Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Whenever development on a branch completed and the development team
handed over the build to the testing team for testing, a pre-UAT mirror environ-
ment was created and testing commenced after due test planning and adoption of
a sound project strategy.
5.6.4
Testing Process
Whenever a new version of the software or customer-specific implementation is
done, the testing team verifies and validates the version using regression and system
testing. The testing team gets involved when initial requirements and design are
ready. The testing team reviews requirements and design. If there are any issues
from a testing perspective, the team notifies the development team. Once the team
is satisfied, it okays requirements and design. The test manager then does strategy,
effort estimation, and planning for testing the version of the software.
Because the entire effort is in developing and testing the product, the develop-
ment and testing cycles are short and iterative. This cycle is a perfect example of
agile development. Documentation is minimal. Project managers, business ana-
lysts, the development team, and the testing team constantly communicate with
each other through e-mails, instant messengers, live Internet demonstrations, and
teleconferences. Through these communications geographically scattered teams
perform knowledge transfer, issue resolution, brainstorming, status reporting, and
other such tasks.
Once business analysts get customer requirements, they create and pass the
customer-approved SRS document (software requirements specifications) to the
testing and development teams. The software architect creates and passes mock-up
documents to these teams. The mock-up document consists of UI screens that
will be available to users along with the flow of events and workflows. This
document is akin to the design document. Mostly these two documents become
available to development and testing teams when customer-specific versions of
the software application are to be released. The project manager estimates effort
required and creates a project plan. He then assigns tasks to individual team
members of the development team. Similarly the test manager makes testing
effort estimates and creates a test plan. He then assigns tasks to individual test
engineers.
Both the development and test teams have brainstorming sessions over these
two documents. They understand requirements and software design.
In the case when a new version of the software is conceptualized (when the soft-
ware release is not for any specific customer but to add new features and function-
alities in the core software), the CTO (chief technology officer) decides which new
features and functionalities will be added. Based on features and functionalities to
be added, business analysts make an SRS document and a software architect creates
a mock-up document.
