Testing Complex and Embedded Systems

Many enterprises regard system-level testing as the final piece of the development effort, rather than as a tool that should be integrated throughout the development process. As a consequence, test teams often execute critical test plans just before product launch, resulting in much of the corrective work being performed in a rush and at the last minute.

Presenting combinatorial approaches for improving test coverage, Testing Complex and Embedded Systems details techniques to help you streamline testing and identify problems before they occur—including turbocharged testing using Six Sigma and exploratory testing methods. Rather than present the continuum of testing for particular products or design attributes, the text focuses on boundary conditions. Examining systems and software testing, it explains how to use simulation and emulation to complement testing.

• Details how to manage multiple test hardware and software deliveries
• Examines the contradictory perspectives of testing—including ordered/ random, structured /unstructured, bench/field, and repeatable/non repeatable
• Covers essential planning activities prior to testing, how to scope the work, and how to reach a successful conclusion
• Explains how to determine when testing is complete

Where you find organizations that are successful at product development, you are likely to find groups that practice disciplined, strategic, and thorough testing. Tapping into the authors’ decades of experience managing test groups in the automotive industry, this book provides the understanding to help ensure your organization joins the likes of these groups.

About the Authors

Kim H. Pries has a B.A. in history from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), a B.S. in metallurgical engineering from UTEP, an M.S. in metallurgical engineering from UTEP, and an M.S. in metallurgical engineering and materials science from Carnegie Mellon University. In addition he has the following certifications:

• APICS
• Certified Production and Inventory Manager (CPIM)
• American Society for Quality (ASQ)
• Certified Reliability Engineer (CRE)
• Certified Quality Engineer (CQE)
• Certified Software Quality Engineer (CSQE)
• Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB)
• Certified Manager of Quality/Operational Excellence (CMQ/OE)
• Certified Quality Auditor (CQA)

Pries worked as a computer systems manager ("IT"), a software engineer for an electrical utility, a scientific programmer on defense contracts; and for Stoneridge, Incorporated (SRI), he has worked for 15 years as:

• Software manager
• Engineering services manager
• Reliability section manager
• Product integrity and reliability director

In addition to his other responsibilities, Pries provides Six Sigma training for both UTEP and SRI and cost reduction initatives for SRI. Additionally, in concert with Quigley, Pries is the co-founder and principal with Value Transformation, LLC, a training, testing, and product development consultancy. He is also a lay monk in the Soto tradition of Zen Buddhism and functions as an Ino for the Zen Center of Las Cruces while studying for the Soto Zen priesthood.

Pries’ first book was Six Sigma for the Next Millennium: A CSSBB Guidebook, revised as Six Sigma for the New Millennium: A CSSBB Guidebook, second edition, from ASQ’s Quality Press. For Taylor & Francis, Pries has worked with Jon Quigley to write Project Management of Complex and Embedded Systems, Scrum Project Management as well as this book. With Quigley, he has written well over 30 magazine articles. He has also presented for the Society of Automotive Engineers, the Automotive Industry Action Group, MarcusEvans, and the Software Test and Performance Convention.

Additionally, Pries is a principal of Value Transformation, a product development training and cost improvement organization. He is also a founding faculty member of Practical Project Management.

Jon M. Quigley has a B.S. in electronic engineering technology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a master’s of business administration and an M.S. in project management from City University of Seattle. In addition to these degrees, he holds the following certifications:

• Project Management Institute:
• Project Management Professional (PMP)

• International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB):
• Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL)

Quigley has secured six U.S. patents over the years, with another two in various stages at the U.S. Patent Office, one of which is in the pre-grant stage. These patents range from human–machine interfaces to telemetry systems and drivers’ aids:

• U.S. Patent Award 6,253,131, Steering wheel electronic interface
• U.S. Patent Award 6,130,487, Electronic interface and method for connecting the electrical systems of truck and trailer
• U.S. Patent Award 6,828,924, Integrated vehicle communications display (also a European patent)
• U.S. Patent Award 6,718,906, Dual scale vehicle gauge
• U.S. Patent Award 7,512,477 Systems and methods for guiding operators to optimized engine operation
• U.S. Patent Award 7,629,878, Measuring instrument having location controlled display

Quigley won the Volvo-3P Technical Award in 2005, going on to win the Volvo Technology Award in 2006. Quigley has more than 20 years of product development experience, ranging from embedded hardware and software design through verification, project management, and line management.

• Software engineer
• Embedded engineer (hardware)
• Test engineer
• Project manager
• Electrical and electronic systems manager
• Verification and test manager

Quigley is a principal of Value Transformation, a product development training and cost improvement organization. He is also a founding faculty member of Practical Project Management. He is the co-author of the books Project Management of Complex and Embedded Systems and Scrum Project Managemen. Also with Kim H. Pries, he has written more than 30 magazine articles and presented at numerous product development conferences about various aspects of product development and project management. Quigley lives in Lexington, North Carolina.