Writing Testable Requirements
(CSTP #5)
Richard Bender
This tutorial counts as one day of training towards the Certified Software Test Professional requirements.

The greatest opportunity for improving the quality of software systems lies in the definition of system requirements. Inferior requirements significantly increase the cost of system development and the time required to deliver the application. Testing techniques and tools focus on identifying problems in specifications and code. Writing Testable Requirements focuses on problem avoidance: how to write specifications correctly the first time.

The course will address:

• Why good requirements are critical to improving time to delivery and reducing development costs
• How to identify ambiguities in specifications
• Clarifying project objectives
• What information is needed in the specification
• How to document data
• How to document processes
• Key issues by project type (e.g., new development, maintenance, packages)

This one day course is an abbreviated version of a three day workshop. However, attendees will still get hands on experience with key topics while getting an overview of the remaining topics. The course notes will be those for the full three day workshop.

Mr. Bender has over thirty-five years experience in software with a primary focus on quality assurance and testing. He has consulted internationally to large and small corporations, government agencies, and the military. This has involved a wide range of applications including finance, billing, manufacturing, operating systems, data base management systems, communications, medical, command and control, satellite intelligence, aircraft, trains, automobiles, air traffic control, shipping, insurance, utilities, sales and distribution, education, prison management, and weather forecasting. He also teaches a series of courses on the techniques for practical, rigorous requirements-based testing, code-based testing and writing testable requirements.

Over the years Mr. Bender has been actively involved in various activities to improve software quality and productivity. These include: Caliber-RBT (previously known as SoftTest); training; Quality Process Assessments; contract testing; the Bender Test Methodology (BTM); software contract reviews; and expert testimony on software quality related issues.

Mr. Bender was one of the first programmers ever awarded IBM.s Outstanding Invention Award. This was for his breakthroughs on code based testing via data flow analysis.

Mr. Bender holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics, with minors in archeology and anthropology, from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA (1969)