Workshop –
Risk-Based Testing
We all consider risk as part of our everyday lives – when we cross the road, when we change jobs, and even when we choose a partner. Software is no different – risk is used as one of the main drivers for both project management and test management – with limited resources we use our knowledge of risks to determine where to spend our testing budget to ensure this testing is aligned with the business risks.
From the testing perspective, the risks are largely associated with the deliverable software product (e.g. the consequences if the software fails in use) but they are concerned with how the project is run (e.g. if development overruns so reducing the time available for testing).
The new international software testing standards, ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119, explicitly require that risk be used as the main driver for a project’s test strategy. In this way testing is used to treat perceived risks, such as by choosing which test phases to use and which test techniques to apply.
This workshop introduces the key concepts behind risk management and how it should be applied to testing. The three basic stages of risk identification, risk estimation and risk treatment are considered in terms of the management of testing both during project development and after the delivery of the software into use.
Having introduced the theory, the workshop then shows how risk-based testing works in practice, based on real-world experiences.
By the end of the workshop, attendees should be able to:
- understand that risk is the key to managing all testing on a project;
- understand the three key steps in risk management;
- apply risk identification, estimation and treatment to prioritise and determine the testing to be used on a project.
Course length/numbers
No limit on numbers, but with smaller groups the tutorial will be more interactive and allow delegates’ specific questions to be addressed.
This can be delivered as either a half-day, full day or two-day tutorial.