The Testing Network (PDF)

"The author does a great job explaining the terms and techniques of testing and taking the reader through the necessary steps to become an effective tester or test manager. He also does a great job of showing the importance of testing in today's environment. The theme of this book is in the opening paragraphs of chapter one where the author states, "We need to get back to basics—what I call 'acquisition fundamentals.' Proven tenets of successful program management must be reinstituted." The author went on to explain how giving focus on processes and standard practices have proven themselves over the years and is paramount in this day and age where "short-living solutions, tight budgets and demanding customers" are sorely needed to establish efficient and adaptable test processes. The author spends time discussing different testing methods and techniques dealing in such areas as white box, black box, scenario, exploratory and performance testing.

Chapter 7 of this book is particularly noteworthy. It deals with the analysis of defect root causes which, in my opinion, are an area that is important for the tester to know about. This chapter deals with several tools and techniques needed to quickly and effectively get to the root cause of defects and problems. The author also discusses methods of classifying problems.

Also noteworthy is the author’s inclusion of eleven titles and two sections of the Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) act. The Sarbanes-Oxley act provides safeguards to investors over corporate overstating (or willfully misstating) financial data relating to the corporation resulting in the company looking better than it is. Although the author does not directly state why he put this information in the book, I feel it was included to show the importance of testing the products that can be used to implement the SOX processes.