ISTQB FOUNDATION 4.0 | Tutorial 5 | 1.4 Test Activities, Testware & Test Roles (Part-1) | CTFL

Summary

This tutorial delves into the ISTQB Foundation certification, focusing on testing activities and roles. It outlines the phases of the testing lifecycle, emphasizing the importance of understanding the context-dependent nature of testing. The video guides viewers through planning, analysis, design, implementation, execution, and completion phases, highlighting the role of stakeholders and factors influencing the test process. It prepares viewers for a detailed exploration of test techniques and the significance of adapting the test process to meet specific project needs.

Takeaways

• 📚 The video is a tutorial on the ISTQB Foundation certification, focusing on the fundamentals of testing, specifically testing activities, test wear, and test roles.
• 🔍 Testing activities are context-dependent, meaning that the approach to testing can vary between different applications and organizations.
• 📈 The testing process is not static and is tailored based on various influencing factors; it includes common test activities that form the test process.
• 🗓 The test planning phase defines the goals, objectives, approach, timelines, and resources for testing, setting the stage for the testing lifecycle.
• 🔍 Test analysis involves understanding the test basis, which can include requirements, architecture, design, code, algorithms, and more, to derive test conditions.
• 📝 Test design is about creating test cases and testware, which are instructions and artifacts to support test execution, including test data and environment setup.
• 🛠️ Test implementation gets everything ready for execution, including defining test procedures, creating test scripts, and setting up the test environment.
• 🎯 Test execution is the phase where actual testing occurs, comparing actual results with expected outcomes, and reporting defects when they occur.
• 🔚 Test completion or postmortem activities involve evaluating exit criteria, documenting remaining open defects, archiving test materials, and gathering lessons learned.
• 🤝 Stakeholders' needs and expectations influence the test process, including their contributions, the team's skills and knowledge, and business domain factors.
• 🛑 The test process is influenced by a variety of factors such as project constraints, organizational factors, software development lifecycle, and the tools used.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the tutorial video script provided?

The tutorial video script focuses on the ISTQB Foundation certification, specifically discussing the fundamentals of testing, the testing life cycle, and the various phases and activities involved in the testing process.

What are the major phases of the testing life cycle mentioned in the script?

The major phases of the testing life cycle mentioned in the script include test planning, test analysis, test design, test implementation, test execution, and test completion.

What is the purpose of test planning in the testing life cycle?

The purpose of test planning is to define the goals and objectives of testing, determine the overall approach, allocate resources, define entry and exit criteria, and establish monitoring and control mechanisms for the testing process.

What is meant by 'test basis' in the context of test analysis?

In the context of test analysis, 'test basis' refers to the documentation, such as requirements, architecture, design, code, algorithms, workflow, use cases, and business model diagrams, which the testing team refers to in order to derive test cases or test an application.

What is the difference between 'test conditions' and 'test cases'?

Test conditions are the scenarios derived from the requirements, essentially the basis for what needs to be tested. Test cases, on the other hand, are the set of instructions created to validate a particular functionality or feature based on those test conditions.

What is the role of test techniques in the test design phase?

Test techniques are used in the test design phase to support the activity of writing test cases. They help in deriving the appropriate or minimum number of test cases needed to achieve the required coverage.

What is the significance of test implementation phase?

The test implementation phase is significant as it involves getting ready for test execution. It includes defining test procedures, creating test scripts, setting up the test environment, and preparing the test execution schedule.

What activities take place during the test execution phase?

During the test execution phase, test cases are executed to validate the functionality or feature. The actual results are compared with the expected results, and any discrepancies are reported as defects. Defects are tracked for closure, and retesting and regression testing are performed as needed.

What is the purpose of the test completion phase?

The test completion phase, also known as postmortem activities, involves evaluating exit criteria, documenting remaining open defects, archiving test artifacts for future reuse, and gathering lessons learned to improve the testing process.

How do stakeholders influence the testing process?

Stakeholders influence the testing process by contributing their needs, expectations, requirements, and willingness to cooperate. Their input helps to shape the strategy, techniques, automation levels, documentation, and reporting within the testing process.

What are some factors that can influence the definition of a test process?

