Final Inspection for Software Product - Functional Test?

Hi all,

Our company produces software CDs. Hence, my approach for the production was:

1. Create a package to be burned (including software, manual and other things as necessary)
2. Validate that package through testing
3. Then, when burning CDs, I would simply validate that the CD burned contains the exact same information as the package... (MD5 protocol)

However, discussing this issue with a consultant, he mentioned the necessity to have a functional test for the product itself during the CD final inspection. Does anyone went through this or through a similar case? Consultant also mentioned he hasn't had to deal with many companies producing "only" software...

Thanks for your help!

I don't have any personal experience with this subject, but in my view your consultant is providing adequate advice, regardless of his experience level with software-only companies.

I would think you would do a functional test during the process validation, but after that if you're checking disk data content there is no value in further functional tests. Once you know the software works as designed, the medium isn't an issue.

Note that if there is an install process when the purchaser puts in the CD, that part of the software 'package' on the disk should be validated as well.

Hello everybody,

I'm not fully agreed with marc. The medium could be an issue even if the software works as designed.

Let me explain my opinion.
I'm also working in a company producing Cd software. (SPC Software)

We do not make "mass-production" cd but only on demand cd for customers.
We also have a high level customisation for the cd depending on the customers (Not always the same file, some different options or translations and so on ...)

I'm not responsible for Cds burning, it's another departement but i know that we control each cd we have burned. One of the main reason is that at the beginning, we uses "NoName cd". And our "cd's provider" can change the cd without changing his reference. In the past, we had some few surprise after we have burned the cd and send them to the customers because of poor quality cd. (Unreadable disk, sometimes depending of the cd reader).

And this is a very bad image's company we send to our customer. (or prospect)

So now, wa have decided to test all cd we burned.

We have created a simple checklist, for example :
1/ CD burned contains the exact same information as the package
2/ Installing our software from the cd and then check the final result

We also checked but not everytime the following statements :
1/ Checking first installation on computer
2/ Checking also updating process of old version

I don't know how many cds, we are burning by month. Now we have stopped using "NoName cd" but we continue to do this 100% final inspection. This is our choice and for the moment, we do not want to reduce this control.

We are also waiting to pass the Iso 9001 certification for small company(This year).
Our ISO consultant do not make any remarks on this process, but perhaps during the certification ...