James Bach’s Rapid Software Testing presented by Michael Bolton

· Are you finding it difficult to assess how much time and effort you’re going to need to test effectively?

· Are you overwhelmed by or uncertain about your approaches to test planning and execution?

· Are you unsure about when it’s appropriate to stop testing?

· Are you having trouble finding the right balance between planning, documentation, and testing?

· Are you interested in learning skills and techniques that will help you to become a better tester?

· Do you feel that the educational system, computer-related classes, or the business world have left you with lots of questions about “soft” skills and techniques?

· Have you found that “best practices” prescribed by others in the industry are a poor fit for your organization?

· Do you want to become very good at software testing?

If your answer to any of the questions above is Yes, then this three-day course,
written by James Bach and presented by Michael Bolton, is for you.

Michael is a bright and engaging thinker with a passion for professional development.
Cem Kaner, Author of Testing Computer Software and Lessons Learned in Software Testing

About the Course

James Bach is one of the founders of the Context-Driven School of Software Testing. This 3-day, hands-on class introduces you to his philosophy of Rapid Software Testing, a complete testing methodology designed for a world of barely sufficient resources, information, and time. Based on the principles in the book Lessons Learned in Software Testing: a Context-Driven Approach by Kaner, Bach, and Pettichord, this class presents an approach to testing that begins with developing personal skills and extends to the ultimate mission of software testing: lighting the way of the project by evaluating the product.

The philosophy of Rapid Testing presented in this class is not like traditional approaches to testing, which ignore the thinking part of testing and instead advocate never-ending paperwork. Products have become too complex for that, and testers are too expensive. Rapid Testing uses a cyclic approach and heuristic methods to constantly re-optimize testing to fit the needs of your clients. Rapid Testing isn't just testing with a sense of urgency, it's mission-focused testing that eliminates unnecessary work, assures that everything necessary gets done, and constantly asks what testing can do to speed the project as a whole.

One important tool of Rapid Testing we will cover is the discipline of Exploratory Testing—essentially a testing martial art. Exploratory Testing combines test design, planning, and execution into one process that finds a lot of problems quickly. If you are an experienced tester, you'll find out how to articulate those intellectual processes of testing that you already practice intuitively. If you're a new tester, hands-on testing exercises help you gain critical experience.

If you outsource development or testing...

We have taught this class at outsource firms in India on behalf of their clients so that they can do a better job of testing without needing detailed test procedures. But more importantly, the Rapid Testing methodology is about getting a lot of value for the testing dollar (value that simply can't be reproduced by throwing untrained bodies at the problem) so that your top management won't see testing as a rote activity that any stranger can do as well as you can. Even if you outsource, you will need a core team of testers back at headquarters who can rapidly test products to check the “testing” done by outsource firms.

If you are burdened with clerical requirements...

We have taught this class in organizations pursuing the CMM and organizations subject to FDA and other regulatory requirements. Rapid testing is about thinking. As long as they still want you to think well and find important problems quickly, this is a class that applies to you. However, we do advocate a lean form of test documentation, to the extent you can possibly trim it. We also teach session-based test management, which allows you to measure and document exploratory testing in a manner compatible with more “formal” process cultures.

About The Instructor

Michael Bolton is the only person authorized to teach Rapid Software Testing other than James Bach himself.

Michael has over 14 years of experience in the computer industry testing, developing, managing, and writing about software. He is the founder of DevelopSense, a Toronto-based consultancy established in 1998 to provide services in program management, testing, configuration management, and professional and personal coaching. He was with Quarterdeck Corporation for eight years, during which he delivered the company’s flagship products and directed project teams both in-house and around the world. Canadians still remember his educational, informative, and entertaining presentations at trade shows and seminars across the country.

Michael was an invited participant at the 2003 Workshop on Teaching Software Testing in Melbourne, Florida (hosted by Cem Kaner and James Bach), is an annual attendee at the Amplifying Your Effectiveness Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, and is an active member of Gerald M. Weinberg’s SHAPE Forum.

