Interview Questions

When the build comes to the QA team, what are the parameters to be taken for consideration to reject the build upfront without committing for testing ?

Software QA/Testing Technical FAQs


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When the build comes to the QA team, what are the parameters to be taken for consideration to reject the build upfront without committing for testing ?


Answer1:
Agree with R&D a set of tests that if one fails you can reject the build. I usually have some build verification tests that just make sure the build is stable and the major functionality is working.
Then if one test fails you can reject the build.

Answer2:
The only way to legitimately reject a build is if the entrance criteria have not been met. That means that the entrance criteria to the test phase have been defined and agreed upon up front. This should be standard for all builds for all products. Entrance criteria could include:
- Turn-over documentation is complete
- All unit testing has been successfully completed and U/T cases are documented in turn-over
- All expected software components have been turned-over (staged)
- All walkthroughs and inspections are complete
- Change requests have been updated to correct status
- Configuration Management and build information is provided, and correct, in turn-over
The only way we could really reject a build without any testing, would be a failure of the turn-over procedure. There may, but shouldn't be, politics involved. The only way the test phase can proceed is for the test team to have all components required to perform successful testing. You will have to define entrance (and exit) criteria for each phase of the SDLC. This is an effort to be taken together by the whole development team. Developments entrance criteria would include signed requirements, HLD doc, etc. Having this criteria pre-established sets everyone up for success

Answer3:
The primary reason to reject a build is that it is untestable, or if the testing would be considered invalid.
For example, suppose someone gave you a "bad build" in which several of the wrong files had been loaded. Once you know it contains the wrong versions, most groups think there is no point continuing testing of that build.
Every reason for rejecting a build beyond this is reached by agreement. For example, if you set a build verification test and the program fails it, the agreement in your company might be to reject the program from testing. Some BVTs are designed to include relatively few tests, and those of core functionality. Failure of any of these tests might reflect fundamental instability. However, several test groups include a lot of additional tests, and failure of these might not be grounds for rejecting a build.
In some companies, there are firm entry criteria to testing. Many companies pay lipservice to entry criteria but start testing the code whether the entry criteria are met or not. Neither of these is right or wrong--it's the culture of the company. Be sure of your corporate culture before rejecting a build.

Answer4:
Generally a company would have set some sort of minimum goals/criteria that a build needs to satisfy - if it satisfies this - it can be accepted else it has to be rejected
For eg.
Nil - high priority bugs
2 - Medium Priority bugs
Sanity test or Minimum acceptance and Basic acceptance should pass The reasons for the new build - say a change to a specific case - this should pass Not able to proceed - non - testability or even some more which is in relation to the new build or the product If the above criterias don't pass then the build could be rejected.

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