ISTQB FOUNDATION 4.0 | Tutorial 10 | 2.1 Impact of SDLC on Testing | Good Practices of Testing CTFL

Summary

This tutorial delves into the impact of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) on testing practices, exploring how different SDLC models, such as Waterfall and Agile, influence the scope, timing, and techniques of testing. It emphasizes the importance of aligning testing activities with development phases, maintaining unique objectives for various testing levels, and the significance of early test analysis and design. The video also highlights good testing practices that should be adopted across all SDLC models, including early involvement in the review of work products to support a 'shift left' strategy for defect detection.

Takeaways

• 📘 The Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) has a significant impact on the testing process, influencing the scope, timing, and approach of testing activities.
• 🔄 In Waterfall and V-model SDLCs, testing typically occurs after implementation, whereas Agile methodologies emphasize continuous testing throughout the development cycle.
• 📝 The level of detail in test documentation varies by SDLC model, with more detailed documentation in traditional models like Waterfall and briefer documentation in Agile.
• 🛠 The choice of test techniques and approaches is influenced by the SDLC, with Agile favoring faster, more flexible techniques like exploratory testing due to time constraints.
• 🤖 The extent of test automation is often greater in Agile environments to accommodate rapid development cycles and frequent changes.
• 👥 The role and responsibilities of testers differ across SDLC models, with testers in Agile often having cross-functional abilities and more involvement in planning meetings.
• 🔄 Sequential development models like Waterfall require waiting for code development before dynamic testing can begin, whereas iterative models allow for testing at multiple stages.
• 🔧 Good testing practices should be followed regardless of the SDLC model, including having corresponding testing activities for every development activity to ensure quality control.
• 🎯 Different test levels, such as unit, integration, system, and acceptance testing, should have specific objectives to avoid redundancy and ensure comprehensive testing.
• 📅 Test analysis and design should begin during the corresponding development phase of the SDLC to adhere to the principles of early testing and support the shift-left strategy.
• 🔍 Testers should be involved in reviewing work products as soon as drafts are available to facilitate early defect detection and contribute to the shift-left strategy.

Q & A

What is the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)?

SDLC stands for Software Development Life Cycle, which is the process of creating software and the set of activities that make up this process. It includes major phases like requirement gathering, design, development, testing, and maintenance or release.

How does the SDLC impact the testing process?

The SDLC impacts the testing process by influencing the scope and timing of test activities, the level of detail in test documentation, the choice of test techniques and approaches, the extent of test automation, and the role and responsibility of testers.

What are the major phases of the SDLC?

The major phases of the SDLC typically include requirement gathering, design, development, testing, and maintenance or release.

How does the waterfall model differ from agile methodologies in terms of testing?

In the waterfall model, testing typically happens once after implementation, whereas in agile methodologies, testing is an ongoing process that occurs every day, with continuous integration and regression testing.

What is the significance of the 'shift left' strategy in testing?

The 'shift left' strategy in testing refers to the practice of starting the testing process as early as possible in the SDLC, ideally as soon as the first draft of a document is available, to support early testing and defect detection.

Why is it important for testers to be involved in reviewing work products early in the SDLC?

Testers being involved early helps in identifying issues and providing feedback on work products like requirements and designs, which can prevent defects from being carried over to later stages and supports the 'shift left' strategy.

What are some good testing practices that should be followed regardless of the chosen SDLC model?

Good testing practices include having a corresponding testing activity for every software development activity, ensuring different test levels have specific objectives, beginning test analysis and design during the corresponding development phase, and involving testers in reviewing work products as soon as drafts are available.

How does the choice of SDLC model affect the level of detail required in test documentation?

In traditional or waterfall models, test documentation tends to be very detailed, while in agile methodologies, documentation is often more brief and lightweight, focusing on just enough detail to support the rapid pace of development and testing.

What is the role of a tester in a traditional SDLC model compared to an agile model?

In a traditional SDLC model, testers are primarily limited to testing activities, whereas in an agile model, testers may have cross-functional abilities and responsibilities, including participation in release planning and iteration meetings.

How does the extent of test automation differ between traditional and agile SDLC models?

