20、You are a Test Manager on a new project. The software that is being created will be used to control the projectors in movie theaters. This is a time critical project because the software must be released before the Christmas holiday season which has the highest movie attendance of the year.
You have decided to implement a review process for the work products that are a part of this release to save both time and money. In order to expedite the training, you brought in a consultant to train the participants and moderators in proper review processes. Your team is enthusiastic about participating in the reviews.
Your manager is questioning the money you have spent on this training effort. He wants to know how you intend to justify the expense when you present your numbers at the annual budget meeting in February.
What would be a reasonable way for you to justify the cost of the training and the reviews when you present your information at the budget meeting? [3]
The cost of the training and the reviews can be justified by showing the return on investment (ROI) that they generate. ROI is a measure of the profitability of an investment, calculated by dividing the net benefit by the cost1. The net benefit of the training and the reviews is the difference between the cost of the reviews and the cost of dealing with defect escapes. Defect escapes are defects that are not detected during the review process and are found later in the development or testing phases, or even in production. The cost of dealing with defect escapes includes the cost of rework, testing, debugging, deployment, customer support, and potential loss of reputation or revenue2. The cost of the reviews includes the cost of the training, the time spent by the reviewers and moderators, the tools and resources used, and the overheads3. By calculating the ROI, you can demonstrate how much money the training and the reviews have saved or earned for the company, compared to the alternative of not conducting them. Therefore, option D is the correct answer. Option A is incorrect because comparing the production defects from the previous project to the production defects from this project does not account for the cost of the reviews or the cost of dealing with defect escapes in other phases. Option B is incorrect because showing the defects that were found in the review sessions and the cost of quality regarding the perfect phase containment for those caught defects does not account for the cost of the training or the cost of dealing with defect escapes in production. Option C is incorrect because explaining that the reviews are a way of expanding the knowledge of your people and motivating them to work harder and faster is not a quantifiable or verifiable way of justifying the cost of the training and the reviews. References: 1:
ISTQB Glossary, Return on Investment 2: ISTQB Advanced Level Test Manager Syllabus, Section
2.3.2 3: How to manage formal reviews & management audits? Skills, metrics …
23、You are the Test Manager for a new product that is being developed according to an iterative lifecycle. At this point, you have 100% of your smoke tests automated, 20% of your functional tests and 50% of your regression tests. Your iterations are four weeks long. You are finding that with each iteration significant maintenance is required for your automated tests and you are not able to complete the testing within the planned timeframe. The test plan you created at the beginning of the project indicates that all automated tests should be run before any manual tests.
Which of the following is a reasonable change to this plan based on how the project is going? [2]
The most reasonable change to the plan based on how the project is going is to continue to run the automated smoke tests first, execute the automated regression test and new manual functional tests in parallel, and discontinue automating any new functional test cases. This is because this option can help to reduce the maintenance effort and time for the automated tests, while still ensuring that the most critical and frequently changed areas are tested adequately. By running the automated smoke tests first, the test team can verify the basic functionality and stability of the new build before proceeding to more detailed testing. By executing the automated regression test and new manual functional tests in parallel, the test team can optimize the use of the available testing resources and cover the most relevant test cases for the current iteration. By discontinuing automating any new functional test cases, the test team can avoid adding more complexity and maintenance overhead to the existing automation suite. Test Automation – ISTQB not-for-profit association References: Certified Tester Advanced Level Test Manager (CTAL-TM) – ISTQB not-for-profit association, ISTQB Test Manager Certification – ISTQB Exams Worldwide – ISTQB Official Registration, Test Automation – ISTQB not-for-profit association
24、Your company just won a contract to create a new sales application and has committed to a very aggressive delivery timeline. Due to the quick turnaround your primary stakeholder wants to be heavily involved in the design and is very anxious to see the outcome. Because of this, your company has decided to use a spiral development approach. You have a defined test policy and typically use an analytical approach to testing, however, this approach will not work with the development approach.
What test strategy should be utilized? [3]
A reactive test strategy is a test strategy that uses the actual behavior and results of the software under test to design and execute tests, without prior knowledge or documentation of the software1. A reactive test strategy should be utilized for a project that uses a spiral development approach, which is a type of iterative/incremental approach that adds risk analysis and prototyping activities to each iteration2. A reactive test strategy is suitable for a spiral development approach because it allows for flexibility, adaptability, and creativity in the testing process, as well as for early feedback, risk reduction, and continuous improvement in the software development process3. Therefore, option D is the correct answer. Option A is incorrect because a model-based test strategy is a test strategy that uses models to represent the desired behavior and structure of the software under test, and to derive test cases, test data, test procedures, and test oracles. A model-based test strategy may not work well with a spiral development approach, as it requires the availability and stability of the models, which may not be the case in a spiral development approach that involves frequent changes and refinements of the software under test. Option B is incorrect because a methodical test strategy is a test strategy that uses predefined test methods, techniques, and procedures to design and execute tests, such as equivalence partitioning, boundary value analysis, or decision table testing. A methodical test strategy may not work well with a spiral development approach, as it requires the availability and stability of the test basis, such as the requirements, specifications, or design documents, which may not be the case in a spiral development approach that involves frequent changes and refinements of the software under test. Option C is incorrect because a standard-compliant test strategy is a test strategy that follows a predefined set of standards, guidelines, or regulations to design and execute tests, such as ISO, IEEE, or CMMI. A standard-compliant test strategy may not work well with a spiral development approach, as it requires the compliance and consistency of the testing process, which may not be the case in a spiral development approach that involves frequent changes and refinements of the software under test. References: 1: ISTQB Glossary, Reactive Test Strategy 2:
ISTQB Glossary, Spiral Model 3: ISTQB Advanced Level Test Manager Syllabus, Section 1.1.1 : Spiral Model in Software Development Life Cycle – Software Testing Material : Spiral Model – Tools QA : Strategic Test Management – ISTQB not-for-profit association : ISTQB Glossary, Model-Based Testing : ISTQB Glossary, Methodical Test Strategy : ISTQB Glossary, Standard-Compliant Test Strategy : ISTQB Foundation Level #39 – Test Approach and Strategy – Software Testing Mentor
