Tag: Quality Assurance

  • Quality Assurance for Downloaded Software

    Downloading software is trivially easy these days. “There is an App for almost everything and downloading then only usually requires selecting them and agreeing to a few conditions. We fully realise that there have been many, many, articles on the dangers of accepting all the conditions and the sort of access that it gives to your phone or computer. However, we are more concerned here with the Quality of the Application regardless of how much it requires access to things you would rather keep private. The first step is in the testing that the App stores carry out before agreeing to include the App in the store. However, we are still concerned about whether the App actually does what it is supposed to before you trust it to help you in some way. The only real way to to prove that is to carry out proper Quality Assurance and Quality Control before you download the code. We know how difficult that is and there is not really any access for you to check short of installing it and hoping for the best in your particular software and hardware configuration.

    There is an open question surrounding how to test that the App actually does what it is supposed to or what it is advertised to do. This needs to be checked either by the vendor or by independent testers.

    Take a look at some of the seminars that we offer that address this situation and see if they apply to your situation. Considering the Quality Assurance and testing aspects early can save you a lot of effort, time and funds later on.

    Contact us for further information.

  • Debugging versus Scenario Testing

    Recently someone in a class asked about the difference between debugging and scenario testing given the fact that many errors that need to be fixed must be completed in the code.

    If we make the assumption that we are doing a calculation of some sort or running an algorithm then the following applies.

    During User Acceptance Testing – the test should work end-to-end without an error in actual execution. The appearance, formatting or placement of the result may be incorrect but there should be no problems in running the actual process. This applies to normal cases. Clearly there is a possibility of issues with the unique cases that may have been identified late in the process. If the algorithm or test case does not run or cannot be completed then we are probably debugging rather than scenario testing.

    During System Testing – the calculation should complete although the result may be wrong and one or more steps along the way may provide incorrect results. So the results should be available and the algorithm complete although the results may be wrong. System Testing is aimed at Requirements so this is where we should whether the results agree with the requirements. If the individual test cases do not run or cannot be completed then we are probably debugging rather than scenario testing.

    During Integration Testing – each individual piece (validation of a piece of the overall algorithm) should run but they may not be able to work together. If the individual pieces do not work, then we are debugging. If they cannot be run as an integrated whole, then we are testing.

    During Unit Testing – we are debugging each individual piece of the algorithm. This is code debugging and is not expected to be anything else.

    Contact us to see whether you are scenario testing of debugging.

    Diagram by Veronica

  • Upcoming events in February

     

    NVP Software Solutions will be participating in the following software testing and quality assurance events happening this February in Ontario, Canada. The events are located in Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo and London in the coming two weeks. Check out the relevant websites for more information and to register. This is a great opportunity to connect with other software testing and quality assurance professionals. We hope to see you there! (more…)

  • 2018 Training Courses

    Enrolment for 2018 courses on the following topics is still open:

    1. Test Leadership – Toronto – April and October 2018
    2. Manager’s Test Planning – Toronto – February, April and October 2018
    3. Effective Software Testing – Toronto – February, April and October 2018
    4. Effective Software Testing – Online – April and September 2018
    5. Boot Camp for Testers- – Toronto – February, May and October 2018
    6. CSTE Certification Training – Online – April and September 2018
    7. CSQA Certification Training – Online- April and September 2018
    8. CAST Certification Training – Online February and September 2018
    9. Certifed ScrumMaster (R) (CSM) – Toronto – February through June 2018
    10. Certifed Scrum Product Owner (R) (CSPO) – Toronto – February through June 2018
    11. Other courses on request

    Courses are continuing throughout 2018.

    Take your opportunity to get training created by experts in the field. Make 2018 your best Quality Assurance year by being prepared and ready for whatever might come your way in terms of Software Testing or Quality Assurance.

    Quality Assurance is not just a solution to a technical software problem. It is a consideration for the entire business. Software Quality Assurance failures impact the entire business and can lead to large problems if not addressed.

    Training testers using NVP supplied courses provides testers with the techniques, tools, and knowledge to select the best method for testing – not the one that has been used for the last 15 years that’s falling short!

    When you work with an experienced software testing trainer you benefit by:

    • Creating more valuable employees that pays back more than investments
      in any test tool!
    • Getting real value from testing
    • Enhancing speed, accuracy and results from your testing processes
    • Seeing larger profits

    Quality assurance training is a great way to help ensure your systems are working for you while supporting and contributing to the growth of your company.

    Let us know if we can help!

  • QAI Testing Courses – Toronto, Canada – February 2018

    Still time to register for these three courses

    The following courses are being offered in Toronto in February 2018.

    1. Test Leadership
    2. Manager’s Test Planning
    3. Boot Camp for Testers

    Courses will be repeated in April and October of 2018.

    Registration is available at nvp.ca/training

  • Upcoming Events – January and February 2018

     

    NVP Software Solutions will be participating in the following software testing and quality assurance events happening this January in Ontario, Canada. The events are located in Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo and London in the coming two weeks. Check out the relevant websites for more information and to register. This is a great opportunity to connect with other software testing and quality assurance professionals. We hope to see you there! (more…)

  • Toronto based Courses for February 2018

    The following courses are being offered in Toronto in February 2018.

    1. Test Leadership
    2. Manager’s Test Planning
    3. Boot Camp for Testers

    Courses will be repeated in April and October of 2018.

    Registration is available at nvp.ca/training

  • Selecting Software to run your business – 3

    Implementation is by far the most interesting and challenging part of Selecting Software to run your business. This is where the details become major problems and resistance to change can derail the entire project.

    It is crucial to do the following:

    1. Get everyone on side.
    2. Get a champion (or champions).
    3. Anticipate the issues.
    4. Address the issues (before they become problems).
    5. Start small (if possible).
    6. Demonstrate successes.
    7. Roll out to the entire company

    Many solution packages look simple on the outside but turn out to be complex to implement and maintain. Others have hidden depths you will never use while others will disappoint you. The selection process is crucial to anticipate some of these issues and make provisions to address them.

    No matter what package is selected or what deployment process is used; at some point the implementation must go ahead or else it will never occur.

    A study from some years ago provided the following figures for software that was purchased to be implemented:

    1. Software Delivered but never successfully used – 47% of the total.
    2. Software paid for but not delivered – 29% of the total.
    3. Software used but extensively reworked or later abandoned – 19% of the total.
    4. Software that could be used after changes – 3% of the total.
    5. Software that could be used as delivered – 2% of the total.

    Implementations have to fall into that 2% to be fully succesful and within the 5% to be partially sucessful. These are not high odds and to be successful requires a correct deployment process throughout the organisation.

    If you have concerns about any of the three stages (Stage 1 and Stage 2 were described in earlier blogs) of acquiring and implementing software – call us at 1-800-811-4718 or contact us.

    We are here to help.