Effectiveness of software testing techniques in enterprise: a case study

The object of the research
 
- Software testing in quality assurance process at specific enterprise.
Subject
 
- The techniques of software testing. 
The purpose of the research.
To investigate the use of software testing techniques in terms of 
limitations and improvements in software quality assurance process at specific enterprise. 
The objectives
 
are enumerated in order to achieve the purpose:
1. 
To explore quality assurance process and identify the relationship between software testing 
and quality assurance by generalizing scientific literature analysis.
2. 
To provide a comprehensive view on the main features of software testing techniques by 
examining theoretical studies and empirical studies of the best practices. 
3. 
To prepare a theoretical framework for conducting a case study for software testing 
techniques within a specific enterprise. 
4. 
To explore and define the most problematic areas and potential improvements in software 
testing process by generalizing results of case study and enterprise statistical documents. 

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Methods of the research:
Theoretical methods: comparison and contrast, generalization, 
abstraction, analogy, modeling, scientific literature review. Empirical methods: case study based on 
expert interviews and quantitative statistical document analysis.
Structure of research.
 
The research consists of four chapters each of them analyses the 
objectives provided above. The first chapter discusses software testing fundamentals and quality 
assurance activities, analyze how these concepts are related with each other. Some background is given 
on concepts analysis, quality assurance activities, the differences between validation and verification, 
brief history of software testing, the types of error and defect and main principles of testing. Second 
chapter presents the software testing techniques, including static and dynamic testing as a code 
analysis, test design based methods to create test cases, software testing levels that are analyzed as a 
stage of software development. Test execution types, including manual and automated testing, are 
analyzed as well as their benefits. Further, the practical use of software testing techniques in 
enterprises is examined distinguishing the benefits and limitations they are facing during testing. In 
third chapter, the methodology of case study research is presented. Forth chapter identifies the main 
software testing techniques used in the selected organization by analyzing qualitative research results 
conducted by interviewing experts. It also provides the problematic issues for an effective software 
testing by generalizing qualitative research results and the statistical document analysis of the selected 
enterprise. 

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1. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOFTWARE TESTING AND SOFTWARE 
QUALITY ASSURANCE 
The first chapter discusses software testing fundamentals and quality assurance activities, 
analyze how these concepts are related with each other. The purposes of them are discussed by giving 
some background on concepts analysis, quality assurance activities, the differences between validation 
and verification, brief history of software testing and main principles of testing. The types of error and 
defect in the SDLC are illustrated in a Figure as well. 
1.1.