Stalking The Wild Software Defect
By Esther Schindler
August 15, 2002 —
(Page 1 of 5)
Some development managers release impressive software armed with only a spreadsheet, a pile of Post-it notes and a confident attitude. Others, equipped with every QA tool imaginable, have never met a deadline. Clearly, bug-stomping success isn't the result of tool quality, but of your ability to get the most out of the tools available.
According to successful bug hunters, the key to effectively using QA tools (by which we mean anything in the configuration management pantheon, from bug-tracking databases to version management to source-code control) is to view the system as something more than software. "Like e-mail, defect-tracking systems are inherently a vehicle for carrying on a conversation that's disjointed in location and time," explained Elton Hay, a consultant who specializes in QA tools. "[The] ability to facilitate is one of [their] main functions." Ideally, QA tools enable team members to communicate about a project's status, control the process a bug goes through, avoid redundant work, and engage the development staff in taking ownership of the code.
Bug-tracking applications control what happens to any bug entered into the system. That process, at best, can reflect only the efficiency of your organization's workflow. "The software enables us to implement the QA process we have in place," said Mike Cooper, QA manager at financial consulting company Revenue Technologies Corp., which uses Seapine Software Inc.'s TestTrack. "You have to know that before you can do anything else."
So, the first step is to determine that workflow. "What is the current development process? Is it documented? Is it followed? Is it followed consistently throughout the entire organization?" asked Mark Griffith, senior consultant at Merant International Ltd. The more "yes" answers provided, the easier it will be to deploy and use the chosen QA tools. "Draw a physical flowchart or workflow diagram," advised Cooper.
As part of the workflow process, consider which staff members need to see which items, who supervises the process, who assigns bugs to be fixed. "Defining the flow of work through the software is probably the most important part of using it," said Jay Varner, director of programming at Data Information Management Systems, which makes election management software and relies on Red Gate Software Ltd.'s tools.
Share this link: http://sdt.bz/26693
Most Read Latest News Blog Resources
Appcelerator Acquires Cocoafish to Add Instant Mobile Cloud Capabilities to its Industry Leading Titanium Platform
Appcelerator Offers Messaging, Social, Location and Storage Mobile Cloud Services to All Mobile App Publishers
|
|
Taking enterprise architecture to the business side
Startup Corso is bringing out a cloud-based planning platform that ties into business plans
|
|
ComponentOne Releases a Collection of 40+ UI Widgets Powered by HTML5 and jQuery
ComponentOne has announced the 2012 release of Wijmo: a kit of UI widgets for HTML5 and jQuery development
|
|
Top five apps to manage your workload
Web applications offer new ways to track your “to-do” lists
|
Taking enterprise architecture to the business side
Startup Corso is bringing out a cloud-based planning platform that ties into business plans
|
|
Top five apps to manage your workload
Web applications offer new ways to track your “to-do” lists
|
|
Not so fast when it comes to testing in the cloud
Developers face outsourcing, virtual lab management and mobile devices as obstacles
|
|
Xceed releases UX-focused suite for Microsoft’s WPF
"Blendables" helps match user experiences to developer visions
|
Are you at risk for burnout?
Burnout is a severe problem and it can strike at any time. Here's how to tell if you are nearing the edge.
|
|
Agility, mom, and apple pie
If we're to evaluate the state-of-the-art in software development, we should start with the values espoused in the Agile Manifesto.
|
|
RIM woos developers with free tablet
How do you get more apps ported to the BlackBerry PlayBook? By giving every developer a free tablet, of course!
|
|
GitHire: Use Headhunters to Find Your Perfect Programmer
Are you a hiring manager tired of scouring the job boards? Check out this new service that will find 5 people interested in your jobs.
|
The Hidden Costs of Software Licensing
Moving beyond paper-based software licensing to more flexible, software-based licensing is a business decision. There is a growing trend tow...
|
|
Case Study: You May Need a Development Mechanic
As a contractor for a major financial player in Germany, SOBEGE, a German-based consultancy specializing in embedded IT and web services, wa...
|
|
Ensuring Software Quality at a Major International Bank
One of the world’s leading international banks has adopted AgitarOne technology for delivering generated unit tests for their Java software...
|
|
Load Testing Adobe Flex Applications
Adobe Flex applications may be different from applications you’ve worked with before. For classic HTML web applications, the server does all...
|