ISTQB FOUNDATION 4.0 | Tutorial 39 | Checklist Based Testing | Test Techniques | ISTQB Tutorials

Summary

This tutorial on ISTQB Foundation Level certification focuses on checklist-based testing, a technique used in both static and dynamic testing. The video explains how checklists, composed of specific questions, help testers ensure product quality by verifying functional and non-functional requirements. It emphasizes the importance of regularly updating checklists to reflect new features and defects, while cautioning against overly long or overly high-level checklists. The tutorial provides practical examples and underscores the balance needed for effective checklist design.

Takeaways

• 📝 A checklist in testing is a questionnaire with questions about a particular product, used for both static and dynamic testing.
• 🔍 Checklists are designed for specific work products, such as user stories, and can help identify defects through a series of yes/no questions.
• 🛠️ In dynamic testing, checklists are preferred for standard products like TV remotes, avoiding the need to write detailed test cases for each feature.
• 📋 Checklists should be based on experience, knowledge about user importance, and understanding of common software failure points.
• 🚫 Checklists should exclude items that can be automated, are too general, or better suited for entry/exit criteria.
• ❓ Checklist items are phrased as questions, allowing for direct and separate verification of each item.
• 🔄 Checklists can support various test types, including both functional and non-functional testing.
• 🔄 The effectiveness of checklist entries may decrease over time, necessitating regular updates to reflect new defects and remove outdated items.
• 📉 A common drawback of checklists is the lack of regular updates, which can lead to checklists becoming outdated as products evolve.
• 📈 Checklists should be reviewed and updated with each version change of a product to ensure they remain relevant and effective.
• 🔍 The balance of a checklist should be moderate, not too long to maintain consistency, but detailed enough to provide clear guidelines for testing.

Q & A

What is the main topic of this tutorial?

The main topic of this tutorial is the 'Checklist Based Testing' technique, which is part of the ISTQB Foundation Level certification course, specifically covered in Chapter 4, Section 4.4.

What is a checklist in the context of testing?

A checklist in testing is a questionnaire consisting of several questions that are asked about a particular product during testing. It is widely used in static testing and is designed specifically for a work product.

How is a checklist used in static testing?

In static testing, a checklist is used to review work products like user stories. It contains questions related to the work product, such as clarity, understandability, and acceptance criteria, which are answered with yes or no to determine if the product is ready for implementation.

Can you provide an example of how a checklist is used in dynamic testing?

In dynamic testing, a checklist can be used to test standard products like a TV remote control. Instead of writing detailed test cases, testers use a checklist with questions about the product's features and functionality to ensure it works as expected and identify any defects.

What are some characteristics of checklist-based testing?

Characteristics of checklist-based testing include the tester designing, implementing, and executing tests to cover conditions from a checklist. Checklists are based on experience, knowledge about user importance, or understanding of software failure reasons. They should not contain items that can be checked automatically or are too general.

Why is it important for a checklist to be regularly updated?

It is important for a checklist to be regularly updated to reflect newly found defects, added features, and to remove items that are no longer applicable. This ensures the checklist remains effective and relevant to the product being tested.

How can checklists support various test types, including functional and non-functional testing?

Checklists can support various test types by including questions that pertain to both functional and non-functional requirements. They can be used to review different aspects of the product, ensuring a comprehensive testing approach.

What is a common drawback of using checklists in any industry?

A common drawback of using checklists is that they are often not updated regularly. Once created, checklists can become outdated as products evolve, leading to inefficiencies and missed defects.

Why is it crucial to avoid letting the checklist become too long?

It is crucial to avoid letting the checklist become too long to maintain its effectiveness and ease of use. A lengthy checklist may become cumbersome and reduce the consistency and repeatability of testing.

How can a checklist help in mapping to requirements and measuring coverage?

A checklist can help in mapping to requirements by ensuring that each test condition is addressed. It can also assist in measuring coverage by providing a clear view of which areas of the product have been tested and which have not.

What is the final advice given in the tutorial regarding the use of checklists?

