Implement, operate, and use beta testing immediately with this hands-on guide to the best practices Beta testing is a complex process that, when properly run, provides a wealth of diverse information. But when poorly executed, it delivers little or no data while wasting time and money. Written by a leading expert in the field, this book will help you reach the full potential that beta testing has to offer. Michael Fine compiles the best practices to date so you can effectively bring beta testing into your company's process to improve product quality. Using real-world case studies, this book begins by clearly explaining what a beta is and why you need one. Fine then explores the beta test procedure and walks through the best processes to use when implementing a test. He concludes by detailing the steps you should take after completing a test in order to take full advantage of the results. With this book, you'll gain a better understanding of what beta testing is, why every company needs a beta test program, and how to get the most from a test. Fine will help you: * Understand all the steps involved in beta testing using real-world case studies * Implement a beta test using best- known practices * Produce better products based on the results of well-run beta tests * Apply beta testing across many platforms and many technologies * Improve on existing processes and identify critical issues

It may surprise you to learn that Microsoft employs as many software testers as developers. Less surprising is the emphasis the company places on the testing discipline—and its role in managing quality across a diverse, 150+ product portfolio. This book—written by three of Microsoft’s most prominent test professionals—shares the best practices, tools, and systems used by the company’s 9,000-strong corps of testers. Learn how your colleagues at Microsoft design and manage testing, their approach to training and career development, and what challenges they see ahead. Most important, you’ll get practical insights you can apply for better results in your organization. Discover how to: Design effective tests and run them throughout the product lifecycle Minimize cost and risk with functional tests, and know when to apply structural techniques Measure code complexity to identify bugs and potential maintenance issues Use models to generate test cases, surface unexpected application behavior, and manage risk Know when to employ automated tests, design them for long-term use, and plug into an automation infrastructure Review the hallmarks of great testers—and the tools they use to run tests, probe systems, and track progress efficiently Explore the challenges of testing services vs. shrink-wrapped software

Gain an in-depth understanding of software testing management and process issues that are critical for delivering high-quality software on time and within budget. Written by leading experts in the field, this book offers those involved in building and maintaining complex, mission-critical software systems a flexible, risk-based process to improve their software testing capabilities. Whether your organization currently has a well-defined testing process or almost no process, Systematic Software Testing provides unique insights into better ways to test your software.This book describes how to use a preventive method of testing, which parallels the software development lifecycle, and explains how to create and subsequently use test plans, test design, and test metrics. Detailed instructions are presented to help you decide what to test, how to prioritize tests, and when testing is complete. Learn how to conduct risk analysis and measure test effectiveness to maximize the efficiency of your testing efforts. Because organizational structure, the right people, and management are keys to better software testing, Systematic Software Testing explains these issues with the insight of the authorsOCO more than 25 years of experience."

A fast and easy way to write winning white papers! Whether you’re a marketing manager seeking to use white papers to promote your business, or a copywriter keen to break into this well-paying field, White Papers For Dummies gives you a wealth of practical, hands-on advice from one of the world’s leading experts in the field. The fact-based documents known as white papers have been called the “king of content.” No other B2B marketing piece can do more to generate leads, nurture prospects, and build mindshare. Where white papers were once used only by technology firms, they are becoming “must-have” items in the marketing toolkit for almost any B2B firm. Practically every startup must produce a white paper as part of its business planning. But writing effective white papers is a big challenge. Now you can benefit from the experience of a white paper specialist who’s done more than 200 projects for clients from Silicon Valley to Finland, from mighty Google to tiny startups. Author Gordon Graham—also known as That White Paper Guy—provides dozens of tips and tricks to help your project come together faster and easier. White Papers For Dummies will help you to: Quickly determine if your B2B firm could benefit from a white paper Master the three phases of every white paper project: planning, production, and promotion Understand when and how to use the three main types of white paper Decide which elements to include and which to leave out Learn the best practices of seasoned white paper researchers and writers Choose from 40 different promotional tactics to get the word out Avoid common mistakes that many beginners make

This book presents original studies describing the latest research and developments in the area of reliability and systems engineering. It helps the reader identifying gaps in the current knowledge and presents fruitful areas for further research in the field. Among others, this book covers reliability measures, reliability assessment of multi-state systems, optimization of multi-state systems, continuous multi-state systems, new computational techniques applied to multi-state systems and probabilistic and non-probabilistic safety assessment.

Teaches readers how to test and analyze software to achieve an acceptable level of quality at an acceptable cost Readers will be able to minimize software failures, increase quality, and effectively manage costs Covers techniques that are suitable for near-term application, with sufficient technical background to indicate how and when to apply them Provides balanced coverage of software testing & analysis approaches By incorporating modern topics and strategies, this book will be the standard software-testing textbook

A superior primer on software testing and quality assurance, from integration to execution and automation This important new work fills the pressing need for a user-friendly text that aims to provide software engineers, software quality professionals, software developers, and students with the fundamental developments in testing theory and common testing practices. Software Testing and Quality Assurance: Theory and Practice equips readers with a solid understanding of: Practices that support the production of quality software Software testing techniques Life-cycle models for requirements, defects, test cases, and test results Process models for units, integration, system, and acceptance testing How to build test teams, including recruiting and retaining test engineers Quality Models, Capability Maturity Model, Testing Maturity Model, and Test Process Improvement Model Expertly balancing theory with practice, and complemented with an abundance of pedagogical tools, including test questions, examples, teaching suggestions, and chapter summaries, this book is a valuable, self-contained tool for professionals and an ideal introductory text for courses in software testing, quality assurance, and software engineering.