Why Disqover?Disqover’s major goal is to promote software testing as a professional discipline. Our belief is that all testers should have the benefit of personal tuition from experienced test consultants who are able to relate all facets of the training to real world practices. Disqover’s trainers are highly qualified, professional test consultants. Without a common foundation of knowledge software testing will continue to be treated as a second class function. It is time to recognise Software and System testers as an integral part of the Software Development Life Cycle.
Testing – A blooming, booming professionWhat’s a profession?The Australian Council of Professions defines a profession as: “A disciplined group of individuals who adhere to high ethical standards and uphold themselves to, and are accepted by, the public as possessing special knowledge and skills in a widely recognised, organised body of learning derived from education and training at a high level, and who are prepared to exercise this knowledge and these skills in the interest of others.” Testing the traditional wayTesting has traditionally been a bit of an afterthought, for most companies it is still done in an ad hoc fashion without any real grasp of why it should be carried out at all. As a result billions of dollars are wasted yearly due to projects failing to achieve the simplest of objectives. Nowadays with just about everything relying on software and embedded technology and with the distributed nature of systems, software testing has emerged as an absolute necessity. Falling in to testingHowever there are far too many ‘testers’ who have just ‘tested’ through trial and error, having fallen into their role without any formal education. Their lack of insight and knowledge of testing also limits their ability to explain the value of testing to executive management who often see the discipline as an unnecessary cost. Few of us would have our finances handled by an unqualified accountant or leave our legal affairs in the hands of non-accredited solicitors. As technology becomes more and more prevalent and the risks of software and system failure increase there is a growing need for there to be a more professional image across the Software Testing industry to ensure a consistently high standard of service delivery. Testing as a careerThe ISTQB (International Software Testing Qualifications Board) has created the Certified Tester scheme with a view to promote Software Testing as an internationally recognised profession. This board has developed a career path from entry level test personnel (ISEB/ISTQB Foundation Level) to test management level (ISEB/ISTQB Advanced Levels) to:
[ top ] Foundation of knowledgeEvery tester needs to get up to speed with the fundamentals so that they are:
[ top ] How Certification BeganThe independent certification of software testers began in the UK with the British Computer Society's Information Systems Examination Board (ISEB), when a Software Testing Board was set up in 1998, this was the start of an initiative that would lead to the certification scheme set up to promote software testing as a professional discipline. ISEB / ANZTB - What’s the difference?The ISTQB qualification scheme is truly international meaning every Accredited Training Provider, regardless of the board they have been accredited by; base their teachings on the ISTQB syllabi. ISEB first provided exams in Software Testing 15 years ago, and were instrumental in the development of the original Software Testing syllabus that created the ISTQB syllabus. ISEB offer over 40 different exams in IT including IT Project Management, ITIL and Business Analysis and accredit Training Providers to ensure that the company, their trainers and materials maintain ISEB's high standards. ISEB is part of BCS, the chartered Institute for the IT profession and plays a large role in raising skills and education in IT. ISEB has delivered over 250,000 exams and has a strong worldwide reputation for quality, of which 48,000 have been Software Testing exams. ANZTB’s role is the same as ISEB as far as the Software Testing qualifications are concerned; however the ANZTB is a local board that has been in existence for just 2 years. |
Upcoming 08 Course DatesMelbourne
29th - 31st July 08 Sydney
5th - 7th Aug 08 Perth
19th - 21st Aug 08 Canberra7th - 9th Oct 08 Brisbane29th Sep - 1st Oct 08 Contact us for more course details. |
