Selecting ALM tools for your organization

Selecting ALM tools for your organization

There are many testing tools available to choose

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Choosing an ALM tool for managing your software testing processes What enterprises should keep in mind when selecting ALM tools

from when it comes to ALM. Every new language, execution environment and methodology spawns a new generation of tools to deal with the special needs of that environment. In this E-Guide, readers will hear from experts around their recommendations and tips for selecting ALM tools for your organization. Choosing an ALM tool for managing your software testing processes
By: Kevin Parker What types of ALM tools are available to help manage software testing processes? Sometimes, it seems, there are as many testing tools as there are development platforms. Every new language, execution environment and methodology spawns a new generation of tools to deal with the special needs of that environment. There are some clear winners in the testing space with massive market share and there are niche players that address specific testing issues. Test Management: From an organizational point of view, this is the key technology in any quality teams arsenal. Being able to manage the set of tests for a particular application, to determine how much testing has been done (and of that how much has been successful), to plan and schedule the testing activities and to record test failures in the form of tickets that can be passed on to the author of the code is critical. From these tools, metrics can be garnered to measure process and quality improvements and ensure compliance to service level agreements. Simulation: In order to test an application it is necessary to simulate the actions of an end-user. There are many tools in this space that allow for simulation of keystrokes, mouse actions and touchscreen gestures, to validate both correct and incorrect usage. The tools fall into two categories,

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those that test functionality and those that test load. The tools for testing load simulate the effect of hundreds and thousands of users to determine if the application performance degrades when used in the real world. Code analysis and coverage: Two forms of testing are particularly important. Black-box testing is when the application is tested without recourse to reviewing the code: instead the application is test against the requirements defined. White-box testing comprises of lifting the lid off the code and all the logical paths are analyzed. Based on this, tests are developed to exercise those paths to all extremes of the possible paths through. From this is developed a coverage model, determining how much of the code is exercised by any given test. Code analysis also reports on to what extent best practices are followed, company standards adhered to and identifies potential malicious code such as back doors and unlicensed third party code, such as open source. Test generators: Some of these tools have the ability to generate test cases based upon the code analysis. Ideally, when selecting tools, a number of key attributes must be included. First, make sure that the tools are process-centric; this means ensuring that the tool integrates into your Software Development Lifecycle and you do not have to compromise your processes for the sake of the tool. Second, choose a tool which has a graphical interface and does not require you to write endless scripts in a proprietary language. Third, make sure the tools are able to report, chart and log activities so you can analyze the effectiveness of your testing. And finally, choose a tool that has an open API, preferably Webservices based, so you can integrate it with other tools in your organization.

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Choosing an ALM tool for managing your software testing processes What enterprises should keep in mind when selecting ALM tools

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What enterprises should keep in mind when selecting ALM tools Contents
Choosing an ALM tool for managing your software testing processes What enterprises should keep in mind when selecting ALM tools
By: Mike Jones What should large enterprises keep in mind when selecting ALM tools? Tools, tools, tools! When it comes to wading into the ALM tool store, I suggest first and foremost that any enterprise spend a little time reflecting on their ALM process and what they want to accomplish in 2011 and beyond. From there, youll find three primary drivers that any enterprise IT shop needs to keep in mind regarding ALM tooling. Consider these: Bottlenecks -- Development teams need to recognize where bottlenecks form in their ALM process and determine how to best fix these specific points of congestion. Then go see if there is a tool or set of tools to help. Cost -- Remember, the cost of the tool is just the tip of the iceberg. In addition to how much a given tool costs, you also need to consider how much it is going to cost to implement -- integration between tools and existing systems, training, and so on. Costs dont occur in a vacuum, especially in ALM. Change -- Enterprises need to keep in mind that, on average, maintenance is responsible for 60% of the cost of software, including both error correction and enhancements. Understanding this is key to having an effective enterprise-level ALM strategy and supporting tools. It is worth noting that the above drivers are really geared towards organizations where software is not their core business, but rather a component of RUNNING the business -- what I like to call Enterprise IT shops. Software vendors and consulting firms likely already have these problems under control. For Enterprise IT shops where IT isnt the central business, the ALM challenge is compounded due to people. The people challenge is not a talent problem but rather one of resourcing. In my experience, most Enterprise IT shops are faced with flowing teams. What I mean is that the team who delivers a working piece of application

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functionality tends to not be the same team providing maintenance over time. Thus, flowing teams put an extra level of stress on your ALM process and supporting tools. So, when selecting your next wave of ALM tooling, dont forget the full application lifecycle, including the different team members who participate in the process and especially the long tail of maintenance.

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Choosing an ALM tool for managing your software testing processes What enterprises should keep in mind when selecting ALM tools

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Choosing an ALM tool for managing your software testing processes What enterprises should keep in mind when selecting ALM tools

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