QWE2002 Tutorial C1

Mr. Rex Black
(RBCS, Inc.)

Managing the Testing Process: Organization, Motivation, and Techniques

Key Points

Presentation Abstract

Organizations invest in quality in general, and testing specifically, because they expect the time, money, and care spent prior to releasing a system to pay dividends after the release. These dividends may come in the many forms, including but not limited to financial rewards. Testing is, therefore, a risk management exercise that helps the organization reduce the likelihood of having to bear certain unanticipated future costs. With such high stakes involved, testing is an endeavor that deserves careful planning, crisp execution, a talented team, and significant resources. This tutorial will examine the project and organizational context of testing projects, the need for alignment between testing and quality, and techniques that a test manager can use to ensure crisp test project management.

About the Author

Rex Black is the President and Principal Consultant of Rex Black Consulting Services, Inc., an international software and hardware testing and quality assurance consultancy. He and his consulting associates help clients such as Bank One, Compaq, Dell, Reef, Schlumberger, and others with implementation, consulting, training, and staffing for testing, test automation, and quality assurance projects. His current book, Managing the Testing Process, was published in June 1999, and popular demand has lead to an expanded and enhanced Second Edition, due to hit the shelves around April . His next book, tentatively titled Critical Testing Processes, will be published by Addison-Wesley in late 2002.