Training | 17
Quality, bugs, and risk
can certainly look after
themselves without help
from testing, but the
result will be low quality,
bad bugs, and high risk,
as sure as eggs is eggs and
night follows day. And
what really matters to
businesses is that poor
quality, harmful defects,
and high failure rates, are
all likely to cost money,
whereas testing can save
huge gobs of it.
‘quality assurance’ activity: work their desks, to failed developers that not directly related to software. But,
done to assure quality, by assuring you want to put somewhere where according to an item in Computer
a development environment which they can’t do any more damage? Weekly (“Lack of software testing
doesn’t create bugs, but prevents them Well, we’ll deal with that set of ideas to blame for Terminal 5 fiasco, BA
instead. From early days, my testing below. But first, let’s come to the real executive tells MPs” 9 May 2008),
courses have identified several ways purpose of doing testing. Why does significant contributors to the loss
in which testing can contribute to software quality need controlling? included: “a software filter being
creating such an environment. Why do we need development left on the BAA baggage system,”
Later on (I’m a slow learner), I environments that minimise bug- which had apparently been included
came to associate testing with risk generation? Why do the risks of to ensure that only test data would
management. It’s a happy fact that faulty software products need to be be processed (!), and the inability of
a well-designed test case that finds managed by testing them? the servers to “cope with the number
a bug, thereby eliminates a risk, just Quality, bugs, and risk can certainly of messages the baggage system
as surely as one that doesn’t find a look after themselves without help generated”.
bug (since a risk is an uncertainty: from testing, but the result will be low British Airways' chief executive,
something that might go wrong, but quality, bad bugs, and high risk, as sure Willie Walsh, commented: “If I were
hasn’t yet). Testing is important, I tell as eggs is eggs and night follows day. to pick one issue I would have done
people, because of the many risks that And what really matters to businesses differently, it is that, having recognised
users of untested software may face. is that poor quality, harmful defects, the importance of [software] testing
If testers can do nothing else, we can and high failure rates, are all likely to and having designed six months of
turn those risks into certainties, known cost money, whereas testing can save testing, we subsequently compromised
problems! (But mostly it’s even better huge gobs of it. on that.”
to get them fixed.)
“We compromised A context for good testing
But why do testing? on the testing” Over the past five years, I’ve spent a
All of these interpretations of testing Queen Elizabeth II officially opened lot of time guiding certification exam
carry a degree of truth, but none of Heathrow’s Terminal 5 in a ceremony candidates through the material
them really has the force of a business on 14 March 2008. On that day it necessary to obtain the ISEB/ISTQB
imperative. As we’re all only too well quickly became apparent that the new Foundation Level Certificate in
aware, we are in straitened economic terminal was not operating smoothly, Software Testing. As a testing course,
times in 2009 (belt-tightening, and and British Airways cancelled 34 it’s something of a disappointment,
all that). Why should businesses flights and was later forced to suspend if you were expecting to be trained
throw scarce money into testing their baggage check-in. in “how to test”. Its real objectives
software before releasing it? And why In the first five days of operation, are revealed by its target audience,
should they throw yet more money BA is reported to have lost sixteen which includes testers, for sure, but
into training people how to do testing? million pounds. Part of the blame also includes “people in roles such as…
Isn’t it something that anyone can do, can be attributed to overruns on the project managers, quality managers,
from clerical staff taken from behind construction work, and other problems software development managers,
T.E.S.T | March 09 March 09 | T.E.S.T
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