The final advice is to ensure that checklists are reviewed and updated frequently, especially when there are changes in the product version. It also emphasizes the importance of maintaining a balance in the checklist's level of detail to ensure it is useful for testers and can be repeated if necessary.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Introduction to Checklist-Based Testing

This paragraph introduces the concept of checklist-based testing as part of the ISTQB Foundation Level certification tutorial. It explains that a checklist is a questionnaire used in both static and dynamic testing to evaluate a product. The tutorial focuses on how checklists are designed for work products, such as user stories, and how they are used to identify defects by answering a series of yes-or-no questions. The speaker also contrasts the use of checklists with writing detailed test cases, emphasizing the efficiency and standardization that checklists bring to testing common products like TV remotes. The paragraph concludes by discussing the importance of a tester's experience in creating a relevant and effective checklist.

05:02

🔍 Characteristics and Considerations of Checklist-Based Testing

The second paragraph delves into the characteristics of checklist-based testing, highlighting its reliance on a tester's experience to create checklists that cover important test conditions. It mentions that checklists should exclude items that can be automated or are too general, focusing instead on functionality and validation. The paragraph also addresses the versatility of checklists, applicable to both functional and non-functional testing. The importance of regularly updating checklists to reflect new defects and features is underscored, along with the common pitfall of checklists becoming outdated. The speaker uses the analogy of a car service center's checklist to illustrate the need for regular updates. The paragraph concludes with a discussion on the balance needed in creating checklists—to be high-level enough for broad application but detailed enough to ensure consistency and repeatability in testing.

Keywords

💡ISTQB Foundation Level Certification

The ISTQB Foundation Level Certification is a globally recognized qualification for software testers. It signifies that the individual has a fundamental understanding of software testing principles and practices. In the video, this certification serves as the context for discussing test analysis and design techniques, emphasizing the educational purpose of the tutorial.

💡Test Analysis and Design

Test analysis and design is a critical phase in the software testing process where testers evaluate the software requirements and design test cases to ensure the software meets those requirements. The video focuses on this phase, specifically discussing various testing techniques within chapter 4, which is part of the ISTQB syllabus.

💡Experience Based Test Technique

Experience based test techniques in the script refer to methods derived from the tester's knowledge and experience. These techniques are not strictly formal but rely on the tester's expertise to identify potential defects. The video mentions this as a category that includes the checklist-based testing technique being discussed.

💡Checklist Based Testing

Checklist based testing is a technique where a set of predefined questions or checklist is used to guide testing activities. It is highlighted in the script as an efficient way to ensure that all necessary aspects of a product are tested, particularly in scenarios where detailed test cases are not practical or feasible.

💡Static Testing

Static testing involves the examination of software artifacts such as documents and code without executing the program. In the script, it is mentioned that checklists are widely used in static testing to review work products like user stories, ensuring they meet certain criteria before implementation.

💡Dynamic Testing

Dynamic testing is the process of executing software to validate its behavior and is contrasted with static testing in the script. The tutorial explains how checklist based testing is particularly useful in dynamic testing for standard products like TV remotes, where a checklist of questions ensures all features are tested.

💡Work Product

A work product in the context of the script refers to any output from the software development process, such as a user story or a document, which can be reviewed using a checklist. The script emphasizes that checklists for static testing are designed specifically for the work product being reviewed.

💡Acceptance Criteria

Acceptance criteria are conditions that must be met for a feature or user story to be considered complete and correct. In the script, the checklist for reviewing a user story includes questions about whether there is a clear set of acceptance criteria, which is crucial for determining if the story is ready for implementation.

💡Defect

A defect in the script refers to any issue or error found during the review or testing process that indicates the product does not meet its requirements. The use of a checklist helps identify these defects by answering 'yes' or 'no' to a series of questions about the product's functionality.

💡Consistency

Consistency in the context of the script means ensuring that testing is performed in a uniform manner across different sessions or testers. Checklist based testing provides guidelines that help maintain consistency, especially in the absence of detailed test cases.