Factors that can influence the definition of a test process include the skills and experience of team members, business domain, technical factors, project constraints, organizational factors, software development lifecycle, and the tools available for testing.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to ISTQB Foundation Certification

This paragraph introduces the ISTQB Foundation certification tutorial, focusing on the fundamentals of testing. It discusses the testing activities, roles, and emphasizes the importance of understanding the testing life cycle phases and their respective activities. The paragraph highlights the context-dependent nature of testing and the need to tailor the test process to specific organizational factors. It also introduces the concept of test planning and its significance in defining the testing objectives, approach, resources, and monitoring and control mechanisms.

05:01

🔍 Test Analysis and Design Phases

The second paragraph delves into the test analysis phase, where the basis for testing is identified from various documentation sources. It explains the process of deriving test conditions from requirements and the importance of static testing to identify defects early on. The paragraph then transitions to the test design phase, detailing the creation of test cases and testware to support test execution. It also touches on the identification of test data requirements, environment setup, and the selection of tools and techniques to support the test design activities.

10:03

🛠 Test Implementation and Execution

This paragraph discusses the test implementation phase, where the focus is on preparing for test execution. It covers the determination of test procedures, automation scripts, and the creation of test suites. The paragraph also explains the importance of prioritizing test cases and creating a test execution schedule. The test execution phase is characterized by the actual running of test cases, mapping actual results against expected outcomes, and reporting defects. It also mentions the role of debugging and root cause analysis during this phase.

15:03

🏁 Test Completion and Post-Mortem Activities

The fourth paragraph covers the test completion phase, also known as postmortem activities, which occur after the product is handed over to the business. It discusses the evaluation of exit criteria, closure of defects, archiving of test materials for future use, and the documentation of lessons learned. The paragraph also mentions the preparation of a test summary report, which communicates the overall testing activities and outcomes to stakeholders.

20:03

🤝 Stakeholder Influence on the Test Process

This paragraph explores the influence of stakeholders on the test process, emphasizing that testing is an integral part of the development process and is funded by stakeholders with the goal of fulfilling their needs. It outlines various factors that contribute to the test process, including the skills and experience of team members, business domain factors, technical aspects of the software, project constraints, and tools used. The paragraph concludes by highlighting how these factors impact the strategy, techniques, automation, documentation, and reporting within the test process.

🌟 Conclusion and Invitation for Further Learning

The final paragraph concludes the tutorial by summarizing the key points discussed and inviting viewers to continue learning and exploring the context of testing. It acknowledges the complexity of the test process and the importance of understanding the various factors that influence it. The paragraph ends with a note of encouragement for viewers to engage with the content and seek further clarification if needed.

Keywords

💡ISTQB Foundation Certification

The ISTQB Foundation Certification is an entry-level qualification for software testers, demonstrating foundational knowledge in software testing principles and practices. In the video, the certification serves as the context for discussing various testing activities, emphasizing its importance for individuals looking to validate their understanding of the fundamental concepts of testing.

💡Testing Life Cycle

The Testing Life Cycle refers to the series of phases that a testing process goes through, from the initial planning to the final completion. In the video, the script outlines the major phases of the testing life cycle and the activities performed in each phase, highlighting the tester's role and the deliverables expected from each phase.

💡Test Planning

Test Planning is the initial phase of the testing life cycle where the objectives, approach, resources, and timelines for testing are defined. The video script mentions that this phase sets the foundation for the entire testing process, including the establishment of entry and exit criteria and the selection of monitoring and control matrices.

💡Test Analysis

Test Analysis involves understanding the test basis, which includes requirements, designs, and other relevant documentation, to identify testable features and define test conditions. The script explains that this phase is crucial for determining what needs to be tested and how to measure the coverage of testing activities.

💡Test Design

Test Design is the phase where test cases are created to validate specific functionalities or features of a product. The script discusses how this phase also involves identifying testware, such as test data and configurations, which support the execution of tests, and the use of test techniques to ensure comprehensive test case coverage.

💡Test Implementation

Test Implementation is about preparing for the execution of tests, including setting up the environment, configuring tools, and creating test procedures. The video script describes this phase as a critical step in getting ready for test execution, ensuring that all necessary preconditions are met before tests are run.

💡Test Execution

Test Execution is the phase where the actual testing of the product occurs. The script explains that this involves running test cases, comparing actual outcomes with expected results, and reporting defects when discrepancies are found. This phase is highlighted as the longest-running and most active part of the testing process.

