Test Planning is most important phase of Software testing life cyclewhere all testing strategy is defined. This phase also called as Test Strategy phase. In this phase typically Test Manager (or Test Lead based on company to company) involved to determine the effort and cost estimates for entire project. This phase will be kicked off once the requirement gathering phase is completed & based on the requirement analysis, start preparing the Test Plan. The Result of Test Planning phase will be Test Plan or Test strategy & TestingEffort estimation documents. Once test planning phase is completed the QA team can start with test cases development activity.
Tuesday, 1 November 2016
Sunday, 28 June 2015
Software Testing - Types of Testing
This section describes the different types of testing that may be used to test a software during SDLC.
Testers use test plans, test cases, or test scenarios to test a software to ensure the completeness of testing. Manual testing also includes exploratory testing, as testers explore the software to identify errors in it.
Apart from regression testing, automation testing is also used to test the application from load, performance, and stress point of view. It increases the test coverage, improves accuracy, and saves time and money in comparison to manual testing.
Furthermore, all GUI items, connections with databases, field validations, etc. can be efficiently tested by automating the manual process.
Manual Testing
Manual testing includes testing a software manually, i.e., without using any automated tool or any script. In this type, the tester takes over the role of an end-user and tests the software to identify any unexpected behavior or bug. There are different stages for manual testing such as unit testing, integration testing, system testing, and user acceptance testing.Testers use test plans, test cases, or test scenarios to test a software to ensure the completeness of testing. Manual testing also includes exploratory testing, as testers explore the software to identify errors in it.
Automation Testing
Automation testing, which is also known as Test Automation, is when the tester writes scripts and uses another software to test the product. This process involves automation of a manual process. Automation Testing is used to re-run the test scenarios that were performed manually, quickly, and repeatedly.Apart from regression testing, automation testing is also used to test the application from load, performance, and stress point of view. It increases the test coverage, improves accuracy, and saves time and money in comparison to manual testing.
What is Automate?
It is not possible to automate everything in a software. The areas at which a user can make transactions such as the login form or registration forms, any area where large number of users can access the software simultaneously should be automated.Furthermore, all GUI items, connections with databases, field validations, etc. can be efficiently tested by automating the manual process.
When to Automate?
Test Automation should be used by considering the following aspects of a software:- Large and critical projects
- Projects that require testing the same areas frequently
- Requirements not changing frequently
- Accessing the application for load and performance with many virtual users
- Stable software with respect to manual testing
- Availability of time
How to Automate?
Automation is done by using a supportive computer language like VB scripting and an automated software application. There are many tools available that can be used to write automation scripts. Before mentioning the tools, let us identify the process that can be used to automate the testing process:- Identifying areas within a software for automation
- Selection of appropriate tool for test automation
- Writing test scripts
- Development of test suits
- Execution of scripts
- Create result reports
- Identify any potential bug or performance issues
Software Testing Tools
The following tools can be used for automation testing:- HP Quick Test Professional
- Selenium
- IBM Rational Functional Tester
- SilkTest
- TestComplete
- Testing Anywhere
- WinRunner
- LaodRunner
- Visual Studio Test Professional
- WATIR
Software Testing - ISO Standards
Many organizations around the globe develop and implement different standards to improve the quality needs of their software. This chapter briefly describes some of the widely used standards related to Quality Assurance and Testing.
This standard proposed a framework that describes the usability components and the relationship between them. In this standard, the usability is considered in terms of user performance and satisfaction. According to ISO 9241-11, usability depends on context of use and the level of usability will change as the context changes.
SQuaRE is divided into sub-parts such as:
ISO/IEC 9126
This standard deals with the following aspects to determine the quality of a software application:- Quality model
- External metrics
- Internal metrics
- Quality in use metrics
- Functionality
- Reliability
- Usability
- Efficiency
- Maintainability
- Portability
ISO/IEC 9241-11
Part 11 of this standard deals with the extent to which a product can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with Effectiveness, Efficiency and Satisfaction in a specified context of use.This standard proposed a framework that describes the usability components and the relationship between them. In this standard, the usability is considered in terms of user performance and satisfaction. According to ISO 9241-11, usability depends on context of use and the level of usability will change as the context changes.
ISO/IEC 25000:2005
ISO/IEC 25000:2005 is commonly known as the standard that provides the guidelines for Software Quality Requirements and Evaluation (SQuaRE). This standard helps in organizing and enhancing the process related to software quality requirements and their evaluations. In reality, ISO-25000 replaces the two old ISO standards, i.e. ISO-9126 and ISO-14598.SQuaRE is divided into sub-parts such as:
- ISO 2500n - Quality Management Division
- ISO 2501n - Quality Model Division
- ISO 2502n - Quality Measurement Division
- ISO 2503n - Quality Requirements Division
- ISO 2504n - Quality Evaluation Division
- Terms and definitions
- Reference Models
- General guide
- Individual division guides
- Standard related to Requirement Engineering (i.e. specification, planning, measurement and evaluation process)
ISO/IEC 12119
This standard deals with software packages delivered to the client. It does not focus or deal with the clients’ production process. The main contents are related to the following items:- Set of requirements for software packages.
- Instructions for testing a delivered software package against the specified requirements.
