Open Enrollment

Developer-Driven Testing for Software Engineers

Who: Join Brian Daugherty, Construx Senior Fellow, and learn to implement an effective developer testing strategy.

Schedule: Four Class Sessions and Six Mentor Sessions, running March 7 – April 28, 2023, as detailed below. All sessions are in Pacific time.

Class Session 1: Tuesday, March 7, 9-11:30AM

Mentor Session 1: Friday, March 10, 9-10 AM

Class Session 2: Tuesday, March 14, 9-11:30AM

Mentor Session 2: Friday, March 17, 9-10 AM

Class Session 3: Tuesday, March 21, 9-11:30AM

Mentor Session 3: Friday, March 24, 9-10 AM

Class Session 4: Tuesday, March 28, 9-11:30AM

Mentor Session 4: Friday, March 31, 9-10 AM

Mentor Session 5: Friday, April 14, 9-10 AM

Mentor Session 6: Friday, April 28, 9-10 AM

Price: $2000

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Go to Program Details

Great developer testing programs are built with these skills

You’ll learn them all in the code-driven, hands-on Implementing, Growing, and Optimizing Developer Tests and why they’re important. If you’re a Program Manager, Project Manager, Scrum Master, manager, or developer planning a developer testing strategy and want to get a handle on the key concepts, you might want to begin with Developer Testing Core Skills.

Design the optimal set of test cases

To use the minimum number of test cases, ensure you have enough test coverage, and prioritize test cases based on risk.

Use coding best practices for software and related automated tests

To ensure code is testable, fix untestable code, build maintainable tests, reduce complexity, and enable automated developer testing.

Get to the next level of automated unit testing

To enable fast, independent testing of code at the lowest functional block level using an XUnit framework.

Test without external dependencies using test doubles

To test your code in isolation, guarantee fast and repeatable expected results, and avoid turning unit or functional tests into integration tests by replacing external dependencies.

Grow test cases with your code

To design and develop test cases based on functional requirements before writing the code, using Test-Driven Development (TDD) and Acceptance TDD (ATDD).

Avoid testing gaps by using best practices for new or legacy code

To focus your developer testing effort, make optimal use of your QA team, and avoid common testing gaps.

See a sample schedule.

Topics at a glance

Before your program starts

Developer Testing assessment to discover where your program is strong and where it needs improvement.

Why you need developers doing testing

The high cost of finding defects late in the process
Which issues introduce the most defects?
Types of automated testing and when to use each
Run automated tests as part of CI/CD
Automated unit testing using XUnit
Grow your tests with your code using TDD and ATDD

Designing test cases

Test design techniques for maximum coverage & minimum tests
Test contracts and behavioral tests
Domain coverage, test pairs
Combinatorial testing

Ensuring code coverage & designing for testability

Decision tables, branch coverage, basis path coverage
Control flow graphs, condition coverage
Designing testable software, identifying untestable code
Designing for easier code & test case maintenance
The key tenets of testability
How to measure and reduce code complexity
Single Responsibility Principle (SRP)
Law of Demeter and the Principle of Least Knowledge

Replacing dependencies with test doubles, best practices, & pitfalls

The problem: unit tests impacted by external dependencies
Design for testing in isolation via dependency management
Dependency replacement techniques
Dependency injection techniques
Types of test doubles
Using developer tests as part of CI/CD pipeline
Continuous integration & testing in hybrid agile
Planning releases & syncing with external milestones
Developer testing for new or legacy code
Six things you should do to benefit from developer testing

Sample Learning Program

Expand each section below using the toggles to see all the details. This is one possible shape this Learning Program can take. For private offerings, we’ll work with you to customize the program for your learners’ needs.

Prework

Getting to know you

Getting to know you is how our program adapts to your needs. Here’s what to expect at the start:

Details

You’ll complete a Developer Testing assessment to help us learn about your team, where your automated developer testing program is strong, and where there’s room for improvement.
You’ll answer some questions about your current developer testing practices, tools, and techniques. You will also identify some things you know you would like to improve for your mentor to review.
You’ll meet with your mentor and fellow members of your cohort to review the assessment and identify targeted areas for learning.

