Software Testing Archives

Tips on Recruiting Exceptional QA Testers

by admin | Jun 29, 2019 | Software Testing, Fixed, Blog | 0 comments

Software testing is an evolving field in the domain of software development. Hence, firms that undertake Test Automation activities are required to find and retain human talent that will participate in such ventures. Key human attributes such as curiosity, passion, and tenacity are the hallmarks of an exceptional QA Testing engineer. These aspects of the human mind allow a tester to rise to the challenges of testing a modern software package for glitches and inconsistencies. These attributes also empower QA Testing firms to provide high-level services to software developers, thereby helping create outstanding instances of modern software applications and packages.

Understanding is Key

Recruiters and hiring agents must question a potential recruit to probe his or her understanding of the fundamentals of software testing. Such questions could range from QA Testing methods; the experience of the candidate with regard to working on software development projects; assessing the use of a certain techniques while implementing Test Automation; the potential recruit’s ability to work as a member of a team of testers, and more.

Technical Skills

Recruiters must seek to probe the technical skills of candidates who apply for positions in QA Automation. In line with this, a candidate must undergo examinations with regard to their ability to: design a test schedule; his or her ability to operate, design, and build tools for QA Testing; the ability of the candidate to think critically regarding testing parameters and assessing the outcomes of Test Automation; his or her level of domain knowledge in software development and testing frameworks, and several other realms. These technical skills are necessary for testers to discharge their job responsibilities. Hence, such queries must form the basis of recruiting exceptional QA testing personnel.

Outreach is Critical

Exceptional QA testers can be sought from multiple locations. Recruiters must scope these locations to unearth serious talent in the domain of QA Testing activities.

For instance, recruiters can visit testing conferences where test professionals congregate to learn and explore the latest issues and topics in the software testing domain; informal meet-ups organized by the software testing community provide another location for productive hiring practices; specialized forums on the World Wide Web offer yet another avenue for hiring software testers in modern times. Companies can easily find QA Automation professionals in these venues and invite them to join the recruitment process.

Setting Bait

Software test professionals are known to relish challenges that test their technical ability to deal with testing problems. An intelligent recruiter may announce a Test Automation challenge as part of efforts to attract the best test professionals in a certain region. Such a challenge, once formulated, can be broadcast over the Internet through various forums to gain the attention of top quality testers. The resulting rush of test professionals could help the recruiter to find and hire perfect candidates who conform to recruitment requirements.

Specific Considerations

QA Testing personnel who can complete a given set of tests on time are ideally positioned for further consideration in the hiring cycle. Candidates who emerge with flying colors in terms of their ability to communicate, high levels of specific domain knowledge, awareness of QA Automation cycles and conditions should rank high in the priority list of the recruiter.

Such candidates are often the best personnel who can solve specific testing challenges, cope with a high-pressure work environment, deal with changes in client requirements, discharge their duties as a member of a Test Automation team, and more. These personnel also tend to score the maximum marks in test assessments.

Work Day

The best Test Automation professionals work as part of a team of expert testers. Bearing this in mind, recruiters should offer potential candidates an opportunity to work with a Test Automation team. This technique hinges on observation of the performance of each candidate and feedback from members of said team. The technique also tests each candidate for their actual skills in terms of performing a variety of technical tasks over half a business day. The outcomes of such exercises can help recruiters find the best Test Automation professionals in modern times.

In Conclusion

These techniques of modern recruitment should empower recruiters to locate and hire the best software testing professionals for permanent employment. Each recruiter may bring specific requirements to the proverbial table and every employer may prize different abilities in such personnel. A combination of the techniques detailed above should assist most recruiters hire the best talent in line with available requirements. We not only have a team of expert testers, but are also adept in providing recruiting support for our clients – connect with us to gain all these advantages.

Who are the Custodians of Software Quality?

by admin | Jul 24, 2019 | Software Testing, Blog | 0 comments

Quality control mechanisms are essential for the design, testing, and creation of successful software packages – these control mechanisms may include various sets of procedures. They would serve to guarantee that a software product will meet quality goals and offer the best value to clients and customers. Software quality includes specified functional requirements and non-functional requirements; the latter includes supportability, performance, and usability. The modern software development industry mandates the implementation of Engineering Best Practices (EBPs) as the custodians of software quality.

For the developers of computer code and the providers of software testing services, the quality of code remains the focus to ensure software quality. High-quality code is usually the outcome of systematic code reviews undertaken by developers and software testers. Such reviews should ideally involve two or more developers and testers, with the intent of identifying glitches in software and inconsistencies in developing code. The subsequent remediation would be necessary before the induction of code into the code repository.

Any leading software testing company must strive to implement best practices in the pursuit of software quality. Adherence to technical standards, the use of the latest testing equipment and software, developing an acute understanding of business rules, verifying testing checklists, and more represent best practices. Additionally, such organizations must encourage testers to analyse code immediately after these are authored. These best practices ensure software quality in the age of agile development and testing.

This form of analysis is performed without practically executing a computer program. It is essentially a method of debugging a body of computer code by examining the source code before program execution. The providers of software testing services perform static code analysis to develop an understanding of code structure and ensure that the code adheres to industry standards. In terms of software quality, such analysis is useful for unearthing details of code vulnerability, testing for maintainability and reliability of computer code and checking for code duplication.

Software quality relies heavily on monitoring development logs. Technical advances in the field of software testing have brought APMs such as New Relic and App Dynamics to the fore. These allow the creation of custom-developed monitoring and alerting systems. APMs enables developers to set up monitoring alerts for production logs while promoting data mining activities in the production environment. The outcomes include a marked ability to find exceptions and deploy corrective patches before customers flag an error in software performance.

Should Trivial Code be tested?

by admin | Jul 23, 2019 | Software Testing, Blog | 0 comments

Trivial code, as the name implies, refers to computer code that governs the performance of minor aspects of a web page or a software application. These could include invoice dates, the number of a purchase order, the value of a buy order, and other such factors. Veterans in the domain of Software Testing recommend the execution of functional tests on such code. Other members of the testing fraternity assert testers must execute Software Testing on trivial code only in case of an express requirement to do so. However, an overwhelming majority of the testing community holds that trivial code may undergo evolution and gain heft in terms of importance; therefore, such code merits functional testing in the early stages of its digital existence.

This approach finds a primary plank in the assumption: no code is trivial. The advocates of this approach state that Software Testing is the cause, and the implementation of such testing comprises the effect. Therefore, per this approach, the term ‘trivial’ does not emerge in the context of modern Software Testing initiatives. Champions of this school of thought also argue the term ‘trivial code’ is misleading and can trigger serious damage should newbie testers encounter the term during their learning phases. This approach also advocates testing code in small, formalized steps that add value to the overall Software Testing initiative.

This represents a critical input when testing professionals working on behalf of a Software Testing Company conduct test exercises. Those that endorse this approach to Software Testing value the feedback gained from testing exercises. The resulting information can be deployed to refine a body of computer code or upgrade the status of a software testing matrix above the mundane. Therefore, this approach negates the notions of some testers who ridicule writing Software Testing scripts for trivial code or automatic properties engineered into a software application or package.

Trivial code can ensure smooth execution of the overall functionality of a system. This critical learning negates the original question as to whether such code should undergo testing. For instance, code that governs a single property, such as setting the correct date inside a digital trade document, can wreak havoc should it undergo systematic malfunction. Another instance emerges when we consider the ‘minimize’ button in a browser window. Any malfunction in such functionality can mar the user experience, therefore creating a solid business case for Software Testing of these minor functions.

Both these methods of Software Testing should be deployed when test professionals verify the functionality of trivial code. Veteran testers assert that the use of automated tools allow testers to expand the scope of Software Testing to every bit of computer code that animates a software application. Further, said testers advocate both manual and automated methods may be used because of the distinctions in outcomes. For instance, Software Testing of trivial code using manual testing methods may unearth deficiencies in functionality overlooked by automated testing. In addition, professional test engineers favor mechanisms that detect instances when trivial code transforms into mainstream functionality inside a package.

This technique evaluates the quality of Software Testing undertaken by testing professionals. Such testing methods introduce deliberate glitches into source code and then the tests are executed. The resulting failures point to the areas of code that need re-structuring or re-compilation. Such testing, when applied to trivial code, assist testing professionals to verify the robustness of such code. The outcomes of mutation testing also indicate the quality of unit tests being administered to a body of computer code.

This represents an interesting scenario wherein Software Testing professionals set out to test trivial code developed by third parties. At one level, testing professionals should inculcate the stance to execute wide-ranging tests; at another level, they may work to test trivial code developed by third parties as part of their commitment to guarantee an excellent end-user experience. Some commentators in the Software Testing domain note that this represents an artificial distinction that has no bearing in the real world. However, others view this distinction as important to efforts that drive comprehensive Software Testing regimens.

The thoughts and views encapsulated reinforce the impression that no code is trivial. The Software Testing community must understand and appreciate the view that every piece of code makes a significant contribution to the overall performance of the larger application. Hence, trivial code (and its many variations) deserves their full attention in the interests of ensuring flawless bodies of computer code that trigger high levels of satisfaction among end-users at all levels. We are veteran testers and have experts in every realm of testing. Connect with us to gain the advantages.

Know How Testers Can Enable Top Class Customer Experience

by admin | May 29, 2019 | Software Testing, Blog | 0 comments

A comprehensive understanding of customers and a focus on customer experience can help the testers establish priorities before creating the tests. Hence, it is pertinent for a QA company to incorporate the process of ‘thinking from the viewpoint of customers’ into its testing technique. Testers can ensure that testing is suited to customer needs if they clearly understand the preferences of the customers, along with their expectations with regard to functionality, performance, and security of a software product.

Software Testers can enhance customer experience by tailoring the testing process in accordance with the expectations of the customers. For improving customer satisfaction with a software product, testers would need to think like customers and test the functional and non-functional traits of the product. They would need to define and validate requirements related to customer interactions. They should specifically test the look and feel of the product under testing, its ease of navigation, speed, performance on different devices, and seamless working of intended functions.

By performing Customer Experience Testing in a meticulous manner, testers can comprehend the ‘pulse’ of the customers as they would be testing holistic solutions rather than just systems. The customer-focused testing procedure gives testers the ability to test ‘full customer journey’ including custom settings, personalization data, cross-channel browsing and interactions, as well as complete and incomplete transactions. Thus, an organization can respond to both inevitable and unpredictable product failures in a timely manner so that the customers do not opt for a competing product. Overall, Customer Experience Testing makes the testers the custodians of customer experience, thereby enabling them to help an organization provide the best possible experience to its customers, attract new customers, and retain existing customers. Connect with us for assured consistent top quality customer experience.

Java: Useful Snippets for Automation Testers

by admin | May 19, 2019 | Software Testing, Blog | 0 comments

We have a conviction that our day to day work should be a combination of hard and smart work. In automation testing, we can arrive at a solution for a problem in umpteen numbers of ways. However, at times a complex problem might have a simple solution. In this article, we are going to share Java snippets which are much useful for automation testers to do smart work.

Snippet #1-How to check a string contains only numeric value?We can check this criteria using Regex pattern or you can try with Long.parseLong method. However, we recommend you to use Apache Commons Lang3‘s NumberUtils to check whether a string has only numeric.

String str = "1234";
if(NumberUtils.isCreatable(str)){
System.out.println("True");
}
else{
System.out.println("False");
}}

Snippet #2-How to get Apache POI Numeric Cell value as it appears in Spreadsheet? If you want to get the Numeric value from a cell as it appears in Excel, use the below snippet.

strCellValue=new DataFormatter().formatRawCellContents(cell.getNumericCellValue(),
                 cell.getCellStyle().getDataFormat(), cell.getCellStyle().getDataFormatString());

Snippet #3-How to set Network Conditions in Selenium? If you want to run your Selenium script in different network conditions, you can do it using Chrome CommandExecutor as shown below.

System.setProperty("webdriver.chrome.driver","drivers/chromedriver.exe");
ChromeDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
CommandExecutor executor = driver.getCommandExecutor();

//Set the conditions
Map map = new HashMap();
map.put("offline", false);
map.put("latency", 5);
map.put("download_throughput", 5000);
map.put("upload_throughput", 5000);

Response response = executor.execute(new Command(driver.getSessionId(),"setNetworkConditions",
ImmutableMap.of("network_conditions", ImmutableMap.copyOf(map))));
driver.get("http://google.com");

Snippet #4-Filtering WebElements using Regular Expression

driver.get("file:///C:/sample.html");

List&lt;WebElement&gt; elements=driver.findElements( By.xpath("//input[@type='checkbox']"));

elements.stream()
     .filter(element-&gt;Pattern.compile("check_(\d+)_box").matcher(element.getAttribute("id")).matches())
     .forEach(element-&gt;element.click());

Metrics and KPIs for Software Testing

by admin | May 18, 2019 | Software Testing, Blog | 1 comment

Simply put – metrics are standards of measurement. In the realm of software, “a metric is a quantitative measure of the degree to which a system, system component, or process possesses a given attribute”. Software metrics measure the quality of a project, providing insights into the efficacy of the software testing efforts. These metrics enable testers to diagnose particular problems within the process of software testing, which if ignored could lead to poor quality software.

