Paths to Industry Certification
Chantel Bowie Software Verification & Validation Semester Project Fall 2008
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.0 Problem Statement......................................................................................................................... 3 1.1 Purpose of Project .......................................................................................................................... 3 1.2 Intended Use .................................................................................................................................. 3 2.0 Project Research ............................................................................................................................. 4 2.1 Information Gathering ................................................................................................................... 4 2.2 Useful Resources/Artifacts ............................................................................................................. 4 3.0 Solution Design .............................................................................................................................. 5 3.1 Solution Description ...................................................................................................................... 5 4.0 Project Artifacts .............................................................................................................................. 7 5.0 Lessons Learned ............................................................................................................................ 8 5.1 Knowledge of Subject .................................................................................................................... 8 6.0 Conclusion...................................................................................................................................... 9 References ........................................................................................................................................... 10
1.0 Problem Statement
1.1 Purpose of Project
The purpose of the project is to identify paths to obtaining certification, specifically those related to software engineering or software testing, their body of knowledge, experiences and skills. Sample test questions for these certifications are to be identified and classified according to the SPRAE framework [1].
1.2 Intended Use
The intended use of the pathway to certification part of the project is to give potential candidates an idea of what it takes to achieve a potential certification. The candidate should obtain certain experience and skills necessary to obtain a particular certification prior to taking the certification test. These certifications provide a formal recognition in the specific knowledge area at a specific point in time. Obtaining a certification provides unique credibility on job interviews. Some companies provide a higher pay to candidates with a certification, pitting the candidate for faster career growth. At most times, companies use the possession of a certification as a determinant any for hiring. The intended use of the SPRAE framework classification is to show that SPRAE provides a simple methodology for assessing the practice of software quality assurance and testing. SPRAE denotes the understanding the complex process of testing.
2.0 Project Research
2.1 Information Gathering
Each certification contains a body of knowledge (BOK), which details the information necessary to successfully pass the certification test. Some bodies of knowledge contain specific topics or areas of which questions may be taken from, as well as the amount of questions per section. Experiences are needed to demonstrate that you have reached a certain level of knowledge or ability and that your certified recognition in this area is both meaningful and reliable. The SPRAE framework is an acronym for major principles of quality assurance that can be applied to software testing. Specification states that there is a purpose and answer to what is needed for a product. Premeditation involves a defined process to undertaking a product that should be followed or used. Repeatability shows that testing is a recursive process that should be followed by everyone. Accountability acknowledges that records should be left behind showing produced results and documenting what really happened. Finally, economy addresses the cost effectiveness affirming that there is some tradeoff between effort and confidence achieved about the quality of the product.
2.2 Useful Resources/Artifacts
The only useful artifact used is the sample questions for the Software Quality Engineer certification provided by the American Society for Quality (ASQ) [6]. Relevant questions were used in the classification of the SPRAE concepts.
3.0 Solution Design
3.1 Solution Description
Questions relevant to software testing were extracted from the Software Quality Engineer certification exam sample question. Out of a total of 75 sample questions, 49 were used. Each question has its own classification for the SPRAE concept. These classifications are along a 6 point scale, with 0 being the lowest relevance for that particular concept and 5 being the highest relevance. Unless the rating is zero, no two SPRAE concepts can have the same rating score for a question, making each concept unique. If all of the SPRAE concepts apply to the question, the maximum score for that question is 15. The answers to the questions are irrelevant; we are only concerned with the context of the question. Question number 2 from the sample SQE sample test states: when software reliability measures are used to determine when to stop testing, the best types of test cases to use are those that. The key words from the question that are used to determine the classification measurement are when to stop testing. Obviously, stopping testing is the primary concern here, this falls under the Economic concept criteria that covers criteria for halting tests and reaching an acceptable level. Therefore, the classification measurement for the Economic concept receives a 5 rating. Also, some form of testing is involved, thus the Premeditation concept receives a 2 classification rating. Remaining concepts receive a rating of 0. This same method is applied to all remaining questions pulled from the sample test. The steps include identifying key words of the question, determining which concepts the key words are relevant to or fall within, and then allotting those concepts their rating.
