Course Overview

Software Testing Foundation

The Foundation Certificate in Software Testing is based on the syllabus published by ISTQB. This course prepares participants for the multiple choice examination for the qualification. The course has six main elements: Fundamentals of testing; Testing throughout the life cycle; Static test techniques; Test design techniques; Test management; and Test tools.

The course is presented by TSG, the Assurance and Testing Specialists.

This course is a three-day tutor-led course, with the examination on the afternoon of the third day. TSG also support this qualification with an on-line learning course (ISTQBFW).

Those taking the course are also provided with one year’s access to:

• a number of testing and related discipline books from the Skillsoft library;
• other value-add products, information and regular opinion pieces from industry-experts.

Participant profile

The Foundation Level qualification is aimed at anyone involved in software testing. This includes people in roles such as testers, test analysts, test engineers, test consultants, test managers, user acceptance testers and software developers. The qualification is also appropriate for anyone who wants a basic understanding of software testing, such as project managers, quality managers, software development managers, business analysts, IT directors and management consultants.

Holders of the Foundation Certificate will be able to go on to the higher level software testing qualification; the Practitioner Certificate.

It is strongly recommended by the syllabus board that candidates also have at least a minimal background in either software development or software testing, such as six months experience as a system or user acceptance tester or as a software developer, and take an accredited course such as this one.

Course objectives

The objectives of this course are to:

• prepare candidates for the Foundation Certificate in Software Testing based on the ISTQB syllabus
• improve understanding of software testing – its purpose and nature – and to raise awareness of issues and constraints around testing
• provide a widely-recognised professional qualification
• introduce test techniques (static, white box and black box) to participants as well as providing practical experience of some key techniques
• learn standard terminology
• provide a complete picture of the test activities and processes from requirements review to system implementation
• discover good sources of information.

The objectives for the qualification are in the ISTQB syllabus and include:

• enabling software suppliers to hire certified testers and thereby gain commercial advantage over their competitors by advertising their tester recruitment policy
• enabling comparison of testing skills across different countries, testers to move across country borders more easily and multi­national/international projects to have a common understanding of testing issues.

BCS Professional Certifications

The course prepares participants to sit the examination leading to the Foundation Certificate in Software Testing offered by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT.
The Foundation Certificate in Software Testing is a specialist module for the Diploma in Solution Development.

SFIA Mapping

This course supports skill TEST, level 2.

Course Content

1. The fundamentals of testing
   • Why testing is necessary
   • Harm caused by defects in software; root causes
   • Testing and quality assurance; what testing is
   • General testing principles
   • Fundamental test process and the psychology of testing
2. Testing throughout the software lifecycle
   • Software development models
   • Relationship between development, test activities and work products in the development life cycle
   • Project and product characteristics and context
   • Test levels, objectives
   • Typical objects and targets of testing
   • Functional, non-functional, structural and change-related testing
   • Confirmation and regression testing
   • Maintenance testing
   • Regression testing and impact analysis in maintenance
3. Static techniques
   • Reviews and the test process
   • Software work products and the different static techniques
   • Importance and value of static techniques
   • Difference between static and dynamic techniques
   • Typical formal review process
   • Different types of review: informal review, technical review, walkthrough and inspection
   • Factors for successful performance of reviews
   • Static analysis by tools
   • Defects and errors identified by static analysis
   • Typical benefits
   • Typical code and design defects identified
4. Test design techniques
   • Identifying test conditions and designing test cases
   • Categories of test design techniques
   • Specification-based (black-box) and structure-based (white-box) approaches
   • Equivalence partitioning, boundary value analysis, decision tables and state transition diagrams
   • Use case testing
   • Structure-based or white-box techniques
   • Code coverage, statement and decision coverage
   • Control flows using statement testing and decision testing
   • Experience based techniques
   • Choosing techniques
5. Test management
   • Test organization
   • Independent testing
   • Tasks of typical test leader and tester
   • Test planning and estimation
   • ‘Standard for Software Test Documentation’ (IEEE 829)
   • Typical factors that influence the effort related to testing
   • Estimation approaches (metrics-based and expert-based)
   • Test preparation and execution tasks
   • Exit criteria
   • Test progress monitoring and control
   • Metrics and reporting
   • Configuration management
   • Risk and testing
   • Incident reporting and management
6. Tool support for testing
   • Types of test tool
   • Effective use of tools
   • Potential benefits and risks
   • Introducing a tool into an organization