National Certificate: Business Analysis 

The purpose of this Qualification is to produce well-trained people who can conduct a practical investigation to provide stakeholders with information about the quality of the software product or service under test. It will provide learners with both theoretical and practical learning to develop their ability as software testers in the workplace. In essence, it will equip the learner with the ability to apply the software testing process of validating and verifying that a software programme/application/product:

• Meets the business and technical requirements that guided its design and development.
• Works as expected.
• Can be implemented with the same characteristics.

  On achieving this Qualification, the learner will be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the principles of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC).
• Evaluate requirements and requirement-based test design.
• Execute the testing process.
• Manage the testing process, execution and defect tracking.
• Conduct static testing.

  The Qualification not only consists of knowledge and skills required to equip the learner to perform the function of Software Testing professionally with insight, but contains building blocks of skills and knowledge that can be developed further in Qualifications in Information Technology and Communications (ITC) at higher levels on the NQF. The intention is:

• To promote the development of knowledge, skills and values that are required in the Information Technology and Communications (ITC) Software Testing industry.
• To release the potential of people, in order for them to grow and develop and stimulate the economy.
• To provide opportunities for people to move up career paths by being more valuable to their organisation, the economy and themselves.

  Rationale:

  In an international study conducted recently it was found that software bugs/problems cost a country’s economy billions of rands annually. It was also established that more than a third of this cost could be avoided if better software testing was performed. There is therefore a need for a qualification to produce highly trained and competent Software Testers. This Qualification will produce persons who will be able to perform software testing to verify that the completed software package functions according to the expectations defined by the requirements/specifications. The Qualification will assist the learners to see that the overall objective of software testing to not to find every software bug that exists, but to uncover situations that could negatively impact on the customer and on the usability and/or maintainability of the software package, that could produce unexpected results, and to improve the long term maintenance of the application.

  As computers and software are used in critical applications, the outcome of a bug can be severe. Bugs can cause huge losses. Bugs in critical systems have caused airplane crashes, allowed space shuttle missions to go awry and halted trading on the stock market. This situation has given birth to Information Technology industry consultants and programming tools dedicated to making sure the operations in our modern world are not compromised. In a computerized embedded world, the quality and reliability of software can be a matter of life and death.

  The Information Technology and Computer Science sub-field is therefore concerned with the development of ‘Software Testers’ so that software testing becomes an integrated part of software development. It is directly related to software quality. It has many subtle connections with software quality, software reliability and Information Technology system reliability. 

• Communications at NQF Level 4.
• Mathematical Literacy at NQF Level 4.
• Computer Literacy at NQF Level 3.

Recognition of Prior Learning:

Credit will be given to learners for competencies in the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes implicit in this Qualification and its constituent Unit Standards.

Assessment for the Recognition of Prior Learning will be done by means of an Integrated Assessment as mentioned in Assessment Criteria.

Recognition of Prior Learning may allow for:

• Access to the qualification by learners who do not meet the minimum requirements for admission.
• Gaining of credits for Unit Standards mastered.
• Obtaining the Qualification in whole or in part.All Recognition of Prior Learning is subject to quality assurance by the relevant accredited Education, Training and Quality Assurance Body and will be conducted by a registered assessor.

  Access to the Qualification:

  Access to the qualification is open to all learners in possession of a National Senior Certificate, or equivalent qualification that grants access to certificate study at a higher education institution.