Miscellaneous
Some of the other standards related to QA and Testing processes are mentioned below:| Standard | Description |
|---|---|
| IEEE 829 | A standard for the format of documents used in different stages of software testing. |
| IEEE 1061 | A methodology for establishing quality requirements, identifying, implementing, analyzing, and validating the process, and product of software quality metrics. |
| IEEE 1059 | Guide for Software Verification and Validation Plans. |
| IEEE 1008 | A standard for unit testing. |
| IEEE 1012 | A standard for Software Verification and Validation. |
| IEEE 1028 | A standard for software inspections. |
| IEEE 1044 | A standard for the classification of software anomalies. |
| IEEE 1044-1 | A guide for the classification of software anomalies. |
| IEEE 830 | A guide for developing system requirements specifications. |
| IEEE 730 | A standard for software quality assurance plans. |
| IEEE 1061 | A standard for software quality metrics and methodology. |
| IEEE 12207 | A standard for software life cycle processes and life cycle data. |
| BS 7925-1 | A vocabulary of terms used in software testing. |
| BS 7925-2 | A standard for software component testing. |
Software Testing - Myths
Myth 1 : Testing is Too Expensive
Reality : There is a saying, pay less for testing during software development or pay more for maintenance or correction later. Early testing saves both time and cost in many aspects, however reducing the cost without testing may result in improper design of a software application rendering the product useless.Myth 2 : Testing is Time-Consuming
Reality : During the SDLC phases, testing is never a time-consuming process. However diagnosing and fixing the errors identified during proper testing is a time-consuming but productive activity.Myth 3 : Only Fully Developed Products are Tested
Reality : No doubt, testing depends on the source code but reviewing requirements and developing test cases is independent from the developed code. However iterative or incremental approach as a development life cycle model may reduce the dependency of testing on the fully developed software.Myth 4 : Complete Testing is Possible
Reality : It becomes an issue when a client or tester thinks that complete testing is possible. It is possible that all paths have been tested by the team but occurrence of complete testing is never possible. There might be some scenarios that are never executed by the test team or the client during the software development life cycle and may be executed once the project has been deployed.Myth 5 : A Tested Software is Bug-Free
Reality : This is a very common myth that the clients, project managers, and the management team believes in. No one can claim with absolute certainty that a software application is 100% bug-free even if a tester with superb testing skills has tested the application.Myth 6 : Missed Defects are due to Testers
Reality : It is not a correct approach to blame testers for bugs that remain in the application even after testing has been performed. This myth relates to Time, Cost, and Requirements changing Constraints. However the test strategy may also result in bugs being missed by the testing team.Myth 7 : Testers are Responsible for Quality of Product
Reality : It is a very common misinterpretation that only testers or the testing team should be responsible for product quality. Testers’ responsibilities include the identification of bugs to the stakeholders and then it is their decision whether they will fix the bug or release the software. Releasing the software at the time puts more pressure on the testers, as they will be blamed for any error.Myth 8 : Test Automation should be used wherever possible to Reduce Time
Reality : Yes, it is true that Test Automation reduces the testing time, but it is not possible to start test automation at any time during software development. Test automaton should be started when the software has been manually tested and is stable to some extent. Moreover, test automation can never be used if requirements keep changing.Myth 9 : Anyone can Test a Software Application
Reality : People outside the IT industry think and even believe that anyone can test a software and testing is not a creative job. However testers know very well that this is a myth. Thinking alternative scenarios, try to crash a software with the intent to explore potential bugs is not possible for the person who developed it.Myth 10 : A Tester's only Task is to Find Bugs
Reality : Finding bugs in a software is the task of the testers, but at the same time, they are domain experts of the particular software. Developers are only responsible for the specific component or area that is assigned to them but testers understand the overall workings of the software, what the dependencies are, and the impacts of one module on another module.Verification & Validation
Verification & Validation
These two terms are very confusing for most people, who use them interchangeably. The following table highlights the differences between verification and validation.
These two terms are very confusing for most people, who use them interchangeably. The following table highlights the differences between verification and validation.
| S.N. | Verification | Validation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Verification addresses the concern: "Are you building it right?" | Validation addresses the concern: "Are you building the right thing?" |
| 2 | Ensures that the software system meets all the functionality. | Ensures that the functionalities meet the intended behavior. |
| 3 | Verification takes place first and includes the checking for documentation, code, etc. | Validation occurs after verification and mainly involves the checking of the overall product. |
| 4 | Done by developers. | Done by testers. |
| 5 | It has static activities, as it includes collecting reviews, walkthroughs, and inspections to verify a software. | It has dynamic activities, as it includes executing the software against the requirements. |
| 6 | It is an objective process and no subjective decision should be needed to verify a software. | It is a subjective process and involves subjective decisions on how well a software works. |
When to Stop Testing?
It is difficult to determine when to stop testing, as testing is a never-ending process and no one can claim that a software is 100% tested. The following aspects are to be considered for stopping the testing process:
- Testing Deadlines
- Completion of test case execution
- Completion of functional and code coverage to a certain point
- Bug rate falls below a certain level and no high-priority bugs are identified
- Management decision
When to Start Testing?
When to Start Testing?
An early start to testing reduces the cost and time to rework and produce error-free software that is delivered to the client. However in Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), testing can be started from the Requirements Gathering phase and continued till the deployment of the software. It also depends on the development model that is being used. For example, in the Waterfall model, formal testing is conducted in the testing phase; but in the incremental model, testing is performed at the end of every increment/iteration and the whole application is tested at the end.
Testing is done in different forms at every phase of SDLC:
An early start to testing reduces the cost and time to rework and produce error-free software that is delivered to the client. However in Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), testing can be started from the Requirements Gathering phase and continued till the deployment of the software. It also depends on the development model that is being used. For example, in the Waterfall model, formal testing is conducted in the testing phase; but in the incremental model, testing is performed at the end of every increment/iteration and the whole application is tested at the end.
Testing is done in different forms at every phase of SDLC:
- During the requirement gathering phase, the analysis and verification of requirements are also considered as testing.
- Reviewing the design in the design phase with the intent to improve the design is also considered as testing.
- Testing performed by a developer on completion of the code is also categorized as testing.
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