In traditional models, test automation may be limited, but in agile models, there is a focus on maximizing automation to handle the time constraints and perform as much testing as possible within the given timeline.

What is the difference between sequential development models and iterative and incremental models in terms of testing?

In sequential models like the waterfall, dynamic testing cannot be performed early in the life cycle, whereas in iterative and incremental models, each iteration may involve both static and dynamic testing, allowing for frequent feedback and extensive regression testing.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to SDLC and Its Impact on Testing

This paragraph introduces the concept of Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) and its significance in the context of testing. It explains the major phases of SDLC, including requirement gathering, design, development, testing, and maintenance. The paragraph emphasizes how SDLC models, such as Waterfall and Agile, influence the testing process, including the timing and scope of test activities, the level of detail in test documentation, and the choice of test techniques. It also touches on the role of testers in different SDLC models, highlighting the continuous testing approach in Agile compared to the more sequential testing in Waterfall models.

05:01

🔍 SDLC Influences on Testing Practices and Techniques

This section delves deeper into how the choice of SDLC model affects testing practices and techniques. It discusses the timing of test activities in relation to SDLC phases, the level of detail required in test documentation, and the selection of appropriate test techniques and approaches. The paragraph also addresses the extent of test automation, which can vary from limited in traditional models to extensive in Agile methodologies. Additionally, it examines the role and responsibilities of testers in different SDLC models, noting the shift from a limited testing role in traditional models to a more cross-functional role in Agile, where testers may participate in planning meetings and take on additional responsibilities.

10:02

🛠️ Best Practices in Software Testing Across SDLC Models

The final paragraph outlines the best practices in software testing that should be applied regardless of the chosen SDLC model. It stresses the importance of having corresponding testing activities for every software development activity to ensure quality control. The paragraph also highlights the need for different test levels to have specific objectives to avoid redundancy while maintaining comprehensiveness. Furthermore, it underscores the significance of beginning test analysis and design during the corresponding development phase to adhere to the principles of early testing. Lastly, it mentions the involvement of testers in reviewing work products as early as possible to support a 'shift left' strategy, which aims to detect defects earlier in the development process.

Keywords

💡ISTQB Foundation Level Certifications

ISTQB, or the International Software Testing Qualifications Board, offers certifications that validate an individual's software testing knowledge and skills. In the context of the video, these certifications are the focus of the tutorial series, with the aim to educate viewers on the foundational aspects of software testing, as indicated by the introduction of the chapter on testing throughout the software development life cycle.

💡Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

SDLC refers to the process of creating software, from the initial concept to the final product. It is a framework that outlines the stages of software development, including requirement gathering, design, development, testing, and maintenance. The video emphasizes the impact of the SDLC on the testing process, explaining how different phases contribute to the overall testing strategy and how they influence the timing and scope of testing activities.

💡Waterfall Model

The Waterfall Model is a traditional SDLC approach where development is carried out in a sequential manner through distinct phases. In the video, it is mentioned as a model where testing typically occurs after implementation, highlighting the delayed start of the testing phase compared to more iterative models like Agile.

💡Agile Methodology

Agile is an iterative and incremental SDLC approach that emphasizes flexibility, collaboration, and continuous improvement. The video script discusses Agile's impact on testing, noting that testing is integrated into daily development activities, with a focus on continuous testing and regression tests due to the frequent updates and integration of new code.

💡Requirement Gathering

Requirement gathering is the initial phase of the SDLC where stakeholders define the needs and specifications of the software product. The video script describes this phase as crucial for the testing process, as it sets the foundation for what needs to be tested and how testing will be conducted throughout the development cycle.

💡Design Phase

The design phase of the SDLC involves creating the architecture and detailed plans for the software product. The video explains that once requirements are gathered, the design phase begins, which is a precursor to the development phase where actual coding takes place and subsequently, where testing activities are planned and executed.

💡Testing Techniques

Testing techniques refer to the various methods used to ensure software quality. The video script discusses how the choice of testing techniques can be influenced by the SDLC, with different models favoring different approaches, such as exploratory testing in Agile due to its flexibility and the need for rapid feedback.

