Exploratory testing is simply test design that is simultaneous with test execution. Exploratory testing done well is much like a martial art. And it's learned in much the same way - by practice. It is an approach to testing that emphasises adaptability and information, which is different from traditional scripted testing, which focuses on accountability and decideability.

What can testing tell us? There are a number of things that we can learn from our quality assessment activities, including early test design and reviews and Inspections. There are also some things which testing cannot tell us, even though we may wish it could.

This presentation will outline ways of measuring the effectiveness and efficiency of testing. Reasons why we test are to gain confidence, to find defects and to assess risk. The value of testing can therefore be measured based on defects, confidence or risk, and some associated measures for each will be discussed. One of the easiest and most useful measures is the Defect Detection Percentage, which helps to assess test effectiveness. This measure can be implemented in any organisation that keeps track of defects found in testing and found afterwards. This presentation will outline some of the choices, problems and benefits in using this measure, and will cover a few other useful measures.