Weeks 1-4

Core skills development & mentoring

Each week, in ~2.5 hours of interactive learning plus ~1.5 hours of mentoring and time to work and discuss lab exercises, you’ll practice and master the test case design and coding practices that will make your developer testing program great.

See all the topics covered

Week 1: Benefits, test types, unit testing, and test-driven design

Skills development

Identify when and why you need developer testing
Analyze the tradeoffs of a separate test team vs automated tests written by the developers
Avoid the high cost of finding defects late in the development process
Learn which issues introduce the most defects
Learn about the different types of automated testing and when to use each
Run automated tests as part of CI/CD
Learn automated unit testing, using XUnit
Grow your tests with your code, using TDD and ATDD

Labs and assigned work

XUnit – automated unit testing
TDD/ATDD – grow your tests with your code, using unit and acceptance testing
Identify the first project where you would implement or improve your developer testing. Assess the current state of your developer testing on that project and be prepared to share and discuss known problems and what your first steps forward would be during the mentoring session.

Mentoring

Your mentor will share expertise on (and answer your questions about) the motivations and benefits of moving to developer testing, defect prevention and early detection, automated unit testing using XUnit, and implementing test cases before you write the code using TDD. Questions about the labs can also be discussed during mentoring. As a reminder: throughout your Learning Program, mentoring will be shaped in response to your needs, skills, and requests.

Week 2: Designing the optimal set of test cases (domain and functional coverage)

Skills development

Using test case design techniques for maximum coverage, with the minimum number of tests
Test contracts and behavioral tests
Domain coverage: input domain, open & closed domain boundaries, domain analysis, and domain matrix
Test pairs
Combinatorial testing

Labs and assigned work

Test contracts – behavioral test cases from contract
Domain coverage – test cases to cover inputs, boundaries for domain
Select some code from your project and define test cases for it, focusing on using domain coverage and/or behavioral test cases based on a contract.

Mentoring

You can work with your mentor on your questions about any of the topics covered, including labs. Review the results of test case design for your selected code, and discuss any problems or questions you encountered.

Week 3: Ensuring code coverage and designing for testability

Skills development

Decision tables
Branch coverage
Basis path coverage
Control flow graphs
Condition coverage: Condition, Condition/Decision, Multiple Condition, MC/DC (Modified Condition, Decision Coverage)
Designing testable software, and identifying untestable code
Designing for easier code and test case maintenance
The key tenets of testability
How to measure and reduce code complexity
Single Responsibility Principle (SRP)
Law of Demeter and the Principle of Least Knowledge

Labs and assigned work

Decision tables – test cases to verify decision table expected results
Branch coverage – verify branch coverage within the code under test
Basis path coverage – verify coverage for basis paths in the code
Condition coverage – verify all conditions are covered

Mentoring

You can work with your mentor on your questions about any of the topics covered, including labs. Review the results of the testability and complexity review of your selected code and the test coverage you achieved. Discuss any problems or questions you encountered.

Week 4: Replacing dependencies with test doubles, best practices, and pitfalls

Skills development

The problem: unit tests impacted by external dependencies
Design for testing in isolation via dependency management
Dependency replacement techniques: dependency injection vs dependency lookup
Dependency injection: parameter vs constructor
Types of test doubles: Test Stub, Test Spy, Mocks, Fakes, Service Mocks
Using developer tests as part of CI/CD pipeline
Benefits of continuous integration & testing
Planning releases & syncing with external milestones
How to create or improve your developer testing program for new or legacy code
The six things you should do to benefit from developer testing, even if you don’t do anything else

Labs and assigned work

Fixing untestable code – refactoring code to use a test stub and dependency injection
Select some code from your project that has external dependencies and is currently difficult or impossible to test. Refactor the code to make it easily testable in isolation by implementing one or more test doubles.

