A software testing solution is a critical part of systems development. Your business should understand the aspects, the methodologies, or the types of testing that best fit your needs.
But, what is a test solution?
This is a process in software development where your technical team eliminates problems and ensures quality. What problems would that be? Apps are:
- not working properly
- not providing value-added service to the business
- high-maintenance
- Producing unreliable data delivery
Sometimes, these problems only arise when you are already using the software or application. Thus, a necessary step is needed: a software testing solution.
Of course, the software testing doesn’t end here. You should determine:
- what methods to use
- the aspects that need testing
- types of software testing, and
- whether to opt for manual testing and automated testing
What are the software testing methods?
Being new in the world of software testing is overwhelming. Thus, it’s important to choose DevOps and engineering professionals who can assist and support your company from day one.
Your first step is to determine the testing methods suitable to the software being developed. Here are the most popular software development methodologies.
Agile Methodology
The agile methodology covers software development, testing, and market strategy. It involves short iterations or sprints.
In this method, a small group oversees each sprint that includes requirement analysis, planning, development, and software project testing. The DevOps management can reduce risks for an upcoming sprint because they can account for the previous software testing experience.
Waterfall Methodology
The Waterfall Methodology is to collect all the requirements for a system upfront, design the system, begin development on said system, and then finally test the system.
V Model Methodology
The V stands for verification and validation. In this methodology, the process of development and testing is simultaneous. So, when your DevOps management finishes a part of the software, they verify and validate the effectiveness and quality.
When your developer finds an error, they can easily correct it during the early stage of development. At this point, they can perfect the development process and testing software before the application services go online for use.
Incremental Methodology
This method includes multiple standalone modules. Each iteration builds on the prior standalone module. It creates value over time by enhancing developed features.
The incremental methodology has four phases each iteration passes through. During the Analysis phase, requirements are gathered.
After the requirements are gathered, the Design phase is entered into where solutions are planned out. The next phase is the Coding phase where the software is built.
Finally, we move into the Testing phase where the enhancement is validated. Like the Agile methodology, this method is flexible. The teams can quickly rectify an error during the testing process.
XP Methodology
This Extreme Programming method utilizes paired programming or extensive code reviews: developers write and review the code together. In this method, a testing stage is complete once your teams write the code and test it.
This method results in high-quality code and software. Each line of the code is checked. If your teams find an error, they can immediately change the code accordingly.
How can teams deliver the highest quality software?
To come up with the best app while minimizing cost, you need comprehensive testing and a wide range of tools. Each component, or aspect of the system, should be working and
accessible to intended users on various devices. Here are the elements your engineering team should test.
1. Basic Functions
The goal is to check the functions of the buttons and input areas to see if the system errors with simple data. In-depth testing would include all sorts of conditions that potential customers might do.
Some elements in basic functionality are:
- Basic usability: clients should be able to easily use the application
- Accessibility: ease of accessing the system
- Error conditions: the display of appropriate error messages
- Main functions: core functions should operate as intended
2. Code Reviews
Code is an essential aspect of all applications. Reviewing it is a requirement for an enterprise. Why? Because a code review uncovers complex problems within the technology. It improves coding and software quality.
What are the best practices of code review?
Review code changes made with the tester on your team before they begin executing tests to ensure everyone is on the same page and there are no obvious bugs.
3. Unit Tests
Expectations should be met when implementing code. Every time there is a change in source code, your team should run unit tests. This extra process ensures the changes made are working as expected and do not break any existing functionality.
Your developers should have mock services to ensure unit tests are done independently. Moreover, if test cases fail and the developer can’t fix them, the team should communicate about them.
4. Three Amigos
This concept encompasses the interrelatedness of perspectives and the increment of work in developing software. The first amigo (perspective) is related to the business. The second perspective relates to the development and lastly, the software tester.
Great communication and proper collaboration are the keys to this principle. Each person should understand and agree upon the requirements before, during, and after developing software. The Three Amigos help ensure everyone is on the same page.
What are the types of software testing solutions?
