ISTQB FOUNDATION 4.0 | Tutorial 23 | Static Testing Basics | Reviews & Static Analysis | CTFL

Summary

This tutorial delves into static testing, a critical yet often overlooked aspect of the software development lifecycle. It emphasizes the importance of reviewing work products for defects early on to save time and resources. The video distinguishes between manual reviews and static analysis tools, highlighting their roles in identifying issues such as unreachable code or design flaws. It also underscores the value of static testing in improving quality, enhancing communication among stakeholders, and fostering a shared understanding, ultimately leading to more efficient and cost-effective project outcomes.

Takeaways

• 📚 Static testing involves reviewing work products for anomalies, inconsistencies, and omissions without executing the software.
• 🔍 It contrasts with dynamic testing, where the software is actually run, and can be conducted through manual reviews or with the help of static analysis tools.
• 🛠️ The objective of static testing is to improve quality, detect defects, and assess characteristics such as readability, completeness, and correctness.
• 👥 It is a collaborative process involving testers, business representatives, and developers, emphasizing the importance of early and collective review of work products.
• 🔑 Static testing can be applied for both verification and validation, indicating its broad application throughout the software development life cycle (SDLC).
• 💡 The value of static testing lies in its ability to detect defects early in the SDLC, adhering to the principle that early testing saves time and money.
• 🚀 Static testing can identify certain defects that dynamic testing might miss, such as unreachable code or design pattern issues.
• 🤝 It fosters better communication and a shared understanding among stakeholders, which can lead to healthier team relationships and reduced misunderstandings.
• 💼 Even though review processes can be costly to implement, the overall project costs are usually lower when static testing is conducted, due to fewer defects needing correction later.
• 🛠️ Static analysis tools are particularly useful for detecting code defects efficiently, often resulting in fewer code defects and lower development effort.
• 🌟 The tutorial emphasizes the importance of static testing in modern software development practices, highlighting its role in prevention and early detection of issues.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the tutorial video?

The tutorial video focuses on the ISTQB Foundation Level certification, specifically discussing static testing, its basics, work products examined by static testing, and the value of static testing.

What is the difference between static testing and dynamic testing?

Static testing involves reviewing work products without executing them, whereas dynamic testing requires the execution of the software or test cases to find defects.

What are the two primary methods of conducting static testing?

The two primary methods of conducting static testing are review, which is manual examination of documentation, and static analysis, which uses tools to evaluate work products like code or diagrams.

Why is static testing considered valuable in the software development life cycle (SDLC)?

Static testing is valuable because it can detect defects early in the SDLC, improve communication among stakeholders, and reduce overall project costs by identifying issues before they become more expensive to fix.

What kind of work products are suitable for static testing?

Suitable work products for static testing include requirement specifications, source code, test plans, test cases, product backlog items, project documentation, contracts, and models.

What are some examples of anomalies that static analysis tools can detect in code?

Static analysis tools can detect anomalies such as unreachable code, dead code, infinite loops, variables that are declared but never used, and variables that are used but never declared.

How does static testing contribute to the prevention of defects?

Static testing contributes to defect prevention by identifying inconsistencies, contradictions, and omissions in work products before they are used in further development activities, thus saving time and resources.

What is the principle that static testing supports in testing practices?

Static testing supports the principle that early testing saves time and money, as it allows for the detection and correction of issues at an early stage in the development process.

How can static testing improve the quality of work products?

Static testing can improve the quality of work products by verifying documented requirements, ensuring completeness, correctness, readability, and testability, and by involving a wide variety of stakeholders in the review process.

Why is it important to involve multiple stakeholders in the static testing process?

Involving multiple stakeholders in static testing is important for establishing a shared understanding of the work product, improving communication, and ensuring that the requirements accurately reflect the needs of all parties involved.

What are some of the benefits of using static analysis tools in the development process?