💡Test Automation

Test automation involves the use of software to execute tests automatically. The video script highlights the extent of test automation as a key factor influenced by the SDLC, with Agile methodologies often favoring higher levels of automation to cope with the rapid pace of development and frequent changes.

💡Shift Left Strategy

The shift left strategy is an approach that aims to move testing earlier in the SDLC to identify and address defects earlier in the development process. The video script suggests that testers should be involved in reviewing work products as soon as drafts are available, which supports the shift left strategy by enabling early defect detection.

💡Good Testing Practices

Good testing practices are standards and procedures that ensure effective and efficient testing. The video script outlines several practices, such as having corresponding testing activities for every development activity, ensuring different test levels have unique objectives, and beginning test analysis and design during the corresponding development phase of the SDLC.

Highlights

Introduction to the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) and its phases including requirement gathering, design, development, testing, and maintenance.

Impact of SDLC on testing, including how different development models like Waterfall and Agile affect the testing process.

The continuous process of testing in Agile methodologies as opposed to the one-time testing in Waterfall models.

SDLC's influence on the scope, timing, and organization of test activities.

The level of detail required in test documentation varies between Waterfall and Agile methodologies.

Choice of test techniques and approaches based on the suitability to the development model.

The extent of test automation, with Agile favoring maximum automation due to time constraints.

The evolving role and responsibilities of a tester across different SDLC models.

Sequential development models like Waterfall and V-model and their testing participation during requirement reviews and design phases.

Iterative and incremental models that assume each iteration delivers a working prototype, necessitating frequent testing.

Agile development's assumption of change throughout the project, favoring lightweight documentation and extensive test automation.

General good practices of software testing that should be followed in any development model.

Every software development activity should have a corresponding testing activity for quality control.

Different test levels should have specific and unique test objectives to avoid redundancy.

Test analysis and design should begin during the corresponding development phase for early testing adherence.

Testers should be involved in reviewing work products as soon as drafts are available to support early defect detection.

The importance of aligning testing activities with development activities to ensure comprehensive coverage.

The significance of maintaining unique objectives for each testing level to ensure clarity and effectiveness.

The role of testers in the shift-left strategy, emphasizing early involvement in the SDLC for better quality assurance.