Mentoring

You can work with your mentor on your questions about any of the topics covered, labs, or on your plan to implement or improve your developer testing effort. Review the results of improving testability of your selected code and discuss any problems or questions you encountered. Discuss best practices, and how to address issues you have run into.

Weeks 5-12

Continued mentoring

You’ll apply your new skills independently and meet with your mentor every other week to work through your real-world challenges and keep improving.

Details

Week 5: Apply what you’ve learned

Use the skills you learned in weeks 1–4. For your week 6 mentoring session, keep a list of questions you’d like to ask. You can also discuss test case design, coding practices, or questions you have about implementing developer tests in your project. Send your mentor the list of questions, and a simple description of your plan to improve your developer testing for discussion and feedback. You can also send work materials that you wish to discuss at the mentoring session.

Week 6: Application mentoring

Mentoring session to discuss your questions and your plan to improve your developer testing that you shared in week 5. Discussion topic: Where to start? How to assess the current state of developer testing in your project.

Week 7: Apply what you’ve learned

Continue to use the skills you’ve learned in the Learning Program. For your week 8 mentoring session, keep a list of questions you’d like to ask. You can also discuss test case design, coding practices, or questions you have about implementing developer tests in your project. Send your mentor your list of questions, and your updated and extended plan to improve your developer testing for discussion and feedback. You can also send work materials that you wish to discuss at the mentoring session.

Week 8: Application mentoring

Mentoring session to discuss your questions and get feedback on the updated plan you shared in week 7. Discussion topics: How to test sooner. The pros and cons of TDD/ATDD.

Week 9: Apply what you’ve learned

Continue to use the skills you learned in weeks 1–4. For your Week 10 mentoring session, keep a list of questions you’d like to ask. You can also discuss test case design, coding practices, or questions you have about implementing developer tests in your project. Send your mentor your list of questions and any work materials that you want to discuss at the week 10 mentoring session.

Week 10: Application mentoring

Mentoring session to discuss your questions and get feedback on the updated plan you shared in week 9. Discussion topics: Starting developer testing in a new project & working with legacy code.

Week 11: Apply what you’ve learned

During this week, prepare your final set of questions for your mentor and choose any working materials you’d like feedback on at the week 12 mentoring session.

Week 12: Application mentoring

This is your final mentoring session. Your mentor can help with any remaining questions or concerns you have and can give you feedback on any working materials you shared in week 11. Discussion topics: Bootstrapping (or stepping up) your CI/CD pipeline and developer testing. Using developer testing in a hybrid agile environment.

Ongoing

Reach out when you need to

We’re here to help. You don’t need to wait until a scheduled mentoring session to ask a question—reach out at any time!

Get in touch »

Why are our Learning Programs so effective?

We interviewed more than 400 software leaders around the world and what did they request?

Customized, minimally disruptive virtual sessions that focus on real-world results through a balanced mix of coursework, self-study, and expert mentoring.

Always customized

Built to address the specific areas where your team needs to improve.

Immediate application

Focused on real-world skills you can apply directly to your work.

Personal mentoring

Active mentoring helps you apply your new skills to your actual challenges.

Easy virtual access

More active learning with easier logistics—no sitting in a classroom all day!

Incremental learning

Sessions are short and spread out so that they don’t eat your schedule and break your flow.

Free bonus content

Your Learning Program comes with full access to our library of online courses.

Grow and thrive with developer testing

Developer Testing Core Skills

Learn the concepts and best practices that enable you to avoid common testing pitfalls, determine how much testing is enough, use automated testing, and deliver quality software.

Learn more »

Developer-Driven Testing for Software Engineers

Learn to design the optimal set of tests cases, design software for testability, fix untestable code, test your code in isolation from external dependencies, apply developer testing to new or legacy code, and sync releases with integration milestones.

Learn more »

Ready to give yourself or your team state-of-the-art learning?

Get in touch, and we’ll get right back to you!