Software V Model Testing

Life cycle testing involves continuous testing of the system during the developmental process. At predetermined points, the results of the development process are inspected to determine the correctness of the implementation. These inspections identify defects at the earliest possible point.

Life cycle testing cannot occur until a formalized Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) has been incorporated. Life cycle testing is dependent upon the completion of predetermined deliverables at specified points in the developmental life cycle.

If information services personnel have the discretion to determine the order in which deliverables are developed, the life cycle test process becomes ineffective. This is due to variability in the process, which normally increases cost.

The life cycle testing concept can best be accomplished by the formation of a test team. The team is comprised of members of the project who may be both implementing and testing the system. When members of the team are testing the system, they must use a formal testing methodology to clearly distinguish the implementation mode from the test mode. They also must follow a structured methodology when approaching testing the same as when approaching system development.

Without a specific structured test methodology, the test team concept is ineffective because team members would follow the same methodology for testing as they used for developing the system. Experience shows people are blind to their own mistakes, so the effectiveness of the test team is dependent upon developing the system under one methodology and testing it under another.

The life cycle testing concept is illustrated in Figure below. This illustration shows that when the project starts both the system development process and system test process begins. The team that is developing the system begins the systems development process and the team that is conducting the system test begins planning the system test process. Both teams start at the same point using the same information.

The systems development team has the responsibility to define and document the requirements for developmental purposes. The test team will likewise use those same requirements, but for the purpose of testing the system. At appropriate points during the developmental process, the test team will test the developmental process in an attempt to uncover defects. The test team should use the structured testing techniques outlined in this book as a basis of evaluating the system development process deliverables.
During the system test process, an appropriate set of test transactions should be developed to be completed at the same time as the completion of the application system. When the application meets the acceptance criteria, it can be integrated into the operating environment.

During this process, the systems development team and the systems test team work closely together to ensure that the application is properly integrated into the production environment.

At that point, the teams again split to ensure the correctness of changes made during the maintenance phase. The maintenance team will make whatever changes and enhancements are necessary to the application system, and the test team will continue the test process to ensure that those enhancements are properly implemented and integrated into the production environment.

In the V-testing concept, project’s Do and Check procedures slowly converge from start to finish which indicates that as the Do team attempts to implement a solution, the Check team concurrently develops a process to minimize or eliminate the risk. If the two groups work closely together, the high level of risk at a project’s inception will decrease to an acceptable level by the project’s conclusion.(119)

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