Rex Black

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Rex Black (born July 16, 1964) is a software engineer, entrepreneur [1] and an author in the field of software testing. [2] [3] Black graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1990 with a bachelors of science in computer science and engineering. [1] In 1983, Black started work in the software engineering field and has spent more than 20 years in software testing. [4] [5]

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Black is chief executive officer and founder of RBCS, Inc. [1] [6] Black has also taught courses in managing the testing process at the University of Texas at Austin Center for Lifelong Engineering Education [7] and is an adjunct faculty member and course developer of business analysis and software testing curricula for Villanova University. [8] He serves on editorial board of Software Test & Performance Magazine. [9]

Software quality advocacy

From April 2005 to April 2009, Black served as president of the International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB), [10] [11] an international group of 40 international boards responsible for the international qualification scheme called "ISTQB Certified Tester." [12] Black also co-authored the ISTQB Advanced Syllabus (released in July 2007), [13] and is vice chair of the Working Party Foundation Level ISTQB Syllabus. [14]

From January 2005 to January 2008, Black was president of the American Software Testing Qualifications Board (ASTQB), a branch of the International Software Testing Qualification Board. He currently sits on the ASTQB Board of Directors. [15]

Black served on the Program Committee and as a Session Chair for the Third World Congress on Software Quality in Munich in September 2005. [16] He’s also presented at the 2008 World Congress on Software Quality in Maryland and the 2009-2013, Software Testing Conference (Softec09 and SoftecAsia13) in Kuala Lumpur. [17] [18] [19]

Selected bibliography

Books

Articles

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acceptance testing</span> Test to determine if the requirements of a specification or contract are met

In engineering and its various subdisciplines, acceptance testing is a test conducted to determine if the requirements of a specification or contract are met. It may involve chemical tests, physical tests, or performance tests.

Software testing is the act of examining the artifacts and the behavior of the software under test by validation and verification. Software testing can also provide an objective, independent view of the software to allow the business to appreciate and understand the risks of software implementation. Test techniques include, but not necessarily limited to:

System testing is testing conducted on a complete integrated system to evaluate the system's compliance with its specified requirements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">V-Model</span>

The V-model is a graphical representation of a systems development lifecycle. It is used to produce rigorous development lifecycle models and project management models. The V-model falls into three broad categories, the German V-Modell, a general testing model and the US government standard.

In software engineering, a test case is a specification of the inputs, execution conditions, testing procedure, and expected results that define a single test to be executed to achieve a particular software testing objective, such as to exercise a particular program path or to verify compliance with a specific requirement. Test cases underlie testing that is methodical rather than haphazard. A battery of test cases can be built to produce the desired coverage of the software being tested. Formally defined test cases allow the same tests to be run repeatedly against successive versions of the software, allowing for effective and consistent regression testing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Certification</span> Formal confirmation of certain characteristics of an object, person or organization

Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of an object, person, or organization. This confirmation is often, but not always, provided by some form of external review, education, assessment, or audit. Accreditation is a specific organization's process of certification. According to the U.S. National Council on Measurement in Education, a certification test is a credentialing test used to determine whether individuals are knowledgeable enough in a given occupational area to be labeled "competent to practice" in that area.

The International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB) is a software testing certification board that operates internationally. Founded in Edinburgh in November 2002, the ISTQB is a non-profit association legally registered in Belgium.

Functional testing is a quality assurance (QA) process and a type of black-box testing that bases its test cases on the specifications of the software component under test. Functions are tested by feeding them input and examining the output, and internal program structure is rarely considered. Functional testing is conducted to evaluate the compliance of a system or component with specified functional requirements. Functional testing usually describes what the system does.

In software development, test effort refers to the expenses for tests. There is a relation with test costs and failure costs. Some factors which influence test effort are: maturity of the software development process, quality and testability of the testobject, test infrastructure, skills of staff members, quality goals and test strategy.

Software quality management (SQM) is a management process that aims to develop and manage the quality of software in such a way so as to best ensure that the product meets the quality standards expected by the customer while also meeting any necessary regulatory and developer requirements, if any. Software quality managers require software to be tested before it is released to the market, and they do this using a cyclical process-based quality assessment in order to reveal and fix bugs before release. Their job is not only to ensure their software is in good shape for the consumer but also to encourage a culture of quality throughout the enterprise.

