Software testing root cause analysis tutorials and videos

Tips to Apply Root Cause Analysis for Software Quality

Software Testing Magazine — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 12:15:31 +0000

Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is an approach used in software quality to identify the root causes of bugs or issues and address them instead of treating the symptoms. In this article, Mush Honda explains that RCA can be applied to end user feedback as well as software defects during software testing and provides some tips on how to apply RCA. Author: Mush Honda, KMS Technology, http://www.kms-technology.com/ When a software defect is identified in the production or live environment, there’s always a rush to fix it and get things working as expected again. People are so focused on resolving the issue that they often forget about finding the cause. By applying Root Cause Analysis (RCA) to software defects, you can go beyond simply treating the symptoms and uncover the root of your problem. If you fail to address the root cause, there’s a good chance that you’ll get stuck in a recurring pattern of defects, fixing symptoms, but never finding the source. A successful RCA will reveal why symptoms or issues are occurring, enabling you to formulate a mitigation strategy. It is an opportunity for the team to evolve, learn, and get better at delivering software. Fixing at the source can also alleviate other symptoms that you didn’t realize were linked and, ultimately, it results in an efficient delivery process with higher quality. But where and how should you apply it? A tool for RCA: the fishbone or cause-and-effect diagram. Source: http://wikipedia.org/ Targeting business critical issues When an issue that’s causing [...]

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Specific Practices in Financial Software Testing

Software Testing Magazine — Tue, 29 Oct 2013 13:56:51 +0000

This article will help software testers to gain an understanding of the specific practices that are commonly practiced by financial service providers in financial software testing of banking and financial services applications. Banking applications include core banking, retail, private, corporate, investment, credit card applications and financial services applications like payment gateways, mutual funds applications. Author: Anindita Chandra The novice testers will gain an understanding of the practices and the experienced software testers will find a correlation with the practices practiced in their financial software testing projects. In this article, I explore some of the specific financial software testing practices practiced commonly by the financial testing service providers. Understanding / knowledge of system(s) from business viewpoint Software testers that have domain knowledge of financial system are the most suitable candidates to test finance systems. Testers of related domain expertise could also be considered in case, if there is not enough specific domain expertise. Retail banking personnel for Rates STP (straight through processing) project is an example of related domain expertise. Mandatory domain training sessions are arranged for those testers. On the project start, a knowledge transition plan can be prepared with inputs from the client and old vendor based on an “As Is” assessment. After the team is formed, knowledge transition is provided either/both by the client or/and the old vendor about the business functionalities of the IT systems and business workflows between different IT systems that are part of the test scope. This way, testers gain the understanding and knowledge [...]

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Applying Root Cause Analysis to Software Defects

Software Testing Magazine — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 19:20:04 +0000

Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is an approach used in software testing to identify the root causes of defects or problems and address them instead of treating the symptoms. It’s a process that grew out of accident investigations to become a standard feature of hardware engineering. If something is broken, instead of just fixing it at the point of discovery, let’s investigate and try to fix the underlying cause at the point of origin. This principle is applicable for software development and software testing, so much so, that it could have been developed to deal with software defects. Author: Kaushal Amin, http://kms-technology.com/ Careful application of RCA metrics can uncover serious inefficiencies in your software development processes. The cause of defects can be traced to the original requirements, the design, the code implementation, the verification, the test planning, or even the final QA itself. By addressing the issue at root, you can drastically improve the final software and save money at the same time. You can also fix fundamental problems with your processes that will benefit not only the current project, but all future projects as well. Prevention is better than the cure According to an IBM white paper [1], the cost of fixing a defect in the testing phase is up to 10 times more than if you catch it in the design stage right at the start. The cost to fix that same defect in a post-release product is up to 30 times more. The earlier you catch the defect, [...]

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