Before entering the software development industry, you need to take one thing into account, which is to come up with a high-quality product before it hits the market. Software testing was once considered as an afterthought or highly ignored has now become the core of any application development project. In fact, it turns out to be the last and most precious piece of the jigsaw puzzle, which fits in smoothly and gives a proper meaning to the development project. Conducting proper software testing procedures won’t just assist in creating a unique or robust app but also save time, reduce costs, especially with no need to do the rework, enhance user satisfaction and more. The key is to make sure that you manage to do it in the right manner. However, it is always advisable to consider seeking assistance from a reputable and reliable team of professionals who are knowledgeable and highly experienced in offering the best possible results.
However, you can keep reading the following post, which will guide you in conducting software testing in the right manner. Here you will come across some of the best practices to consider so that you end up creating a superior software which aligns with user expectations.
Time to get the basics right
What is software testing? It is a process for verifying and validating the fact that the developed software app is absolutely free from unwanted bugs, errors and issues. Basically, it is good to go in terms of satisfying user requirements more efficiently and effectively.
Imagine there is an app you have put lots and lots of effort into for approximately a year, the release of the first version is approaching quickly, and the stakes are really high. As soon as the app is released, everyone is shocked since it looks great, all the features are pretty fantastic, but the app is riddled with embarrassing bugs and in the end, you find things pretty unsatisfactory and unforgiving reviews.
*So, what to do? Conduct rigorous software testing. *
When you conduct an app development project, mistakes are bound to happen; that’s a given, and we have a sure-shot way to resolve them as well, which is also a given. There is no excuse for delivering a highly compromised product, it’s just the bottom line. Fortunately, there is a solution which must be considered beforehand: software testing.
After so many years, there are several businesses and startups that dare to skip the concept of software testing just to save some bugs, but what they don’t know is, this can lead to severe damages for overlooking such crucial steps. Some of the major consequences could be not being able to make a strong and precise first impression, and spending more and more dollars on rework and redo.
Here’s a known example for you, back in the year 2014, Flipkart came up with “Big Billion Sale.”. Now, the moment it was launched, it catered for lots and lots of traffic, which made the website more and more vulnerable since it couldn’t handle the enormous traffic load, resulting in severe downtime.
In addition to this, software testing can result in enhanced product quality since the product is bug-free. Also, other than being bug-free, the app also needs to be enhanced in terms of security. You see, hackers these days tend to get hold of all the confidential data and information from your site, which is why security testing has become a must before its release.
eCommerce stores, banking apps require relevant payment information, which means you need to fix security-related bugs, or else it can lead to massive financial losses. This could be one of the biggest nightmares, isn’t it? Software testing can definitely increase the security of the developed product.
Types of Software Testing
- Functional Testing
- Unit Testing
- Integration Testing
- System Testing
- Sanity Testing
- Smoke Testing
- Interface Testing
- Regression Testing
- Beta/acceptance testing
Non-Functional Testing
- Performance testing
- Load Testing
- Stress Testing
- Volume Testing
- Security Testing
- Compatibility Testing
- Install Testing
- Recovery Testing
- Reliability Testing
- Usability Testing
- Compliance Testing
Localization Testing
Black-Box Testing
White-Box Testing
Grey-Box Testing
Process of Software Testing
- Requirement gathering and planning
- Proper preparation
- Seamless execution
- Absolute reporting
- Result analysis
Best Practices to Consider When Conducting Software Testing
Properly plan your Tests
First and foremost aspect to consider is properly planning your tests. Seems very obvious, but is extremely important. So what you have to do is to make sure to do it in a pretty clear and concise roadmap, and this needs to be done in the form of a well-documented structure, and successfully establish clear communication.
It is very important to create crystal clear kind of goals and objectives, and in addition to being clear, the plan needs to be pretty much concise as well. And it shouldn’t be just at the first stage, but followed at every stage of the testing procedures.
Here is the key: try following this 5-letter word, “SMART”, what does this mean, you may ask? Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. If you follow this, then nothing can stop you from creating a great testing plan.
Whatever cycle this is, whether it’s a development cycle or testing cycle, planning is the most important aspect to consider, and unfortunately, it is often ignored or overlooked. However, you need to remember that a successful software testing life cycle must include proper planning.
