Web App Testing Archives - Page 5 of 6

The Need of Unit Testing in Software Development

Posted on March 20, 2017 by tbsupadminnxtbackendacc

Imagine the architect building your dream house skipping your ventilation or forgetting to leave points for power plugins. Wouldn’t it be odd? Of course it will be

Just like that, unit testing is also something you cannot afford to forget while building up a software.

So what is this unit testing?

Read also

3 Key Fears of Software Testing Professionals

Unit testing is a part of software testing like integration testing, penetration testing, usability testing and so on. In unit testing, a program or software is divided into the smallest functional unitsmaking testing effective and helps testers find out bugs easily. Unit testing is not something that produces an end product, but it is something that goes on with the process

In fact, unit testing makes your job easy.

In the developmental stage itself, unit testing reduces bugs which save time and money in the long run. As unit testing breaks software into simple codes and undergo testing of functionalities one by one, it gives more clarity and enables testers to find errors instantly.

You know what happens when you have a tendency to postpone unit testing ?

Testers have the tendency to drop unit testing for later, considering it as the last thing to do.

This happens not because developers are lazy, (unless they actually are’) ;But because unit testing is different from all other kinds of testing. Unit testing requires totally different kind of programs, written to test the function and logic errors of a software.

It has to be maintained throughout the life time process of a software.

Try cutting it down to the line and you face the risk of critical errors costing you.

How unit testing reduces bugs?

Don’t worry, this is not going to cost you any extra money.

Then how is it going to work? Let’s take a look

Effective unit testing happens with a good developer. Some suggest that keeping codes in written formats helps you understand codes better. Even though smaller projects may benefit from unit testing, larger projects are the usual ones that are in immediate need of unit testing. For them it’s mandatory.

If unit testing is going to be the very next step after creating initial prototype, then developers and clients have to be aware about the time needed to develop unit testing at the time of developing project.

Patience in doing unit testing brings difference. Take a little time and get the job done, don’t act quickly.

Since unit testing is done in modules, it’s easy to understand the additions and changes done to the software.They won’t get mixed with other codes or sections. Unit testing can provide a classic quality to your software.

Always remember to avoid complicated codes and pay some attention to threat warning.

‘Thinking twice’ and checking twice can also help in successful testing.

Recommended Read

Top Software Testing Skills Required for Success in 2017

Objectives of unit testing

when writing unit testing don’t forget to remember these three points:-

Codes should be readable
Allow automation testing
Written tests should be manageable.

How you can benefit from unit testing

Quickly allows to make changes
Saves time
Test driven development tell you when to stop coding
Helps define and document what something is supposed to do.
Codes can be re-used in new project
Coding constipation can be fixed by test-driven development, they help in fast movements of complicated codes
Test driven development brings a successful outcome combining the codes and test work together
Instead of constructing a code, testing outlines all the codes you need and brings out what developer wants the codes to do.
Instant visual feedback
Unit testing helps developers understand the code instead of writing code for an expected outcome.

IT Spend on Applications Testing Increase by 40% in The Last Three Years

Posted on January 18, 2017 by tbsupadminnxtbackendacc

According to Capgemini’s World Quality Report, which surveyed 1500 people working in 1000+ employee organisations, spend for the application quality and performance has increased by 40% in the last three years.

The urge for digital transformation in business has seen global CIOs increase their spending QA and testing.

Read Also

Global Outsourcing Software Testing Market To Grow From Crowd Sourcing

The report found that 39% of the surveyed people claimed that the dependency on manual testing is a great challenge faced by application developers. The report says that it is a clear evidence that the approach towards testing is not up-to the expectation or excellent to meet today’s IT functions.
Organizations have begun to invest higher budgets in QA and testing.
Source

Global Outsourcing Software Testing Market To Grow From Crowd Sourcing

Posted on January 18, 2017 by tbsupadminnxtbackendacc

Global Outsourced Software Testing Market 2016-2020 says that there has been an increase in demand for crowd sourcing testing service lately. Crowd sourcing actively collects various testers from worldwide for an single project to work with. Crowd sourcing provides quality and detect problems in lifecycle that exist. It offer on time feedback with great productivity.

