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Unit 4: White Box Testing

Programmers write codes and a few peers conduct reviews on them. The development team conducts
the static white box testing and reviews the results. In addition, the development team also invites
testers to observe the process of testing.
Static white box testing is seldom carried out in the software testing process, as there is a misconception
that it is time consuming, expensive and not productive when compared to the other alternative testing
methodologies. Although, it is a formidable task, today organizations have realized the importance of
testing and have started to hire and coach both testers and programmers in the field of white box
testing.
The figure 4.1 depicts the diagrammatic representation of static white box testing.

Figure 4.1: Static White Box Testing

4.1.2 Formal Review

Formal reviews are carried out in static white box testing which involves formal meetings between the
programmers and testers (or between programmers). In this meeting, there will be discussions
pertaining to inspection of the software’s design and code. The formal reviews are considered to be the
first nets that capture bugs, since, prospective defect areas are discussed in these meetings.
For a successful formal review, four essential elements are required, and they are:
1. Identify Problems: A formal review must identify the problems related to design and code of the
software. Participants are required to avoid criticism and carry a positive attitude and must be
diplomatic and not emotional about reviews.
2. Follow Rules: Formal reviews follow a fixed set of rules. The number of lines of code to be
reviewed per day along with the time spent on the job is to be strictly adhered to. This is done so
that reviews can be carried out more smoothly.
3. Prepare: Formal reviews expect each participant to prepare and contribute towards the meeting.
Based on the type of review, each participant’s role differs. The problems discovered in the
review process are generally found during the preparation process and not actually during the
review.

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