case Diagram Information etc.
Use Case Diagrams Action Guide

UML Use Case Diagrams - Example: Sales Clerk checks out an item.
Use Case Diagrams

Sales Clerk checks out an item, Use Case Diagrams, Use Cases etc.
Use Case Diagrams

What’s the Problem? - An Awesome small article on Use Cases
whatstheproblem

Use Case Examples

Use Cases for Example ATM System
Use Case Example

Writing effective Use Case Examples - Example of writing effective use cases for a mock Ebay site.
Use Case Example

Use Case Example - A Research Project wants to create a multimedia online resource based on a Shakespearian performance. All contributors must have digital rights acknowledged when material reused and reuse must be limited to educational purposes.
Use Case Example

Use Case Example - Buying Stocks Over the Web
Use Case Example

Use Case Example - Get Paid for Car Accident
Use Case Example

Use Case Example - Buy Something
Use Case Example - Casual Version
Use Case Example - Fully Dressed Version
Use Case Example - Fully Dressed Version Continued
Use Case Example - Fully Dressed Version Continued

Simple Use Case Example - Place Order
Simple Use Case Example

Use Case Example With Business Rules
Simple Use Case Example with Business Rules

Use Case Example - Buy goods
Use Case Example

Use Case example - ATM Use Case - Withdraw Funds
Use Case Example

Use Case example - Transfer Funds with Online Banking
Use Case Example

Use Case example - A Problem and its Use Case
Use Case Example

Also See:
Use Case Templates