Background and Objectives

The ISTQB (International Software Testing Qualifications Board) advanced level certifications are part of the ISTQB internationally recognised software testing qualifications that include the following certifications:

Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL)

Certified Tester Advanced Level (CTAL)

Certified Tester Expert Level.

The Certified Tester Advanced Level comprises of three distinct core certifications namely Test Manager, Test Analyst and Technical Test Analyst and two specialist certifications, Security Tester and Test Automation Engineer.

Course Objectives

Processworks BCS (British Computer Society) Accredited course provides an understanding of software testing that goes beyond the ISTQB Foundation level. It provides test managers, test analysts and technical test analysts with the essential common information.

The course will provide a good level of knowledge that enables analysis of various situations in order to present practical solutions.

The information gained on the course provides a portfolio of methods for designing tests for a variety software types within any type of software application. Emphasis will be made on domain testing. Templates and utilities will be provided to help students to devise tests that are both effective and efficient, giving best value for the testing being done in the time that is given.

Pre-Requisites

A candidate aspiring to take the Test Manager advanced level qualification must have successfully completed the ISTQB-BCS Certified Tester Foundation Level which was earlier known as ISEB Foundation Certificate in Software Testing or the ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL).

It is suggested that candidates have a minimum of 3 years testing experience although this is not mandatory.

There are no pre-requisites to attending the course only for education and knowledge purposes.

Skills Gained

An Advanced Test Manager can:

Implement the mission, goals, and testing processes established for the testing organisation.
Organise and lead risk management activities and use risks to drive test planning and reporting.
Create and implement test plans consistent with organisational policies and test strategies.
Continuously monitor and control the test activities to achieve project activities.
Access and report relevant and timely test status.
Identify skills and resource gaps in their test team and participate in sourcing adequate resources.
Identify and plan test team skills development.
Propose a business case for test activities that outlines the costs and benefits expected.
Ensure proper communication within the test team and with other project stakeholders.
Actively lead test process improvement initiatives.
Design and implement a defect classification scheme.
Apply tools to support testing.

Who will Benefit

This 5 day course is most appropriate for Testers, Test Analysts, Test Engineers, Test Consultants, Test Managers and anyone wishing to gain the ISTQB Advanced Level Test Manager Certificate.

The Advanced Level certificates are also appropriate for anyone who wants a deeper understanding of software testing, such as Project Managers, Quality Managers, Software Development Managers, Business Analysts, IT Directors and Management Consultants.

Course Content

Test Process

The Test Managers activities within the fundamental test process are covered with emphasis on the tasks of test planning, monitoring and control. Describes how to implement a project retrospective in order to validate processes and discover areas to improve.

Test Management

Explains how to define test management tasks according to the context of a project and how to adjust the test activities to the software lifecycle in use. Risk-based testing for test prioritization and effort allocation is discussed with emphasis on product and project risk management. Participants learn how to take stakeholder views into account when assessing risk levels and defining the risk mitigation activities. Risk control activities and risk reporting are also covered.

Evaluates different types of test document and discusses how to tailor them to meet project and organization needs. Relevant standards are also considered.

Metric- and experienced-based methods for estimating testing effort are covered and participants learn how to communicate the value of testing. Distributed, outsourced and insourced forms of test organization are described.

Reviews

Here the focus on defining an appropriate review plan and setting up the review to achieve the best results. Participants learn how to use metrics to optimize the review results and to show return on investment. This session also explains how to lead a review team through a formal review.

Defect Management

Describes how to set up a defect lifecycle tailored for the software lifecycle in use and explains how to analyse defect reports to evaluate the capability of the testing and software development processes.

Improving the Test Process

Explains the generic steps for conducting a standard test process improvement initiative and how to create a test improvement plan. Includes the test process improvement models TMMi, TPI Next, CTP and STEP.

Test Tools and Automation

Covers how to plan and implement different types of tools (including open-source and custom-built tools) considering risks, costs, benefits and opportunities. Tool use for metric collection and evaluation is described.

People Skills - Team Composition

Discusses how to assess the range of skills required for a testing team, and define a growth plan for skill development. Includes team motivation and communication skills.

Training and Exam Duration

Training: 5 days

The course material shall be issued on the first day of the course during registration.

Exam: 180 minutes (3 hours) duration

Exam Pattern

The CTAL - Test Manager exam consists of 65 multiple choice questions that total to 115 marks.

The questions are of differing difficulty and therefore assigned differing amounts of points. The exam is closed-book, i.e. no materials are allowed to be used. The candidate must achieve at least 65% (75 out of 115) of the total score possible.