Transcripts

Hello friends and greetings for the day

welcome back to another tutorial on

istqb Foundation level certifications we

are getting started with chapter 2 where

we are talking about testing throughout

the software development life cycle and

today as a part of this discussion we

are getting into the first segment which

is the title itself that is testing in

the context of software development life

cycle and as a part of this tutorial

we'll be getting into two different

segments of it trying to understand

number one that how does software

development life cycle impacts testing

and at the same time the second one that

is software development life cycle and

good testing practices so as this topic

is slightly longer we are thinking of

building it on bits and pieces so that

it is easy for you to adopt them learn

them and understand

them so to get started the first one and

most most important thing is

Introduction to sdlc of course sdlc

stands for software development life

cycle indeed this is the entire life

cycle which establishes and builds the

product in a particular life cycle so we

start with lot of major phases very

common understanding which talks about

the life cycle of a development of a

product and certainly has major faces

like requirement the design the

development testing and the maintenance

or release before that right so a very

common understanding which talks about

the overall journey of development

process talks about the requirement

Gathering where someone like business

analyst or product owner in case of aile

is responsible to gather all the

information what a team needs in order

to perform the required work of

implementing a product but certainly

these requirements has to be reviewed

gathered and understood in terms of

processing further so once the

requirement Gathering phase is done or

almost like going on probably in the

case of agile that could be differently

defined because it's a continuous

process but when it comes to Waterfall

of V model the phase completes and then

moves to the next one also if we talk

about the next phase that is designed so

once the requirements have been gathered

or we have some handful information with

us we start building the design of the

product which is more of like

architecture the back end which will be

you know the backbone of the system and

then once the design is over we look

forward to start implement menting where

developers start writing the code which

will be then tested by the testing team

as per the independent testing concept

that separate team called as testing

genius other than developers will be

responsible to test the system and once

that testing is complete we release the

product to the market and after that the

product gets into a journey of

Maintenance which is more of like update

upgrade migration and retirement so most

of these things we'll be covering in

this entire chapter and uh the very

first topic we are going to talk about

is understanding how sdlc contributes in

in influencing the test process if you

quickly go back in the very first

chapter when we talk about 1.4 the test

process we indeed have discussed about

the same thing that one of the factor

influencing the test process is sdlc it

totally depends on your software

development life cycle that what will be

your test process the effort and the

period of testing in a development model

for example if I'm talking about

waterfall model here the waterfall model

testing happens once for all after

implementation but if I'm talking about

aile methodology I do testing every

single day because new or uh the

existing one has to be tested

continuously because every single day a

developer is checking some code into the

main branch and those main branches are

certainly going to get side effects

maybe not necessarily always but

sometime they do get side effects and I

just have to run regression tests to

make sure the existing are still working

fine in that context let's understand a

little deeper that how exactly sdlc can

contribute or influence the test process

so when we talk about this we have

testing which certainly gets influenced

by the sdlc and has a major contribution

in order to succeed so some of the

choices of the sdlc impacts on the

testing include scope and timing of the

test activities like majorly involved

based on the sdlc like how exact ly

these activities of test will be

organized and conducted in waterfall or

traditional models it may happen later

also that's fine but because things may

not be ready by then and however we just

close one phase then we move to the next

phase that's the protocol of that is DC

model but if I talk about agile all the

activities begin parall that means the

designer will start designing the

architect developer will start building

the algorithms or writing some

flowcharts and testers will start

preparing or understanding their test

cases with respect to the requirement

writing test conditions writing test

cases so it's not that like people wait

for something to get over but parallely

you get started so that's one of the

major aspect and other one here is that

level of detail of the test

documentation depending on waterfall you

can say that the documentations are very

detailed but when you talk about aile

the documentation are very brief third

Point choice of the test technique and

test approaches certainly the time

matters a lot if in case your test

approach are supposed to be used whether

it is applicable in a particular

development model or not is very

important to be discussed and similarly

on the other side if I talk about the

test techniques it may not be possible

that you really have that good time or

that requirement in detail fashion that

you can make use of a technique at any

point of time so in agile we do have

these constraints pretty much that

requirements are very high level and

just because they are high level some of

the black pox Tech techniques are little

restricted and we make use of

experience-based techniques like

exploratory a lot and that's just

because of this Factor also to add the

point number four here extent of test

automation again in traditional

automation could be limited but when we

talk about agile we look forward to have

maximum automation because the time

crunch the time is limited and certainly

I need to do as much things as possible

in the given timeline to us but last not

the least role of and responsibility of

a tester certainly if I compare again

the traditional and agile I would say in

traditional model testers are just

limited to testing and they have no

other responsibilities but when it comes

to Agile they may have cross functional

abilities at the same time

responsibilities and role also certainly

varies a tester may be required to

participate in the release planning

meeting or even in the iteration plan

meetings but when it comes to

traditional I it might be just limited

to test lead or test manag manager so

there are many such factors which do

influence the test process based on the

sdlc and that totally makes sense that

why it should be taken into

consideration when we talk about

software development life cycle right

here we also trying to quickly convey on

a high level that yes the sequential

development model has a different

perspective alog together so we just

discussed the same thing so quickly let

me read out that so in the initial

