This document discusses the history and evolution of software testing from the 1960s to present day. It traces some of the major developments in the field, including the establishment of independent test teams, seminal books on software testing, and the introduction of techniques like black-box testing, test-driven development, and exploratory testing. The document also addresses current issues in software testing like validating business benefits, challenging requirements, focusing on testing as an activity rather than artifacts, and automating everything that does not generate value.

1. SOFTWARE
TESTING
Nigel Johnson @itznigy

2. I’ve de-risked software deliveries at

11. Who’s making your ice?
@itznigy

16. How many of them had
testing in their job title?
@itznigy

18. A revolution can neither be made or stopped
-Napoléon
@itznigy

19. The birth and evolution of software testing…
• The first
independent
test team set
up by Jerry
Weinberg -
Project Mercury
Test Team
(IBM)
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
• Herbert Leeds
and Jerry
Weinberg,
describes
software testing
• Weinberg
publishes the
triangle
problem for the
first time
• The Art of
Software
Testing,
Glenford Myers
• Equivalence
Classes,
Boundaries,
Error Guessing,
Cause/Effect
graphs
• Cyclometric
Complexity
• Black-Box
Testing - Boris
Beize
• Test Cases; V-Model
System/
Integration/
Unit
• Code, Branch,
Input Coverage
Metrics
• Record/
PlayBlack
(Winrunner)
• Bug Tracking
and Version
Control become
popular
• Version Control
changes the
popular meaning
of regression
testing
• When should a
test be
automated -
Brian Marick
• Test Driven
Development -
• Exploratory
Testing (Bach)
• Rapid Software
Testing (Bach/
Bolton)
• Session based test
management
(Bach)
• Keyword-Driven
Automation
• Continuous
Integration.
• FIT/Fitness
• WaTIR
• Model-Driven
Testing
• Selenium
• Mocks, Stubs
and Fakes.
• "Agile Testing",
Crispin and
Gregory

20. Validating the business benefits
of a product/service is (often)
more valuable than testing
product functionality!
@itznigy
Idea 1:

21. AS a player
I WANT automated invites
SO THAT I can invite other friends

22. Learn
more:
Impact
Mapping,
Gojko
Adzic

24. * Challenge requirements
* Validate business
benefits
@itznigy
Take away 1:

27. Testing as an activity is
more valuable than the
artifacts it produces!
@itznigy
Idea 2:

29. Product
Testing
Bugs
• @itznigy

31. 5" 5" 5"
20"
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Number'of'test'cases'
Test'Execu1on'Trend'
#Cumula9ve"defects"raised" PASSED" FAILED" IN"PROGRESS" NOT"TESTED" BLOCKED" NA" Poly."(#Cumula9ve"defects"raised)"

33. Stop reporting test
coverage and pass rates.
Start telling a story...
@itznigy
Take away 2:

34. Be ruthless! Automate
anything and everything that
does not generate value!
@itznigy
Idea 3:

37. Dont stop with just test cases. Also
think about test design, test data,
test environment, bugs…

38. Don’t focus just on automating
your manual tests.
Focus on building “actions” that
will help you automate tests
&
E2E Automation lifecycle
management
@itznigy
Take away 3:

39. Do you wanna play a
game?
In the next two slides, I’ll
show you 6 questions with four
options each
Select one answer
Option 1 is one point,
Option 2 is two points,
Option 3 is three and
Option 4 is four points.
Add them all together!

40. A. Does your organisation value testing?
1. Equivalent to development
2. Less than development but very close
3. Less than development but more than
doc writers
4. It takes effort, but they tolerate our
existence
B. Do your developers value testing
1. They fix every issue we report
2. They take all our issues seriously and
fix most
3. We have to fight to get bugs fixed
4. They would happily replace us with
trained monkeys
C. Do you have a clear career path
1. I can climb the career ladder as high
as any dev
2. I can climb, but I have to go into
management to do so
3. This job will not take me as far as I
want to go
4. I am a second class citizen
James
WhiJaker

41. D. Your skill set
1. Would get me a job anywhere I
wanted
2. I have a few options that are better
than where I am
3. I have options, but they would be
lateral moves
4. I feel stuck in this position
E. Your contribution
1. The tests I develop are as valuable as
any code a developer writes
2. Test is important but not quite as
much as development
3. Test is definitely a second class
citizen
4. The developers are the heroes of my
company
F. Your compensation
1. I make as much or more than my dev
counterparts
2. I make less, but it’s close
3. Testers at my company swim in the
shallow end of the wage pool
4. I would trade salaries with almost
anyone James
WhiJaker
in the dev organisation

42. SOFTWARE
TESTING
Nigel Johnson @itznigy