💡Test Completion

Test Completion, also known as postmortem activities, is the final phase of the testing process where the product is handed over to the business and remaining tasks, such as documenting open defects and archiving test materials, are completed. The video script emphasizes the importance of this phase for evaluating exit criteria and gathering lessons learned.

💡Stakeholders

Stakeholders are individuals or groups with an interest or concern in the testing process and its outcomes. The script discusses how the needs and expectations of stakeholders influence the testing process, including the strategy, techniques, and level of detail required in testing activities.

💡Context-Dependent

The term 'context-dependent' is used in the script to describe how the testing process can vary based on various factors specific to the organization, project, or product being tested. The video emphasizes the importance of understanding the unique context of each testing situation to tailor the test process accordingly.

💡Test Techniques

Test Techniques refer to systematic approaches used to derive test conditions and design test cases. The script mentions that while these techniques are primarily used in the Test Design phase, they can also support the identification of test scenarios during Test Analysis, contributing to a more thorough testing process.

Highlights

Introduction to the ISTQB Foundation certification tutorial series.

Exploration of the fundamentals of testing in the first chapter.

Discussion on the major phases of the testing life cycle.

Understanding the role of a tester and their contribution to each phase.

Deliverables and work products expected from each testing phase.

Concept of testing being context-dependent and its implications.

Importance of understanding organizational factors influencing the test process.

Overview of the test planning phase and its key responsibilities.

Introduction to monitoring and control as continuous activities in testing.

Explanation of test analysis and its focus on deriving test conditions from the test basis.

Identification of testable features and prioritization of test conditions.

Introduction to test design phase focusing on creating test cases and testware.

Discussion on the use of test techniques in test design and analysis.

Test implementation phase covering preparation for test execution.

Details on test execution, including defect reporting and tracking.

The significance of the test completion phase and postmortem activities.

Gathering of lessons learned and the preparation of a test summary report.

Understanding the influence of stakeholders on the test process.

Identification of factors affecting the definition and strategy of the test process.

The role of technical factors, project constraints, and tools in shaping the test process.

