Thorough testing is vital for quality assurance, and best practices in software testing can yield high-end software at the end. The current post is giving fine clues regarding the prevailing best practices in software testing projects.
Recent cyberattacks have proved that security has paramount importance for any software life cycle. The best QA and testing practices can help software development companies to cut the worst incidents considerably.
Here are 13 best practices to ensure successful software testing projects.
Rely Only on a Controlled Security Environment for Testing
Today, many software development companies and freelancers prefer cloud-based testing to capitalize on the cloud’s benefits. Unfortunately, the cloud has tons of vulnerabilities, particularly when the public cloud is in use.
Software development agencies instead should invest on testing infrastructure and create a secure testing environment locally to avoid the internet and cloud-based vulnerabilities.
For mobile app testing, regional testing labs and libraries are the best alternatives, where manual and automated testing take place securely and safely.
Carry Tests Throughout the Software Development Cycle
Testing only on the QA stage of the software designing process is an inadequate approach. Testing must carry with each major output/feature of the software. Plan the testing schedule right from the beginning stage of the development process.
Early testing can catch bugs early and cut the defects early. It improves the quality of software and cuts the labor in the final stage of QA, and reduces the cost of quality maintenance. Moreover, it builds the confidence among the team of developers to include some innovations in the product.
Break Tests in Small Fractions
When you carry tests frequently and throughout the cycle, take smaller tests to save time and resources. Many tests are longer than we think, so carry such tests in smaller fractions such as UI testing, function testing, security testing, UX testing and so on.
Write Tests for Maximum Coverage
Write all types of tests to cover the maximum, if 100 percent is not possible. When you write test cases for valid conditions as well as unexpected conditions/behavior of apps under the test, you can cover maximum.
Moreover, write test cases in the requirements step for analysis and designing step, too. This way, your requirements also become testable.
Carry Regression Tests
You must recognize and segregate your test cases for regression testing. A quick and effective manual regression testing is beneficial for the quality assurance of the. During regression testing, use a bug graph (number of bugs against time for different modules) to predict the most possible buggy part of the app.
Programmers Should Not Write Tests
Technically, tests must be written before coding. Programmers should not write tests or test cases for their own code to reduce the chances of biased tests or a lack of creativity in the test. Tests should carry tests with own perspectives.
Note and Report All Tests
When you carry manual testing or automated testing, keep records of all tests. Note all test progress and observations in a file, and incorporate these observations into the final test reports. Thus, you can release absolutely unambiguous test reports and required details.
Some of the things that should be noted include the bug’s symptoms, the effects it exerts on the entire system, and all possible solutions to make testing meaningful.
Clean the Test Code Prior to Final Release of Software Product
When an application under the test requires changes in core code to carry a test successfully, it must be cleaned once the testing process is completed. Therefore, record-keeping of testing code is a highly beneficial practice. In addition, save time and resources by cleaning the testing code from the core code at the time of the deployment of the final application.
Isolate the Application from Developers
During the development stage, designers and developers make constant changes mostly in a collaborative manner, particularly when the MVC paradigm has followed. Testing the application within the development environment is not advisable. For unbiased and complete testing, you must isolate the application from the design and programming environment for a declared period of testing.
Customize Testing
Write custom testing solutions for each project according to needs and their possible use cases. A module in an app running on a smartphone has different use cases than the tablet environment, so write the test accordingly.
Accumulated Skilled Testers
Highly skilled testers in the team is a welcome move for the success. Your testing team must have functional and automated testers with the latest testing skills in their respective areas.
Similarly, for performance testing, you should have mixed talents with skills on LoadRunner and JMeter testing. Moreover, you should look for additional skills in your testing team such as UFT, HP ALM, Selenium and other open-source tools for advanced testing.
Build a Target Operating Model for Testing
Define testing processes, methods, tools, RACI matrix and communications for your testing project. Acknowledge all developers and team members of the QA department regarding these, their project goals and the responsibilities allocated to them.
The process is termed as the target operating model for testing, and it helps in the successful entry of any new team member to work toward the common objectives.
Have a Mix of In-house and Offshore Teams
Collecting a testing team with required skills and investing in testing infrastructure is not always possible with all software development companies, particularly in developed countries where wages are higher.
Therefore, you have to rely on outsourcing testing/QA team and their infrastructure. However, not all kinds of testing are possible with offshore teams, and you have to mix the tests and talents with offshore and onshore for successful testing.
For instance, the behavior of the consumers/users of some products are different between the west and the east, and you need to carry such test cases in the west with the help of local or in-house team through applications that were built by the offshore team.
Conclusion
We have explored the best practices to enhance the testing projects for better quality and security of your software in the modern age. Experienced and expert software testing developers are mandatory to hit your testing goals.
About the Author / Tarang Vyas
Tarang Vyas is a head of the development team at software development company Perception System. He has been in the industry for 15 years. Connect with him on LinkedIn.