Conclusively, the 49 questions led to the following scores: Specification – 21, Premeditation – 141, Repeatability – 54, Accountability – 62 and Economy – 54. I was expecting both the Specification and Premeditation scores to be the highest, but my views are from a developer standpoint. Since the SPRAE framework is from the tester’s point of view, the numbers are quite accurate and expected.
4.0 Project Artifacts
Project artifacts include this experience report, a final presentation concluding this project, certifications report, pathways report and SPRAE measurements for the Software Quality Engineering certification. The final presentation details this project in its entirety. The certifications report provides a listing of certifications offered from 5 different professional societies. The American Society for Quality (ASQ) provides a total of 14 certifications. The Quality Assurance Institute (QAI) provides 8 certifications [2]. The International Institute for Testing (IIST) provides 2 certifications [4]. The American Software Testing Qualifications Board (ASTQB) provides a foundation level certification and an advanced level certification that concentrates on 3 areas [3]. The International Software Quality Institute (ISQI) provides only one certification, which raises the bar for all certifications [5]. Conclusively, the certifications report bestows a total of 27 certifications. Out of the 27, 20 of those are related to software quality testing. The pathways report specifies a timeline for each of the 20 software quality related certifications based on the individual requirements necessary. SPRAE measurements for the Software Quality Engineering certification, offered by ASQ, lists software testing relevant questions, and their classification along the SPRAE concept. The SPRAE measurement for the Software Quality Engineering certification tables individual questions and their score rating for each SPRAE concept, as previously explained.
5.0 Lessons Learned
5.1 Knowledge of Subject
I primarily chose this project because it coincided with the chapter presentation I did earlier in the semester. The chapter I was responsible for was Chapter 10 ASQ Certification Program from the textbook for the course [7]. This chapter detailed the American Society for Quality (ASQ) certifications, requirements and experience needed for these certifications, the body of knowledge (BOK) the process of developing a certification exam, preparing for the Software Quality Engineer certification, sample questions and being recertified. I searched for other professional organizations or societies similar to ASQ that offered certifications in software testing and explored their requirements and body of knowledge.
6.0 Conclusion
Gathering the information for this project has taught me quite a little more in regards to the various types of certifications as well as the SPRAE framework. In regards to the certifications, there is quite a bit out there available to someone interested in software testing or quality assurance. Across the range of the certifications surveyed, with the exception of the certification from the International Software Quality Institute (ISQI), the level of difficulty or the necessary requirements are pretty much the same. A person looking to be certified definitely has to put in the time to obtain that level of recognition for their knowledge. The learning curve for me was the SPRAE framework and discovering how to measure which questions from the Software Quality Engineer sample test. The lone document that I had for SPRAE was a bit vague in detailing each individual concept. So, my willingness and interest more so went down the drain, and I was a bit resistant in using SPRAE for the final part of the project. But once I learned more about each concept, and I had to complete the measurements for the remaining questions, I started to understand a bit more and discover how relevant these concepts are, not only from a tester’s point of view, but also from a developer’s standpoint.
References
[1] Jones, Edward L. SPRAE: A Framework for Teaching Software Testing in the Undergraduate Curriculum. [2] Quality Assurance Institute (QAI) Software Certifications. www.softwarecertifications.org. [3] American Software Testing Qualifications Board (ASTQB). www.astqb.org. [4] International Institute for Software Testing (IIST). www.testinginstitute.com. [5] International Software Quality Institute (ISQI). www.qamp.org, www.isqi.org. [6] American Society for Quality (ASQ). www.asq.org. [7] Schulmeyer, G. Gordon. Handbook of Software Quality Assurance, 4th ed.