Transcripts

Hello friends and greetings for the day

welcome back to another tutorial on

istqb Foundation certification we are in

chapter one talking about the

fundamentals of testing and looking

forward to continue with our next

segment that is testing activities test

wear and test rols this segment is going

to be pretty long so we just don't want

to put it in one tutorial so you can

expect part one and part two of this

segment so today we shall be covering

the first part of it which is test

activities and then we'll look forward

to cover the remaining two in the next

tutorial to get started of course the

very first topic we are talking about is

the testing activities which indeed in

other words are referred to as our test

process all of we are trying to

understand from this segment is what are

the major phases of testing life cycle

and what kind of activities are

performed in their respective phases

being a tester I should be aware of what

exactly these faces are where is my

contribution and involvement and what

kind of outputs I should derive from

each particular phase that means as in

when a phase is completed as in when

these activities are being performed

what are our deliverables or what kind

of work products we should be preparing

and delivering to the next phase of

course with one of our principle we

understood that testing is context

dependent which means that two different

applications are not tested indeed for

each and every application we have a

unique approach defined for it so it is

very very crucial to understand that

what are those context what are those

factors which influence and of course a

test process will not remain same across

organizations so you must always dig out

and understand more about that what your

organization's factors are which are

influencing your trust test process and

istqb wants very much to be cleared at

this point of time that hey as this

certification will will be taken by

different people from different

organizations your test process may vary

a slightly here and there than what we

are talking about and that's where

they're just keeping it as general as

possible as simple as possible so that

you can easily digest the information

without contradictions so of course

testing is context dependent but at a

high level there are common set of test

activities without which testing is less

likely to achieve the required test

objectives also these set of test

activities basically form the test test

process and the test process will be

tailored to given situations based on

the various factors which test

activities are included in the test

process how they are implemented and

then when they occur is normally decided

as a part of the test planning for

specific situation that means most of

your action items or determination of

the test process and the respective

activities will be done right at the

planning phase which is generally a key

responsibility of the manager so let's

get into that generic process what we

are trying to convey you from here and

we will look forward to understand more

about each of these phases the very

first phase is all about test planning

and as you see on the slide we do not

have much information about it right

here in the chapter one that means the

syllabus does not want you to

concentrate on planning and monitoring

and control at this point of time in

chapter 1 but of course you will have a

detailed explanation of the same in the

chapter 5 that means we just don't want

you to unnecessarily concentrate on

something probably which we will not ask

your question about so anyhow just

because we are watching this tutorial so

I should give you something more about

the same so however I can give you a

high level introduction to what is

planning but we will be deep diving into

the same in the chapter five for sure so

test planning is basically a phase of

the testing life cycle where the Journey

of testing life cycle kicks off that

means defining and determining all the

set of activities what we will be

performing in order to achieve the

required goals of testing so number one

and most important thing is the very

first we Define the goal and objective

of testing that by conducting testing on

a product what is that are we trying to

achieve right you may have different

scope of work at UH your own project and

those scope of work should be fulfilled

or helped you to define the required

objective which you should be Cons

considering as a goal of the testing

entirely at the same time we also Define

the overall approach of testing we

Define the timelines resources assigning

those resources back to those respective

task for example how many manual testers

do we need if there's a scope of

automation do we have automation testers

with us then what is the amount of

testing to be conducted what is the tool

going to be referred or used for this

purpose and so on at the same time we

also look into definition of entry and

exit criteria the amount of

documentation the templates for it and

so on on the same hand if I talk about

the monitoring and control is basically

a part of test planning itself that

means the determination of matrices or

select of matrices for monitoring and

control will be done right at the

planning phase but the reason why we

consider this phase as an independent

one is basically to let you know that it

is a throughout activity that means

monitoring and control is not a onetime

activity it happens throughout the life

cycle and will continue to take place

till the test process gets over whereas

monitoring is more about keeping an eye

on ongoing progress of the project which

will help you to understand if your

process is going as per the plan or

getting deviated in case it is getting

deviated the deviation will be observed

by the help of matrices and then an

appropriate control action can be taken

to overcome that deviation where a

control action can be defined as the

corrective or guiding actions which

helps you appropriately to curve the gap

or the deviation which was observed so a

manager is generally responsible to

determine all these what we just

discussed be a part of the planning and

uh determine for the the whole process

the next major phase which we get

started with is the test analysis

process and as a part of the test

analysis the major objective is to start

analyzing the test basis now hold on

that's the new word what you might be

learning about so test basis is a

generic word or standard keyword used

for any such documentation which testing

team refers in order to derive test

cases or test an application so this

just the reason I'm not using the word

requirement here is because it is not

limited to requirement you can even

refer architecture you can even refer

design or you can talk about code

algorithms workflow use cases business

model diagrams and whatnot so as you

have so many documentation which are

referred for different levels of testing

respectively these documentations can be

put together to be called as test basis

the word test basis means basis for

testing that means anything in your

organization what you might be calling

it out as is what you refer or start