Since outsourcing software testing services have various complications such as cultural and time zone differences, service provider can find meeting exact client needs to be challenging. They might also fail to understand the cost saving parameters leading to extra work and expense. Due to these issues, the outsourcing market growth is hindered.
For the requirement of study, the experts have divided and expanded the outsourcing software testing market to America. Europe, Middile East, Africa and Asia-Pacific.This has expected to show a great increase in market and thus support outsourcing software testing market.
Source

3 Key Fears of Software Testing Professionals

Posted on July 20, 2016 by tbsupadminnxtbackendacc

Fears and phobia are very common among humans. It could be something very common as the fear of animals and creatures or things bizarre like the fear of socializing and death. The same is applicable for any profession. Each profession comes with its own set of fears and insecurities.

A common one across all professions is the fear of being fired from your job! It could happen with anybody at any point. Another one is that of someone overtaking you or outshining you in your job.

As for software testing services, there are similar situations every tester faces. There are even severe cases where software testers have been kept awake all night due to their inbuilt fears. Here are a few of the common fears every software testing professional faces:

Read Also: 4 Smart Ideas to Get the Best from Your Software Testing Service Team

Outsourcing – In today’s world, it is possible to work from any place on Earth. In fact, working remotely is not just possible, but it is very common. That is why we have so many freelancers around. As such, outsourcing is a really feasible option for the companies.

The growing competition between companies to perform better and gain profit is so much that every firm now believes in cost effective methods to get the job done. They prefer minimum resources with minimum effort to get a large outcome. The return on investment or ROI is a major concern.

With off shore services turning out to be more cost effective, more companies are now considering this option for their testing services rather than maintaining an in house testing team. In such a scenario, job security becomes a major concern for software testers. By outsourcing the software testing services, the companies could easily cut down on their employee count. If the situation worsens, it would turn out to be a nightmare for the testers.

Failing Expectations – Failing to meet up to the expectations is something every professional dreads. This is much more in case you are a new tester. If you are fresh and new to your job and yet to get a hang of things in the corporate world, you may not be able to work as diligently and efficiently in looking out for bugs as your senior might be. One thing to remember here is that you need time to gain experience. In the same way, a fresher in testing needs time to improve the quality of testing.

Even experienced testers seem to face this problem. There are times when they are stuck in a situation unable to find a single bug. When someone else finds the bug, they start blaming themselves for failing. This is a common scenario and one should not let this affect them for a longer period.

Read Also: 10 Must-have Tools for Software Testing Services

Redundant Bugs – Repetitive situations are tricky. You might get so involved in it that you miss out the finer details and get sucked in to the same familiar things over and over again. Your mind could also straggle unnecessarily. You get bored and lose interest in what you are working on.

Performing redundant tasks makes it monotonous for a tester. As such, critical issues could get missed out. One tends to focus less and wander off from the task at hand. This affects the productivity and efficiency, and could be a problem if it continues. A tester knows this well and fears that this could happen to him.

So, here were the three main fears that are common for every professional in the software testing services. Surely most you could relate to these situations and do understand the feelings well. Find out your deep dark fears as a software tester and fight against them to conquer them.

What is Integration Testing? Example included

Posted on February 3, 2016 by tbsupadminnxtbackendacc

Integration testing is a part of software testing in which individual units are combined together and then tested as a group. It is usually done after unit testing. Integration testing is usually done to rectify the faults that occurred in interfaces and integrated units. Test drivers and test stubs can be used to assist in integration testing.

