Software testing is at a very important crossroad, where it is going back to the roots on certain fronts while moving inexorably forward. For instance, test automation is growing in prominence, but manual testing is becoming a niche; we are increasingly collaborating with the developers, breaking the bounds of unrealistic independence in testing, and bringing in true conscious quality. At such an important stage, it is important to take stock of the past, present, and future to define both the direction the discipline will take as well as the careers it will entail for testers.
This book looks at a range of topics covering where we are in the product development landscape today, what are the varied disciplines at play, what are the influencing factors bringing in a change in software testing, why is such change important, what did the past look like, what is current decade turning out to be like, and where are we heading. As for future, it looks at it both from near-term and long-term perspectives. It also considers whether the testing fraternity is ready to take on such changes and are empowered enough to do so, or are there gaps that need to be filled.
The book closes with perspectives from industry experts on what is in store for the software testing discipline and community in the coming years.
After reading the book, you will be confident that you can take on what is in store for testers in the coming years. You will also be positioned to help the industry move to the next level, and influence change not just amongst testers but also in the product engineering industry level as a whole.
Preface
Product Development Landscape Today
Overview and Evolution
Roles in a Product Team
Do we really need a Software Development Life Cycle
Influencing a Change in Software Testing
Why Change Is Inevitable
Resistance to Change
Software Testing Is Changing, Too
Testing: What Did We Do So Far?
How Did Testing Fit into the SDLC of Past Years
How Did the Software Testing Life Cycle Itself Look?
Activities Testers Were Doing
How Test Attributes Were Tested
Testing Metrics
Case Studies from the Past
Software Testing Career Options
Testing in the Present Times
What Has Changed in Today’s Style of Development?
DevOps and Tester’s Role in DevOps
What New Technologies Have Impacted Overall Test Strategy and Effort?
What Other Things Are We Doing as a Tester Today?
Case Studies from Current Times
Testing: What Does the Future Hold?
Is Testing Dying?
The Dynamic Landscape Will Become More Dynamic
App Development Will Soar
Testers Will Co-exist with Crowd Users
Test Fraternity Will Seek Balance in a Number of Areas
Manual Testing Will Become a Niche
Non-functional Compliance-Driven Testing Will Rise
Automation Will Become an Integral Part
Agile Customizations Will Become Necessary
Will Metrics Still Be Used?
Future of Independent Testing
Merge between Development and Testing
A Twist in Testing Centers of Excellence
A Futuristic Case Study
Are We Empowered for the Present and Ready for the Future as a Fraternity?
Overview
Is Test Automation Becoming Mandatory?
Will Manual Testing Cease to Exist?
Do I Have to be a Domain Expert?
How Do I Stay Current and Look Ahead to Give Myself an Advantage?
Will a Tester Be Embraced and Accepted into the Devops Fold?
Is Independent Testing Dying?
How Is the Tester’s Role Changing?
Becoming a Quality Leader, Advocate, or Practitioner
Building Ongoing Continuous Improvement
Being a Savvy Team Member
The Gives and Takes on a Software Tester’s Plate
Other Changing Facets in Software Testing
Perspectives from Three Global Experts
Biography
As founder and CEO, Sharma Mukesh started QA InfoTech with a vision to provide unbiased Quality Assurance solutions for business partners worldwide. Responsible for the company’s global operations, marketing, sales, and development efforts, QA InfoTech, under Mukesh’s leadership, has grown to five Centers of Excellence with over 700 employees. Mukesh is an active test evangelist, spreading the word on software testing through articles, conferences, and most recently his book on a career in testing. Through his passion for excellence, keen eye for detail, and customer commitment, QA InfoTech stands apart in the exceedingly competitive software testing industry.
As senior director of engagement, Rajini Padmanaban leads engagement and relationship management for some of QA InfoTech's largest and most strategic accounts. She has more than 12 years of professional experience, primarily in the software quality assurance space. Rajini actively advocates software quality assurance through evangelistic activities including blogging on test trends, technologies and best practices, providing insights on software testing to analyst firms such as Gartner, IDC. She is also an active speaker in the Star conferences run by SQE.
