TestToTester

Thanks for the comment Software Quality Nut We us...

2012-05-02T13:00:49.297+05:30

Thanks for the comment Software Quality Nut

We used HP QC. I have used other bug tracking systems before like JIRA, Mantiss, In house, Bugzila, etc. Be it any tool they all have their own constraints.

To me its the context which should define the process. Our project context demanded rapid feedback and we were able to achieve it. We still had our bug descriptions in session sheets for evidence sake :/

But I do not understand this. How do you get information that "things are getting better" with bug reports?

We still post the defect. Seems you write 'wai...

2012-04-29T19:11:27.524+05:30

We still post the defect. Seems you write 'waiting for the bug tracking system to load' quite a bit. I'm wondering what system you use that would seem to take so much time to load. I think its still a good idea to log the defect for tracking purposes. Otherwise you get no information other than gut feel if things are getting better. As far as all the details go, maybe just walking over to the developer is more efficient rather than doing screenshots, specific reproduction steps (maybe still put in the defect report but not so detailed), etc.
We do a lot of agile work as well, but still feel its worthwhile to officially post the defect.

@Shailesh, "But do you have any other altern...

2012-04-05T12:17:29.898+05:30

@Shailesh,

"But do you have any other alternative to eliminate those syntax ?" - Just use the acceptance criteria as a checklist why duplicate it?

Hi, You are right about this repeated syntax. Bu...

2012-03-30T14:52:33.325+05:30

Hi, You are right about this repeated syntax.

But do you have any other alternative to eliminate those syntax ?

I find the use of such a syntax useful, since you ...

2012-03-27T16:37:49.276+05:30

I find the use of such a syntax useful, since you can see in a glimpse what and where to test.

Comments in my own post: http://dancedwiththeteste...

2012-03-03T01:23:43.107+05:30

Comments in my own post: http://dancedwiththetester.blogspot.com/2012/03/re-regression-checks-regression-testing.html

@Prasanna - Like your question on the title of the...

2012-03-01T23:18:15.512+05:30

@Prasanna - Like your question on the title of the post. I do not see + as a mathematical operator. In this context it means checking and testing should be part of regression testing.

It's interesting when you say Regression testing is only checking. If that is case why do you call it Regression testing? and not regression checking? Secondly if you want to limit yourself to just checking how do you plan to overcome 'pesticide paradox'? Third point have you never found a performance or usability or security or data break when regression testing?

Hi Sharath, Help me understand the topic, the titl...

2012-03-01T22:57:54.628+05:30

Hi Sharath, Help me understand the topic, the title says
Regression Checks + Regression Testing = Regression Testing??
like X + Y = Y ??
In my view regression is always checking only not testing as we check the existing functionality If they are still intact and not affected by the new code deployment. So most the old test sets were run either manually or automatically. There is less scope of any exploratory testing during regression as the functionality under test is already old and known.

@Pradeep Kota: I will email you one shortly @Prad...

2012-02-09T13:13:27.543+05:30

@Pradeep Kota: I will email you one shortly

@Pradeep Soundararajan - Thanks for the comment

@ Sharath, I call it "consistency checks&quo...

2012-02-07T17:14:36.925+05:30

@ Sharath,

I call it "consistency checks" rather than regression checks. The consistency checks help us learn how different the current build is for the same tests that were also run on a previous build. My idea of these checks are automated ones.

So after this comes the exploration part where we go off track, test for coverage for changes made, explore risks based on changes made to say, "Looks like this is how it works for this build"

We both seem to be doing the same and calling it by different names, which is perfectly fine, as long as we recognize what we are doing and what value it is adding.

Please write more and often and as good as this one.

Yes, I use it to cover flows and in during explora...

2012-02-06T23:42:11.655+05:30

Yes, I use it to cover flows and in during exploratiry testing.I would be much obliged if you could share any template for regression maps.

@ Pradeep - If I have understood you right you now...

2012-02-06T22:38:06.043+05:30

@ Pradeep - If I have understood you right you now use mind maps to document the flows, interaction between the modules right? That is very clever.

@Santosh - mind map for people and their roles - Nice

When you say ‘I have been thinking of observation notes during SBTM acting as a regression checks too.’ - will this not put burden on the tester running the test? he now will have to document a lot of stuff and in a way every one understands it. To me making notes when I am testing is for my reference. I use a lot of shortened names, typos, etc.

Observation notes: Yes, you are right when observation notes can help us find a lot of problems. We move our observation notes from session sheet to mind maps and bind it to the story so we don’t miss it when we have to regression test.

I have come across image comparison tools before. It is a good idea. But for our project there is not much UI :(. I hope to use it in other projects soon.

Sharath, Very true about the regression checks con...

2012-02-04T00:50:34.830+05:30

Sharath, Very true about the regression checks concept. I have used mindmaps in various contexts. I have used it like a coverage tool personally which can tell me where am I really in my testing activity. I have created mindmaps showcasing the workflow of features and this could become training material or to demo it to someone in a visual manner.

