Tools for Testers

Testers are an important part of the VSTS family. Even though they are frequently not included in the formal part of the SDLC, what they do and what they contribute is perhaps the most important part of the development process. They have the final say over the quality of the software, and they have the responsibility to perform load and stress tests on the applications. Testers are not necessarily developers, but they do work in tandem with developers. As testers find bugs and performance problems, the developers can diagnose the problems and fix them

Testers, like developers, are able to build and run unit tests and code coverage tests, but they can also run the following tests:

Load Testing

Simulate multiple users running the automated tests.

Manual Testing

Step through tasks that are not automated.

Test Case Management

Used by testers to categorize all their tests.

Figure 3-10

Test types within VSTS

There are many new windows in VSTS relating to testing, including the following ones:

Test View

Allows test authoring

Test Manager

Lists tests for execution

Test Results

Displays the outcome of tests for execution

Code Coverage Results

Displays the effectiveness of tests for execution

Internet Explorer for All Team Members

Regardless of their role in VSTS, users will want to access the Project Portal and view any relevant reports. The Project Portal is also ideal for storage of documents, announcements, discussions, and communication between members. With Windows SharePoint Services (WSS), Microsoft allows wide reach via the browser. WSS security allows the administrator to lock down certain lists and certain reports by group or user so that only an authorized user can see the administrator's reports.

Tools by Roles

This provides an overview of the key features associated with the roles discussed above. Figure 3-11.

Figure 3-11

Visual Studio features by edition