BCS Adds Agile Testing Certificate

The British Computer Society (BCS), the IT industry’s chartered institute, is to begin offering a certification for testing in the emerging area of agile software development, reflecting the increasingly mainstream nature of agile techniques.

Agile development refers to a body of techniques based on incremental development, with requirements and solutions emerging through the collaboration of self-organising teams.

Flexibility and adaptability

The method is intended to allow for greater flexibility and adaptability than traditional approaches, while ensuring the software is in tune with the evolving needs of the customer, among other benefits.

The International Software Quality Institute (iSQI) began offering a foundation level certificate in the spring of 2011 and BCS said it has now signed an agreement with the organisation to provide its Certified Agile Tester certificate. iSQI has already offered the course to more than 300 participants in 18 countries.

The certificate is aimed at software testers already working in agile environments, as well as managers, developers and others interested in the approach.

Participants complete a five-day training course including practical exercises, formation and assessment in the interpersonal skills needed in agile teams and theoretical and practical exams.

The certificate is focused on giving candidates a practical understanding of the principles behind the agile approach and the ability to contribute as agile team members, including demonstrating the interpersonal skills required in agile teams, BCS said.

Green skills

Candidates face no formal requirements for entry to the course, but are recommended to have taken BCS’ foundation level tester certification and to be familiar with basic test terminology and concepts.

Other recently introduced certificates include an intermediate certificate in Energy and Cost Management for Data Centres, intended to help IT workers adapt their organisations to the needs of green computing.

BCS has recently been involved in promoting computer science education at the secondary-school level, part of a wider reform of ICT education in schools coming into effect in September of this year.

The institute is looking for 250 schools to sign up to be part of a Network of Teaching Excellence in Computer Science, which is being set up along with a grass-roots group called Computing at Schools (CAS).

The network is intended to help schools share good teaching practice and to allow for collaboration with university computer science departments, which it is hoped will improve teaching materials.

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