analyzing to understand the scope of

work or the expectations of the product

at the same time you also identify the

testable features and you start to

Define and prioritize the associated

test condition now what exactly test

condition stands here for in our simple

words in our general life we call them

as test scenarios but here we call them

as test conditions okay so test

conditions are basically your scenarios

which you start deriving from the

requirement also we uh talk about the

test basis uh and the test objects are

also evaluated to identify the defects

that means the static testing kicks off

right from here that means as you're

going through the documentation you're

actually gaining understanding about the

requirements and expectation but at the

same time you are trying to understand

more about the anomalies related to it

for example if you go through a

requirement and if you find an unclear

requirement ambiguous requirement or

inconsistent requirement which means

that unclear incomplete contradicting

you just let the author know that means

you are finding defects early right in

the requirement these defects are what

result into a uh you know

misunderstanding of requirement at a

later point of time also test analysis

is often supported by the test technique

which simply means one thing that we can

make use of Tex techniques to identify

the required set of test conditions

however they will be mainly used in the

test design phase to derive the

appropriate or minimum number of test

cases but when it comes to test scenario

as well we can very well go ahead and

use techniques so we will talk about

these techniques in detail in chapter 4

which will be completely about what are

the techniques and how do we derive the

minimum number of test cases but right

now we just want to refer and let you

know that as a part of analysis we get

started with all these determinations so

test analysis is that particular phase

which basically answers that what to

test that means what exactly are the

requirement what exactly are the

expectations and what exactly we are

supposed to test and it uses in terms of

a measurable coverage criteria that

means at the end of the day these are

the things which will be measured in

order to declare that testing has been

done or it is complete similarly if I

talk about the next phase which is

called as test design and this phase is

particularly about writing test cases

and identifying other test Wares or

writing other test wees now two new

keywords of course test cases is very

familiar to anyone who is in testing so

test cases are the set of instructions

which help you to validate a particular

functionality or feature whereas

testware is a generic word which is used

for any other artifact or any other

documentation which you create to

support your test executions for example

it could be a test data test

configuration or any other documentation

which you would need in order to run the

test and we put together call it as a

test bear which also includes the

environment in that so this activity

often involves the identification of

coverage items which serves as a guide

to specify the test case inputs now test

techniques can very well be used to

support the ACT activity that is to

write the test cases also test design

includes defining the following

activities that is test data requirement

that what kind of data do you need to

run the test designing the environment

and identifying any other infrastructure

and tool that means the system

configurations or devops or other tools

or testing tools Etc can be identified

right here now there is a key difference

you identify the tool here and implement

or set up the environment in the next

phase which is implementation so the

words will help you designing

implementing so designing is all about

identifying the environment and

infrastructure and tools implementation

is more about implementing the

infrastructure the environment and the

tools also this particular phase is

mainly triggered to answer the question

that how to test right so in analysis we

understood this is all about what to

test and test design answers the

question how to test that means what

exactly you would need in order to

perform the test execution the very next

phase is is all about the test

implementation as a part of test

implementation in single word we can

always say that it is all about getting

ready for execution that means all those

Preparatory activities what you need to

do in order to perform the execution

will be conducted here right from

determination of the test procedure and

automation scripts now the test

procedure is a new word for you again

test procedure basically stands for the

sequence of actions to be performed in

order to run a test especially if I talk

about autom testing then test procedure

basically helps us to determine that

what configuration parameter what kind

of class calling structure what kind of

libraries what kind of functions we

should have in order to run the test so

sequence of action that means when you

trigger a test I must have the data

Associated I must have a environment

declared I must have a user profile

Associated and so on and then go to the

script to run it so the sequence of

activities or actions which you perform

in order to run a test is what you refer

to as test procedure Fe so test

procedures will be defined here at the

same time we will also be responsible to

write required uh test Suites which are

basically the test Suites are collection

of test cases put together in an order

to be executed together right so in most

of the tools these are also referred as

test set so test set is just the

collection of test cases manual and

automated test scripts are created now

again the detail details of the test

script will be written here and anyhow

if people are confused that how can

automation script will be written here

because test cases are written in test

design then why not automation scripts

are also written there the reason is the

test tools are implemented here and you

do not write an automation script in

notepad or Word document you always

write an automation script right in the

automation testing tool also all the

test procedures will be uh prioritized

at this point of time and this will help

us to have the items being sequenced in

the order of execution we'll consider

all all the factors which influence the

priority of the test case execution that

is the complexity the risk involved the

dependencies and we put this into a

table and we call that table as test

execution schedule however the test

execution schedule will be understood in

detail in chapter 5 uh once again but

right here we just want to give you an

introduction that test execution

schedule is prepared as a part of

implementation also we will set up and

verify that the environment is ready and

we can go ahead and perform the

execution so these are some of the major

activities what we get indulged in in

order to perform the test implementation

phase well talking about test execution

of course it's very straightforward at

this particular phase you start

executing your test cases in order to

run the test you will have everything

