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You're a tester; you've been testing for awhile. You've got the foundation skills but you'd like to delve a little deeper into your craft. You've wondered about how you can make your tasks more effective, implement tools or how an application is built. You'd really like to get your hands on some tools and just try them. This is the course for you!

Who should attend?
· Experienced Testers - elevate your QA I.Q. and add to your tester's tool box

Prerequisite: Tester Skill Assessment Test for Experienced Testers. Take this short, online test and receive feedback on which courses are right for you.

Course Duration: 3 days

What you get: a buggy application with buggy requirements and buggy specification to practice on, tip sheets, likely interview questions, free two week follow-up support from the instructor, all class materials and new knowledge you can apply the minute you get back to work!

Next Steps:  
1. Sign Up Now! for the online version: Testing Essentials II.  
2. Or, check our schedule for the next public class.
3. For Advanced QA Theory, check out Vettanna's book recommendations

Defining Test Cases
You're given a specification (if you are lucky), some emails or merely a partially completed application. How do you figure out what to test? Learn techniques to comprehensively define testable areas or features. Learn how to define thorough test coverage for different types of testing (like functionality, stress and GUI). You'll learn several techniques for organizing your test cases. We won't let you leave just yet. We know your managers are asking you "how long will it take to test it?" (Before you've even seen the specification too!) So, you'll learn how to "ball park" testing estimates for upper management.

Writing Test Cases and the Test Case Database
You've been told to write test cases for a feature. Now you have a choice, you can just write them or you can write them in a way that they will be repeatable, automatable, reusable and maintainable. You'll learn what the key components of a test case are that allow them to be used by others. You may get a great specification, or a specification that looks more like an overview or you may not get anything. In class, you'll practice writing test cases from all great specs, weak specs and no specification. You'll also work with a test case database.

Requirements and Spec Review
You've been given requirements or specification to review, but what do you look for? What types of things do you need in these documents in order to make your testing job more effective? You'll learn strong, diplomatic communication skills to convey to the author what the test team needs and why. You'll get to try it out by reviewing and commenting on both good and "could be better" requirements and specifications.

Expanding your Tester Toolbox
It's not uncommon for testers to work happily for several years without knowing how to code or knowing how applications are built. In this class, we'll go behind the scenes to see the building blocks of how applications are built. You'll see the backend database and then see how the GUI is created and how it all comes together into a feature that you can test. Did you ever find a "mystery bug"? A horrible bug that happens every once in awhile but you can't reproduce. In this class, memory will be exposed and you'll learn how those mystery bugs accidentally wind up in the product. You'll also learn about some testing tools that come with the OS, code coverage and automation. Even if you don't know how to code, you will try some of the tools on a buggy application in class.

Bug Hunting on desktop and Internet systems
All applications have many common elements and engineers make many common mistakes. Take some tips from the pros about how to think about components in applications, how to test them and where to look for bugs. We'll delve into the architecture of Internet applications and show you how information moves and how you can break it!

The Career Fork -Technical and Management Path
You've been testing for awhile and now the inevitable happens…a choice. Do you get more technical skills or step into management? How do you know? What's each job really like? In this class, we'll explore the jobs of Test Analyst, Test Engineer, Test Team Lead and Test Manager. You'll learn what tasks they do each day, what information they are responsible for, what kind of communications they make, who they interact with and the types of decisions they must make. But it's not just all talk, you'll be given coding related assignments and management-related assignments so that you can explore which path is right for you.