💡Repeatability

Repeatability in the script refers to the ability to perform tests in the same way multiple times to achieve the same results. While checklist based testing can lead to greater coverage due to its high-level nature, it may result in less repeatability if the checklist is not detailed enough for another tester to follow.

Highlights

Introduction to the tutorial on ISTQB Foundation level certification, focusing on Chapter 4 about test analysis and design.

Explaining the concept of a checklist as a questionnaire for testing a product, commonly used in static testing.

Checklist design tailored for specific work products, such as user stories, with example questions provided.

Use of checklists in dynamic testing for standard products like a TV remote, avoiding the need for detailed test cases.

Characteristics of checklist-based testing, including the tester's role in designing and executing tests from a checklist.

Checklists should be based on experience, knowledge about user importance, or understanding of software failure reasons.

Checklist items should not include automated checks, entry/exit criteria, or overly general items.

Items in a checklist are often phrased as questions, allowing for direct and separate verification.

Checklists can support various test types, including functional and non-functional testing.

The importance of regularly updating checklists based on defect analysis to maintain their effectiveness.

The drawback of checklists being infrequently updated and the need for regular review and updates.

The analogy of a car service center using a checklist to emphasize the importance of regular updates.

The necessity of adapting checklists to evolving software products and new features.

Balancing checklist length to provide guidelines and consistency without being overly detailed or too high-level.

The challenge of maintaining repeatability when using high-level checklists without detailed test cases.

The tutorial's conclusion emphasizing the importance of understanding checklist-based testing techniques.

Invitation for viewers to comment with queries and an encouragement to continue learning and exploring.