A KPI or Key Performance Indicator is a type of metric aligned with the critical business goals. Within an Agile project, KPIs help to understand whether the processes being used are enabling faster testing, elevated quality of software, faster and frequent releases, and a consistently high ROI for the business. To understand whether a metric is a valid KPI within Agile Testing, the testing must have relevance for the objectives of the business. Any metric that matches this description, would be a valid KPI. The metrics used by Agile Testers must always have an applicative and practicable purpose, and they must avoid any futile or purposeless metrics (the ones that do not help to evaluate the testing process or uncover any issues with testing)

Automation is a critical component of the speeding up the testing process, since it is important that software testing does not pose an obstacle for Agile Testers in their endeavor to regularly release high quality software to the market. It is necessary for testing to match the pace of development of the software. Monitoring the progress of automation is necessary to understand the pace of testing for each build, and the more automation is achieved from the tests that can be automated, the quicker would be the pace of release.

Another key feature of top quality software is that the application ‘behaves’ and ‘acts’ exactly in the way that the user would expect, and that it does what the user needs of it. To ensure high quality software, it is necessary that testers create tests that are able to verify the functionality of software. The KPI of coverage requirement helps to track what percentage of the requirements are being covered by a single test – this would serve as a pointer or guide for both the efficiency of the testing and the quality of the software.

Yet another method to evaluate whether the software testing efforts are working is the KPI of escaped defects. This means that a negligible number of defects would ‘escape’ into the production cycle, and by counting the number of defects per testing cycle, it would be easy to understand whether the Agile Testers are doing their job effectively. It would therefore, be necessary to effectively record and report this data back to the business.

With Agile Testing, velocity is another useful and specific measurement – measuring the amount of work the testing team is able to complete within a timeframe. Velocity is estimated by committing a certain amount of time by each team. To understand whether the velocity is achieved and the speed at which the team is able to put out working software, is by comparing the actual velocity with the time committed. Within SDLC, testing typically is the slowest part, and a higher velocity would mean progressing faster with software testing.

Businesses that operate outside the realm of IT and Software would naturally have concerns over the efficacy of metrics and KPIs in the testing process, and hence would need the expertise of a knowledgeable software testing partner to allay their apprehensions. Such a partner would be able to deliver tangible benefits and results, by ensuring that software testing is never measured at an individual level, for example, counting test cases done by individual testers. In addition, an expert service partner will actually use the contemporary Agile Approach, as opposed to some who may simply have ported from the old Waterfall model, without making an evaluation of the benefits within the context of Agile. It is therefore, imperative to make an informed and right decision with regard to the software testing partner. Despite these hurdles, the fact remains that both metrics and KPIs serve to enhance the quality and delivery of software and serve as methods for continuous improvement. Of course, these are only parts of the entire gamut of software quality testing, and a business would benefit from working with a partner that can provide a holistic approach of quality and improvement within this realm.

For a business it would be wise to consider the objectives and values they can benefit from through the Agile Methodology, before measuring a load of team metrics and KPIs. Partner with a QA company that will execute these software testing metrics and KPIs to improve the overall effectiveness, accuracy, and speed of the software, resulting in the best quality possible. It would be advisable to remain cautious that measurements must never be viewed in isolation as they would present a distorted picture of the testing efforts. Connect with us to get a holistic approach, enabling the collation of useful test metrics and KPIs that would provide a collective and unified view of software quality.

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Talk to our Experts

Amazing clients who trust us

Understanding is Key

Technical Skills

Outreach is Critical

Setting Bait

Specific Considerations

Work Day

In Conclusion

Quality of Code

Best Practices

Quality Control Activities

Static Code Analysis

Continuous Integration / Continuous Deployment

Code Churn and Coverage

Monitoring and Alerting

In Conclusion

Small, Formalized Testing

Tests provide Feedback

Overall Behavior of a System

Manual and Automated

Mutation Testing

Code written by Third Parties

In Conclusion

Understanding the Customers

Defining and Validating Requirements Related to Customer Interactions

Adding Customer Experience Testing to the Existing QA efforts

Conducting In-depth Performance Testing

Gaining Knowledge about Crowd-sourcing

Consolidating and Evaluating Customer Feedback

In Conclusion

Differentiation between a Metric and a KPI

KPIs

Do Metrics and KPIs actually improve the Testing Process?

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