Software testing : Things to know about

Software Testing Vs Software Quality Assurance
Executing software program purposefully with intention to “find bugs”, “measuring quality, security, functionality and performance” can be defined as software testing. Making sure that the standard procedures are adopted in all the phases of SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle), monitoring & improving process of all phases of SDLC and intend to solve identified all the problems is known as software quality assurance. Software testing is done to detect errors and Software quality assurance is oriented towards “prevention”.

SDLC Vs STLC
Preliminary analysis, Systems analysis, Systems design, Development, Installation & deployment and Maintenance are phases of SDLC.

The need of software begins when a business is in need of computerized solution for its problems or when the business identifies the opportunity for computerized solution. As next step, goals and scopes are defined along with system boundary, cost-benefit analysis and feasibility study. Then, project development plan is developed and other planning documents are prepared. Once that is done, analysis of user requirements is carried out and detailed functional document is developed. On the next phase the requirements are transformed into system design, and then the system design is converted into information system - at this phase system installation, creating and setting up the databases, coding, compiling and refining the programs are done.

Further in testing, STLC (Software Testing Life Cycle) is applied, which has the following phases:
System Study
Test planning
Test case preparation
Test case review
Execute test case
Identify bugs
Report bugs

Types of testing are Defect testing the failed scenarios, including defect tracking, Path testing, Data set testing, Unit testing, System testing, Integration testing, Black-box testing, White-box testing, Regression testing, Automation testing, User acceptance testing, Software performance testing

Once the testing phase is completed, system is implemented in production environment and further maintenance is carried out.

Further on Software testing
Test bed :
Test bed is setting up environment for testing, which includes configuring specific hardware, operating systems, network topology and etc to perform testing. In detailed test plan, “Test bed” should be consider in first point.

Test data :
What data to be tested with the software program. It is used to test effective controls of software with input.

In software testing, term “error” means - deviation of actual and expected output, term “bug” means - the error which can be found in development environment before delivery to customer and the term “defect” means - error which can be found in delivered product to the customer.

Reasons for errors on Software:
Communication gap on what the application should & should not do
Programmers mistake in codes
Changes of requirements
Running to meet deadlines

Only few things about software testing is discussed above out of several points to be considered about software testing.

Visit http://www.tlconsulting.com.au/ for more details

How to Use Web Testing Scorecard

Web testing scorecards will concentrate mainly on the GUI (Graphic user interface), GUI is used by websites to enable the users to browse easily within the pages of website. The website’s GUI functionality has great impact on the amount of traffic generated by a website.

GUI is created to provide effective control to the users on computers. In this case, control means the flexibility with which the Graphical User Interface reacts to the commands of users. Developing the website’s GUI quality will be the first thing that a web test scorecard will attempt to achieve. Logically the goal will be to give users the required graphic interface functionality by making use of the most appropriate web technology that is available.

The homepage will get the initial attention naturally, while testing a design of the website. The questions that you may ask here are: how the homepage is found by a visitor? Is easy navigation with the pages of website is allowed by the homepage menus? Does the design of the homepage and building inspire more visitors? Being biased, owner of a website or developer will tend to provide desired answers but there is a good and more precise way of measuring the functionality of homepage and that is, to ask the users about their opinion.

A web test will decide the efficiency of GUI by measuring the flexibility and speed with which users browse from the homepage to other pages of website and back and to link with important links. A good GUI pattern will often give obviously located navigation points in every page and graphic buttons that give graphic recognition, which informs searchers they are still within the domain of a website.

The creation of the site should give straight forward links to embedded pages within the website. A well planned GUI will not fall short of links that will make the searchers to come back to the homepage, otherwise, they will be clenched in the page and will not have any opportunity to come to other pages of the site. Every page should have links to other sections and pages, which is even better.

Interface speed is another web test that is good for measuring the functionality of website. Users are believed to give only 10 seconds of waiting time to enter websites before going somewhere else. This means, website interface should be assembled with access speed of majority users. Searchers on internet usually use dial-up connections. So it has to be aligned by considering that speed.


Author Bio:
Samuel is writing about software testing, load testing, functional testing, web testing and etc based on his reading and research for a Testing Sydney company.