Static analysis tools can identify problems before dynamic testing, often requiring less effort since no test cases are needed. They are commonly used to detect specific code defects and can be incorporated into CI frameworks to maintain code quality and security.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Static Testing

This paragraph introduces the concept of static testing within the context of ISTQB Foundation level certification. It explains that static testing involves reviewing work products for anomalies without executing the software. It emphasizes the importance of early testing to save time and money and the role of static testing in preventing defects. The paragraph also distinguishes between two methods of static testing: reviews, which are manual examinations of documentation, and static analysis, which uses tools to evaluate work products like code and diagrams. The value of static testing in improving quality, detecting defects, and assessing characteristics is highlighted, along with its application in both verification and validation processes.

05:02

🔍 Static Analysis and Its Tools

The second paragraph delves into static analysis, a subset of static testing that utilizes tools to identify issues in code and other structured work products. It mentions that static analysis is often integrated into Continuous Integration (CI) frameworks and is used to detect specific code defects, evaluate maintainability, and ensure security. Examples of static analysis tools include spelling checkers and readability tools, as well as more specialized tools for different programming languages. The paragraph also discusses the types of anomalies that can be detected, such as coding standard deviations, unreachable code, dead code, infinite loops, and variable declaration issues. It underscores the importance of static testing in the SDLC process and how it can be applied to a wide range of work products, from business requirements to project documentation.

10:04

🛠 The Value of Static Testing

The final paragraph discusses the key value of conducting static testing as part of the software development life cycle (SDLC). It points out that static testing can detect defects early, in line with the principle that early testing saves cost and time. The paragraph highlights how static testing can identify defects that dynamic testing might miss, such as design pattern issues and problems in non-executable work products. It also explains that static testing helps evaluate the quality of work products, ensuring that documented requirements meet stakeholders' actual needs. The importance of involving a variety of stakeholders in static testing to improve communication and shared understanding is emphasized. The paragraph concludes by arguing that, despite the potential costs of implementing reviews, the overall project costs are typically lower when static testing is performed due to reduced time and effort spent on fixing defects later in the project.

Keywords

💡Static Testing

Static testing is a method of examining work products without executing the code or running the software. It is a core concept in the video, emphasizing the review of documents and code for potential defects before the execution phase. The script mentions that static testing can be conducted through reviews or static analysis tools, and it is crucial for identifying issues early in the software development life cycle (SDLC), thus saving time and resources.

💡ISTQB Foundation Level Certification

This certification is a professional qualification for software testers, which the video aims to prepare viewers for. The script discusses the importance of understanding static testing as part of the ISTQB certification curriculum, indicating that grasping this concept is essential for those seeking to advance in the field of software testing.

💡Work Products

In the context of the video, work products refer to the various documents and artifacts created during the SDLC, such as requirement specifications, source code, test plans, and project documentation. The script highlights that these work products are subject to static testing to ensure they are free from errors and inconsistencies, which is vital for the quality of the final software product.

💡Defect Prevention

The concept of defect prevention is central to the video's message, advocating for the proactive identification and correction of issues before they become more costly to fix. The script explains that static testing helps in preventing defects by reviewing work products early in the development process, thereby aligning with the principle that 'early testing saves time and money'.

💡Reviews

Reviews are a manual process of examining work products to find anomalies or inconsistencies. The script distinguishes between reviews and static analysis, noting that reviews are conducted by reading documentation, whereas static analysis uses tools to evaluate work products like code. Reviews are highlighted as a fundamental part of static testing, contributing to the overall quality assurance process.

💡Static Analysis

Static analysis is an automated process that uses tools to analyze code and other work products for defects without executing the software. The script explains that static analysis is particularly useful for identifying issues in code that may be difficult to detect through manual reviews, such as unreachable code or coding standard deviations.

💡Verification and Validation

Verification and validation are two distinct processes in software testing. Verification ensures that work products meet specified requirements, while validation confirms that the requirements themselves are correct and meet user needs. The script mentions that static testing can be applied for both purposes, underlining its comprehensive role in the SDLC.

