Certified Tester Foundation Level Syllabus: Agile Tester

Introduction

• Purpose: Establishes the foundation for the ISTQB Agile Tester qualification. Used by National Boards for translation, training providers for course development, and candidates for exam preparation.
• Target Audience: National Boards, Exam Boards, training providers, certification candidates, software testing community.

Agile Software Development (150 mins.)

Fundamentals

• Agile Manifesto: Emphasizes individuals, working software, customer collaboration, and responding to change.
• Whole-Team Approach: Involves everyone in the project, enhancing communication and quality responsibility.
• Early & Frequent Feedback: Uses short iterations for rapid feedback and defect removal.

Aspects of Agile Approaches

• Agile Approaches: Includes Extreme Programming (XP), Scrum, and Kanban.
• User Story Creation: Collaborative approach involving developers, testers, and business reps.
• Continuous Integration: Regular integration and testing of code, reducing integration errors.
• Release and Iteration Planning: Ongoing activity to define and adapt product backlogs.

Fundamental Agile Testing Principles, Practices, and Processes (105 mins.)

Differences in Testing

• Traditional vs. Agile: Agile testing involves short, iterative cycles with integrated development and testing activities.
• Test Levels: Unit, acceptance, and regression testing are common, with emphasis on automation.

Test Status and Regression Risk

• Communicating Status: Use of task boards and burndown charts.
• Managing Regression Risk: Emphasizes the need for test automation to handle evolving test cases.

Agile Tester Roles and Skills

• Skills: Includes test automation, TDD, and interpersonal skills.
• Role: Involves defining test strategies, collaborating with developers, and maintaining test environments.

Agile Testing Methods, Techniques, and Tools (480 mins.)

Testing Methods

• TDD, ATDD, and BDD: Techniques focusing on early testing through defining tests before code.
• Test Pyramid: Advocates more tests at lower levels (unit and integration) than higher levels.
• Testing Quadrants: Guides the balance of business-facing vs. technology-facing tests.

Quality Risks and Test Effort

• Assessing Risks: Identifies and prioritizes risks to determine test efforts.
• Estimating Effort: Uses techniques like planning poker for effort estimation.

Techniques in Agile

• Acceptance Criteria: Define clear, testable criteria for user stories.
• Exploratory Testing: Important for quick feedback, often blended with other test strategies.

Tools in Agile Projects

• Task Management Tools: Track progress and integrate with other tools.
• Communication Tools: Wikis, IM, and desktop sharing to facilitate communication.
• Test Execution Tools: Support automation and capture of exploratory testing sessions.

References and Terminology

Standards and ISTQB Documents

• Standards: Includes DO-178B and ISO 25000.
• ISTQB Documents: Foundation Level Syllabus and Advanced Level Syllabus.

Books and Other References

• Books: Various titles on Agile, Scrum, and testing practices.

• Agile Terminology: Utilizes resources like Agile Alliance and Scrum Alliance for definitions.

• Index: Comprehensive index of key terms related to agile testing.