Does everything in software testing depend entirely on strict planning? The answer to this question is quite simple, Not Always! If we talk about exploratory testing in Agile or any other project methodology, one of the essential factors to depend upon is the testers’ skill set and qualification. Before conducting any exploratory testing, it is necessary to know everything about it in detail.
In this article, we’ll let you know everything about exploratory testing in agile or any other project methodology, along with its benefits, stages, and many more things.
What is Exploratory Testing?
Exploratory testing is a kind of software testing where test cases are not created in advance, but instead, the testers check the system on the fly. The testers may note down the ideas about what to test before execution. The main focus of exploratory testing in agile models is more on testing as a “thinking” activity.
In exploratory testing, the testers do not work based on previous or formerly created test cases. The testers check the system without a plan in mind intending to discover bugs that the users may face while navigating any application or website without any specific direction or aim.
Exploratory testing in agile models is all about discovery, investigation, and learning. This testing’s primary aim is to check and find out the actual performance, work, and behavior of a product under various conditions. As exploratory testing relies on the testers’ knowledge and skillset, if the testers pose a complete and expert understanding of the software and have experience in the composition of test cases, the testing is likely to be successful and outstanding.
Stages Or Steps In Exploratory Testing
The stages of exploratory testing in agile are as follows:
Create Test Charter: After classifying the bugs in the software, the next step is to create a test charter. The test charter should include the following:
- What features to test?
- How to test?
- What are the bugs to look for?
- What metrics must be kept in mind while testing?
Time Box: The third stage in exploratory testing is Time Box. It is just a kind of time frame that sets the time limit for the testing session. The point of Time Box is for the testers to test and respond to the system responses. It involves the following particular slot.
- Testers work on the tests outlined above for a specific amount of time, ranging from 80-90 minutes.
- This time should be without any interruptions.
- If necessary and required, the time box can be extended or reduced depending upon the test progression.
Classify The Bugs: The first and foremost step in conducting exploratory testing is to check and detect the bugs that the users might face while navigating the website or an application. It includes:
- Categorizing the commonly detected bugs in a similar software
- Analyzing and recording the root cause of such commonly detected bugs
- Developing test scenarios to test these commonly detected bugs
Review Results: Last but not least, the final stage in exploratory testing is reviewing and examining the results. It includes:
- Catalog the identified bugs
- Evaluate the defects
- Note down the learning
Now let’s have a look at what are the advantages that are offered by exploratory testing!
Advantages and Benefits Of Exploratory Testing
The advantages or benefits of performing exploratory testing are as follows:
Quick Testing: Exploratory testing in agile works well when you have a time crunch that stops you from writing detailed test cases to define the entire process of testing. With exploratory testing, you can easily start exploring the software and provide feedback quickly with no time.
Supports Agile: Exploratory testing blends very well with agile methodology and DevOps. It can easily sustain changes in requirements and provide instant feedback. This type of testing also saves time by creating testing designs and procedures in parallel.
Rapid and Quick Feedback: The process of exploratory testing helps get fast and quick feedback from stakeholders as well, even before the application is launched and released. The testing also helps to refine the functionality and enhances the entire software reliability. It further reduces the risk of leaving any critical defects at the last point of software release.
Other Advantages: The other advantages of exploratory testing are as follows:
- It helps to uncover a wide variety of bugs
- Developers, designers, testers, and any other stakeholders can perform this test as it does not require any script
- During the Iterative coding of any application, exploratory testing is perfect for testing new features
- If the requirements of the project are unstable, exploratory testing is ideal for testing new requirements within a limited time frame
Best Practices For Exploratory Testing
The best practices that must be followed by the testers while conducting exploratory testing are as follows:
Use Real Devices and Browsers: Customers will use the software on real devices. Therefore, real devices and real browsers must be used to run exploratory tests. No simulator or emulator will provide the actual user conditions to test upon.
Understand the Customer: All types of software testing, including exploratory testing, is about checking the quality of the product so that it offers maximum user satisfaction. Therefore, for effective exploratory testing, understanding the viewpoint of the customer is essential. In fact, exploratory testing only makes sense when it is conducted from the perspective of the customers.
Know the Competitors: Knowing the competitors is essential because it will help the testers to know which bugs to look out for. This must begin from the development stage itself.
All these practices must always be kept in mind for running the exploratory testing effectively.
The Bottom Line
Here you come down to the bottom line of a quick guide to exploratory testing. The exploratory testing process uses the skills and context-driven approach toward testing and uses human expertise to detect the software’s highly critical bugs and issues. With Codoid’s exploratory testing services, you can ensure high-quality software will be released in the market. At Codoid, we have highly skilled testers with a broad skill set that will perform quality exploratory testing of your software and application to offer outstanding results. Rely on Codoid’s exploratory testing services to experience the best of what exploratory testing can offer!
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