Black Box Software Testing

Black box software testing involves examining a program from the customer's viewpoint, with no knowledge of how the program is built. This is the most common approach taken by software testing groups in software and computer systems companies.

This course presents a pragmatic approach to black box testing, using examples derived from experience with a broad spectrum of applications on mainframes, DOS, Windows, UNIX, and proprietary operating systems. It covers basic and advanced issues ranging from an overview of software development and testing to a management-level analysis of the risks and trade-offs associated with starting a test automation project.

Topics include:

  • Introductory Exercise
  • An Initial Test Series
  • Boundaries & Equivalence
  • Overview of Development
  • Black Box Testing Group
  • Black Box Test Design
  • Reusable Test Matrices
  • Relationship Tables
  • Bug Advocacy
    - Writing the Bug Report
    - Getting Bugs Fixed
    - Bug Reporting Exercises
    - Costs of Bugs
    - Decisions and Credibility
  • Testing Paradigms
    - Function Testing
    - Domain Testing
    - Spec-driven
    - Risk-based
    - Stress
    - Regression
    - Exploratory
    - User
    - Scenario
    - Stochastic
  • Test Documentation
  • Questioning Strategies
  • Test Strategy Planning
  • Objectives Lists
  • Scripting Test Cases
  • Managing Test Automation
  • Testing Documentation
  • Metrics
  • Status Reporting
  • Defect Life Cycles
  • Planning Testing Projects
  • Impossible Deadlines
  • Career Planning For Testers
  • Job Seeking
  • Recruiting Testers
  • Learning Styles

Customizable Subject Areas

  • Managing Testing Groups
  • Software Development Life
    Cycles
  • Roles For The Test Group
  • Test Case Design
  • Bug Advocacy
  • Specification Analysis
  • Exploratory Testing
  • Test Documents
  • Test Strategy Planning
  • Black Box Automation
  • Testing User Documentation
  • Software Metrics
  • Status Reporting
  • Defect Life Cycle
  • Planning and Scheduling Testing Projects
  • Career Paths For Testers
  • Job Seeking
  • Recruiting Testers
  • Beta Testing (in-house courses only)
  • Defect Tracking (in-house courses only)
Students completing this course will have been given a brief tour of the basic information needed to design, plan, and conduct black box testing.

PREREQUISITE: Work experience in software testing or development or a strong interest in the field combined with significant experience or course work with computers.

REQUIRED TEXT: Testing Computer Software, 2nd edition, Cem Kaner, Jack Falk and Hung Nguyen, Thomson Press.


Updated November 25, 2008

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