A software testing solution ensures your team is delivering the best software possible. In this section, learn the two major types of testing and their subtypes. Generally, testing is categorized into functional and non-functional.
Functional Testing
The goal is to ensure all aspects of the software work properly on various platforms. Moreover, the software behavior is within expectations.
- Unit testing
- Integration testing
- System testing
- Acceptance testing
Unit Testing
Developers write code that executes code at a low level. The end goal of unit testing is to test all core functionalities rapidly as changes are made. These tests should be as comprehensive as possible as they make debugging a lot simpler for developers, and catch defects before being promoted.
In these software testing services, you eliminate errors early in the process before stakeholders ever see them.
Integration Testing
This testing looks at how various components of the software solution work with one another.
Who does this testing? Either the developers or testers (independent from your team) perform the integration test. The goal is to ensure the system functions as an entire unit.
System Testing
Also known as black-box testing, your team tests the entire software structure and its compliance with the requirement specified during the development process. It’s end-to-end testing before the final phase (the production of the software systems) is executed.
Acceptance Testing
The common phrase for this type is beta testing where you make sure the criteria are met. Moreover, you assess the final product by letting end users evaluate it.
Non-functional Testing
The focus is on the operational side of the software. This usually includes performance, usability, compatibility, and most importantly, security.
Performance Testing
This focuses on the stability and responsiveness of software solutions in real situations. Load, stress, endurance, and spike (of load) are the factors being tested in this phase.
A software testing solution on performance takes into account the demand and concurrent uses of the software services. DevOps often use realistic and unrealistic scenarios to test performance and quality.
Security Testing
The goal of security testing is to find loopholes where criminals can steal critical data. If end-users access the software services through the web, the system is prone to cyber-attacks.
Thus, it’s important to check the quality and integrity of the software services. A customer should have proper authentication and authorization to use. Moreover, the software can maintain confidentiality, especially if the database is hosted in the cloud.
Usability Testing
Design, aesthetics, ease-of-use are just a few of the important factors in usability testing. These aspects reflect the workflow or processes without complicating what web users see.
Compatibility Testing
The software should be compatible with different devices, platforms, or environments. Meaning, it doesn’t matter what browsers, devices, or operating system a customer has. The system should work according to the specifications of the user.
Is Test Automation Different From Automated Testing in a Software Testing Solution?
It might be confusing but test automation and automated testing are two related concepts in software solutions. You need both to create efficient software solutions for companies.
How do they differ?
Let’s define the two in the context of continuous testing. By the way, continuous testing is conducting tests in an uninterrupted manner. You need to continue assessing risks in the development process and at the user’s end.
Test Automation
This automation refers to the whole process of tracking and managing the testing requirements. Often, companies (as a whole) benefit from test automation. This encompasses the beginning of the development cycle until the software technology is ready for deployment.
In this, you constantly communicate with members of the development and testing group, stakeholders, or people who are involved in the creation of much-needed software.
Often, you need testing tools and a work process to identify needs and to corroborate these to the appropriate people. These automation tools can help in maintaining software quality standards in every cycle of software development.
Automated Testing
Compared to test automation, automated testing focuses on a specific part of the development cycle – the testing software. Instead of manual processes, you automate the process of testing specific functionality.
This benefits the developers. It boosts their confidence and efficiency in rechecking functionalities or finding errors.
If your developers (or testers) evaluate a large system, automated testing can increase confidence and speed to market, while reducing testing costs. Teams can implement enhancements to the system and ensure they are not breaking existing functionality.
With the software testing process automated, there is a faster turnover of releases. Thus, your company can focus business resources on more important matters.
Conclusion
Software testing solutions involve rigorous processes, support, and a wide range of testing tools. The end goal is quality systems and code.
The ever-changing ways of doing business force industries such as banking, healthcare, and lab testing organizations to create applications to deliver their quality service to customers.
So, if you are in need of no-cost software testing solutions to manage your testing activities and automatically create automated API tests, you can begin using AccelaTest today. Accelerate quality delivery of your software now!