What is Integration Testing?
Integration testing is a software testing type to test the logically integrated software modules as a complete group. When software is developed it consists of various independent software modules that might be developed by different developers.
These modules might work well without any defect as an independent unit. But when they are integrated there are changes that bugs can arise while they interact with each other.
In short, their integration with one another may lead to new bugs that were otherwise not present in independent units. To detect such bugs integration testing is conducted.
The process focuses on the communication of data among different modules and is also known as ‘String Testing’, ‘I & T’ (Integration and Testing), or ‘Thread Testing’.
Examples of Integration Test Case
Integration test cases focus on interfaces & flow of data between the test modules. The focus here is integration links testing than testing module functionalities.
Let us take a website with ‘Login Page’, ‘Mailbox’ and ‘Delete emails’. Considering its testing the independent units here are integrated logically.
Let’s not focus on individual module testing rather will focus on the integration of each module with one and another.

Test Case ID	Test Case Objective	Test Case Description	Expected Result
1	Validate Login and Mailbox module interface link	Enter the required login credentials and click the Login button	Control transferred to Mail Box
2	Validate Mailbox and Delete Mails Module interface link	Select an email from the mailbox and click on delete	Chosen email sent to Deleted/Trash folder

How to do Integration testing?
We have already read about different integration testing strategies, here is how to execute integration:

Make a Tests Plan for your integration testing
Prepare Test Scenarios, Cases, and Scripts.
Execute the test Cases
Prepare a report and tell the defects to the developers.
Track and retest the defects.
Repeat steps 3 and 4 till Integration testing is successful.

Brief Description of Integration Test Plans:
The integration test plan should include:

Scopes and Out of Scopes Items.
Roles and Responsibilities of the team.
Pre-requisites if any.
Testing environment.
Risk and Mitigation Plans.

Entry and Exit Criteria of Integration Testing
Entry and exit criteria are very important
Here are they
Entry Criteria:

Unit Tested Modules
High prioritized bugs fixed and closed
complete coding and integration of all modules successfully.
Documentation of integration tests Plan, test case, scenarios.
Test Environment

Exit Criteria:

Successful execution of integration Testing
Document of executed Test Cases
High prioritized bugs fixed and closed
Technical documents
Release note

Method of Integration Testing:

Black box testing, white box testing and gray box testing methods can be used for integration testing.

Black box testing is also known as behavioral testing. In this design, the internal structure and implementation of the item being tested are not known to the tester. Such tests can be functional or non-functional. Functional testing is the most used one.
White box testing is also known as transparent box testing, code-based testing, structural testing, open box testing, clear box testing or glass box testing. In this method, design, internal structure and implementation of the item being tested are known to the tester.
Gray box testing is a type of software testing which is a combination of black-box testing and white box testing.

Read Also: Popular Software Testing Misconceptions

Approaches in Integration Testing Services:

Big Bang Approach

In this approach, all the units are combined together and tested at one go. It is usually done when the testing team receives the software as a bundle. Big Bang integration testing tests only the faults in interaction between the units.

It is usually done when the testing team receives the software as a bundle. Big Bang integration testing tests only the faults in interaction between the units.

Advantages:

More convenient for small systems

Disadvantages:

It is difficult for fault localization
Some interface link can be easily neglected
The testing team will get only less time for execution
As all modules are tested together, there will be no separate priority given for highly risky critical modules and peripheral modules

2. Incremental Approaches

Logically related two or more modules are joined together and tested.

An incremental approach can be done in two methods:

a. top-down

b. bottom-up

a. Top-Down Approach

In this approach, top-level units are tested first and then lower-level units are tested step by step. In order to stimulate lower-level units test stubs can be added. Test stubs may not be available during the initial phases.

Advantage:

Easier fault localization
The prototype can be obtained early
Design flaws of critical modules can be found and fixed

Disadvantage:

Need for several stubs
Lower level modules are tested badly

b. Bottom-up approach

Here bottom levels are tested first and then top levels are tested step by step. Here testers stimulate higher-level units which may not be available during the initial phases.

