As per Statista, the global number of mobile devices will grow by 3.7 billion in the next three years. It’s not difficult to believe, given the mass digitization prompted by social distance and accompanied by remote work and education.

Besides that, according to eMarketer, smartphone users in the United States invest 88% of their time on apps. Of course, the figures can differ from country to country. After all, the general trend is clear, individuals chose apps for web browsing in tabs.

This fact serves as a reminder that any mobile app should be thoroughly tested before being published. An organization should provide customers with an attractive and usable software product to ensure anticipated business success and high customer retention. To put it another way, mobile QA combined with a strong testing strategy is critical.

Testing Strategy

A test strategy is a document that illustrates the software development cycle’s testing approach. From a quality assurance standpoint, the aim of a test strategy is to create an understanding of the overall targets, approach, tools and timing of test activities to be done. A testing strategy is a collection of guidelines that a quality assurance team follows in order to meet the quality-related goals for a software product. A mobile app testing approach provides a response to the following question:

It’s not to be confused with a quality assurance strategy. The latter includes a wider range of topics than just testing. A testing plan is similar except that it is more comprehensive. A research technique is often included in a testing plan for smaller projects. The testing goals, team roles and responsibilities, defect monitoring and reporting, resources, and deliverables are typically included in a mobile strategy document. Merely stated, it describes how testing can be carried out in a manner that both parties will comprehend. 

What Is the Importance of a Mobile App Testing Strategy?

Only skilled QA services like TestDel can effectively manage several quality-related aspects of production. It makes no difference whether an organization decides to build an in-house team or outsource QA. The aim is to ensure that testing isn’t solely motivated by excitement but also involves specialist knowledge. Testing a mobile app entails more than just running through a few popular user flows. It should cover all possible criteria and take into account usage cases that aren’t immediately apparent. Furthermore, certain factors, such as app performance monitoring, necessitate the use of a particular tech stack.

Testing necessitates extensive preparation, which is encapsulated in a custom approach that covers all of the strategic areas, outlines key testing tasks, functions, and obligations, and so on. Every operation occupies a distinct position in the system. It’s critical to properly plan those events so that they don’t conflict with each other. The same can be said for goals, money, and operations. All is documented and decided upon, making the testing process more organized, transparent to all involved, and thus easier to handle.

Step-by-Step Testing Strategy for Mobile Applications

Let us begin with the foundation of a mobile app testing strategy. It typically includes the following elements and segments:

 

• Page Headline

• Control of documents

• An identifier for Test Strategy

• Documents List

• Introduction

• Aim

• Procedure for Testing

• General Approach

• The Intensity of the Issue

•  Priority of the Issue

• Life Cycle of a Defect

• The Environment

• Tools and Methods

• Deliverables

 

It’s important to note that this isn’t the only way of writing a testing strategy. You could, for example, provide information on potential risks and how to mitigate them. Some clauses can differ in structure and content. This mobile testing technique example is focused on the reports that our team uses. More information on the above-mentioned elements can be found in the text.

BEGIN WITH VITAL INFORMATION.

Make a title page for the report that includes the report’s name, such as Product Name Testing Strategy.

Below, attach a Test Strategy Identifier – a document-specific number. It is created in order to determine the research technique, its standard, and the software level that is associated with it. Include details about document control. It typically takes the form of two tables: one for document details and another for change control. The report title, edition, date, digital file name and place, writer, and collaborators are all listed in the Document Detail section. The issue date, edition, specifics (e.g., a working draught), and writers are all shown in Change Control.

The document control portion allows you to keep tracking of any changes that occur throughout the process. A mobile app testing approach, though relatively static, can be adjusted as a project progresses or if project specifications or client requests alter.

CREATE A PRESENTATION

The presentation and introduction are the following portions of the strategy report. Here, a QA team describes the specific tasks that will take place. Consider the following example:

TestDel offers Functional, UI, Cross-Browser, Cross-Platform, Smoke, and Regression Testing assistance to find faults in applications before they can go live. Depending on the product specifications and requirements, the team creates test scenarios and cases. We conducted a thorough examination of the application’s agreed-upon features so that your company can meet its objectives.

