ENG101 Reading and composition final project1
Software QA Professional Development Avenues
Software testing can be slow and tedious. Automation of tests can help, but most testers can only perform manual tests because they lack the coding skills to automate them.
I am currently well versed in analyzing business software requirements, assessing proposed code modifications and designing manual tests to validate those changes before release. The skills I lack are in the area of writing automated test software that can test those changes and provide pass/fail results without human intervention. There are a number of approaches to developing coding skills that apply to software testing.
The tool used to automate software tests for our company is Unified Functional Tester (UFT), by Hewlett Packard. Our company does not currently offer to train testers in the use of the tool. Rather, automation testers are hired specifically for their preexisting UFT skills. Since the company has invested many thousands of dollars in licenses for this tool, it makes sense to investigate professional development options that include training for this tool.
I will identify training that will give testers coding skills that enable the use of UFT. Trainingwould ideally be specific to test automation, geographically accessible, affordable and readily immediately available.
Local Colleges
Local community colleges have affordable, quality programming instruction for common coding languages. However, their schedules are semester based, and the courses are not specific to the software QA industry.
The most relevant language offered by the local college in our area, York Technical College, is Internet Scripting (York Technical College, 2015). Internet Scripting teaches PHP, a language that is common to web applications. Learning PHP will provide a refresher in writing logical, well-documented code while also teaching the syntax of the language.
The Internet Scripting class a nine-week course that begins each August and January. I would therefore not be able to utilize any skills learned in the class until December.
On the plus side, the class is quite affordable. In-county tuition at York Technical College is $161 per credit hour (York Technical College, 2015). The Internet Scripting class is three credit hours, for a total cost of $483.
After completing the class, I would still need to translate the programming skills I learned into the tool necessary for testing at my company.
Vendor Training
Software Most large software test tool vendors provide training in the use of their tools. The instruction is highly specialized for the tool, and the quality is excellent. Scheduling can vary depending on the vendor, but is typically more flexible than a college course. The downside to vendor training is the high cost, and the travel to attend the class. There are two options for vendor training: on-site and off-site. Both options provide a comprehensive understanding of how to use UFT.
Scheduling on-site training requires a minimum of 25 people to participate (Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP, 2016), and the scheduling process itself requires time to organize the participants, depending on their availability. The cost for training a group of 25 testers is $10,000 (Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP, 2016).
Off-site training involves choosing an upcoming class (currently only offered in New York or Toronto), registering for the class and making travel/hotel arrangements as the classes run five days. Cost is $3750 per student (Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP, 2016).
Even though the vendor-provided training is precisely targeted to the company and student needs, given the high cost, lead time and travel requirement, this approach seems impractical when compared to other options.
Professional Associations
Professional associations like the American Software Testing Qualifications Board (ASTQB)are dedicated to improving knowledge among the software test professionals that make up their membership. They are a good local source for industry networking, testing whitepapers,, and SQA related job .postings.ASTQB also provides testing and certification in testing (ASTQB, American Software Testing Qualifications Board , 2016) and test management but does not provide the training for these certifications.
ASTQB provides access to a variety of webinars on their website (ASTQB, American Software Testing Qualifications Board , 2016), some of which pertain to automation. None, however, provides the level of detailed instruction needed to become proficient in using the test automation tool. However, their focus is not on providing training. The schedule for their gatherings is unpredictable.
SQA Conferences
SQA Conferences like such as those hosted by testing associations like Sticky MindsTechwWellor Software Test Professionals will occasionally hold regulartesting workshopsconferences. Along with vendor presentations and speakers, these also feature testing workshops for test tools. These are beneficial because they’re targeted at testing professionals who are interested in gaining new skills and incorporating new tools in their jobs. Keynote speakersPresenters at these events are also test SQA professionals themselves and usually focus on topics of interest to other testers. The drawback to conferences is that that they require travel since they tend to be hosted in major metropolitan areas. The events are lectures rather than hands-on workshops, which means attendees must return home before practicing the new techniques.