Comments About The Instructor

"Michael is a born teacher. He is VERY engaging and an effective speaker who knows his topic inside and out—a rare combination!"
QA Manager, Boulder, CO

"This course was highly informative and Michael was excellent in providing examples from real life."
Quality Assurance Analyst, Nashville TN

"Michael was a very animated presenter and held my attention even through what I considered to be the drier parts of QA. I enjoyed his humor and interjections during the lectures. I agree with his lecture style of NOT reading out of the training manual—most beneficial!"
Senior QA Analyst, St. Louis MO

Course Outline

In this course, you will learn:

· Concise, universal heuristics and models for instant test design

· How to tackle any product or product idea instantly

· How to analyze a test heuristic or practice

· How to test despite ambiguous or missing specifications

· How to deal with overwhelming complexity or confusion

· How to know when to stop or suspend the test process

· How to prepare and deliver an impromptu test report

Key Ideas

Think Like a Scientist

Thinking Rapidly, Throroughly, and Rigorously

Epistemology, The Study of Knowledge

Technique: Abductive Inference

Technique: Conjecture and Refutation

Testing is About Asking Questions

Testers Distinguish Inferences from Observations

Testers Use Heuristics

Know Your Coverage and Oracles

The Universal Test Procedure

Rapid Modeling

A Universal Heuristic Testing Model

Seven Big Problems of Testing

Rapid Oracles

Use Exploratory Testing to Find Bugs Fast

The Internal Structure of Exploratory Testing

Blending Exploratory and Scripted Testing

Notetaking and Test Documentation

High Accountability ET with Session-Based Test Management

The Plunge in and Quit Heuristic

The No Questions Heuristic

Run Crisp Test Cycles

Test Cycle Heuristics: "test all scopes" and "test right now"

How to Work with Developers So They Go Faster and Support Testing Better

Test Cycle Convergence and Stopping Heuristics

Rapid Bug Investigation

Reporting Your Status Responsibly

Focus on the Bugs that Matter

Quick Testing vs. Coverage-Based Testing vs. Risk-Based Testing

Risk-Based Test Management vs. Risk-Based Test Design

Heuristic Risk Analysis

Use a Diversified Test Strategy

How to Evolve a Test Strategy

Test Strategy Heuristics

Contrasting Test Techniques

Rapid Test Automation

Make Sure Testing Fits the Project

Context-Driven Test Methodology

The "Good Enough" model

Good Enough Testing with the Context Model

The Missions of Testing

Testability

Exercises (distributed throughout the class)

Test the Mysterious Sphere

Wason Selection Task

Test the Famous Triangle

Use Exploratory Modelling on a Small App

Find an Oracle for Font Size

Discover the Role of Repetition in Test Strategy

Report the Completeness of Testing

Exploratory Testing with Playing Cards

Produce a List of Testing Issues for a Disk Management Application

Test a Product You Work with Every Day

Comments on the Course

“Excellent class. Being a new tester of only 3 months, I learned many ideas and techniques to improve my critical thinking and areas to explore.”

“Class was structured well, good material, slick technology, fun diversions.”

“Excellent material—well seasoned from tried and true practices. This material is useful to develop individual test skills and would be effective to deliver to whole teams together. I am not exactly sure how I will successfully disseminate the wealth of information back to the organization when I return, but I will try my best. Very worthwhile—an understatement. Thank you for challenging us and being generous with your experience and knowledge.”

“Now, will I be able to put the concepts to good use? I believe so, although it will require practice. After 15 years of highly structured development and testing, not to mention a lifetime of linear thinking, such “anarchy” makes me uncomfortable, and it will take me some time to get good at this style of testing. Thanks for presenting it as an alternative, and teaching us how to decide when to take advantage of it (instead of a more biased view).”

“I had taken James' Exploratory Testing class already, so this was somewhat of a review for me. However, the impact was more effective this time around because I had more experience. The new material really solidified the basic principles for me.”