QA Framework presentation to the Voice Browser Working Group

Dominique Hazaël-Massieux, QA Activity Lead

Voice Browser Working Group teleconference

February 15, 2005

QA Framework

• developed by the QA WG - participants involved in various testing/spec efforts in W3C
• general focus: conformance/interoperability and testing
• composed mainly of
  • a QA Handbook, a set of advices for Chairs and Staff Contacts to manage quality in their groups
  • the Specification Guidelines, focusing on how to write a good spec, esp. with regard to conformance
  • a Test FAQ (in development) and a set of Wiki pages

How does it affect your WG?

• QA Framework is not mandatory and doesn't intend to become so
• self-commitment basis or simply to get guidance

Current status

• QA Handbook: Working Group Note, mostly done
• Specification Guidelines: Last Call Working Draft - review period done, CR or PR hopefully after TP
• Test FAQ: under development
• Wiki: on-going effort

Highlights from QA Handbook

• planning releases of test materials along with the specs milestones
• licensing aspects of test cases can be tricky
• a QA process can help

Highlights from the Specification Guidelines

• be careful about the variability allowed by the specification
• try to formalize some of the aspects of your specs conformance, e.g. classes of products, subdivisions of the specs
• be aware of usual pitfalls with deprecation, extensibility

Other useful resources

• the QA Matrix lists all the test suites and interop report - can be a source of inspiration
• the Editors home page has the list of tools and grammars that can be used when writing specifications
• issues tracking tools, test cases management system ideas, etc on the QA Wiki

How the QA Team and WG can help

• ad-hoc participation to meeting if needed
• specific advices on test suite development and spec writing
• outreach (public-evangelist@w3.org)
• validators hosting and development

Help us too...

• send feedback to QA WG on our documentas
• discuss ideas for tools or docs in www-qa@w3.org
• contribute to the Wiki