Must Have Books for the Testing Library

Looking to build your testing library or just adding one or two books? Consider the following.

General Testing

How to Break Software: A Practical Guide to Testing By James A. Whittaker
A quick read (just 174 pages with the appendices), but lots of good info. If you’re looking for something to help you develop a tester’s mentality, this is it. Not everyone can be a good tester – you need the right kind of perspective. Most developers when they do unit testing make sure that their code is working. Most good testers I know want to find out how they can break the code. The book is mostly focused on PC applications – there are sections on UI testing and system interface testing. The book also comes with some software, which to be honest I’ve never tried.

Effective Software Testing: 50 Specific Ways to Improve Your Testing By Elfriede Dustin
This is a reference that is essentially 50 fully documented suggestions/best practices. While some of them are obvious (like #2 “Verify the Requirements”) the author does a good job at explaining the whys and hows behind each tip. The suggestions are grouped together logically (there’s a section on the requirements phase, test planning, test design, test management, etc…), so it’s easy to pick up this book over the life of your project and get specific hints tailored for where you are in the project life-cycle.

Software Testing By Ron Patton
There’s a second edition out now, though I haven’t yet picked it up. This is a great introductory book to software testing. It covers the different forms of testing, how to review documentation and code, test planning, and test case writing. One thing that Ron Patton really focuses on is the role of the tester in software quality: “The goal of a software tester is to find bugs, find them as early as possible, and make sure they get fixed.” Couldn’t say it better myself!

Test Management

Managing the Testing Process: Practical Tools and Techniques for Managing Hardware and Software Testing By Rex Black
Second Edition. Chapters include planning, mapping out the test coverage, defect tracking, managing test cases, staffing, and organizational considerations. I enjoy Rex Black’s writing style – it is very down-to-earth with a focus on practical advice. Each chapter ends with a real-life case study and exercise questions. While I think there’s good material for any test manager in this book, it would be particularly helpful for those either new to test management or are setting up a new test system/organization.

Critical Testing Processes: Plan, Prepare, Perform, Perfect By Rex Black
Builds on Black’s previous book. As the title suggests, the book’s focus is on testing processes. You can think of this book as a method for implementing continuous improvement in your testing process. Like his previous book, this one is full of practical advice and tips. I particularly like the planning chapters, and the chapters on reporting defects and producing test metrics. Throughout the book the author illuminates many of the chapters with a hypothetical case study – so you can see how to apply suggestions from the start of test planning all the way through post-test execution process improvement. Very highly recommended.

Quality Software Project Management By Robert T. Futrell, Donald F. Shafer, and Linda I. Shafer
The main audience for this book is Project Managers. Each chapter is well documented with footnotes and has it’s own bibliography, which is quite handy. There are a large number of templates and checklists. The book ties in very well with PMI standards, but is probably a bit more practical than your average PMI project management book (and since it’s on just software, more relevant to the software PM). The book’s strength is tying basic software engineering and software quality assurance concepts in with the process of planning, executing, and controlling a project. The book weighs in at over 1,500 pages, so it may not be exactly what you need – but if your PM doesn’t have a copy, they should.

Quality Assurance and Certification

Software Quality Assurance : From Theory to Implementation By Daniel Galin
This is a college textbook, but has a lot of very practical information. The book does a good job at laying a foundation about quality testing, but I think it’s stronger points are the sections on quality assurance. Looking at establishing programs for quality improvement, software/quality metrics, certification, or standards? Then this is a great addition to your library. There is also a section on organizational alignment for quality assurance.

The Certified Quality Manager Handbook Edited By Duke Okes and Russell T. Westcott
This book is a must if you’re getting certified by ASQ in Quality Management. It’s a handbook, so don’t expect in depth treatment on any single topic, but it’s a great overview of quality management. Use this as a reference to help identify areas that you want to research/learn more about.

General Skills

Flawless Consulting: A Guide to Getting Your Expertise Used By Peter Block
So what’s this book doing on a test manager’s bookshelf, you may ask. Testing is a funny activity in software development, if you think about. We don’t produce the product and in many cases we don’t have any real say in whether the software goes out the door or not. We should be honest, impartial, and knowledgeable producers of information that others (such as project management and sponsors) utilize – in other words, we are consultants. This book, more than any other on the subject IMO, will help you hone skills so that the information you produce is valuable, pertinent, and used by others.