Let’s review what you have learned in this chapter.
From Section 6.1, you should now be able to classify different types of test tools according to the test process activities that they support. You should also recognize the tools that may help developers in their testing (shown by ‘(D)’ below). In addition to the list below, you should recognize that there are tools that support specific application areas and that general-purpose tools can also be used to support testing. The tools you should now recognize are:
Tools that support the management of testing and tests:
- test management tool;
- requirements management tool;
- incident management tool;
- configuration management tool.
Tools that support static testing:
- review process support tool;
- static analysis tool (D);
- modeling tool (D).
Tools that support test specification:
- test design tool;
- test data preparation tool.
Tools that support test execution and logging:
- test execution tool;
- test harness and unit test framework tool (D);
- test comparator;
- coverage measurement tool (D);
- security tool.
Tools that support performance and monitoring:
- dynamic analysis tool;
- performance-testing, load-testing and stress-testing tool;
- monitoring tool.
In addition to the tools already listed, you should know the glossary terms debugging tool, driver, probe effect and stub.
From Section 6.2, you should be able to summarize the potential benefits and potential risks of tool support for testing in general. You should recognize that some tools have special considerations, including test execution tools, performance-testing tools, static analysis tools and test management tools. You should know the glossary terms data-driven testing, keyword-driven testing and scripting language and recognize these as associated with test execution tools.
From Section 6.3, you should be able to state the main principles of introducing a tool into an organization (e.g., assessing organizational maturity, clear requirements and objective criteria, proof-of-concept, vendor evaluation, coaching and mentoring). You should be able to state the goals of a proof-of-concept or piloting phase for tool evaluation (e.g., learn about the tool, assess fit with current practices, decide on standards, assess benefits). You should recognize that simply acquiring a tool is not the only factor in achieving good tool support; there are many other factors that are important for success (e.g., incremental roll-out, adapting processes, training and coaching, defining usage guidelines, learning lessons and monitoring benefits). There are no specific definitions for this section.
