The Pursuit of Perfection
In software engineering, we test primarily to diminish risks. Errors are costly, and testing serves as a safety net for the full software system.
However, it is not the only purpose of testing. We can also do testing for understanding, just as software engineers should do when writing a program. And racing drivers do when learning a new track or car.
The parallels between racing and software development may not be immediately evident. However, both require the design and implementation of solid processes to secure success.
This article introduces methods, techniques, and tools to ensure clarity of thinking and implementation during development of project processes.
C is for Car
C and its derivative C++ are the two most prevalent and relied upon languages used for the provision of Safety Critical Systems in the automotive industry and adherence to the ISO 26262 Certification Standard is mandatory. But to understand why we need to wind the clock back in time to the glorious 1980s…
Testing Considerations when Refactoring or Redesigning Your Legacy Code
It’s all about change… and this is a very common question I get when talking to my clients. What are my options to maintain my existing tests when the source code has been modified? Some of my interlocutors are pointing out that they had to refactor their software, some others will talk about redesign efforts.
Performance and Quality Through Leadership
The world’s leading engineering companies and their leadership teams have one mission objective outside of the commercial, to build and retain industry leading, high-performance people that deliver quality products on time.
A Day in Technical Support
What is a day in the life of a Technical Support Engineer like? Do I spend my day asking customers “have you tried turning it off and then turning it on?”. The answer is no, Technical Support is so much more. I want to give you an insight into what my day consists of,...
How does ISO 26262 bring Reliability, Robustness and Scrutiny to New Technologies on our Roads?
For adopting and promoting new technologies, and integrating software into user facing systems, the automotive industry has been well ahead of the curve. Considering the advances still to come, it could very well stay in the lead for decades more. Systems such as...
Have you covered *this* when testing C and C++ Software?
The ability to produce reliable technologies that rapidly follow market trends creates a competitive advantage in the digital world. Part of being a technology company is about producing reliable technology at a rapid pace. At the same time, we cannot sacrifice code...
What is meant by Structural (Code) Coverage?
Put simply structural, or code, coverage is the amount of code that is covered in execution by a single test or collection of tests. For a procedural language like C, you can identify a function of interest, run some test cases on this function, and then...
Can requirements-based software testing be automated?
Very few people love testing, but technology has come a long way since the days when tests needed to be written manually one by one. Requirements-based testing however, tends to act as a sticking point when teams start to investigate how they can increase their levels...
Autonomous Cars – Put Your Safety Belt on, the Future is Almost Here!
In 1872, American George Brayton invented the first commercial liquid-fuelled internal combustion engine. In 1876, Nikolaus Otto, working with Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach, patented the compressed charge, four-cycle engine. In 1879, Karl Benz patented a...
Continuous Integration is Absurd without Unit Testing
Continuous integration is absurd without unit testing. Imagine this conversation between colleagues: “We are DevOps pioneers,” my colleague says, swinging his arm towards the Dell Inspiron that hums away on the edge of his desk. On the screen, a mass of red...
Safety Critical Software – Out of Sight, Out of Mind
I recently travelled for business to Vietnam. I flew from London to Ho Chi Minh City, then took a few internal flights to and from Hanoi and then finally flew back from Hanoi to London. I travelled 24,633km in 6 days and spent more than 30 hours in the air. I flew on...
