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ContextAnalysis

By context analysis, I mean an analysis activity one can undertake (and I believe one must undertake) to determine attributes of the software development environment one operates. The attributes of interest are those that define the QA/test activites that are likely to best fit. For example, one attribute of context might be amount of time available for testing. If time available is very short, full blown testing of every piece of functionality delivered might not fit. So one might have to create a prioritzation scheme for tests to make best use of limited time. DaveRabinek

• available time, as you say, and money
• the testers' experience
• the history of code quality delivered to test by the developers
• the quality of the requirements documents (if any)
• the availabiity and cooperativeness of the developers
• the availability of customers for Q and A
• the hardware environment used by developement, and the ones available for test
• the congruence of the management
• the reporting structure of the organization
• an understanding of what will be done or not done with test results
• what else?

Do I understand? - JerryWeinberg 2003.10.16

• the preferred communication style: formal/informal, written/meetings
• the development approach: waterfall, XP, etc.
• the amount of risk (of bugs) customers are willing to take in a release (one measure of quality target)
• the skills/experience of the testers
• the comfort level developers have regarding publicizing their bugs
• roles and responsibilities: who tests (developers, testers or users or all)
• comfort level project management (dev, test, and customer/user)has regarding openly or privately discussing process improvement

HELLO AYE'ers, please help us expand this list.DaveRabinek 2003.10.16

• kind of application - client server: web - intranet, extranet, internet; etc.
• both environment the users have - operating system, monitor size & settings, CPU, line speed - and the number of environments
• who will use the system - experts, beginners...
• kind of product - internal IT, COTS, custom development (internal or external)...
• type of application - safety critical, business critical...

SherryHeinze 2003.10.16

• how complex the software calculations/methods are, for example I work or complex finance and accounting systems, most of which require testers with Master's and PhD's so they can recognize/replicate the expected result (the "right" answer).

DaveRabinek 2003.10.16

Perhaps this can be stated as needing subject matter experts to define test cases and to review results that appear anomalous?!

I had this experience. I needed to set up test cases to validate a simulation. To test the simulation I needed someone who had extensive knowledge of probability, statistics, and distributions. I was introduced to a gentleman having the requisite knowledge (M.S. in probability and extensive work in simulations) He assisted me by refining the definitions of the test cases that I would build. He reviewed the cases, the results, and analyzed results that appeared anomalous. I incorporated his findings into the final test report. He ultimately became one of the best testers I have worked with. CharlesAdams 2003.10.17