Istqb Key Terms - Chapter 3

Front 1

Testing

Back 1

The process consisting of all life cycle activities, both static and dynamic, concerned with planning, preparation and evaluation of software products and related work products to determine that they satisfy specified requirements, to demonstrate that they are fit for purpose and to detect defects.

Front 2

Static testing

Back 2

Testing of a component or system at specification or implementation level without execution of that software, e.g. reviews or static code analysis.

Front 3

Dynamic testing

Back 3

Testing that involves the execution of the software of a component or system.

Front 4

Review

Back 4

An evaluation of a product or project status to ascertain discrepancies from planned results and to recommend improvements. Examples include management review, informal review, technical review, inspection, and walkthrough.

Front 5

Informal review

Back 5

A review not based on a formal (documented) procedure.

Front 6

Formal review

Back 6

A review characterized by documented procedures and requirements, e.g. inspection.

Front 7

Moderator (inspection leader)

Back 7

The leader and main person responsible for an inspection or other review process.

Front 8

Entry criteria

Back 8

The set of generic and specific conditions for permitting a process to go forward with a defined task, e.g. test phase. The purpose of entry criteria is to prevent a task from starting which would entail more (wasted) effort compared to the effort needed to remove the failed entry criteria.

Front 9

Reviewer (inspector)

Back 9

The person involved in the review who identifies and describes defects in the product or project under review. Reviewers can be chosen to represent different viewpoints and roles in the review process.

Front 10

Exit criteria

Back 10

The set of generic and specific conditions, agreed upon with the stakeholders, for permitting a process to be officially completed. The purpose of exit criteria is to prevent a task from being considered completed when there are still outstanding parts of the task which have not been finished. Exit criteria are used to report against and to plan when to stop testing.

Front 11

Scribe

Back 11

The person who records each defect mentioned and any suggestions for process improvement during a review meeting, on a logging form. The scribe has to ensure that the logging form is readable and understandable.

Front 12

Peer review

Back 12

A review of a software work product by colleagues of the producer of the product for the purpose of identifying defects and improvements. Examples are inspection, technical review and walkthrough.

Front 13

Walkthrough

Back 13

A step-by-step presentation by the author of a document in order to gather information and to establish a common understanding of its content.

Front 14

Technical review

Back 14

A peer group discussion activity that focuses on achieving consensus on the technical approach to be taken.

Front 15

Inspection

Back 15

A type of peer review that relies on visual examination of documents to detect defects, e.g. violations of development standards and non-conformance to higher-level documentation. The most formal review technique and therefore always based on a documented procedure.

Front 16

Static analysis

Back 16

Analysis of software artifacts, e.g. requirements or code, carried out without execution of those software artifacts.

Front 17

Compiler

Back 17

A software tool that translates programs expressed in a high-order language into their machine-language equivalents.

Front 18

Complexity

Back 18

The degree to which a component or system has a design and/or internal structure that is difficult to understand, maintain and verify.

Front 19

Cyclomatic complexity

Back 19

The number of independent paths through a program. Cyciomatic complexity is defined as: L-N + 2P, where

L = the number of edges/links in a graph

N = the number of nodes in a graph

P = the number of disconnected parts of the graph (e.g. a called graph and a subroutine).

Front 20

Control flow

Back 20

A sequence of events (paths) in the execution through a component or system.

Front 21

Data flow

Back 21

An abstract representation of the sequence and possible changes of state of data objects, where the state of an object is any of: creation, usage, modification or destruction.

Front 22

Recognize software work products that can be examined by different static techniques. (K1)

Back 22

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Front 23

Describe the importance and value of considering static techniques for the assessment of software work products. (K2)

Back 23

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Front 24

Explain the difference between static and dynamic techniques. (K2)

Back 24

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Front 25

Recall the phases, roles and responsibilities of a typical formal review. (Kl)

Back 25

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Front 26

Explain the differences between different types of review: informal review, technical review, walkthrough and inspection. (K2)

Back 26

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Front 27

Explain the factors for successful performance of reviews. (K2)

Back 27

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Front 28

Describe the objective of static analysis and compare it to dynamic testing. (K2)

Back 28

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Front 29

Recall typical defects identified by static analysis and compare them to reviews and dynamic testing. (K1)

Back 29

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Front 30

List typical benefits of static analysis. (K1)

Back 30

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Front 31

List typical code and design defects that may be identified by static analysis tools. (K1)

Back 31

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