In one of the project we also made a mind-map of people involved in the project and shared it with all the team members. This list had their department name, person name, e-mail address, telephone number. So, it could be handy to get in touch with different teams and get things resolved quickly in case of any problems or any help required.

I liked the idea of testers and developers working closely. Feature files was a good one.

I also want to add this - I have been thinking of observation notes during SBTM acting as a regression checks too. Example: There was a different shade of color used for specific block and in next version it changed. So, these minute observations could be of help if they are recorded as observation notes in the session sheets.

Instead of observation with respect to those kind of minute things with respect to GUI, I would use image compare as one of the solution.

I would write how image compare check automation could add value to your project in a specific context in my upcoming blog post.

Thanks for the nice blog post and looking forward for series of blog posts on this topic.

-- Santhosh Tuppad

We follow scrum methodology, we start picking from...

2012-02-03T23:52:25.715+05:30

We follow scrum methodology, we start picking from product backlog and so for every new functionality we identify possible alternatives that will interact with other functionalities so to make sure it doesn't create any breakages. Our mind map is kind of a checklist so to make things easy for us. We just implemented it so please let me know if I could use it in much better way.

Thanks for the comments Luisa. Developers and test...

2012-02-01T03:50:12.543+05:30

Thanks for the comments Luisa. Developers and testers working together can be magical :) I don't think it's as hard as we feel.

@Pradeep When you say you use mind maps to develop scenarios, what do you mean by it? I do not have a dummy regression map right now & I cannot share the project one with you because of NDA. I will work on a dummy one soon.

Regression map is something new and i like the ide...

2012-01-31T23:25:26.912+05:30

Regression map is something new and i like the idea, we too use mind maps but we are using to develop scenarios. could you please share any of the regression mind map so that i could try it in my project.

I think you're in the right way. I like the wa...

2012-01-31T03:59:44.730+05:30

I think you're in the right way.
I like the way Testers and Developers work together. I think that's the hardest step to give.
Good article.

@Sarmila It’s nice to hear that your dev team want...

2011-08-04T22:15:48.225+05:30

@Sarmila It’s nice to hear that your dev team want to work on an issue together. But, if the bug fixes do not go to release build its basic discipline that’s missing in the process.

How will it help if you log the bug in a bug tracking tool? How will you trace them and ensure the fix is checked into release build?

@Darren I am a bit confused when you say “fix it m...

2011-08-04T22:15:28.664+05:30

@Darren I am a bit confused when you say “fix it myself”. What do you do after you fix a bug? Does fixing even a trivial bug not take your testing time? Will you be expected to fix some bugs after a while?

@Anonymous very good point -> “repeat the test ...

2011-08-04T22:15:03.961+05:30

@Anonymous very good point -> “repeat the test to verify it actually is a bug, and not just a vagary of setup or environmental factors”

I walk to the developer to let them know about the...

2011-08-02T12:12:43.690+05:30

I walk to the developer to let them know about the bug and to discuss further.

As mentioned in one of the previous post initially I heard "please add to the bug tracking tool". After some time I started to ask "Have you got sometime to look into the issue that I have or should I post to the bug tracking tool?". Most of the times the answer was letz look into it now.

Also I noticed sometimes the bug fixes did not get to the release build. Since it was not logged in the bug tracking tool it was hard to trace them.

Nice post Sharath, Myself, I more often than not...

2011-08-01T19:59:12.561+05:30

Nice post Sharath,

Myself, I more often than not walk over and chat with the developer about it.

Sometimes though the bug is so trivial or apparent that there is no need to chat with the developer about it, so I'll just raise a bug report, or fix it myself.

For me, when I get up off my seat to chat about a bug it's to clarify the issue for both parties, which most often than not results in it being fixed quicker.

The first thing I do is repeat the test to verify ...

2011-08-01T14:29:17.894+05:30

The first thing I do is repeat the test to verify it actually is a bug, and not just a vagary of setup or environmental factors! Once confirmed, I'll approach the Devs and ask how they'd like it handled - immediate quick investigation or log and leave. It's their choice, based upon their workloads unless it's a showstopper for further testing.

@Anonymous @Tester - It all depends upon the proj...

2011-08-01T03:32:56.398+05:30

@Anonymous @Tester - It all depends upon the project context. Don't be annoyed when a developer says "he is busy" they have their tasks and they might be in the pressure to develop and release it. To me communicating with the development team is a key skill a tester has to develop. You need to find the right time and tone to talk to them. Also I am not sure of the process you have in your team. Talk to your test manager, dev manager if you feel there is more value in sharing a bug when u find it. But please keep in mind that you need to evaluate what fits your project context and team.

I work in a project where there are 13 developers ...

2011-07-29T21:32:45.255+05:30

I work in a project where there are 13 developers when ever we go and interact with the dev about an issue. They tell us that they have some important work to do. but when ever we post some thing in Issue Tracker with a milestone. Then they will look into it and try to interact with us.