Transcripts

Hello friends and greetings for the day

welcome back to another tutorial on

istqb Foundation level certification we

are in chapter 4 talking about test

analysis and design and continuing ahead

with our same segment that is 4.4

experience based test technique and as a

part of today's tutorial we'll be

talking about the next technique which

is checklist based

testing

so before we start talking about this

technique in detail let me just give you

a quick outline of what is meant by a

checklist so checklist is basically a

questionnaire which consists of several

questions which you ask about a

particular product when you're testing

it however this is very widely even used

in static testing but the checklist will

be designed specially for a work product

then for an example if I have to review

a user story I will have questionss

related to user story for example I can

talk about things like um whether the

user user story is clear understandable

achievable has a clear set of acceptance

criteria whether user Persona is

identified whether user story is

independent U testable small and sort of

thing so I will have some 15 to 20

questions which I generally have to

answer it as yes or no given that if all

all the questions have an answer as yes

the story is reviewed ready for

implementation or picking up in the

Sprint same way if any question turns

into no then that's a defect in the

review of the user story now that's same

checklist based testing but used for

static testing but when it comes to

Dynamic testing as a technique then it

is more about the product so say for

example if I'm trying to test a

particular remote control like you might

certainly have a TV at home so you can

just imagine your TV remote in your hand

now certainly we don't write an Excel

sheet to test a TV remote we rather

prefer having a checklist because these

are very standard products and certainly

comes with standard features so I don't

really have to write a test case that

pick the remote in hand then step two

click on the red button it should have a

circle with another circle with a hyphen

no that's a waste of time so when it

comes to a hardcore product things like

you know a microwave oven refrigerator

or probably an iron box or you know TV

and whatnot all the appliances

equipments Etc we did not write detailed

test cases we make use of checklist

where checklist consist of all that

question which should be answered in

terms of making sure the product is

working dynamically fine and then

finding any defect so say for example if

remote I'm testing I would make sure

that the questions are like whether the

remote has power button red in color

whether all of the buttons are black in

color whether the numbers are printed

clearly whether the numbers are clearly

or readable by the user so people will

pick up a remote and perform all this

act actually on the product same way if

the you know the volume button has a

plus or minus icon on it and whether the

channel channel button has a plus or

minus icon on it so all these will

become my question and will put together

be called as a checklist a checklist is

basically a questionnaire which is used

instead of test cases to tester system

okay so now let's talk about the

characteristics of these this technique

that what exactly a checklist based

testing is all about so the most

important thing in checklist based

testing a tester again designs

implements and execute test to cover

test conditions from a checklist

checklist can be built based on

experience knowledge about what is

important for the user or an

understanding of why and how the

software fails so the most important

Point here is hey if you want you can

create a oneliner uh test cases test

case from here as well but not detailed

again high level oneliner but but the

most important thing is what is

checklist who prepares it so of course a

tester's experience is very much

important in order to define the

checklist now additionally checklist

should not contain items that can be

checked automatically items better

suited for entry or exit criteria or

items that are too General so of course

it's very important that we should only

include the things what is applicable

for checklist because it's not that if

things are being automated then let this

be covered by automation or things which

are basically related to entry and exit

criteria then it should be included in

entry and exit criteria so all we are

trying to say that what we already have

as a document should not be a part of

checklist checklist should be uniquely

talking about the functionalities and

validating them now right here checklist

items are often phrased in form of

questions it should be possible to check

each item separately and directly these

items May refer to requirement graphical

interface properties quality character

characteristics or other form of test

condition so it can be any type of

requirement which you can review by

checklist but again it has to be written

in the form of question which you ask to

the product and if it is true yes if it

is not it's a defect next checklist can

also be created to support various test

types including functional and

non-functional quite often people think

that checklist are only limited to

functional testing but indeed it can be

very helpful in non-functional testing

also further to add of course

some checklist entries May gradually

become less effective over time because

the developers will learn to avoid

making the same errors new entries may

also need to be added to reflect newly

found High severe defects therefore

checklist should be regularly updated

based on defect analysis now let me tell

you something very important the only

drawback of checklist or only drawback

of having checklist being used in any

industry is that they are not time to

time updated we just created once and

most often they are left as it is I'm

not sure if you have been to a service

of your vehicle recently Let It Be two-

wheeler four-wheeler whatever right a

car or a bike the person from the

service center comes with a checklist he

starts your ignition checks the horn

indicator lights Etc tires and

everything and he has a checklist in his

hand to be frank and he keeps scking yes

no yes no whether it is working or not

and whatever is not working working he

will let you know that so that he claims

that it was already not functioning well

do you want me to fix it if you say no

no that's fine I don't want to invest

right now then he says yeah just sign it

here that it's not working right and all

the dents and scratches will be all

mentioned now that checklist is exactly

the same thing what you saw 5 years ago

in his hand so most most often things

like checklist are left unattended

however the product has revolved around

over a period of time

and let me tell you something you go to

a car service center they will bring the

same checklist no matter which model car

it is correct the same company has so

many models of car but they still use a

very common checklist why because they

cannot maintain that it's difficult to

maintain multiple things but it doesn't

happen in our industry given that things

are different because they're managing

it and we don't manage it so make sure

that when it comes to our software or

product which evolves every year you

know renews adds new features then make

sure those new features are added common

mistakes are added the things which are

no longer in the product should be

removed so check list should be reviewed

and updated quite often as in when the

version changes finally to add here that

however care should be taken to avoid

letting the checklist become too long in

the absence of detailed test cases

checklist space testing can provide

guidelines and some degree of

consistency for testing if the checklist

are high level some variability in the

actual testing is likely to occur

resulting in potentially greater

coverage but less repeatability however

we know that all these are

experience-based test techniques so we

don't expect the things like

documentation like uh checklist to be as

long as possible we try to make it as

high level as possible so that it is

very to the point and just catters the

need of the tester but sometime making

this very very high level could only be

understandable by the tester thus

repeating these test cases would become

very difficult you need the same person

to perform this again or you will really

need the detailed test cases which will

be against the informal techniques so

point being made is that make sure that

you have a very moderate thing not too

long but at the same time not so high

level that it becomes difficult for

repeating the test cases if in case you

need however it will still help you to

map to the respective requirements and

measure the required coverage what you

may need in order to Define find the

coverage measurement so that's all from

the checklist based testing techniques

team and uh I hope you have got a good

understanding of that to so that's all

from this particular tutorial 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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