Advantage:

Easier fault localization
No time wasted for unnecessary testing of all modules

Disadvantage:

Higher probability for defect as they test critical modules at the very last moment
No possibility for an early prototype

3. Sandwich or Hybrid Approach

This approach is an integration of bottom-up and top-down approaches. Hence the advantages of top-down and bottom-up approaches can be applied here also.

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Procedures to be followed for integration testing:

a. Develop the integration test plan

b. Cases, scripts and test scenarios are to be designed

c. Test cases are executed and reporting the defects

d. Defects are tracked and re-tested

e. Repeat step 3 and step 4 after the successful completion of integration testing services

Best practices for integration testing services:

Determine an acceptable integration test strategy and develop test cases and accordingly test data

Analyze the application’s architecture design and identify the critical module.

Interface design can be obtained from the architectural team and you can create test cases to verify all of the interfaces. Interface to external hardware, software application and interface to application must be tested thoroughly.

After completing the test case, the next task is to test data

While executing test cases, it is advisable not to select test data

Integration testing is one of the easiest types of software testing and is one of the crucial steps in the software development life cycle.

Checklist for Windows Application Testing

Posted on January 14, 2016 by tbsupadminnxtbackendacc

Software testing came to the scene in the application development industry very recently. But organizations have already realized the worth of testing and picked it up as one of the major steps amidst the entire process.

Testing is a job that requires highly talented professionals. Apps should be tested in a variety of devices that are being used at present and are still emerging in the market.

Windows App Testing focuses primarily on testing six major areas: functionality, performance, security, compatibility, regression and usability.

User interface/GUI testing: This testing ensures user –friendliness of your application.

Colors- Check whether the colors used for background, warning messages etc. are appropriate.
Graphics- Ensure the images are displayed properly. Check for alignment and size issues.
Text- The content should be error free. Check for grammar, spelling and font errors.
Instruction- On instructions, specific actions should be carried out. If you click help, the app should direct you to the help menu.
Usability- System navigation should be correct. Loading time, display sequence, broken pages etc. should be tested.

Read Also: 5 Types of Testing to Make Your Mobile Apps User Friendly

Functionality testing: Here, the app is tested whether or not it fulfills the functionality specifications.

Forms- Check the field types (numeric only, date field, e-mail specific, pop-downs etc.). Check if all mandatory fields are marked with an asterisk and errors are shown in red. There should be maximum character limits set.
Confirmation messages- Check if confirmation messages are displayed for actions such as delete, update and close.
Other Functions- Test time-out, sorting, e-mail and other available functions. Test for redirection to an error page, if any.

Performance testing: This testing ensures if the product complies with the required performance. Performance testing is not done manually but with the help of performance testing tools.

Security testing: It is performed to find out if there is any security vulnerability in your app.

Authentication- Prevent data breaches by allowing access permission only to registered users. Ask for strong username and password. Repeated failed login should trigger the alert mechanisms. Old password should not be allowed to process login.
Access permissions- There should be access permissions set to edit the software specific data stored. This will prevent unintentional security threats or data loss. The “view source code” option should be disabled.
Session management- Ensure randomly generated session IDs only are used for all authentications and there is proper session expiration.
Data transmission security- Verify whether sensitive data such as passwords, account numbers etc. are transferred under proper security protocols that promises maximum security. Ensure that the personal data as well as password of the customer is collected in the encrypted format by default.
Malicious command injection- Check for malicious SQL and XSS injection vulnerabilities and rectify them.

Recommended Read: Why Is Independent Testing Necessary?

Compatibility Testing: It is used to determine whether your windows application is compatible with the hardware, software and other elements that it should function with.

Hardware/software compatibility- You should manually test your application in various windows devices to ensure that it doesn’t showcase any compatibility problem. Ensure that all graphics, designs and functions work well.

Regression Testing: This test confirms that a recent change or modification in an existing program or code has not adversely affected any of its features. For regression testing, automation is better, since manual testing can be expensive and time-consuming.

