Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Software testing techniques
Static tests White box Black box Workload
Software platform by
layer of operation
Application under
development
New (4)
Connectivity
(private, public)
New (3)
Data resources
(disk space, data mgmt)
New (2)
Lock and key
Security (local and remote)
Operating system
(cycles and memory)
New (1)
Preliminary
investigation +
Analysis
+ Design
Preliminary
construction
Final
construction
Ship or
Install
Post
implementation
Phased development
methodology
Figure 13.1
First cut testing strategy chessboard for the DSA certificate processing system
Your testing strategy chessboard indicates a high number of new support systems
required for the DCPS, which, in turn, represents a substantial implementation risk
to the development team. Of all the possible support systems, only Security is a
trusted technology because it is a physical lock and key used frequently in everyday
life. If any one of the other support systems cannot deliver the specifi ed kind of
functionality at its level, then the DCPS will fail to deliver its overall business
functionality.
Your testing strategy chessboard also indicates that there is a critical sequence
of early testing activities prerequisite to a successful Design stage. The chessboard
is intentionally laid out to dramatize the priority of testing from bottom to top when
any of the support systems below the application under test are not trusted.
Following this priority, the operating system with its central processing unit
speed and memory capacity must be the fi rst support system to identify and evaluate
(validate by testing) against the DCPS requirements. The next support system to
identify and evaluate will be data resources, which for this project means the hard
disk capacity for the certifi cate archives, the archive backup capability, and the
database that will support all master fi le activities. The last support system to iden-
tify and evaluate will be connectivity necessary for the certifi cate workstations to
swap/share/aggregate weekly data fi les of printed certifi cates. Notice that signifi cant
failure of any of these support systems to pass the required evaluation tests could
cause major redesign of the application before the fi rst line of application code is
written. With all the support systems passing their evaluation tests, the development
team is in position to start the application level Design stage activities.
You alert the development project manager that from a successful testing per-
spective you will need the Analysis stage to produce detailed requirements for the
new support systems as well as the application itself; furthermore, you will need to
test these new support systems requirements very early in the Design stage. Your
request will be a little surprising to the development manager because the manager
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