ITECH7409 - Software Testing & Standards: An In-depth Article Review

This report presents a detailed review of an article focusing on software testing standards, particularly ANSI/IEEE Std 829:1983 and ANSI/IEEE Std 1008:1987, emphasizing the importance of dynamic testing in ensuring software quality. The review addresses key aspects of these standards, including copyright ownership, contributing universities, scope, key terms, and their relevance to software testing. It discusses the commonalities and differences between the two standards, highlighting their roles in documentation and unit testing. The report concludes that while the article is dated, it effectively underscores the significance of standardized software testing methods for producing high-quality software, stressing the necessity of adhering to established standards throughout the software development lifecycle.

Running head: ARTICLE REVIEW – SOFTWARE TESTING
Article Review: Software Testing
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Introduction to standards and a brief description of the research paper and chosen standard
................................................................................................................................................2
Responses to questions for the standard.................................................................................3
What is the standard name?................................................................................................3
Who holds the copyright for the standard?........................................................................3
Amongst the acknowledged contributors to the document, which universities were
involved (if any)?...............................................................................................................4
What is the scope or intent of the standard?......................................................................4
What are key terms and understandings needed for the standard to be understood and
applied?..............................................................................................................................4
In your own words, what does application of the standard result in? Or, in other words,
what does the standard do?................................................................................................5
Finally, what specific relevance to software testing is the standard?................................6
Listing and a discussion of commonalities and differences between the two documents.....6
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................7
References..................................................................................................................................8

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Introduction
Software Testing is a very common phenomenon in the latest business and technical
scenario. However, in the previous times, the phenomenon of Software Testing was not
considered as much of a common occurrence like now. The testing of the software was not
dependent on the customer requirements and it was found that the customers were in a close
proximity of complaining about the products they received for falling short of the
requirements that they needed (Wichmann & Cox, 1992). Only after the complaints were
made, the software testing process was commenced to find out the anomalies in the system
and also to check whether the development of the software product has been formulated
according to the requirements of the clients, the standards set by the organizations and the
product quality at a larger level.
Introduction to standards and a brief description of the research paper and
chosen standard
The article has the main theme developed as the process for software testing which is
identified as one of the most important phase in the development life cycle of a software.
This is identified to be the primary requirement for assuring the quality of a software
however, in the previous times, the development of the software was not followed by a
software testing procedure to assure the quality of the developed software to find out if it was
developed according to the standard market format, the requirement of the client and the
proper standards of the software development. The article clearly justifies the need for
software development method along with the testing procedure according to the standards set
for software testing.

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The article focuses on the dynamic testing method or procedure and the standards
associated with it. These software testing standards are identified to be ANSI/IEEE Std
829:1983 and ANSI/IEEE Std 1008:1987. However, there are different standardization
methods applied for the software testing methods applied in various countries, but the main
motive behind each of them is to highlight the fact of quality assurance for the software
developed through its life cycle.
The article has a basic description about the central theory of software testing and its
accepted and other supported standardization methods. The next section of this review report
would be based upon the response to certain set of questions that would clarify the dynamic
testing standardizations.
Responses to questions for the standard
What is the standard name?
In this particular paper the standardization for software testing has been set as the
ANSI/IEEE Std 829:198, which is the software testing standardization for the documentation
of the software and the other one would be the ANSI/IEEE Std 1008:1987, which is a
standardization for the unit testing phase in a software testing process (Wichmann & Cox,
1992).
Who holds the copyright for the standard?
The standard defined in this particular paper is about the testing standards for a
software development method that needs to be approved by an institution body to hold the
viability of the standardization method. The copyright for this particular standardization for
ANSI/IEEE Std 829:198 and ANSI/IEEE Std 1008:1987 is owned by the United Kingdom
Interim Defence Standard (Wichmann & Cox, 1992).

