4. Risk Management
An introduction to the risk management process – identifying risks, analyzing them, mitigating
them, contingency planning, and monitoring. How to use a risk-based approach to prioritize
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testing tasks and plan the appropriate level of resources to apply to testing, given that you can’t
test everything.
§ Exercise: Participate in a facilitated risk brainstorming session.
§ Exercise: Split into two groups. For two different sample projects with the same software
but different risks, plan the testing effort. Compare the results.
a. Risk Management Process
i. Identify
ii. Analyze
iii. Plan
iv. Mitigate
v. Track
b. Risk-Based Testing
i. Using a Risk Analysis to Plan Testing
ii. Quality Criteria
iii. Risk Catalogs
iv. Risk-Based Release Decisions
v. When to Use Alternate Methods to Mitigate Risk
5. Exploratory Testing
An introduction to the concept of “Testing in the Dark.” You find an unlabeled CD on your desk
with a note that says “Please test.” How to use exploratory testing to find bugs even in the most
adverse conditions. How to make exploratory testing a disciplined process, distinct from a chaotic
ad-hoc testing process. Also, how to take advantage of exploratory testing even in the most
organized development processes.
§ Exercise: Test a virtual software system you’ve never seen before using exploratory testing
techniques.
a. Testing in the Dark
b. Anatomy of Exploratory Testing
c. Differences Between Exploratory and Ad-Hoc Testing
d. Knowing When Exploratory Testing is the Best Approach
f. Reporting
e. Supplementing a Documented Test Suite With Exploratory Testing
6. Test Design Techniques
A tour of several low-level test design techniques. What situations would lead testers in an
independent test group to use these techniques.
§ Exercise: Discuss the appropriate combination of techniques to use for a few different