💡Cross-functional Stakeholders

Cross-functional stakeholders are individuals from various departments or roles within an organization who contribute to the review process. The script encourages involving such stakeholders in static testing to bring diverse perspectives and expertise, which can enhance the quality of the work products and foster better communication among team members.

💡Shift Left

The term 'shift left' refers to the practice of moving testing activities earlier in the SDLC to find and fix defects sooner. The script discusses the value of static testing in the context of shift left, emphasizing that conducting reviews and analyses early can prevent defects from propagating through the development process.

💡Continuous Integration (CI) Frameworks

CI frameworks are development practices where code changes are regularly merged into a central repository, allowing for frequent integration and testing. The script notes that static analysis is often incorporated into CI frameworks to automatically detect specific code defects, demonstrating the integration of static testing into modern development workflows.

💡Maintainability and Security

Maintainability refers to the ease with which a software system can be modified, and security is the protection of the system against unauthorized access or threats. The script mentions that static analysis is used not only to find coding defects but also to evaluate the maintainability and security of the code, showing the broad application of static testing in ensuring software quality.

Highlights

Introduction to static testing as part of ISTQB Foundation level certification.

Static testing involves reviewing work products for anomalies and inconsistencies without executing the software.

Early testing saves time and money, aligning with the principle of preventing defects early in the lifecycle.

Static testing is not limited to writing and executing test cases but includes reviewing various work products.

Differentiation between static testing (review and static analysis) and dynamic testing.

Manual examination of work products is called a review, while tool-assisted examination is known as static analysis.

Static testing objectives include improving quality, detecting defects, and assessing characteristics like readability and testability.

Static testing can be applied for both verification and validation across the software development lifecycle.

Collaborative activities in agile methodologies involve multiple stakeholders in reviewing work products.

Review techniques ensure user stories are complete, understandable, and include testable acceptance criteria.

Static analysis tools identify problems prior to dynamic testing, often requiring less effort and detecting specific code defects.

Examples of static analysis tools include spelling checkers, readability tools, and those that evaluate maintainability and security.

Static testing examines a wide range of work products, from requirements to source code and project documentation.

Work products not suitable for static testing are those difficult for humans to interpret or legally restricted executable code.

The key value of static testing includes early defect detection, cost-effectiveness, and improved communication among stakeholders.

Static testing builds confidence in work products by verifying documented requirements against actual needs.

Static testing can be costly to implement but results in lower overall project costs due to reduced defect fixing efforts later.

Static analysis detects code defects more efficiently than dynamic testing, leading to fewer defects and lower development effort.

Closing remarks encourage continuous learning and exploration in the context of software testing.

Transcripts

Hello friends and greetings for the day

welcome back to another tutorial on

istqb Foundation level certification we

are getting started with chapter 3

talking about static testing and as a

part of this we'll be getting started

with our first segment that is 3.1

static testing Basics and it has several

other subtopics today we'll be covering

3.1 work products examined by Static

testing and

3.1.2 the value of static testing so as

a part this tutorial we'll be

introducing you to how we can prevent

defects when it comes to

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testing to get started of course we are

