...what’s the plan for testing?
A new build of code is an exciting and nerve wracking moment
for any team. But, what to do with it when it arrives should be pretty straight
forward. Actually, it ‘should’ be straight forward but of course, isn't everything
when it’s obvious to you!
When a new build arrives there’s a rough sequence I ask the
team to follow:
Test any defect fixes
that are provided in the build first
Defects == danger and so the fixes are critically important,
they are also new / changed code so the next step is to…
Retest any failed
test cases associated with the defect fixes and make sure they pass now
Failed or blocked test cases that moved to that state because
of a defect are your regression tests, to make sure that new or changed code didn’t
break anything in the immediate vicinity of the fix.
Run any test cases
that haven’t been run yet, start from highest priority
In any testing project we should set a goal of ‘run every
selected test case at least once’. This means coverage and potentially uncovering
hosts of new defects. Make sure you’re using a test management tool such as
Quality Center to track what was and wasn't run.
Re-run any high
importance test cases, where time allows / needs must
Often you’re lucky to get to run your full set, if time
allows or the business demands it, re-run the highest importance again. Ideally
this is done on the candidate release for extra assurance.
You’re done, write the Test Completion report and ship that
code!
Thoughts? Send a message!
Mark