Windows App Testing or for that matter any other mobile app testing is a daunting task as there are billions of mobile devices worldwide, featuring distinct screen sizes, network operators etc. Methodical and careful evaluation is the key to successful Windows App Testing.

Popular Software Testing Misconceptions

Posted on December 3, 2015 by tbsupadminnxtbackendacc

Software Testing is an important and inevitable part of the software industry. Even then, it is a field that is filled with myths, misconceptions, and a whole lot of false beliefs. These myths are about Software Testing and Software Tester as a whole. Every person in the industry, including a Software Tester, believes in a few things that are not actually true. When these misconceptions start spreading among the management, it becomes a serious issue that needs to be addressed as soon as possible.

A number of expectations are put on a Software Tester, and a number of them are not actually realisable. Moreover, they are not given the due respect and importance they deserve. Here are a few common myths and misconceptions regarding the field of Software Testing Services that need to be get rid of:

Software Testing Requires no Brains

Yes, many people do actually believe that software testing is a mundane and no brainer job that can be taken up by any person. Well, the irony is that even testers feel this at times. Testing is a job that can get too boring, monotonous, and mechanical, but only if you are not doing it right! People believe that they are doing the same things over and over again, and start getting bored with their testing job. Well, it is just a belief.
If you consider Software Testing to be boring, then every other job like web designing, programming, accounting, banking, analysis, and everything else would be boring right? Why jobs, even daily tasks like eating, sleeping, and socialising are boring. If you consider the part of repetition, then this holds true for everything you do in life. But we do not stop at that, right. We do continue eating and sleeping the same way all through our lives.
A good Software Tester has the ability to look at his job in a creative manner. He finds it a way to gather information through activities done to explore and discover answers to questions that no one has ever asked before. His job is not just finding bugs and flaws in the software. The software in hand needs to be studied, explored, observed, and analyzed completely for you to be able to evaluate it. This is definitely not boring!
The job of a Software Tester is not boring. You just need to change the way you are testing. An all new approach to test, think, and devise test ideas will make you love your job once again. Give it a try.

A Tester can test Anything

A tester will be able to test everything in hand only if you provide the resources, infrastructure, time, budget, and everything else indefinitely. It is totally foolish on your part if you expect a Software Tester or a Software Testing team to be able to test all the test scenarios with a limited amount of resources in the given time frame. A good tester makes it a point to prioritise the requirements and build test scenarios that are critical at present. But, testing all these test scenarios is not a possible task. The myth that testing will deliver a 100% bug free software product is what needs to be debunked.
There are several reasons as to why a tester cannot yield 100% accurate results. The lack of infrastructure, lack of resources, limited time frames, the vastness of the permutation and combination for a product, and so on are just a few of the many reasons. Testing can only show you that bugs do exist; it can never guarantee that bugs do not exist.
This can be proven with a simple example. Life-critical systems that are used in fields like medicine, spaceships, and airplanes do go through really critical and stringent testing procedures before they are actually used practically to make sure they function effectively. Even then, it is not possible for a tester to predict accurately and test the actual altitude, air pressure, number of crew members and passengers, the wind speed, total load on the flight, temperature, and so on given a particular day. The simulator is not able to create any random day’s environmental and other variable conditions. As such, you never know what exactly the flight will have to endure once it is put in to use.

Read Also: How Usability Testing Benefits the End User

The job of a tester is to find bugs

There are a huge number of people who believe in this. Well, you cannot be blamed if you also do. It is easy, especially for a person who has just started working as a Software Tester. He could get confused about his job and role in the industry. As such, many believe that their job is to just find out the bugs in the software and report them.
Well, an important part of the job of a Software Tester is finding bugs, but not limited to it alone. There are further roles that come with it. Apart from digging out bugs, testers need to analyze the requirements, review the architecture of the product, give his reviews and feedback to improve the product and make it more user friendly, validate the help documents for the product, and perform a number of other related tasks.

