Software testing and application acceptance fundamentals

Module 1: introductions

• Individual introductions and discussion of your expectations for the course.
• Overview of the programme and its objectives.
• Clarifying the challenges and agreeing on shared objectives.

Module 2: introduction to software testing and acceptance

• Key definitions: software testing, application acceptance, software quality.
• The importance of quality in IT projects.
• Objectives and benefits of testing and acceptance.
• Roles and responsibilities: testers, developers, business owners (MOA), implementation teams (MOE).

Practical exercise:

• Map the roles and responsibilities of quality stakeholders in a given project.

Module 3: testing throughout the project lifecycle

• Integrating testing into V-model, Agile and DevOps lifecycles.
• Test levels: unit, integration, system and acceptance.
• Test types: functional, non-functional and regression.

Case study: 

• Analyse a typical project to identify the key stages at which to perform testing.

Module 4: testing methodologies and best practices

• Developing a test plan and an acceptance test specification.
• Identifying and structuring test cases.
• Acceptance criteria and requirements management.

Practical exercise: 

• Write a simplified test plan based on a requirements specification.

Module 5: test execution, monitoring and documentation

• Test execution techniques.
• Tracking results and managing defects.
• Traceability and reporting.

Practical exercise: 

• Simulate a test campaign, log defects and produce a test report.

Module 5: introduction to testing and acceptance management tools

• Introduction and demonstrations: JIRA, Squash, TestLink.
• Using a tool to create, track and close a test case.

Practical exercise:  

• Create a test case and a defect tracking record.

Module 6: team communication and coordination

• Collaboration between business owners (MOA), implementation teams (MOE), testers and users.
• Tools and practices to facilitate communication.
• Managing trade-offs.

Collaborative practical exercise: 

• Manage an acceptance process involving stakeholder interaction and resolution of a quality incident.