with you because of test implementation

phase and right here you start executing

the test cases as you execute the test

cases of course you will map the actual

with the expected if in case you're

expected an act are same the test result

is marked as pass if in case they are

different it's marked as failed as soon

as a test is marked as failed it is very

important for you to report a defect by

writing a defect report and start

tracking that for the closure as soon as

the defect gets closed of course you

will perform the repeating activities

like retesting and regression which we

will talk in more detail about it in

Chapter 2 also many times it happens

that people quite confus quite get

confused in terms of like hey when it

comes to analyzing the root causes or

talking about fixing a defect which

phase does it happen in of course all

the defects will be reported during test

execution and at the same time the

developers will perform debugging or

getting into the root cause and also

providing the resolution of defects

during this phase itself let me tell you

this is the only phase where all the

major activities takes place in fact

this is the longest running test phase

altogether so a tester is someone who

has to be aware of that the debugging

the root cause analysis and resolutions

and repeating activities like retesting

and regression testing should all take

place right last but not the least of

course the test completion phase is the

last and final phase of the test process

where it is also called as postmortem

activities and these activities are

conducted once you have handed over the

product to the business that means at

the end of test execution you will be

evaluating exit criteria to determine

that you can stop testing on not if in

case you have stopped testing you will

hand over the product to the business

but post Handover you will still have

something internally to take care of for

example you will be writing a proper

report documenting all those defects

which remain open of course we all agree

that we don't close every single defect

which we find however we try to close

the maximum number of defects as per the

contract for example if the contract

says around 90% of defect should be

closed or high priority ones must be

closed then we must close all of them

and the one which may have the margin of

10% can remain open which you can close

it later however we say that it is very

important to close all the defects so

that you don't see any unforeseen

situation but sometime the time does not

allow us to do that or maybe there would

be more amount of time required to fix

them so we do defer them for some time

also in this particular phase we archive

all the test where what we have used

that is mainly for the future reuse or

at least to hand over to the maintenance

test team the maintenance team is

someone who is responsible to take care

of the product after the release of the

product to the market and they take care

of mainly things like update upgrade

migration and retirement we'll be

talking about that in more detail in

Chapter 2 so I'm introducing you to a

lot of keywords here but trust me we

will be talking about them in down the

line so right here we will be uh

archiving everything and storing them

and even handing over for the future

ruse and uh we also sit together to

gather the lessons learned related to

all the activities we have performed

this helps us to improve over period of

time and do better process and better

activities Al together and last but not

the least of course a test summary

report will be prepared by the manager

which communicates all the overall

activities what you conducted in order

to achieve the goal of testing which you

define during the test planning so

summary report will be populated and

shared with all the requested or

required

stakeholders talking about the next

topic this is all about the stakeholders

need and expectations from the test

process so we are talking about the test

process in context and we say that

testing is not performed in isolation

that means it is not a standalone

activity as a part of sdlc test

activities are an integral part of the

development process carried out within

an organization testing is also found

funded by stakeholders and its final

goal is to help fulfill the stakeholder

and business needs therefore the way the

testing is carried out will depend on

number of contextual factors as listed

here so let's see who are our

contributors and what other things are

going to influence our entire test

process alog together number one the

stakeholders they will be contributing

us from the needs expectations

requirement willingness to cooperate Etc

when it comes to team members of course

they need to have the skills required

knowledge level of EXP experience

availability and all sort of training

needs which we should fulfill in order

to implement the work related to testing

when it comes to business domain

criticality of the test object

identified risk Market needs and

specific legal regulations Etc will be

contributing here in order to drive our

entire test process also technical

factors which include the type of

software product architecture

technically technology used will all be

one of the contributing factors in terms

of determining how my test process will

actually be defined so point being made

is if in case you're getting a little

carried away that what these pointers

are all about we are talking about all

those factors which influences the

definition of your test process as we

told you that your test process may not

be exactly the same to that of the other

organizations what are those factors

which basically influence your test

process also including project

constraints which means the scope time

budget resources organizational factors

like organizational structure existing

policies practices used Etc the software

development life cycing use also is a

contributor because if you talk about

the engineering practices the

development methods waterfall has a

different approach altoe agile has a

different approach Al together so they

do vary and determine the exact need of

the test process and also the tools

given that we talking about availability

usability compliance Etc the tools also

Drive our test process in a way that we

can do it conveniently without any kind

of obstructions so these factors will

have an impact on many test related

issues including the strategy the

technique used the degree of test

automation required level of coverage

level of detail of documentation

reporting Etc so put together there are

many such factors which determine what

your test process will be all about and

how will does help you to have the most

efficient process to test your own

product so that's all for this

particular part one and this particular

tutorial team should you have anything

else feel free to comment below I'm

always there to address your queries and

answer them well till then keep learning

keep exploring keep understanding the

context thanks for watching the video

team and happy

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learning

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