phases in sequential development models

which is waterfall and V model uh

typically testers participate in

requirement reviews test analysis and

test design the executable code is

usually created in the later phases so

typically Dynamic testing cannot be

performed early in the life cycle that

means until unless the code is developed

a tester doesn't have anything to

execute or perform so in waterfall or

traditional models that is sequential

models you will have to wait a long

distance in order to start testing

whereas on the other hand if I talk

about AEL that would be very quick so

that's what is in the next thing we have

here in some iterative and incremental

models uh it is assumed that each

iteration delivers a working prototype

or product increment and this implies

that in each iteration both static and

dynamic testing may be performed at all

levels frequent deliveries of increments

requires fast feedback and extensive

regression testing so in this particular

context we are referring to things like

Spiral model and prototype model which

were there earlier and these models used

to only generate the prototypes and give

it to the customer for a confirmation

and as far as the customer confirms it

we used to move to the next level right

and that's where it was slightly

different than that of the sequential

models on the other hand if I talk about

agile agile certainly has a complete

look and feel so Agile development

assumes that change may occur throughout

the project therefore lightweight

product documentations and extensive

test automation to make regression

testing easier are favored in the agile

projects also most of the manual testing

tends to be done using experience based

test technique and do not require

extensive prior test analysis and design

so this could be very very dynamic as

when it is available we just go through

that start writing test cases and even

execute right in the same sprint so in

that context we see a pretty much good

difference between the different sdlc

model that how testing effort practices

May

VAR in the same line the next topic we

talking about is what are those good

practices of software testing which

should be followed in any development

model so it is not restricted to any

particular development model many people

do create this assumption that the

factors what we are talking about are

limited to V model or sequential models

but if I have to talk about it in

particular these are just general good

characteristics of testing which should

be followed in any development model and

they're very very very straightforward

and easy to understand the very first

thing here we talking about is that good

testing practices independent of chosen

sdlc model should include the following

and that is for every software

development activity there is a

corresponding testing activity so that

all development activities are subjected

to Quality Control now that's very

simple that if I'm talking about

Gathering requirements then testing team

can parall join them right at the

beginning and start reviewing One Way

You Are condu ing your test analysis as

one of the phases of testing but at the

same time you are having a corresponding

testing activity to that of the

development activity now here many

people start thinking that aren't we

talking about the development of the

code no this is a general word of

development or general meaning

development which means developing any

sort of artifact be it about requirement

the design the workflows the codes or

whatsoever so when it comes to business

requirement acceptance test team is

required to co coordinate when it comes

to system requirement system testing

team is required to participate and same

way when it comes to architectural

design which is high level design the

integration team is required to

participate here and same way for

detailed design that is lowlevel design

and code we do unit testing so

correspondingly the testing team aligns

their activity to that of the

development activities on the Left Right

similarly if I talk about the next one

that is different test levels have

specific and different test objectives

which allows for testing to be

appropriately comprehensive while

avoiding redundancy so it's very very

important also to say that one of the

good practice is to keep two different

levels unique that means if I just walk

into your floor and I and just ask you

that hey is that what you are doing

right now called as testing or something

in particular then you can go ahead and

tell me that hey NE this is called as

integration testing uh this is called as

system testing this is called as

performance testing so every single

level what you conduct must have an

objective specific to that level and

should not be just like I'm doing

testing which doesn't make any sense you

must be able to classify your activities

under each level and each level must

have a unique objective rather than

being collaboratively written in a way

that you are just making a statement

that we doing testing and which doesn't

make any sense so make sure that

whatever you conduct is well classified

into to a particular level and that

level must have a unique objective and

must not match with any other levels

what you're doing so that's where unit

integration system acceptance

performance security portability

interoperability all these levels have a

unique objective and unique goal let's

look at the third Point here quickly the

third point is talking about test

analysis and design for a given test

level begins during the corresponding

development phase of the sdlc so that

testing can adhere to the principles of

early testing testing I think this

particular thing is just now explored

you in the point number one that when

you say there must be a corresponding

testing activity the what is that

activity I can get started with so first

is of course the test analysis which you

can begin parall with that of the

respective development activity and uh

the second one would be the preparation

of the test cases so certainly you can

start preparing your test cases at the

same time and then look forward to uh

execute them when the level comes into

picture last but not the least the point

number four it says that testers are

involved in reviewing work products as

soon as drafts of this documentation are

available so that this early testing and

defect detection can support the shift

left strategy now we will be talking

about what is shift left strategy in a

moment like next tutorials but before

that how exactly I can get involved the

question is how early should I be

involved in the life cycle the answer is

as soon as the first draft of the

document is available let that document

be anything could be a requirement could

be a design could be an algorithm but as

the first draft is prepared a tester is

requested to participate in order to

start reviewing them and raise any

concerns any doubts clarifications

omissions contradictions related to that

and that's what we refer to as static

testing which certainly could be very

very you know important and very

effective at this point of time so put

together these are some good

characteristics good practices of

testing which should be applied to any

development model irrespective of what

it is right so that's all from 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

learning

[Music]