This type of elaboration readies the individual who has access to documents for what they are all about to learn.

SPECIFY THE DOCUMENT PURPOSE.

It will be an explanation of why strategy is important and what it represents for stakeholders and developers. It acts as a warning to QA engineers of their task and the intent of their job. Here’s an illustration of how to phrase the purpose:

The purpose of this Test Strategy is to outline the team’s overall framework for analyzing the mobile application. The document outlines a complicated QA strategy that includes manual, efficient, and automated testing activities to ensure that the mobile application maintains the standard quality requirements for end-users. The research tasks, duties and responsibilities, procedures, practices, and services that will be used are all outlined in this document.

The aim section’s text will differ depending on the intended scope of the work and the things that will be inspected.

WRITE A SUMMARY OF THE TESTING PROCESS.

Occasionally, a client will provide a strongly outlined context of testing. In this case, you list the popular features that the team will be testing. For example, on the physical target devices, business-critical functionality. 

The importance of defining the research scope for all parties concerned cannot be overstated. It aids the QA team in allocating resources and planning the work of QA engineers. It informs investors about what will be tested and what will not be tested. In other words, everyone would have a clear understanding of the process. Furthermore, if a customer decides to include more activities, it is simpler to make adjustments at this phase.

A Team Lead should be aware of the following in order to correctly assess the context:

• requirements of the client
• specifications of the product
• funding for the project
• members of the research team’s abilities

Before beginning to write the testing plan, a QA team meets with a client to address the need for specific mobile device testing styles. Initially splitting the method into phases is the most effective way of summarizing the details about the future testing activities.

4.1.1 Test phase 1 

Manual testing is often the first step in mobile app testing. As a result, the first step is manual testing – either complete or partial coverage of the features requested by the client. If a product is a video player, for example, a client can require that only cross-device and cross-platform tests be performed.

As a result, you must define the types of testing that the team will conduct during the first process. Functional testing, UI testing, compatibility testing, smoke testing, regression testing, and other activities are all needed for a mobile application. The exact list can vary according to the features. Integration testing, accessibility testing, and other tasks may be needed. When identifying the types of tests that are needed, pay attention and don’t depend on sample documents. You must ensure that anything necessary is involved. 

Give a brief description of each method of testing and its goals. You should have brief notes about the strategies that can or should be used by a QA team. Consider the following situation:

 Functional Testing

Goals:

Functional testing concentrates on the product specifications and seeks to ensure that all functions of the mobile device function properly. The goal of functional tests is to ensure that data adoption, processing, and extraction meet the requirements, as well as that business logic and rules are implemented correctly. This method of testing is based on black-box techniques, which include investigating internal procedures when interacting directly with the product lacking access to the source code.

Once you’ve listed the different forms of testing, explain how you’ll handle the testing process. In this section, you can clarify who will be involved in the project and when they will be involved. You may also provide information about the onboarding procedure. Consider the following example:

Manual testing is the first step. The QA Lead will be active in the management and execution of the Test Strategy in the beginning. The expert will assess, test, control, and handle the continuing research, as well as take part in the testing. We recommend enlisting the help of a diverse team early on in order to complete full testing in the shortest time possible. We will run tests effectively and within the given timeframes after allocating the required number of QA engineers. As a result of this approach, we can thoroughly test the application and quickly identify weak points, allowing the development team to begin bug fixing while the QA team moves forward to the next stage. Other members of the team who will proceed to work on a project further will benefit from the QA Lead’s experience. The QA Lead will continue to oversee the process and pick dedicated resources after the diverse QA team completes the application testing. 

After that, make a list of the test questions. You may refer to the test items as application features to keep this section short and decide when the team can offer test cases or guidelines. If the objective is to evaluate just a portion of the functionality (e.g., an e-commerce app’s shopping cart or transaction flow, an e-learning app’s student interface, newly added features), make sure to specify this in the test items segment to prevent any potential misconceptions.

After that, provide information about resources and deadlines. You can do it on a table. Expert, Timeframes, Cost, and Obligations are the categories to build. Put in the information for each professional involved in each row. The amount of specialists required will, as always, be determined by the details of the project.

