PDCA/Test Review

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(More customer reviews)This Book/CD ROM is virtually identical to Software Testing and Continuous Quality Improvement by the same author. It represents what I consider to be the definitive work on quality assurance and software testing, with a book that gives a solid framework, well designed processes and a detailed discussion of procedures. The value is the accompanying CD ROM of artifacts.
The Book Part: 458 pages vs. 656 pages of Software Testing and Continuous Quality Improvement upon which this package is based. The difference in page count is due to appendices provided on CD ROM instead of hard copy.
Structure and contents of the book: Section I gives a quality assurance framework that is based on TQM's Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle and covers all of the essential elements, including the differences between prevention and detection, verification vs. validation, testing vs. quality control, and configuration management. These distinctions, definitions and elements are the foundation of Mr. Lewis' approach to testing and continuous improvement. Section I also gives a good overview of testing techniques and the key ingredients of continuous quality improvement.
Section II approaches testing from a life cycle perspective, clearly showing that testing starts with requirements, not after the product has been built. The verification checkpoints for each milestone are completely described. Section III addresses testing for client/server and internet projects, and is one of the most ion-depth treatments of methods and procedures I have come across. Moreover, it follows the PDCA cycle, which shows how theory can be put into practice. This is the heart of the book and is essential reading for anyone who needs to get up-to-speed on methods and techniques, as well as test managers who want to implement a coherent and workable process.
Most of Section IV was weak because it was centered on tools. This information quickly becomes obsolete, and there is no web site associated with this specific book to provide up-to-date information. Since many publishers are augmenting their books with web sites I hope this is rectified in the near future for this book because tools are an important subject and not something that can be accurately described in a book given the publication lead times. However, the methodology for evaluating testing tools in this section is valuable and on the mark.
Section V addresses the realities of software testing in the maintenance environment. I personally liked this section of the book above all others because the author addresses all of the major issues faced by service delivery and support personnel, as well as the challenges this environment imposes on test professionals. This is one area that will benefit the most from the author's approach and is, unfortunately, the area that will be most difficult to employ the approach. The reason is each development (application delivery) project starts with a reasonably clean slate and is focused on producing something within the confines of a relatively controllable project team. The maintenance environment, on the other hand, has stakeholders across the enterprise (and perhaps among many external customers). The barriers are political, organizational and cross-functional. However, the benefits that will be realized from using Mr. Lewis' approach in this environment is worth the effort, trials and tribulations of implementing it.
Like Section IV, Section VI is weak because it discusses specific tools.
CD ROM: This is a collection of valuable artifacts as follows: A: Spiral Testing Methodology - good collection of flow charts that show processes for all testing phases. B: Software Quality Assurance Plan - a well thought out template. C: Requirements Specification - another well designed template. D: Change Request - not the best example I've seen, but certainly has the essential elements. E: Test Templates - these are valuable; among the best I've come across F: Checklists - an amazing collection of checklists that should be in every QA organization G: Integrating Testing into Development Methodology - good training material. H. Software Testing - excellent training material for your personal development or your team. I especially like the software quality assurance plan, test templates (16 in all), and the checklists. The best,in my opinion, is Appendix H, which is a 66-page mini-encyclopedia of testing techniques.
Why buy this version instead of the book? If you need the artifacts the difference in price between this product and Software Testing and Continuous Quality Improvement will be more than compensated for in the time it would take to recreate the artifacts using a word processor. If you are starting a QA organization or are a consultant it makes sense to get this product, if your goal is professional development and adding a reference to your library, then the book makes more sense. Regardless, this is an important work whether in the CD ROM/Book combination or the book and should be on the desk of every serious QA professional.

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Most manuals assume software testing is being performed as part of a well-defined, structured development cycle based on clearly stated requirements and standards. Unfortunately, this is not often the case in the real world. Indeed, the one true constant in software development is change.PDCA/TEST presents a continuous quality framework based on Dr. Edward Deming's famous rapid application "spiral" development model for quality through a continuous improvement process to promote effective testing methods in both structured and unstructured environments.William E. Lewis shows you Deming's spiral approach as an alternative to the traditional waterfall method. In the waterfall method, one set of predefined sequential steps is followed with clearly enumerated requirements. But the spiral approach is one where these rigid sequential steps may, to varying degrees, be either lacking or different as circumstances demand. Starting from this fundamental building block, Lewis shows you how to: · Apply the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) quality wheel to the software testing process· Integrate a continuous quality framework into all phases of software development, including requirements analysis, logical design, physical design, program unit design, and coding· And choose the right testing tool (such as Bender & Associates Softtest) for the right test.The book also details the spiral methodology for software testing broken down into parts, steps and tasks documented with extensive checklists, templates, and technical discussions. You will also learn to:· Master black box, white box and gray box testing· Incorporate continuous improvement into inspections and walkthroughs· Verify the logical design, physical design, program unit design, and coding phases· And more. In sum, PDCA/TEST: A Framework for Software Testing gives you all the tools and knowledge you need to assure quality software testing throughout all stages of development, no matter how unstructured that process may wind up being.

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