Make automation testing top priority
The next best practice to consider in software testing is to make way for automation testing. Over the years, manual testing has been among the most preferred options and the only choice available. As time passes and technology advances, the concept of automation has gained prominence, and it is now considered one of the top activities to take into account.
In the present times, there are mainly two ways to test; one is thoroughly being conducted thoroughly by manual efforts, and the second is automation without any need for manual intervention. However, manual testing used to take ample of time and effort and the process involved experts to examine different features of the app developed and end up generating a concrete test report.
Well, automation testing, on the other hand, includes the entire process being automated. Here, most of the time, pre-scripted tests tend to run just to compare actual and expected outcomes. Here, there is no need for constant human intervention, and regression testing doesn’t seem much of a problem.
This doesn’t mean, automating testing is making manual testing obsolete. You see, generating testing scripts requires lots and lots of human effort, and even if things are automated, human supervision is a mandatory thing.
With automation, testing becomes much easier, and it won’t make manual testing obsolete. For ultimate outcomes, it is always advisable to combine automated and manual testing.
Choose proper agile testing methodologies
Agile development is still much in vogue, no two ways about it! And when combined, agile methodologies and testing can create history. In fact, over the years, these two concepts have proved to be the ultimate optimal methodology for modern software production.
The agile concept tends to break down the process into sprints, which is mainly used to capture bugs at an early stage. This definitely releases software timelines. No wonder agile methodologies are highly preferred to develop exclusive and exquisite mobile apps across the world.
Right from rapid iterations to user-centric development and flexible adaptation, agile methodologies cover it all. Moreover, here you get to focus more on cross-functional collaboration and addressing several aspects such as UI/UX design, device compatibility, and performance optimisation.
Agile methodologies definitely assist in cutting adequate time to market, leading to high quality, absolute functionality, and timely updates.
Agile emphasises more on automation, ensuring swift delivery, even complementing manual testing. This definitely enhances human judgment.
Evaluate project risks
The next best practice to consider is evaluating project risks. Potential threats and risks must be analysed before it is too late. And this needs to be done pretty extensively. I mean, one cannot afford to burn a hole in their respective pockets, can they? So, what to do, simple, try tackling these problems proficiently. Keep all the potential risks and issues in check.
- Identify and mitigate project risks - Identifying and mitigating different project risks is very important to achieve desired outcomes.
- Project cost-benefit analysis - Make sure the benefits offered by conducting thorough testing outweigh the costs, especially in terms of product quality and customer satisfaction. Do make sure to evaluate trade-offs and prioritise all the testing efforts.
- Managing risks - Do not forget to develop a risk management framework which enables you to successfully monitor and manage risks seamlessly right from the beginning till the end of the testing procedure.
- Ensure comprehensive test coverage - Checking rigorously all the aspects of the developed software is a must, featuring functionality, performance, security, and usability.
Invest in a secure testing environment
Last but certainly not least factor to take into account is to invest in a secure testing environment. As we know that cybersecurity threats and data breaches are increasing at a phenomenal rate, security testing has become pretty much imperative in the software development realm. So, concepts such as penetration testing, vulnerability scanning, and code review need to be considered well for identifying and rectifying all the possible security vulnerabilities.
It is very crucial to conduct robust security testing to safeguard all the sensitive data and maintain customer trust. So, what to do here is?
Identify all possible security needs
Evaluate all available security-based solutions
Choose and implement all the required security measures
Keep watching the security environment every now and then.
Final Words
So that’s all for now! I guess you have learned what software testing is, why it is important, and what are the best practices are to consider when conducting a software testing project.
You need to remember this: Testing is Software’s Lifeline. The importance of delivering the best possible product cannot be ignored at any rate. In addition to all this, you must also keep this in mind: your customer won’t trust you easily, but only if you offer them a consistent and reliable range of products and services. One wrong move can make you face tons and tons of repercussions. So do not even think about taking any kind of shortcuts, and see for yourself, the long way can definitely offer you fruitful results.
I hope you did find the following post worth reading. In case if you have any kind of doubts or queries, feel free to mention them in the comment section below. Also, wish you all the best for your upcoming software development project and do not hesitate to seek assistance from a reputable and reliable development company across the globe.
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