Software Testing-Answers to Quiz Questions(六)

Chapter 19

1:  Cite a few reasons that a bug might not be fixed.
 
A1:  There's not enough time in the schedule, it's not a bug, it's too risky, it's not worth it, and the bug wasn't reported properly.
 
2:  What basic principles can you apply to your bug reports to give them the best chance of getting the bug fixed?
 
A2:  Log them as soon as possible. Effectively describe the bug, making sure it's minimal, singular, obvious and general, and reproducible. Be nonjudgmental in your approach. Follow the report through its life cycle.
 
3:  Describe a few techniques for isolating and reproducing a bug.
 
A3:  Record what you do and review it carefully. Use white-box test techniques to look for race conditions, boundary conditions, memory leaks, and other similar problems. See if the bug is state related, such as initial state or later state dependent. Consider resource dependencies and even hardware problems as the source of the bug.
 
4:  Suppose that you're running tests on the Windows Calculator and find that 1+1=2, 2+2=5, 3+3=6, 4+4=9, 5+5=10, and 6+6=13. Write a bug title and bug descrīption that effectively describes this problem.
 
A4:  Title: Adding two even numbers gives an answer that's one too much.
Descrīption:
Test Case: Simple addition
Setup Steps: Start Version 1.0 of Calculator
Repro Steps: Try adding two even numbers such as 2+2, 4+4, and 6+6.
Expected Result: Correct answer for all calculations2+2=4, 4+4=8…
Actual Result: For two even numbers, the answer is one too high2+2=5, 4+4=9, 6+6=13, and so on.

5:  What severity and priority would you give to a misspelling in a company's logo on the software's start-up screen?
 
A5:  Probably Severity 3 (minor problem), Priority 2 (must fix before release).
 
6:  What are the three basic states of a software bug's life cycle and the two common additional states?
 
A6:  Open, Resolved, and Closed are the basic states. Review and Deferred are two possible other states.
 
7:  List a few reasons that a database bug-tracking system is so much more useful than a paper-based system.
 
A7:  You can see at a glance what a bug's life cycle has beeneven if it has been complex. The current status of a bug can be instantly known. Bugs can't be lost or neglected as easily. Project statistics can be quickly obtained.

Chapter 20

1:  If you were using metrics from the bug-tracking database to measure your progress or success at testing, why would just counting the number of bugs you find per day or computing your average find rate be an insufficient measure?
 
A1:  It doesn't tell the entire story. You could be testing the most complex area of the software. Your area could have been written by the most experienced programmer. It could have been written by the least experienced programmer. The code you're testing may have already been tested or may be brand new.
 
2:  Given your answer to question 1, list a few additional software metrics that could be used to measure more accurately and precisely your personal progress or success at testing.
 
A2:  Average number of bugs found per day. Total bugs found so far. Ratio of fixed bugs to all bugs found. Ratio of Severity 1 or Priority 1 bugs to all bugs found. Average time from the Resolved state to the Closed state.
 
3:  What would a database query look like (any format you want) that would extract all the resolved bugs assigned to Terry for the Calc-U-Lot v3.0 project?
 
A3:  Product EQUALS Calc-U-Lot AND
Version EQUALS 3.0 AND
Status EQUALS Resolved AND
Assign TO EQUALS Terry
 
4:  If the bug-find rate for a project was decreasing like the one shown in Figure 20.8 and everyone was excited that the project was getting close to releasing, what might be a couple reasons why this wouldn't be true, that the numbers were lying?
 
A4:  It's possible that the software was released to testing in phases and not all the software was tested yetit might only be leveling off for the current phase. The testers might be busy regressing and closing bugs and not looking for new ones. It could have been a very warm and sunny week or the testers might be out on vacation.

Chapter 21

1:  Why are there testing costs associated with the costs of conformance?
 
A1:  Because no matter how good the development process is, testing still needs to be performed one time to verify the product against the product specification and validate it against the user requirements. If no bugs are found, great, but all the costs associated with planning, developing, and executing the tests contribute to the costs of conformance.
 
2:  True or False: The test team is responsible for quality.
 
A2:  False! Testing looks for bugs. Testers didn't put the bugs in the product and can't guarantee when they're done testing that no more bugs exist.
 
3:  Why would being called a QA Engineer be a difficult title to live up to?
 
A3:  Because it implies that you are the one guaranteeing the product's quality. Are you ready for that responsibility?
 
4:  Why is it good for a test or quality assurance group to report independently to senior management?
 
A4:  If they report to the development manager or the project manager, there's a conflict of interest between finding bugs and the creation of the software or the meeting of the schedule.
 
5:  If a company complied with the ISO 9000-3 standard for software, what CMM level do you think they would be in and why?
 
A5:  They would probably be at CMM Level 3, possibly touching some of the Level 4 requirements. They aren't at Level 2 because Level 2 is just concerned with the project level. Level 3 deals with the entire organization or company. Level 4 is where statistical control starts to come into play.

Chapter 22

1:  When looking for a software testing position on the Internet, what keywords should you use in your search?
 
A1:  Since the job names and descrīptions for software testers are variable, you should try looking for software test, software testing, quality assurance, and QA.
 
2:  Name three ways that you can become involved in testing computer software before it is released to the public.
 
A2:  Beta testing and usability testing are two good methods. A third way is testing open source software and using open source testing tools. You might even get paid to find bugs!
 
3:  What's the goal of a software tester?
 
A3:  The goal of a software tester is to find bugs, find them as early as possible, and make sure they get fixedtempered, of course, with all the realities of software testing that you learned in this book. Good luck and go find those bugs!