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Amongst the acknowledged contributors to the document, which universities were
involved (if any)?
The article also specifies that during the proper presentation of this paper, not just the
university accepting the paper was involved within the paper, but there was also
acknowledgement about the other contributors, like other universities that has been
mentioned in the paper. The paper is acknowledged and presented by the University of
National Physical Laboratory in Teddington, Middlesex. Other than that, the paper also
acknowledges the other universities that has contributed to the paper, like the Centre for
Software Maintenance at Durham University in the United Kingdom.
What is the scope or intent of the standard?
The process of Dynamic Testing is a standardized set of processes utilized for the
placement of reliability of differentiating of the testing phases form one to another. The
revised version of this standardization technique focuses on the critical safety of a testing
process. Therefore, the scope of this particular standard is based upon finding the risk factors
in a software development method that clarifies if the software is developed in such a way
that the software does not have any risk factors. The standard tests the development stages of
a software throughout its life cycle so that any risk associated with the development phase
can be found and removed from the entire system of development.
What are key terms and understandings needed for the standard to be understood and
applied?
The author in this particular article has described the testing methods, which in this
case if the Dynamic Testing method and it needs to be identified as the standardization
technique. The key terms associated with the understanding of the article is the methods of

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software testing and this needs to be understood before understanding the crux of the entire
article. This is the process that every software development methodology needs to implement
so that the quality of the developed end product is assured (Wichmann & Cox, 1992). Many
organizations do not acknowledge the existence of a software development technique and this
article specifically clarified why this technique is important for every stage of the
development technique throughout the life cycle of a software development process and
needs to be applied at every stage.
Another keyword that is identified in this article is the standardization technique that
is to be applied to every stage. It is not that the standardization techniques need to be different
at every stage, but this is a format that needs to be followed throughout the testing process to
ensure quality end product at the end of the development stage.
In your own words, what does application of the standard result in? Or, in other words,
what does the standard do?
The standardization technique described in this article helps in two very important
phase for the software development and testing phase, which is justified standard for the
documentation process for the step by step testing procedure and the unit testing for the same.
The ANSI/IEEE Std 829:1983 standard clarified how the phase can be justified to be
documenting every step of the testing process (Wichmann & Cox, 1992). The standardization
formulates the procedure by which the process needs to go on and the exact way in which the
findings of the testing phase needs to be recorded down. This would specify the
documentation of the findings of the standardized process.

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The next standardized technique includes ANSI/IEEE Std 1008:198 which presents
the scope of a standard approach towards the unit testing of a software. This also classifies
the effects of white box testing.
Finally, what specific relevance to software testing is the standard?
The process of software testing is a very important phase in software development
process and this should always follow a standardized method to make sure that the end
product is of the topmost quality. This needs to follow a proper standardized method
approved by the organization and the universities. This is why the article has a complete
relevance to establish the process of software testing step by step for the people to understand
the value of producing quality product.
Listing and a discussion of commonalities and differences between the two
documents
The commonalities and differences between the two documents mostly resides in the
different stages and standardization methods that the document establish. One finds out how
the documentation process needs to follow the general procedure of step by step
documentation process and on the other hand, the documentation process follows the entire
documentation after the testing process has been justified (Wichmann & Cox, 1992).
The similarities lie in documenting the testing phase to find out what the processes
establish and how the developed software is fulfilling the requirements of the customer and
the standards of the organization as well. By this, it is identified how the testing phase is as
important as documenting the testing procedures and findings.

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Conclusion
Therefore, in conclusion, it can be said that although the article is quite old as per the
time of its presentation, yet it effectively identifies what the importance of software testing is,
according to the standardization methods. The article also identifies what is the importance of
maintaining proper standards while performing the software testing procedures. This is why
the article specifies a standard testing procedure for the step by step testing of a particular
software development throughout its life cycle. On the other hand, the article also clarifies the
other standardized testing procedure for software copyrighted by various Institutions. These
are clarified in this particular article and the article would be reviewed as it has presented
about the software testing standards that is mostly in vogue in the market. The article has also
been reviewed to find out the standards along with the brief descriptions about the standards
along with a brief description of the research paper and the description of the chosen
standard. Along with it, it had answered or responded to several questions about the chosen
standard to validate the testing standards and the listing and discussion about the similarities
and the dissimilarities of the two documents.

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References
Wichmann, B. A., & Cox, M. G. (1992). Problems and strategies for software component
testing standards. Software Testing, Verification and Reliability, 2(4), 167-185.