TechWell organizes the STAR testing conferences (TechWell Corp., 2016). These three annual SQA conferences (STAR East, STAR West and STAR Canada) are “focused exclusively on software testing and quality improvement” (TechWell Corp., 2016). Of particular interest is a presentation offered at the upcoming STAR West conference entitled “Go Test Yourself: A Self-Testing Automation Pattern” (TechWell Corp., 2016). While not specific to the tool used at our company, the syllabus offers “valuable lessons on building your own robot to automatically create tests” (TechWell Corp., 2016).
Pricing for the TechWell conferences varies by package. These range from $1795 for conferences only to $3795 for conferences plus tutorial workshops. (TechWell Corp., 2016)
Software Test Professionals (STP) organizes a pair of competing conferences each spring and fall. Billed as “The Leading Conference on Software Testing”, (Redwood Collaborative Media, 2016) previous STPCon events have
STPCon offers better pricing than the TechWell events, with the full conference/workshop package priced at $1795 (Redwood Collaborative Media, 2016). Unfortunately, the lineup of upcoming speakers and workshops are not available at this time.
Workplace Training
The company provides a variety of training options, from pre-recorded tutorials to instructor-led classes. Unfortunately, training on the tools necessary for use in software testing is not availableoffered.
The test tool includes online documentation and tutorials, but these are limited to ‘quick start’ style overviews and syntax definitions. They are not useful for creating useable robust test automation.
There are howeverThe company employs many trained experienced testers test automation engineers who are currently using these tools in the course of their work for the company. If the project manager allocates time and the trained tester is willing, a mentoring relationship could be created to pass on tools knowledge to other employees. Drawbacks include the fact that a manager would need to redirect testing time toward training, which could impact software delivery schedules; and not all testers are necessarily good teachers.
Comparisons and Analysis
Conclusions
When weighing the optionsI have investigated above,, noneappears ideal. The most direct route to competence with the tool is the vendor training. But the large expense for the course combined with the need to travel and the time away from work make this choice difficult to justify to management.
Choosing the local college programming class requires a large investment of time while only gaining a peripheral skill.
Software associations like ASTQB, while valuable, are not in the business of training, so this choice is not helpful in achieving my goal.. I therefore rule out this option.
Conferences like STAR East and STPCon combine the worst aspects of college courses and vendor training: high expense, travel, time away from the job while offering instruction in general skills.
Training courses offered by the company for this tool do not exist. Any proposal to management that involves taking test automation engineers away from their main task and engaging them in a teaching role is unlikely to be approved by management, given their workload.
Therefore, the only option that makes sense is the vendor training. Despite the high cost and time required, it is the only option that is specifically designed to impart usable skills with the test tool.
References
ASTQB, American Software Testing Qualifications Board . (2016). ASTQB Webinars. Retrieved from ASTQB Software Testing Certifications:
ASTQB, American Software Testing Qualifications Board . (2016). Software Testing Certification Steps / FAQ. Retrieved from ASTQB SOFTWARE TESTING CERTIFICATIONS:
Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP. (2016). HP Software Education Services. Retrieved from UFT01IT - Unified Functional Testing 12.0 Interactive Training Created by ART:
Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP. (2016). UFT120 - Unified Functional Testing 12.0 Essentials. Retrieved from HP Software Education Services:
Redwood Collaborative Media. (2016). Pricing Fall 2016 « STPCon Fall 2016. Retrieved from STPCon Fall 2016:
Redwood Collaborative Media. (2016). STPCon Fall 2016. Retrieved from STPCon Fall 2016:
TechWell Corp. (2016). STARWEST 2016 - Go Test Yourself: A Self-Testing Automation Pattern | TechWell. Retrieved from STARWEST 2016 | A TechWell Event:
TechWell Corp. (2016). STARWEST 2016 - Registration Pricing & Packages | TechWell. Retrieved from STARWEST 2016 | A TechWell Event:
TechWell Corp. (2016). StickyMinds | Conferences. Retrieved from StickyMinds - A Techwell Company:
TechWell Corp. (2016). TechWell Software Conferences. Retrieved from TechWell - Software Conferences, Training, & Resources:
York Technical College. (2015). CPT-238 - Internet Scripting. Retrieved from York Technical College:
York Technical College. (2015). Tuition & Fees. Retrieved from York Technical College: