by admin | Jul 31, 2019 | Software Testing, Fixed, Blog |
Software testing or QA Testing acts as the ‘gatekeeper’, ensuring the delivery of quality software applications and packages to clients and customers. The very act of Software Testing implies the introduction of ‘hygiene’ in the development of computer code that drives a variety of modern software systems. As a corollary, the absence of such testing (or sub-par testing practices) defeats the purpose of digitization and can extract a heavy toll in terms of manifest malfunctions in the operation of mission critical applications and systems. Therefore, Software Testers must equip themselves with all manner of skills that enable them to perform their duties. These skills may variously relate to technical qualifications, technical knowledge, a holistic approach to QA Testing, and developing a habit to understand the core requirements of a testing project.
Basic Programming Knowledge
Modern computer code represents an enormous undertaking that can be navigated through the use of coding languages. Software Testers must realize the importance of pure knowledge and the technical skills that emanate from fluency in such languages. In line with this, Software Testers must constantly add to their body of knowledge as a means to amplifying their technical skillsets, which would offer them an advantage in terms of identifying and remediating coding errors in different QA Testing projects.
Thorough Understanding of Business Situations
Software Testers, as a matter of principle, must develop a clear understanding of the project at hand. They should be able to appreciate the fact QA Testing is undertaken as part of creating quality assurances that guarantee the performance of a larger business model. This is achieved when Software Testers map various business scenarios in their minds and attempt visualization of complex business problems. Such actions would empower Software Testers to envision solutions to such problems and apply their testing skills to that effect. In addition, the modern QA Company should encourage the inculcation of such a mindset in every tester, which would yield rich dividends in the form of heightened awareness in the minds of each tester. The outcomes may include streamlined testing efforts that bear zero scope for confusion or complications in devising testing processes.
Automated Testing Processes
The current breed of Software Testers must train to use automated testing frameworks and processes. However, this does not negate skills that focus on manual testing. Automation in QA Testing assumes importance since these test processes offer significant time savings to the testing community, thereby allowing Software Testers to focus their energies on devising complex testing scenarios. Automation in Software Testing also implies the use of technology to validate computer code in short order, thereby enabling a software testing company to take on large testing projects. In addition, test automation generates huge volumes of data that remain open to review by QA Testing engineers, leading the way to code refinement and the creation of grounds for further testing.
Knowledge of Web and Mobile Technologies
Awareness of such technologies is key when Software Testers commit their efforts and careers to the domain of QA Testing. Such awareness must remain in an ongoing project, clearly exhibiting the working life of QA Testing engineers and professionals. These personnel can improve by consulting online tech news websites, apps, technical journals, and other forms of knowledge publications to keep themselves abreast with emerging web and mobile technologies. In addition, they can apply the knowledge to their work areas and thus gain a competitive edge over their peers and colleagues. Further, such knowledge can elevate their performance in QA Testing exercises when such personnel participate in live testing projects.
DevOps and Agile
Software Testers must gain fluency in the various dictates of modern methodologies such as DevOps and Agile, since these promote a collaborative work environment in which Software Testers must fully participate to generate the best outcomes. These methodologies also remain significant to the evolution of modern testing frameworks hence the participation of a tester does not remain an option. Specifically, veteran Software Testers note that the testing community must ensure all test cases are automated as part of efforts to achieve 100% code coverage. In addition, Software Testers must work to attain standardized test environments wherein the deployment of QA boxes is automated. Further, pre-testing tasks, post-testing tasks, and code clean-up operations must be automated and aligned with continuous integration cycles.
In Conclusion
The skills outlined can serve to empower the modern software testing professional to excel in the workplace. The managers of a QA Company must encourage their testing staff to inculcate the correct mindset in such matters. In time, the application of such skills may encourage the QA Testing community to elevate industry standards and create new benchmarks to gauge professional performance. Our team consists of experts with these and more requisite skills. Connect with us so we can help you to leverage these skills to outsmart your competitors.
by admin | Aug 6, 2019 | Software Testing, Fixed, Blog |
The test summary report outlines the summation of software testing activities and final testing results. Software testers are required to communicate testing results and findings to project stakeholders on the completion of a testing cycle. The content of the test summary report drives decisions for the release of the software. Revision history, distribution list, document review, project description, testing scope, functionalities and features tested in a cycle, test execution details, test coverage, and results, defect matrix, and outstanding results represent the content in a test summary report.
When to Create a Test Summary Report
The report would be created at the close of software testing cycles. In certain cases, testing engineers working on behalf of a QA company can perform a single round of testing before generating a report. Freelance testers can generate and submit the report to spotlight defects in the ‘open’ statuses. The report serves as a guide to help clients with information on the overall ‘health’ of a software application and enable the planning of corrective measures. For instance, a report may convey certain defects repeatedly occurring through several testing cycles. The recommendation from the tester may include the allocation of a higher number of resources to track and analyze the defects, and also a note for the software development team.
What to Include in the Test Summary Report
Precision and relevance form the basis of an informative test summary report. Testing engineers working on behalf of the top software testing companies must aim to custom design the content to match the nature of the testing project and the work assignment. The following points elucidate the inclusions necessary for a test summary report:
The Objective of the Test This section should outline the purpose and general scope of the testing exercise. This portion must reflect the understanding of the tester on the expectations and requirements of a software testing exercise. Additionally, testers should include notes about whether the results meet the business and user requirements. Conformity with business and system requirement specifications and the confidence in providing a quality product to the end customer are quintessential objectives of a testing exercise.
Testing ApproachThis section provides the mechanisms that power the testing approach in a particular testing cycle. Testing engineers must include details of the measures and the types of testing undertaken to achieve the task. A test approach also defines the implementation of the test strategy of a software testing project through two techniques. The first being proactive, in which the test design process is initiated as early as possible to detect and remediate the defects before the build is created. The second is reactive, in which testing follows the completion of design and coding activities. Further, the approach may outline various approaches – dynamic and heuristic, consultative approaches, and a model-based one that would deploy statistical information on failure rates.
Areas Tested and Untested
All the features and functionalities tested would form this section. Testing engineers working on behalf of a QA company are expected to include high-level information in addition to recommendations (for the development team) on the possible new functionalities. Similarly, untested areas of functionality would also form part of this section. The logic and rationale for excluding certain features from testing should be listed in this section for the benefit of reviewers and clients.
Platform DetailsThis section of the test summary report would cover the various versions of a software application, the use of different browsers, and multiple devices. An application must be tested on each of these platforms and the test results collated for the reviewers and clients. This approach is important in modern times given the varied number of platforms, devices, operating systems, and browsing programs.
Defect ReportTesters must report all defects in the interest of saving time and effort for all those involved in the project. This section would be comprehensive and would mention the significant volumes of information, and facts, and would generate a clear view of the technical opinion of the testers. Testing Metrics can include total defects with an information breakup focused on defect severity and additional metrics regarding test cases.
In Conclusion
A test summary report, therefore, is a necessary document and marks the conclusion of a software testing exercise. Test engineers must invest time and effort to complete such reports to maintain clarity and transparency of their efforts and provide clients with a clear summation of the project. This report requires the attention and time of experts and experienced personnel because of the critical nature of the content – connect with us to work with the best in the realm and more.
by admin | Aug 15, 2019 | Software Testing, Fixed, Blog |
Testing engineers in a software testing company are familiar with factors such as delivery guidelines and timeline pressures. However, they must ask the right questions to investigate every assignment to be able to gain a clear understanding of the true objectives of a software testing exercise. This is a necessary trait of a good tester since clear and crisp requirement documents may not accompany every testing assignment. Similarly, insufficient data and assumptions perpetuate the need for a set of questions that must precede a software testing project.
Multiple Sources of InformationA professional testing engineer with expertise in a range of software testing services must cross-check every source connected to a testing project. These could include marketing personnel, business development teams, business analysts, software developers, support desk personnel, the chief operating officer, and other testers. It is important for a software testing company to encourage testers to pose questions that will help to develop a robust testing service or testing framework. An individual answer to each question would help to add clarity to the testing exercise, ultimately contributing to the creation of a better product.
Conducting Investigations A tester with an enquiring mind would be better positioned to observe unexpected behavior in a software application and hence would be able ask the right questions from the point of view of investigating potential issues. For instance, noticing a minor technical error could lead to questions that could help to identify a significant glitch within an application. The testers could ask a series of questions as part of the investigation, which could help to determine the correct answer. Similarly, a team of engineers could conduct an in-depth interrogation of the functionality within an existing product, leading to refinements in the newer version of the product. Such elevated products would lead to delighted existed clients and potential new business for a software testing company.
Experience and Know-How
An experienced software tester can use the experience gained from previous assignments to enhance the quality of the software testing services in the current projects. Questions and queries arising from a current testing assignment could be answered from the knowledge gained from such experience, thus prompting quicker resolution. For instance, a software tester may investigate the processes slowing the performance of an application. From experience it would be easier to determine which solution could spur better performance, and also remedy any defects that could potentially disrupt the end-user experience.
Market ConsiderationsTesters working with a software testing company could frame questions with the aim of bettering the future performance of a product or application in the highly competitive markets. Such questions could assess features (or a lack thereof) that potentially spoil the user experience and could turn them to competitor products. There are certain defining aspects that elevate a certain application vis-à-vis the competing products. These niche areas allow scope for a certain product to outperform its competition and help alleviate any risks arising from the technology or product perspective. By asking the right questions, testers would be able to expand the scope of software testing services and elevate themselves as potential partners in the success of their clients.
The Art of ListeningThe right questions and queries from a tester can help to yield answers that would guide testing practices and define the creation of a robust software-testing plan. Software testers must seek to gain insight by listening to the views and answers from the various stakeholders. Each question must be investigative in nature and aimed at gathering facts, and assessing their impact on the performance of a software application.
In Conclusion
The spirit of inquiry and right questions is extremely critical from the perspective of software testing and the entire gamut it encompasses. The right questions will elicit accurate answers which in turn could help testers gain greater relevance in their software testing exercises. Connect with us to work with testers adept in the entire gamut of software testing and more.
by admin | Aug 14, 2019 | Software Testing, Fixed, Blog |
Software Quality Attributes are features that facilitate the measurement of a software product’s performance by Software Testing professionals. They play a vital role in helping software architects guarantee that a software application will perform as expected based on the specifications provided by the client. Though there are numerous software quality attributes, we will be focusing on the most important ones that we have mentioned below.
List of Software Quality Attributes
Some other essential software quality attributes that we have not covered in this blog are correctness, learnability, robustness, maintainability, readability, extensibility, and portability.
Functionality
The first from the list of software quality attributes we will be focusing on is functionality. This attribute determines the conformity of a software-driven system with the defined requirements and specifications.
Most Software Testing professionals view this attribute as the most important one as an application fails on the most basic level if it doesn’t function as expected. That is why we always advocate performing tests that assess the desired functionality of a system during the early stages of software testing.
Performance is on our list of the most important software quality attributes as it is a very important trait for every software to have in this fast-paced world. It can be understood as the ability of a software-driven system to conform to timing requirements.
From a testing point of view, it implies that QA testers must check whether the system responds to various events within defined time limits. These events may occur in the form of clock events, process interruptions, messages, requests from different users, and so on.
Reliability
Now that we have seen the functionality & performance software quality attributes, let’s shift our focus to reliability. Reliability is to check if the application or the testing product with different combinations to see if it withstands its nature and produces the expected results. By different combinations, we mean testing it in different browsers, operating systems, environments, and so on.
Testability
Being a leading software testing company, this is a very important software quality attribute to us. It indicates how well the application allows software testers to perform tests in line with the predefined criteria. In addition to that, this software quality attribute also assesses the ease with which QA engineers can develop test criteria for a said system and its various components.
QA professionals can assess the testability of a system by using various techniques such as encapsulation, interfaces, patterns, low coupling, and more.
Availability
As the name suggests, this software quality attribute indicates whether an application will execute the tasks when they are assigned. It can be defined as a ratio of the system’s available time to the required time it is expected to perform.
Top-notch availability indicates that a software-driven system will recover from operational failures or scheduled maintenance periods without exceeding a specific time value. Availability also includes certain concepts that relate to software security, performance, integrity, reliability, dependability, and confidentiality.
Interoperability
Software-driven systems could be required to communicate and act in tandem with different systems to perform certain tasks. Interoperability is the ability of the system to interact with other systems to exchange the required information via certain interfaces. So, Software Quality Assurance engineers must examine the interoperability of a system in terms of both syntactic and semantic interoperability.
Security
We have added security to our list of the most important software quality attributes as it has lately been the need of the hour. The number of cyber-attacks has been on the rise and users have started prioritizing a product’s safety. So the security attribute measures the ability of a system to protect and block malicious or unauthorized actions that could negatively impact the user or destroy the system.
Security also includes authorization and authentication techniques, protection against network attacks, data encryption, and other risks. It is imperative for Software Testing Companies and professionals to regularly conduct updated security checks on systems.
Flexibility
If keeping up with the security threats is a key aspect, so is the system’s ability to keep up with the upcoming trends and requirements. And for that, the system should be flexible enough or should be able to modify accordingly.
For example, let’s say you’re working on a web application that was developed when Windows 8 was launched. As the OS gets upgraded, the application should be flexible enough to support future versions such as Windows 10 & 11.
Efficiency
Though mentioned at the bottom, it is still one of the most important software quality attributes. Why? Because an inefficient application might work well only when it consumes excessive resources that slow down other applications or the system on the whole. In addition to checking how long it takes to complete a process, it is also important to check the level of system resource usage.
For example, if the system uses the entire CPU power and memory for a single application. It can be considered to be inefficient as it pulls down the performance of the entire system from the user’s perspective.
Usability
Though all software-driven systems are designed with ease of use in mind, not all achieve this goal. And the software quality attribute of usability denotes the ease with which users are able to execute tasks on the system. It also indicates the level of user support provided by the system.
In addition to general usability, Software Quality Assurance engineers must also test if the software is accessible to people with different types of abilities. Usability plays a critical role in a product’s success and the most well-known principle to achieve it is KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid).
In Conclusion
As one of the top QA companies, we firmly advocate using these software quality attributes to access the performance of a software product. We stand by the fact that these attributes lead to the creation of balanced and highly functional software applications and products. We have published a lot of high-quality blogs on software testing and encourage you to explore our collection.
by admin | Aug 11, 2019 | Software Testing, Fixed, Blog |
Release notes are technical documents that go out with software products. An effective set of release notes is one that can engage users and inform customers with regard to the efforts made by the product development team (or testing team) to fix bugs and issues found with previous iterations. Release notes may be displayed on a public domain when a software product is still in the development or test state. For products that have already been in use by clients, release notes accompany the release of an update.
Who Is The Audience?
Each section of an audience may prefer a different tone and may have diverse tastes in the type of information they would want in the release notes. This factor should heavily influence the content of a batch of release notes.
Where Are They Being Published? The location of publishing release notes – such as inside a mobile app, in the public domain, via email, a certain blog, and others, influences the flavor of the information contained therein. Certain companies may elect to create and populate a dedicated release notes page on a website in the wider interests of their digital audiences.
When Would The Release Notes Be Published? The timing of publication is important for release notes. Depending on certain factors, Product development companies can publish these notes on a weekly, monthly, or quarterly routine. Testing professionals must ensure they plan the release at the most opportune time. Writing clear, specific release notes helps a company to elevate the level of communication with clients and customers regarding the progress registered on a product. These notes prove highly effective and useful to attract potential customers as well.
What Must Be Included? The guiding factor for release notes should be the understanding of what a company aims to communicate through them. A close watch on changes effected inside a software application or digital product should precede the compilation of release notes before publication. The best release notes are those that are grouped logically: by subject and points of improvement. Also, they should describe software fixes, improvements, and new features to arrest the attention of readers and customers. Further, the best release notes contain web-links and high-level summaries that guide readers to different headings.
Who will script them? Several personnel may write release notes for a software application. Organizations typically deploy developers, QA testers, technical writers, and product managers to script the release notes. The best QA companies understand the criticality of these with regard to customer experience and therefore, multiple release notes would be designed and published to cater to different audiences. In modern times, commercially available project management tools incorporate elements of release notes automation. This helps reduce manual interventions and result in meticulously designed, audience-specific, personalized release notes.
Categories, Titles, Dates of Release Experienced companies would include a title and a date for each batch of release notes. Titles and dates educate readers and customers on the context and immediacy, therefore helping them to engage with the content of the earlier versions of such notes. Meanwhile, categories would describe various actions such as bug fixes, new features, and improvements. Information can also be organized by category thereby enabling readers understand and assimilate the information systematically.
Tone and Formatting A software developer or QA company can introduce the tone and voice of the brand through the release notes. Expert testers recommend a uniform tone through multiple batches of release notes as part of efforts to reinforce a brand image. In terms of formatting, release notes would include headings, bullet points, and number lists, to make reading and understanding faster and easier.
In Conclusion
Release notes are an important addendum to the software development lifecycle. These notes convey a commercial message – the success of the customer is important to the sponsor organization. Release notes must remain consistent and repeatable, and when done right, they help to expand and strengthen the relationship of an organization with its client base. We are experts in the realm of software testing and our experts are proficient in the making of release notes, in addition to a huge gamut of services. Don’t take our word for it – connect with us and experience it.
by admin | Jul 11, 2019 | Software Testing, Fixed, Blog |
Constant demand for high quality software applications and packages drives the multi-million Dollar software Quality Assurance industry. Veteran testers maintain the opinion that software testing is never complete and the scope for further testing remains relentless. However, the commercial compulsions that operate in the industry demand low prices for QA Services and adherence to sharp delivery timelines provided by clients. This matrix compels Software Testing professionals to deploy risk-based analyses to locate the areas of software development that must be targeted with exhaustive testing procedures. Therefore, we may say the quality of testing emerges as a prime objective for the modern Software Testing Company.
Quality is King
Testing organizations that offer QA Services must prize top quality of work when the choice is to provide the best services to clients. This realization has forced a calibrated overhaul of assessing the impact of Software Testing services. Such overhaul tends to commence with a change in mind set wherein a Software Testing Company encourages computer code testers to pool their creative resources and brainpower with a view to elevate the quality of rendered services. In line with this, Software Testing engineers must share their technical knowledge and review testing scenarios and test cases. The outcomes can include superb quality of testing, often resulting in clear instances of client delight.
Numbers can deceive
Professionals who undertake Software Testing activities must acknowledge that pure numbers, when used to assess the professional performance of a tester, can lead to eventual disruptions in service delivery. A test professional, for instance, can review a large number of bugs and initiate remedies to eliminate such glitches. However, this approach can earn his or her employer – the Software Testing Company – the proverbial bad name when the functionality of the tested software application fails to impress, owing to low quality of bug resolution. The only true remedy that can negate such a situation is to deliver a product that excels in terms of quality. This lodestone, centered on quality, should emerge as a defining feature of the metrics that define Software Testing systems and practices.
An Eye on Profit
Every Software Testing Company must remain commercially viable before it establishes a presence in the software testing market. In this context, it is obvious that the state quality of services would equal a growing profit margin. Therefore, management teams must impress this fact on Quality Assurance professionals, and such learning must be implemented in the work day practices of each individual tester. Essentially, high quality outcomes must drive Software Testing activities, which include collecting requirements, defining the scope of software testing, work allocation, co-ordination between different work teams, and more.
Customer Satisfaction
p>Every QA Company worth its proverbial salt must strive to drive high levels of customer satisfaction. In line with this, Quality Assurance professionals must build and create clear priorities when planning the scope of testing activities. A different strategy emerges when QA Services engineers begin with the question – what does the customer want? This query, as a starting point, can serve to inform and enrich the quality of Software Testing services in the modern context. The query serves as the archetypal lodestone that guides the actions of a Software Testing Company when decisions must be taken to take testing projects into maturity stages.
Target: Root Causes
Quality Assurance practices must center on seeking the root causes of a software glitch. This approach allows Software Testing professionals to effect a permanent remediation of a glitch, thereby elevating the level of quality services rendered to clients. Such an approach must be promoted highly when a Software Testing Company compiles its list of best practices. Root causes must also feature when Quality Assurance professionals write test cases prior to embarking on software testing activities. Each test case must be constructed to test the software application from multiple points of view, thereby covering all the requirements listed in the work brief provided by the client. In time, such practices will eradicate the worst of software glitches and result in client delight.
Be the Best Tester!
High levels of motivation and technical skills can combine to work wonders when Quality Assurance professionals apply themselves to their duties. This implies a personal stance predisposed to quick and constant learning, a passion for testing software applications, decent communication skills, understanding the priorities of the testing landscape, an ability to think through technical problems, and much more. These attributes can empower a Quality Assurance professional to perform at peak power, and drive outstanding results in projects undertaken by a Software Testing Company.
In Conclusion
The rationale and logic mentioned above drive a solid case for choosing quality over quantity in the domain of modern Quality Assurance services. In line with this, every Software Testing Company must make it mandatory for testers to undergo appropriate training and sensitization modules that spotlight the core necessity of quality in services rendered to clients. Pursuant to such actions, the modern Software Testing industry can undergo tectonic shifts that may raise standards across the industry. When you seek both quality and quantity, connect with us and experience the difference.
