INTRODUCTION
As seen in earlier chapters there are many tasks and activities that need to be performed during the testing process. In addition, other tasks need to be performed to support the testing process.
In order to assist in making the testing process easier to perform and manage, many different types of test tools have been developed and used for a wide variety of testing tasks. Some of them have been developed in-house by an organisation’s own software development or testing department. Others have been developed by software houses (also known as test-tool vendors) to sell to organisations that perform testing. Even within the same type of tool, some will be home-grown and others will be developed by test-tool vendors.
This chapter discusses the potential benefits and pitfalls associated with test tools in general. It then describes the most commonly used types of test tools and concludes with a process for introducing a tool into a test organisation.
Learning objectives
The learning objectives for this chapter are listed below. You can confirm that you have achieved these by using the self-assessment questions at the start of the chapter, the ‘Check of understanding‘ boxes distributed throughout the text, and the example examination questions provided at the end of the chapter. The chapter summary will remind you of the key ideas.
The sections are allocated a K number to represent the level of understanding required for that section; where an individual section has a lower K number than the section as a whole this is indicated for that topic; for an explanation of the K numbers see the Introduction.
Types of test tool (K2)
Classify different types of test tools according to their purpose and to the activities of the fundamental test process and the software life cycle.
Explain the term test tool and the purpose of tool support for testing.
Effective use of tools: potential benefits and risks (K2)
Summarise the potential benefits and risks of test automation and tool support for testing.
Remember special considerations for test execution tools, static analysis and test management tools. (K1)
Introducing a tool into an organisation (K1)
State the main principles of introducing a tool into an organisation.
State the goals of a proof-of-concept for tool evaluation and a piloting phase for tool implementation.
Recognise that factors other than simply acquiring a tool are required for good tool support.
Self-assessment questions
The following questions have been designed to enable you to check your current level of understanding for the topics in this chapter. The answers are at the end of the chapter.
| SA1 |
Question SA1 (K2)
Which of the following pairs of test tools are likely to be most useful during the test analysis and design stage of the fundamental test process? (i) Test execution tool (ii) Test data preparation tool (iii) Test management tool (iv) Requirements management tool a. (i) and (ii) b. (i) and (iv) c. (ii) and (iii) d. (iii) and (iv) |
| SA2 |
Question SA2 (K2)
Which of the following is most likely to cause failure in the implementation of a test tool? a. Underestimating the demand for a tool. b. The purchase price of the tool. c. No agreed requirements for the tool. d. The cost of resources to implement and maintain the tool. |
| SA3 |
Question SA3 (K2)
What benefits do static analysis tools have over test execution tools? a. Static analysis tools find defects earlier in the life cycle. b. Static analysis tools can be used before code is written. c. Static analysis tools test that the delivered code meets business requirements. d. Static analysis tools are particularly effective for regression testing. |