ISO/IEC 30130, “Software engineering – Capabilities of software testing tools,” has just been released by JTC1, the joint technical committee of ISO and IEC. This new standard defines the framework that you’ll use when evaluating software testing tools for specific projects. Since the use of these products makes the job of validation and quality testing much more efficient and effective, using the right one for your purposes is essential.
The standard was developed to address the issues that are cropping up now that software programs can be so complex and large in size. Software testing tools for such programs vary widely based on the context in which they will be used. As new tools are released, it’s become more difficult to understand exactly what various tools can do and compare and contrast various products. So ISO/IEC 30130 shows you how such tools are developed using existing standards, what the inputs and outputs should be, and the criteria to use to evaluate any given testing program. And the good news is that not only can this process be used for evaluation, it also will provide you with a framework for training, etc.
What’s actually in ISO/IEC 30130? The standard starts with the usual scope, referenced documents and definitions clauses. Clause 4 is an overview of the object model used for software testing tools. Clause 5 reviews the various categories for these products. Next comes sections on characteristics and capabilities of software testing tools. Here you’ll find such things as quality characteristics and granularity, dynamic test execution, code analysis, and test management. Finally, the standard has an Annex A with tables showing you capabilities mapped to test processes and an Annex B which reviews the approach used in developing this standard. A 7-item bibliography completes the document.
FYI: Annex A tables are particularly useful, since they show you how to map the capabilities of a given tool to the processes of ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119-2, “Software and systems engineering – Software testing – Part 2: Test processes.” This can give you a consistent means of evaluating products, as well as a resource for reviewing those features that you’ll want to use in defining your training program.
Now to get a copy of ISO/IEC 30130. As noted on the publication, you’ll want to use an authorized distributor since these standards are copyright material. Order from the Document Center webstore at www.document-center.com with confidence — we’ll been working with both ISO and IEC since the early 1990’s. Here’s a direct link to the order page for ISO/IEC 30130.
Of course, you can order the standard in either paper format or for pdf download on the website, but perhaps you’re thinking it would be better to have it available in an online portal for multiple users at your organization. To learn more about our Standards Online service which is an enterprise solution for just this situation, contact our staff members by phone (650-591-7600) or email (info@document-center.com). They can help you with this or any other standards question or need you may have. Make us your Standards Experts!