Testers are of no value to the software

People usually believe that the role of a software tester is just limited, and this adds to value to the software product. Well, this is absolutely an insult to the whole field of Software Testing Services. A good and skilled software tester is an expert of the software product under test. The programmers usually spend time working on specific areas, modules, functions, or components in the software. But, the tester is someone who has overall knowledge about the whole product. He analyzes and understands the working of the entire system from an end to end standpoint. A tester has a better chance to be able to demonstrate how well they understand the product such that it adds value to the product.

Test automation will replace human testers

Most of the automation testing experts spread this myth all over. This is just an outrageous prediction with no basis at all. The most insane part of it is that even software testers themselves have started to believe in this.
Test automation tools can never ever replace human testers. There is no big logic to understand the reason behind this fact. There was a time when Computer Aided Software Engineering or CASE had emerged and people had started assuming that one day computers will start writing codes and replace human programmers rendering them jobless. As you see, that never even happened.
Similarly, test automation will never eliminate the need for human testers. Well, not unless human robots take over the planet, long thought!! Till that never happens, human testes will never be replaced for any reason. Humans have a basic capability that test automation tools do not have, which is “emotions”. Since it is only humans who use the software under test, you always need human testers to test it. Test automation tools have this one disadvantage that does not let them replace human testers.
Test automation tools are able to tell you if the colours, layout, and fonts in the screen are as per the requirements, but it can never say if the user will find it pleasant and comfortable to use. Automated testing does not come straight out of a box or a download. It is like you get an engine, but not the whole car.
You can never expect automated testing to find a whole lot of bugs. In fact, you must not even automate all your tests. It is important for some tests to stay manual. Some tests need a whole lot of time to get automated. You must never use automation if it provides no value.

It is not that automation tools are bad or ineffective. In fact, they are absolutely useful for testing definite areas like testing involving performance and load, large amount of calculations, regression tests, and so on. These areas are time consuming and really hectic for human testers. As such, test automation tools behave as supplementary tools that can make the job of a software tester even easier and more accurate, but not as a replacement.

You May also Like: How is Auditing and Software Testing connected

Testers love to break your code

One thing you must remember is that testers do not work to break your code and put you at fault. They do not love breaking your code. In fact, the code is already broken, and a software tester helps you by finding it. They only disperse the illusion that a product is working perfectly. They show you the bugs and errors that you might have missed out on while coding. This helps you in correcting yourself and making the code unbreakable.
Testers break the false beliefs that the developers and stakeholders have about a software product. They introduce you to the realities and show you where you have gone. This gives a better chance to correct the code. Testers help you and give you a chance to correct your mistakes.

Testers and Developers are not Friends

This is a very dangerous, yet very common misconception that prevails across the industry. Even the management encourages on maintaining such a relation between the developers and testers. This does more harm than good in the long run, and its effects could be devastating. A friendly relation between the two could foster a valuable product. The testers will be able to approach the developers for interesting test ideas and even get important clues to help them with the testing process. This enables a better test environment and helps the software product as a whole. One thing you need to remember is that bugs are introduced in the product by the developers, so they are the best persons to consult to find out possible ways to detect them.
These are some of the most common misconceptions that people have regarding the field of Software Testing. Free yourself of these myths and understand the reality. These rumours have been spreading far and wide throughout the IT industry for a long time now. It is high time to put an end to them and start looking at this profession in a better light.

5 Simple Ways to Dodge Test Failures

Posted on November 24, 2015 by tbsupadminnxtbackendacc

It is common for every tester to be trapped in certain situations that could limit the efficiency and productivity in the job. The common reasons for such failures are the lack of resources to be able to complete your work, the lack of enough time, and also being surrounded by co-workers who consider your work to be unimportant and do not give it the necessary attention. Any tester could face such kinds of pitfalls, traps, and mistakes if you are not able to work until you get the due respect and credibility for doing the work. Web Application Testing and Windows Application testing are not as easy as people consider them to be. A testing job has its own set of challenges and issues to be faced.

