Contrary to common belief, software testing is not solely for the purpose of detecting bugs. Its primary purpose is to provide data on the tested solution’s results. This data supports the development team in better understanding the product’s actions and improving its consistency. The outcome of testing is highly dependent on the methods and tools used, as well as the testers’ skills. However, it is a huge mistake to believe that because this method of testing is part of the production process, it doesn’t need any innovative strategies. It’s best to keep up to date on new research methodologies and tools in order to keep the testing skills sharp.
We’ve tried a variety of methods at TestDel to get the most out of testing activities while keeping them rapid and responsive. Some suggestions for improving the testing process are presented in this blog. This article would be beneficial to test managers and quality assurance engineers who are searching for tried-and-true approaches to enhance software testing.
Methods to Enhance the Software Testing Process
The following methods will assist the organization in improving its software testing process:
1. Utilize cloud-based solutions
Using cloud-based software and tools will help you save money on your project while also speeding up the testing process. We use Amazon Web Services (AWS) at TestDel to boost load checking. In large organizations, we often build distributed applications that serve thousands and thousands of endpoints. As a result, we’ll need a lot of endpoints to load test these solutions. During this form of research, we’ve run into two big issues:
- At a certain point in time, endpoints must be visible.
- Acquiring a required amount of endpoints solely for testing purposes is very expensive.
By introducing AWS solutions, we were able to address all of these problems. Now we can build a digital world and only lease the resources we need for the duration of the tests.
We can do the following with cloud-based resources:
- Create the same environment in 10 minutes.
- During testing, increase the load by automating the majority of manual and repetitive tasks.
- Conduct tests whenever we need to shorten the time it takes to discover, patch, and validate bugs.
2. Set Up an effective team communication
One of the most frequently discussed ways of improving the software testing process is to improve team communication. At TestDel, we give prioritize to:
- Creating high-quality contact in each project.
- Identifying and eliminating knowledge gaps within the team
- Making responsibilities and priorities transparent to each team member.
Such measures may seem self-evident, but we’ve found that having a consistent dialogue between all members of the team helps to accelerate product delivery.
We involve developers in reviewing test documents, for example, as they gain a deeper understanding of function implementation. Furthermore, developers examine documentation from a different perspective than testers. As a result, our testers write more test cases, which helps us find and correct more problems that aren’t immediately apparent.
Before showing the presentation to the customer, we also execute a product demo for the team. It takes very little time, but it helps us to quickly get new team members up to speed and establish a common understanding of a new function. We hold project recaps in addition to making project correspondence accessible to all team members. This is a crucial aspect of Agile growth and it entails the entire team. A review meeting summarises the outcomes of the previous sprint and helps the team to identify and address testing and quality assurance problems as well as brainstorm new solutions.
The above image shows how we improve communication in the team.
3. Automate Regression Testing
The advantages of test automation are self-evident: instead of manually running test cases, a tester may use dedicated software to automate the system and put their time to active testing of features scheduled for release. There is a key to improving the test automation process: when preparing the testing strategy, create a test implementation plan because automation has an effect on project estimates and budget.
As a result, we provide as many automated tests as possible in the planning stage of our projects and assign resources to operate them. We make an effort to cover both basic and essential functionality. We automate both regression and acceptance tests when working on a long-term project that involves a large number of regression tests.
4. Apply tried and tested methods and techniques
Many testing teams attempt to coordinate their work in innovative ways. We think it’s best to look at industry-accepted testing methods before coming up with your own. There are numerous test process models and structured improvement methods available, with the following being the most popular are as follows:
- Integration of the Capability Maturity Model
- Model of complexity validation
- Processes of clinical testing
- Process of test and evaluation in a Structured Manner
- Perfect template
To avoid formulating test cases and adjust the scope of testing according to business needs, TestDel utilizes the Systematic Test and Evaluation Process, or Phase. We also use the TPI Next (Test Process Improvement) method.
TPI helps in the following areas:
- Reduce the ratio of consumer defects from 20% to 5%
- Increase coverage of unit tests to 49%
- Reduce the number of bugs found from 100 to 70 in a single 8 to 10 week release.
