A knowledge approach to software testing

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The effort to achieve quality is the largest component of software cost. Software testing iscostly - ranging from 50% to 80% of the cost of producing a first working version. It isresource intensive and an intensely time consuming activity in the overall SystemsDevelopment Life Cycle (SDLC) and hence could arguably be the most important phase ofthe process. Software testing is pervasive. It starts at the initiation of a product with nonexecutiontype testing and continues to the retirement of the product life cycle beyond thepost-implementation phase.Software testing is the currency of quality delivery. To understand testing and to improvetesting practice, it is essential to see the software testing process in its broadest terms – asthe means by which people, methodology, tools, measurement and leadership are integratedto test a software product.A knowledge approach recognises knowledge management (KM) enablers such asleadership, culture, technology and measurements that act in a dynamic relationship with KMprocesses, namely, creating, identifying, collecting, adapting, organizing, applying, andsharing. Enabling a knowledge approach is a worthy goal to encourage sharing, blending ofexperiences, discipline and expertise to achieve improvements in quality and adding value tothe software testing process.This research was developed to establish whether specific knowledge such as domainsubject matter or business expertise, application or technical skills, software testingcompetency, and whether the interaction of the testing team influences the degree of qualityin the delivery of the application under test, or if one is the dominant critical knowledge areawithin software testing. This research also set out to establish whether there are personal orsituational factors that will predispose the test engineer to knowledge sharing, again, with theview of using these factors to increase the quality and success of the 'testing phase' of theSDLC. KM, although relatively youthful, is entering its fourth generation with evidence of twoparadigms emerging - that of mainstream thinking and that of the complex adaptive systemtheory. This research uses pertinent and relevant extracts from both paradigms appropriateto gain quality/success in software testing.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University