Agile testing is a software testing practice that follows the principles of agile software development. Agile testing involves all members of a cross-functional agile team, with special expertise contributed by testers, to ensure delivering the business value desired by the customer at frequent intervals, working at a sustainable pace. Specification by example is used to capture examples of desired and undesired behavior and guide coding.

There is considerable variety among software testing writers and consultants about what constitutes responsible software testing. Proponents of a context-driven approach consider much of the writing about software testing to be doctrine, while others believe this contradicts the IEEE 829 documentation standard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Requirements Engineering Board</span>

The International Requirements Engineering Board (IREB) e.V. was founded in Fürth in Germany in October 2006. IREB e.V. is as a legal entity based in Germany.

In computer programming and software testing, smoke testing is preliminary testing to reveal simple failures severe enough to, for example, reject a prospective software release. Smoke tests are a subset of test cases that cover the most important functionality of a component or system, used to aid assessment of whether main functions of the software appear to work correctly. When used to determine if a computer program should be subjected to further, more fine-grained testing, a smoke test may be called an intake test. Alternatively, it is a set of tests run on each new build of a product to verify that the build is testable before the build is released into the hands of the test team. In the DevOps paradigm, use of a BVT step is one hallmark of the continuous integration maturity stage.

CTAL is an initialism that may have following meanings:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sri Lanka Software Testing Board</span>

The Sri Lanka Software Testing Board (SLSTB) is a software testing qualifications board that represents Sri Lankan interests internationally as the national board for Sri Lanka within the International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB) and promotes the broad profession of software testing.

<i>Better Software Magazine</i> Digital magazine

Better Software magazine was a quarterly digital magazine published by TechWell Corporation. It covered topics of interest to software testers, developers, project managers, and business analysts. Better Software was originally published in 1996 as Software QA magazine, focusing primarily on software QA and testing. Software QA was renamed Better Software magazine in 2004.

A software testing certification board is an organization that provides professional certification for software testing and software quality assurance.

TestOps refers to the discipline of managing the operational aspects of testing within the software delivery lifecycle.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Tech-savvy entrepreneur bolsters clients’ computing powers", San Antonio Business Journal, by Mike W. Thomas, 7-17-2009.
  2. ↑ "Testing Experience Magazine", Managing the Testing Process and other book recommendations, Retrieved 8-18-2009.
  3. ↑ "Advance Software Testing", Barnes and Nobles, Retrieved 8-18-2009.
  4. ↑ "Focus on Rex Black, Expert Software Test Practitioner & Author: A CAI State of the Practice Interview", Computer Aid Inc., CAI Journal, July 2006.
  5. ↑ "OTN Interview with Rex Black: Automation, ISTQB certification & Industry Trends", Oracle technology Network, by Marina Gil-Santamaria, Published July 2008.
  6. ↑ "The Right Stuff: Four Small Steps for Testers, One Giant Leap for Risk Mitigation", Better Software Magazine, by Rex Black and Barton Layne, April 2007.
  7. ↑ Center for Lifelong Engineering Education, The University of Texas at Austin, Retrieved 8-18-2009.
  8. ↑ Business Analysis Staff & Faculty, Villanova University, Retrieved 8-18-2009.
  9. ↑ Software Test and Performance Collaborative, Software Test & Performance magazine, Retrieved 8-18-2009.
  10. ↑ “We’re all part of the story” Archived 2009-08-31 at the Wayback Machine , Software Test & Performance, by David Strom, "Get to Know Your ASTQB Board" (6-11-2012), Retrieved 6-11-2012.
  11. ↑ Interview with Rex Black, British Computer Society (BCS), by Youssef Bouguerra, January 2009.
  12. ↑ "Quality Software and Testing, Good and Practical Ideas for Testers"
  13. ↑ Certified Tester Advanced Level Syllabus, ISTQB, 10-12-2007.
  14. ↑ Working Party Foundation Level, ISTQB, Last updated 4-7-2009, Retrieved 8-18-2009.
  15. ↑ Board of Directors, American Software Testing Qualifications Board, Inc., Retrieved 8-18-2009.
  16. ↑ Third World Congress on Software Quality Program, Sept. 26-30, 2005, Retrieved 8-18-2009.
  17. ↑ 2008 World Congress for Software Quality brochure, Sept. 15-18, 2008, Retrieved 8-18-2009.
  18. ↑ "Malaysia to become regional software testing hub: SOFTEC09", Computer World, 11-3-2009.
  19. ↑ "Softec Asia 2013".
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