5. Utilize test management tools
The secret to efficient QA process changes is effective test management. The ultimate goal of test management is to create a test process that is controllable, predictable, and adaptable to any project. The following are typical roles of test managers:
- Estimating and preparation tests
- Carrying out and monitoring checks
- Keeping track of tests
- Managing the testing team
Many of these tasks can be completed manually, but using dedicated software significantly accelerates the process. If the research team has three or more QA engineers, we believe it is fair to incorporate a management tool. Smaller groups, on the other hand, will benefit from automated test management.
TestRail, Jazz, and Zephyr are the most common automated testing tools (a Jira plugin).
Ways To Improve Your Software Testing Skills
It’s just as necessary to improve your testers’ testing skills as it is to improve your testing process. In this blog, we will explain some ways to improve your software testing skills, and that is as follows:
1. Know about the Agile Methodology
The productivity of the tester is calculated by the quality of their work and their ability to meet deadlines. Testers should study agile and DevOps methodology to reach delivery deadlines because it promotes collaborative and iterative working models. DevOps manages the cross-functional coordination that includes creation, analysis, and QA. Agile methodology helps to improve the pace of the testing process, and DevOps manages the cross-functional coordination that includes development, analysis, and QA. These methodologies would produce a high-quality end product in less time, allowing the techies to focus on future launches.
2. Automation procedure
With the advancement of modern technology, relying solely on manual testing is no longer recommended. In reality, automation aids testers in their work on browser usability, performance, and integration layers. Testers who are skilled in automation can execute the project with greater precision. A variety of testing instruments are available on the market. Keep yourself up to date with these automation methods for various types of testing. The testing process could be completed rapidly and efficiently with the aid of these automation tools.
3. Innovations for the Web and Mobile
Each application nowadays is released with web and mobile compatibility. Every tester should be comfortable with both web and mobile technologies, as this will help in their understanding of the application’s form and scalability. This often aids in the selection of the appropriate testing action. To provide successful QA solutions, testers are supposed to keep an eye on both web and mobile technologies and innovations.
4. Documentation and Preparation of test
To define the criteria of the testing process, a successful tester is required to have test preparation and documentation skills. This type of ability helps in easily monitoring the process, detecting any changes in the requirements, and timely reporting. It not only halts the process by monitoring it, but it also assists the company in budgeting.
5. Coding and Programming Skills
It is not mandatory for testers to be skilled in programming, but it is expected that they understand the fundamentals of how things function so that they can find bugs at the programming and coding level. Reducing bugs at the application code level makes the work easier while also increasing application performance.
6. Various Software Development Stages
It is recommended that testers be involved in the software development process at all times. It allows testers to learn more about the programme under evaluation and obtain a deeper understanding of it. If testers are involved right from the outset, the number of vulnerabilities can be discovered much sooner. It reduces the amount of time spent on tasks and is therefore cost-effective. Early testing environment planning allows sufficient time to focus on unknown threats as well. Participate in decision-making sessions to gain a deeper understanding of the application.
7. Healthy Relationship between Developers and Testers
To remove personal reasons for ineffective bug fixing, there should be a friendly and healthy relationship between the development and testing teams.
8. Providing Feedback and Reporting
Another pillar that supports your testing career is reporting skills. This ability aids in providing an overview of the project as well as the application’s current status. Efficient reporting of the test project could benefit from improved teamwork.
Conclusion
There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach to software testing; testing methods and toolkits are strongly influenced by the project’s objective, size, and budget, as well as the expertise of the test engineer. A competent test manager not only develops a custom workflow for each project but also looks for ways to increase testing performance.
TestDel Build the Software Testing Team You Need
Managed software testing services for the rapidly growing organization
We’ll help you fill in the gap in your product quality assurance by helping defining your own specific software testing plan and then assembling teams to carry it out over time. You’ll have lower risk and costs, and you’ll be able to offer better customer experiences that outperform the competition.