Maintenance Testing - ISTQB Foundation Level Certification

Introduction to Maintenance Testing

• Definition: Testing conducted every time a change is made to an existing application post-release. It includes enhancements to existing live applications.
• Purpose: Ensure consistent operation of applications, incorporate user feedback, and improve the application based on real-world usage.
• Relation to Regression Testing: All maintenance testing triggers regression tests to verify that changes don't negatively affect the existing functionality.

Categories of Maintenance Testing

• Corrective: Fixing known bugs or issues.
• Adaptive: Adapting to changes in the environment or improving performance/maintainability.

Types of Maintenance

• Planned Releases: Incorporate changes/features planned but not included in the initial release due to time or complexity constraints.
• Unplanned Releases (Hot Fixes): Address unexpected issues or urgent changes.

Impact Analysis

• Purpose: Identify areas that will be impacted by changes to limit the scope of regression testing.
• Benefits: Reduces effort by pinpointing the necessary tests, prevents running all test cases if only a small change is made.

Factors Influencing Maintenance Testing

• Degree of Risk: Evaluate risks involved with changes and their potential impact on other areas.
• Size of Existing System: Larger systems may have more extensive regression suites, making focused testing essential.
• Size of Change: Smaller changes may not require extensive testing, while larger ones will.

Dedicated Maintenance Testing Teams

• Bigger organizations often have separate teams for maintenance testing depending on the organization size and maturity.

Triggers for Maintenance Testing

1. Modifications: (Updates/Upgrades)
   • Updates: Minor changes to enhance existing features (e.g., version 15.0 to 15.1).
   • Upgrades: Significant changes introducing new features (e.g., version 15.0 to 16.0).
2. Migration: Moving an application from one platform to another (e.g., Windows to Linux).
3. Retirement: Final version releases of a product, requiring tests for archiving and data retrieval procedures.

Conclusion

• Importance: Maintenance testing ensures that applications continue to function correctly after any changes.
• Further Learning: More in-depth knowledge might be required for those specializing in maintenance testing.

Next up will be sample questions for Chapter 2.

Feel free to ask any questions or seek clarifications.