talking about a quick introduction to

what is static testing all about so we

have indeed discussed this in our

earlier tutorials static testing is all

about reviewing the work products and

different work products do exist in our

entire zlc model and certainly they are

a good candidate of static testing that

means they must be reviewed for any kind

of anomalies inconsistencies

contradictions omissions Etc and being

reported right as in when they are

created it's it's very simple to

understand by correlating it to

principle number three that is early

testing saves time and money and at the

same time one of the objective of

testing is also to prevented effect

testing is just not limited to writing

and executing test cases as we learned

from chapter one we want to let you know

that in more detail that how static

testing can be conducted and what could

be the best possible benefits of having

static testing being conducted early in

the life cycle so let's quickly have a

look what exactly the introduction is

trying to say and there are different

terminologies what we are trying to look

forward to so when it comes to static

testing in contrast to Dynamic testing

in testing that is static testing the

soft Ender test does not need to be

executed it's more of like statically

review in the work products rather than

executing the product or the test cases

the code process specification system

architecture specification or any other

work products are generally evaluated

through manual examinations which are

conducted with two different ways of

course if you're doing it manually by

reading the documentation it's called as

review or with help of tools that is

static analysis so right here if I am

talking about a document like test case

requirement Etc which I have to go

through myself read it and find the

anomalies related to that I call it as a

review process which is static testing

however when it comes to the other part

of it for example things like control

flow diagram business models or code

especially then code is not certainly

something which I can read and find the

anomalies in it could be any number of

lines of code which could be sometime

very complicated to go through line by

line and actually identify the anomalies

so I need to take the help of tools and

such tools or such approach of reviewing

is called as static analysis so just a

simple difference when you do it

yourself by reading the documentation

you call it as review but you do the

same review with help of the tools you

call it as static analysis further to

add of course when it comes to static

testing the test objectives include

improving quality detecting defects and

assessing characteristics right

readability completeness correctness

testability and consistency static

testing can be applied for both

verification and validation that means

it's just not limited to only the work

products which we create initially in

the life cycle it also works when it

comes to the dynamic analysis or things

like you know reviewing the execution

report defect report Etc so uh testers

business representative and developers

both work together during example

mapping collaborating user story writing

and backlog refinement sessions to

ensure that user stories and related

work work products meet defined criteria

for an example definition of ready so in

simple words of course when it talks

about agile all the collaborative

activities do take place and it's just

not a one person responsibility to

review the work product we may invite

multiple cross functional stakeholders

to come and join us in order to find the

best possible defects in the static

documentations itself or the work

products also to add uh review

techniques can be applied to ensure user

stor are complete understandable and

include testable acceptance criteria by

asking the right questions testers

explore challenge and help improve the

proposed user stories so put together we

do have different types of techniques

which can be made use of in order to

make the most out of the existing part

of the process and that certainly brings

out a lot of value to us also to add

further we do have static analysis being

defined further so static analysis can

identify problems prior to Dynamic

testing in while often requiring less

effort since no test cases are required

and tools are typically used static

analysis is often incorporated into CI

Frameworks while largely used to detect

specific code defects static analysis

also used to evaluate maintainability

and security spelling Checkers and

readability tools are other examples of

static analysis tool however we do have

more specialized tools available to deal

with different languages but a generate

static analysis tool would help you to

analyze the code and find anomalies

related to coding standard deviations or

some mistakes like unreachable code the

dead code the infinite Loop or the

variables which are declared but never

used or the variables which are used but

never declared so all these kind of

anomalies can be easily found by having

use of this particular tool so put

together introduction to static testing

says that we have two different ways to

do it that is reviews and static

analysis to talk further of course we

are talking about what kind of work

products are good candidate of static

testing that means is there any specific

list of documentation or work product

which are used or referred or reviewed

using static testing but in simple words

I would like to say that any such work

product which you create as a part of

sdlc including business work product the

development work product or testing work

products are by default a candidate of

review be about a requirement be about a

code beat about a test case test plan

project plan any such document must be

reviewed for a normaly because we just

accepted and understood in chapter one

as per the human psychology human is

eror prone a human can go wrong anywhere

no matter what they are doing and that

mistake should be found before we

further interpret it in other activities

like design and development so when it

comes to the work products which we must

be making use of so almost any work

product can be examined using static

testing examples includes requirement