Testers could easily relate to such hurdles several times in their career. Here are a few of these pitfalls and some simple tricks to help you dodge or overcome them easily:

No More Ideas for Testing

This is one of the most common problems faced by any software tester. You get stuck in the middle and keep wondering what more you need to test and how to test it. This is a sort of a block syndrome faced by every tester. You lose your ability to find new bugs in the system or software under test and you get totally confused.
Solution
Here are a few tips to help you overcome this syndrome quite easily:

Read Also: 8 Instances Software Bugs Proved To be too Costly

Brute Cause Analysis, or BCA

This is a sort of brainstorm technique which can be employed easily. One tester has to think about a bug, and the other tester will think of all the possible areas and functions where this bug could be found. Then you could go on to test those specific areas.

Think Out of the Box

Just forget about the specific feature or application or function that you need to test in front of you. Try thinking in another direction, take a step back, and try to reassess the whole situation. Think about other possibilities like performance and load tests, stress tests, functionality tests, and other kinds of tests that involve browsers, devices, platforms, structures, and operations.

Pair Testing

Pair testing could be really advantageous when you run out of ideas. It is nothing but testing in a team of two. Two people sit together to test the software that is under test. You could generate amazing ideas when you sit with someone else and try to brainstorm. Make sure to get a friend of yours to sit with you before you begin your Windows App Testing process.

Missing the Goal of Testing

There are several situations where you are unable to understand what exactly you need to test. You could be having a meeting about this new feature to be tested, but you do not get even a slight hint about what it is supposed to do. When all others in the meeting seem to be getting the point, you start wondering what you lack. In such cases, you may just nod your head so as to not look foolish in front of all others who get the idea. Well, this could be a great problem later on. You will end up in a fix when you have to start test planning and execution for this feature.
Solution

Open Up and Ask Questions

If you want to be an excellent tester, you need to make sure to be vocal and ask relevant questions. You need to have good questioning skills to save you from situations like this. If you do not understand something, it is alright to admit that you do not understand it. Getting it clarified will help you a lot in the long run, or you may have to remain ignorant all through your life.

Learn to read between the lines

When any new application, software, or feature is implemented, there will be some sort of documentation to detail it before work even starts on it. You could refer this to get yourself started. But, you need to do this carefully. You need to read the whole thing carefully, but also realize that there may be things not mentioned in it but implied. You need to find out such implied messages in these project documents to help you to understand the requirements clearly.

Brainstorm

Brainstorming is an effective process for every task. You attend the meeting, ask all kinds of relevant questions, take proper notes, and have understood all requirements well. After that, you need to sit with your windows app testing team and start the brainstorming session. This will yield a whole lot of possible ideas, plans, and strategies for your test project. When all minds come together, you get really innovative ideas gathered up.

Attention Deficiency

It is very common to miss out on certain bugs and issues that are right in front of your eyes. You might be so busy looking out for other test items that you absolutely miss out this prominent bug. It might turn out to be embarrassing later on as it is too obvious to not notice. You just do not realize it as you are so religiously following your test cases. Well, this happens to everyone, and you should not worry too much about it.
Solution

Do not follow the test cases and test matrix blindly

There are a few questions you need to ask yourself before you start on any test case. Once you get the answers to them, adjust your test cases and fill in all missing links before you continue your work. Here are the major questions you need answers to:
“Which part of the specific product functionality is covered by this test case?”
“What are the things this test case covers? What are the things it does not cover?”
“Are there any other methods or ways to test this test case? If yes, what are the methods?”
“Why is this test case so important? What is there about this functionality?”