4.1.2 Stage x

Based on the market, intent, and business objectives, the number of phases can vary from application to application. Following the completion of Functional Testing, the QA team can move on to Performance Testing, Security Testing, Automation, and New Feature Testing, among other things. 

Keep in mind that this segment’s design does not have to be the same for each point. It’s possible that you’ll have to go into great detail about the goals of performance testing. Specific terms and definitions can be included in the security testing process, as well as the degree of responsibility (e. g. what areas you can check and what is beyond your control). As a result, the method summary may differ. More details about each stage of the test automation process, for example, may be appropriate.

 DESCRIBE THE GENERAL METHOD

This segment outlines the requirements for entering and exiting various processes, such as study and preparation, research, and so on. You may simply make a bulleted list of these points. Organizational change, alerts, and test pass/fail requirements are all covered in the General Method section. Try to ensure to divide the material into subsections with clear headings. A mobile app testing strategy is intended to keep information understandable for all parties, and formatting is important as well.

 SPECIFY THE SEVERITY AND IMPORTANCE OF THE ISSUE

This data can be presented in a table (or rather two tables, since we are speaking about two different classifications). The words you should use are mentioned below:

Issue Severity

• Blockers 
• Crucial
• Major
• Minor
• Illogical

Priority of Issue

• Critical
• High
• Medium
• Low

Include specific descriptions of the severity and priority levels listed above. The gradient and distinction are generally understood by development teams. It can be challenging for team members who do not have a technical background.

DESCRIBE THE LIFE CYCLE OF A FLAW

Flaw life cycle data may serve as a reminder of a step-by-step procedure for dealing with issues that have been identified. This segment would be particularly useful for stakeholders with non-technical backgrounds and new team members. There are six different phases in the defect life cycle:

7.1 Recognition 

If a defect can be reproduced, it is recorded in a bug tracking system.

7.2 Prioritization

The intensity of the defect determines its priority in the backlog.

7.3 Analysis 

A specialist investigates the defect.

7.4 Resolution

The defect is fixed by a production team.

7.5 Validation

A QA team runs checks once more to ensure that the bug has been resolved.

7.6 Closure

In the bug monitoring system, an tester closes the defect.

 DEFINE THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND STRUCTURAL REQUIREMENTS.

Test logistics prepares the history for research, in addition to the criteria. The following are possible access information for environmental and structural needs:

• The testing environments can be accessed via the links.
• Test Credentials
• Specifications for the projects
• Access to a bug monitoring system, a chat tool, and other similar tools.

 NOTIFY ABOUT THE TOOLS AND RESOURCES

Here, you’ll concentrate on the technology stack that the QA team will employ. Make a list of all the software you’ll use for test management, bug tracking, automation, and so on. You can either stick to the list or provide a quick summary of each method. If you choose the second choice, specify whether the solution is free or charged, how many clients are assisted per plan, and so on.

10. COMPILE A LIST OF DELIVERABLES

Make it clear what products a customer will get at the end. Guidelines, test cases, manual and automated test reports are common artefacts created during the testing process. Since clients do not need all of them, it is appropriate to seek clarification and include it in the document. Links to model test cases and test results are often included. In the text, you can also provide examples of test cases and bug reports.

SUBMIT THE DOCUMENT FOR APPROVAL AND EVALUATION

Eventually, it’s time to put the finishing touches on the document. The main stakeholders, as well as the production and testing teams, study, approve, and sign the mobile device testing plan. Include names and contact information for those who will review and authorize the paper, as well as those who will use it. It will come in handy in the future.

CONCLUSION

Each mobile app necessitates a unique testing strategy. One of the artefacts that documents it is a testing strategy. It transforms high-level objectives into actual activities that try to ensure excellent performance on the end product. It also fills the gap between stakeholders, aligning them in terms of terminology, commitments, technology stack, and so on. So, before you start writing a mobile testing plan, read about the product and the client’s goals. Make a point of covering all facets of the upcoming research procedure. Explain the terms that were used. Before sending the document for approval, double-check that you haven’t left any contentious issues.

Please do not hesitate to contact TestDel if you are searching for a quality assurance and testing company that can help you develop an effective plan for your mobile app.