specification document Source Code test

plan test cases product backlog items

test Charters project documentation

contracts and models that means every

single thing it's just not that there

are some specific items which we review

every single thing maybe of course uh

not formally but informally you can

certainly review them also to add uh any

work product that can can be read and

understood can be subject of a review

however the static analysis work

products need to structure against which

they can be checked so not everything

can certainly be just read and you know

tested but uh things like code and

control flow diagram data flow diagram

or business models can be done with the

help of the

Tool Work products that are not

appropriate for static testing include

those that are difficult to interpret by

human beings and that should not be

analyzed by the tools so here basically

the third party ex executable code due

to legal reasons so we must be uh kind

of like restricting ourself to that of

those things which I must review before

going into action but not getting into a

legal sanction also our third segment is

talking about what is the key value of

having static testing being conducted as

a part of the process because it's very

important for one to know that how

important and beneficial it could be

when it comes to static testing however

static testing is not something new it

has been being conducted from a long

time but being brought into attention

recently for a few years that means

people were not giving value to static

testing at all thinking that it is a

waste of time come on who does read the

document we look forward to find the

bugs but today people are talking about

prevention of bugs which indeed was

there from a long time because istqb did

not write this for the first time it was

written 20 years ago but it's just that

the people who ignore a few things for

some time but later realize that oh it

was worthy enough to do and today we are

talking about shift left you're talking

about prevention my question is where

were you 20 years

ago anyway so I'm not here to have a

dispute and controversial talks but uh

let's have a word quickly to understand

what is the value of static testing

being conducted so static testing

certainly can detect defects in an

earliest phase of the sdlc fulfilling

the princi principle of early testing

that is testing saves cost and time that

is early testing saves cost and time it

can also identify defects which cannot

be detected by Dynamic testing for

example things like unreachable code

design patterns not implemented as

desired defects in non-executable work

product also static testing provides the

ability to evaluate the quality of and

to build confidence in the work product

by verifying the documented requirements

the stakeholders can also make sure that

these requirements describes their

actual needs see again the point being

made here is why would I go through a

requirement altogether number one to

find anomalies made by human mistakes

second if the requirements are unclear

incomplete inconsistent ambiguous vague

that means cannot be achieved I can go

and point this out and make sure that we

have a very clear set of requirement

with us because starting to implement

and then realizing that this is not

something we can achieve this is not

something we can test is actually not

correct because you'll be stuck or

probably you would have wasted a lot of

your time so in that context it is very

important that you should look forward

to review them in advance before you

start working on them also

Communications will uh be improved

between the involved stakeholders for

this reason it is recommended to involve

a wide variety of stakeholder in static

testing so indeed uh static testing

brings multiple stakeholders together in

order to review the provoked product

commonly and in that context context we

do have a better communication

established among the team member and

healthy relationship so static testing

do claim that by doing static testing in

your organization you can have healthier

relationship among the team member the

other point I think I missed since

static testing can be performed early in

the sdlc a shared understanding can be

created among the involved stakeholders

see uh sometime we do find that there

are a lot of defects which are just

created due to misunderstanding of the

same piece of information inform between

two different stakeholders for example

there's a requirement I understand it as

X and developers understand it as a why

so until unless we both sit together and

have a discussion on to we know we will

not have a very common understanding at

all so we will always be conflicting or

probably misunderstanding things that

what it should

be talking about other point that is

even though review can be costly to

implement the overall project costs are

usually much lower

than when no reviews are performed

because less time and effort needs to be

spent on fixing defects later in the

project so all you're trying to say that

we may think that unnecessary cost has

been involved by conducting reviews

before doing Dynamic testing but if you

find a defect in Dynamic testing which

is related to misunderstanding of

requirement you're actually putting that

time of you know uh usage into a waste

other around right so conducting static

testing in the beginning certainly can

save your overall cost of doing your

work more effectively efficiently and on

time by just having static testing in

place so it's not that it is actually

expensive it's just that we may feel it

but over a long period of time or if you

consider the whole project it is cheaper

enough also to add uh the code defects

can be detected using static analysis

more efficiently than in Dynamic testing

usually resulting in both fewer code

defects and a lower lower overall

development effort so certainly static

analysis has reduced a lot of our

productivity cost and the overall time

taken to do that so it certainly brings

a lot of value by having static testing

in place and in practice so put together

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 Beauty and

happy

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learning