--- marp: true theme: default paginate: true title: "QA / Software Testing Course (Master)" --- # Welcome to QA/Software Testing - QA is risk management for product quality - Testing is a team sport across SDLC - You will learn manual + automation + quality engineering References: https://www.istqb.org/certifications/certified-tester-foundation-level | https://agilemanifesto.org/ --- # How to Use This Course - Watch slides first, then practice labs - Use scripts as your narration guide - Build a portfolio project by chapter 12 References: https://www.istqb.org/certifications/certified-tester-foundation-level --- # Evergreen + Trending Topics Covered - Evergreen: test design, risk, defects, automation strategy - Trending: shift-left, CI/CD quality gates, observability - Modern tooling: Playwright, API/contract testing, k6 References: https://dora.dev/ | https://playwright.dev/docs/intro --- # Learning Outcomes - Design effective tests with clear coverage - Build maintainable UI/API automated checks - Integrate quality gates into CI/CD pipelines References: https://docs.github.com/en/actions | https://www.atlassian.com/continuous-delivery/principles/continuous-integration-vs-delivery-vs-deployment --- # What is Testing? - Testing evaluates software quality and risk - Testing provides information, not absolute proof - Quality includes functional and non-functional attributes References: https://www.istqb.org/certifications/certified-tester-foundation-level | https://iso25000.com/index.php/en/iso-25000-standards/iso-25010 --- # Quality Attributes (ISO 25010) - Key attributes include performance, security, maintainability - Functional correctness is only one part of quality - Test strategy should map to target attributes References: https://iso25000.com/index.php/en/iso-25000-standards/iso-25010 --- # Testing Principles (ISTQB-oriented) - Early testing saves cost and rework - Defects cluster in a small number of modules - Tests wear out and need regular review References: https://www.istqb.org/certifications/certified-tester-foundation-level --- # Static vs Dynamic Testing - Static: reviews, walkthroughs, linters, SAST - Dynamic: executing software with test cases - Both are complementary and should coexist References: https://www.istqb.org/certifications/certified-tester-foundation-level | https://owasp.org/www-project-top-ten/ --- # Test Levels and Types - Levels: component, integration, system, acceptance - Types: functional, non-functional, structural - Select level/type based on risk and feedback speed References: https://martinfowler.com/articles/practical-test-pyramid.html | https://www.selenium.dev/documentation/ --- # Designing Useful Test Cases - Start from requirements and acceptance criteria - Include positive, negative, and edge scenarios - Keep tests independent and reproducible References: https://www.istqb.org/certifications/certified-tester-foundation-level --- # Equivalence Partitioning - Group inputs into expected-behavior classes - Test one representative per valid/invalid class - Reduces case count while preserving coverage References: https://www.istqb.org/certifications/certified-tester-foundation-level --- # Boundary Value Analysis - Defects often occur near input boundaries - Test min, max, and just-inside/outside values - Apply to ranges, lengths, dates, and limits References: https://www.istqb.org/certifications/certified-tester-foundation-level --- # Decision Table Testing - Use rules for condition/action combinations - Great for pricing, eligibility, permissions - Ensures business-rule completeness References: https://www.istqb.org/certifications/certified-tester-foundation-level --- # State Transition Testing - Model states and allowed transitions - Test valid and invalid state changes - Useful for workflows and lifecycle systems References: https://www.istqb.org/certifications/certified-tester-foundation-level --- # Web Testing Essentials - Verify UX-critical paths and core flows - Check cross-browser and responsive behavior - Include accessibility and error-state checks References: https://www.selenium.dev/documentation/ | https://web.dev/learn/accessibility --- # API Testing Fundamentals - Validate status, schema, and business rules - Check idempotency, auth, and error contracts - Automate API checks for fast feedback References: https://learning.postman.com/docs/tests-and-scripts/write-scripts/test-scripts/ --- # Contract Testing (CDC) - Verify producer-consumer API contracts - Catch integration drift earlier - Reduce dependence on brittle full E2E References: https://pact.io/ | https://docs.pact.io --- # Exploratory Testing for Web/API - Use charters to focus time-boxed exploration - Document observations and new risks quickly - Feed findings back into regression suites References: https://www.istqb.org/certifications/certified-tester-foundation-level --- # Security and Abuse Cases - Include auth, authorization, injection, and session tests - Map critical checks to OWASP Top 10 - Prioritize by business impact and exposure References: https://owasp.org/www-project-top-ten/ --- # Automation Strategy First - Automate repeatable, high-value, stable checks - Keep manual testing for discovery and UX judgment - Treat automation as engineering product code References: https://martinfowler.com/articles/practical-test-pyramid.html --- # Test Pyramid in Practice - More fast unit/service checks, fewer UI E2E - UI tests cover user-critical journeys only - Balance confidence with execution cost References: https://martinfowler.com/articles/practical-test-pyramid.html --- # Flaky Test Mitigation - Quarantine non-deterministic tests quickly - Remove shared state and timing dependencies - Track reliability trends over time References: https://testing.googleblog.com/2016/05/flaky-tests-at-google-and-how-we.html --- # Maintainable Test Architecture - Use page objects/screenplay where appropriate - Centralize fixtures and test data builders - Keep assertions explicit and readable References: https://playwright.dev/docs/intro | https://docs.pytest.org/en/stable/ --- # BDD: When and When Not - Use Gherkin for shared understanding - Avoid turning feature files into low-level scripts - Prefer business-readable scenarios References: https://cucumber.io/docs/gherkin/reference/ --- # Why Playwright + Python - Cross-browser support with modern primitives - Strong locator model and web-first assertions - Python ecosystem integrates well with QA workflows References: https://playwright.dev/docs/intro | https://docs.pytest.org/en/stable/ --- # Core Playwright Workflow - Launch browser/context/page deterministically - Use resilient locators and explicit assertions - Collect traces/screenshots on failures References: https://playwright.dev/docs/intro | https://playwright.dev/docs/test-assertions --- # Pytest Integration Patterns - Use fixtures for setup/teardown reuse - Parametrize tests to scale coverage - Use markers to target suites by risk References: https://docs.pytest.org/en/stable/ --- # Data-Driven and Environment-Aware Tests - Read config from environment variables - Separate secrets from source code - Use clean test data lifecycle per run References: https://12factor.net/config --- # Debugging Failing UI Tests - Reproduce with headed mode and traces - Inspect network/console before changing assertions - Fix product bugs before patching tests References: https://playwright.dev/docs/trace-viewer-intro --- # Performance Testing Basics - Define SLO-aligned performance goals - Run baseline, load, stress, and soak tests - Analyze response time and error-rate behavior References: https://grafana.com/docs/k6/latest/ | https://sre.google/sre-book/service-level-objectives/ --- # k6 for Practical Performance Checks - Write JavaScript-based load scenarios - Integrate runs into CI for regressions - Use thresholds to fail builds on critical degradation References: https://grafana.com/docs/k6/latest/ --- # Accessibility Testing Foundations - Use WCAG as baseline standard - Automate common checks with tools like axe - Add keyboard and screen-reader manual checks References: https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/ | https://www.deque.com/axe/ --- # Security Testing in QA - Prioritize top web risks from OWASP - Include misuse/abuse scenarios in test design - Collaborate with AppSec for deeper assessments References: https://owasp.org/www-project-top-ten/ --- # Reliability and Observability - Use logs, metrics, traces to investigate failures - Design tests to expose operational risk - Collaborate with SRE/DevOps on incident learnings References: https://opentelemetry.io/docs/ | https://sre.google/sre-book/table-of-contents/ --- # CI/CD and Quality Gates - Run automated tests on every significant change - Block merges on critical quality failures - Keep pipelines fast to preserve developer flow References: https://docs.github.com/en/actions | https://www.atlassian.com/continuous-delivery/principles/continuous-integration-vs-delivery-vs-deployment --- # GitHub Actions for QA - Define workflows as code in YAML - Split jobs by test type and parallelize - Publish reports/artifacts for visibility References: https://docs.github.com/en/actions --- # Branching and Integration Strategy - Prefer short-lived branches and frequent merges - Use trunk-based practices to reduce merge risk - Keep main branch releasable References: https://trunkbaseddevelopment.com/ --- # Release Confidence and Versioning - Use semantic versioning for clear change signals - Tie release decisions to evidence, not intuition - Track rollback readiness and known risks References: https://semver.org/ --- # Shift-Left and Shift-Right Together - Shift-left: prevent defects earlier - Shift-right: monitor and validate in production - Use both for complete quality feedback loops References: https://dora.dev/ | https://opentelemetry.io/docs/ --- # Defect Reporting That Helps Teams - Write clear repro steps and expected vs actual - Attach evidence: logs, screenshots, environment - Prioritize by user/business impact References: https://www.istqb.org/certifications/certified-tester-foundation-level --- # QA Metrics That Matter - Track leading indicators (flake rate, escaped defects) - Track delivery outcomes alongside quality metrics - Use metrics to improve systems, not punish people References: https://dora.dev/ | https://testing.googleblog.com/2016/05/flaky-tests-at-google-and-how-we.html --- # Career Roadmap: QA to Quality Engineer - Strengthen testing fundamentals and product thinking - Build coding skills for automation and tooling - Develop CI/CD, observability, and risk communication References: https://docs.pytest.org/en/stable/ | https://playwright.dev/docs/intro --- # Capstone Project Blueprint - Select a real web app with API dependencies - Create test strategy + automated regression core - Run in CI and publish quality dashboard artifacts References: https://docs.github.com/en/actions | https://playwright.dev/docs/intro | https://learning.postman.com/docs/tests-and-scripts/write-scripts/test-scripts/ ---