San Francisco depot is a mnemonic

Mnemonic

A mnemonic , or mnemonic device, is any learning technique that aids memory. To improve long term memory, mnemonic systems are used to make memorization easier. Commonly encountered mnemonics are often verbal, such as a very short poem or a special word used to help a person remember something,...

 for the SFDPO software exploratory testing heuristic. SFDPO stands for Structure, Function, Data, Platform and Operations. Each of these represents a different aspect of a software product.

Structure

Structure is what the entire product is. This is its physical files, utility programs, physical materials such as user docs, specifications and design docs, etc.

Function

Function is what the product does. This is the product's features. How does it handle errors? What is its UI? How does it interface with the operating system

Operating system

An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...

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Data

Data is what the product processes. What kinds of input

Input/output

In computing, input/output, or I/O, refers to the communication between an information processing system , and the outside world, possibly a human, or another information processing system. Inputs are the signals or data received by the system, and outputs are the signals or data sent from it...

 does it process? This can be input from the user, the file system, etc. What kind of output

Output

Output is the term denoting either an exit or changes which exit a system and which activate/modify a process. It is an abstract concept, used in the modeling, system design and system exploitation.-In control theory:...

 or reports does it generate? Does it come with default data? Is any of its input sensitive to timing or sequencing?

Platform

Platform is what the product depends upon. What operating systems and related service packs, browsers, runtime libraries, plug-ins, languages and locales, etc. does it run on? Does the user need to configure the environment? Does it depend on third-party components?

Operations

Operations are scenarios in which the product will be used. Who are the application's users and what are their patterns and sequences of input? Where and how will they use it? What are the different ways a user can use the product's features?

See also

• Ad hoc testing
  Ad hoc testing
  Ad hoc testing is a commonly used term for software testing performed without planning and documentation ....
  
  
• Exploratory testing
• Session-based testing