Bring out a change in your whole approach to the testing process

You need to follow your test cases and test matrices effectively. But, in the process, make sure to keep your eyes open for other things as well. There may be several other things happening during the test execution. Notice these processes also. Even if certain areas are not mentioned in your test cases, try to expand your view and explore them. Subtle looking actions like a small sound or a slight flickering of the button or view could be an indication of some other issue. Such tiny things are extremely significant in Web Application testing, and ignoring them can be a major mistake. Even if they may be in some other test area, make sure to note them down and verify them.

Unsure if It Is Working

There may be certain issues or bugs you find, but you are unsure if they are actually issues or you just did something wrong or missed out certain steps in the test case. As such, you do not report them, and later these issues may be found out by someone else, then this could be a bad reputation for your job.
Solution

Trust the Tester in You

If you find an inner voice telling you something is wrong, trust yourself. You need to learn to trust your instincts in such cases. Report it to the developers if you feel there is some bug and it is not your mistake. Do not hold yourself back. In the worst scenario, the developer/developers may just come back to you telling it was your mistake and you did something wrong like misconfigured the actual settings required or misunderstood the feature. Well, this is far better than ignoring a bug with a confused mind and regretting it later on. Having your manager or customer find out the issue is even more heartbreaking.

Have a Fellow Tester Test it as Well

Get hold of one of your fellow testers and ask them to help you out. They could go through the same test and confirm if what you experience is actually a bug or not. This gives you a double confirmation.

Start Again Afresh

You could just take a short break, relax, and then start the test case all over again. Starting afresh helps you confirm if what you find is actually a bug or not.

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Test or Skip??Is it Safe?

Testing has a huge number of possibilities. You may get confused as to what path you should follow and how you need to approach the testing process. Software and technology are developing day by day. This has also increased the complexity of these systems. As such, a tester has innumerable possibilities to test a single feature or software. With specific deadlines set for this, you may be in for a fix when you need to decide what to test, where to start your testing process, how to approach it, and what can be skipped safely without affecting the quality of the product. This is particularly confusing when you are in for Integration testing.
Solution

Follow the DIQ, or Dive In / Quit, approach

When you get the software to be tested, you also get a list of all the important things that need to be tested in the current iteration. Here, you need to follow the DIQ approach, which is just magical. DIQ stands for Dive In / Quit. As per this approach, you need to pick any one of the critical test items from the list and just dive in completely and test it. In case you find it to be too hard on you, then just quit and take the next item from the list. You just need to continue the dive in and test process until you have implemented all the test ideas completely. Once that is done, just repeat. This process just follows this cycle of taking an item, diving in and testing, quitting when you are unable to go further, repeating the process with another item, and then coming back to the initial item when you completed all the other test items. It is as simple as that!

Collect Intelligence Data

The first step is to have a look at all the existing bugs in the tool you use for bug tracking and make a note of all the bugs that are critical. Then you need to have a talk with the developers to understand the top 10 most critical things in the product under test that could affect a majority of the end users. Make another list with these bugs. Once you have these notes ready, have a look at the review documents, implementer’s guide, user manuals, and all such things that could give you an idea about what is most important in the product from the user’s perspective. These steps will give you a clear idea about what you need to test for in the product. You will then be able to plan your test cases even more effectively.
Failures happen once in a while. The complexity of the software and technology in today’s world is so high that there is enough room for errors and mistakes. Along with this, the methods and techniques of testing also need to change and improve. As a tester, you need to keep evolving. This includes learning the latest trends, keeping you acquainted with all emerging processes, and updating yourself from time to time. There is always room for improvement, and one must always be ready to learn and improve. The chances of failure could be really high if you are not evolving fast enough to keep up with the pace of emerging technology. Keep in mind that failures do happen and it is perfectly alright to fail once in a while. All you need to do is learn from your past mistakes and failures and keep upgrading your skills as a tester. Happy testing!

How is Auditing and Software Testing Connected

Posted on November 5, 2015 by tbsupadminnxtbackendacc

Everyone in the business of testing software is aware of its importance. But auditing is just as important. This blog will help you to understand its importance and how it helps in your testing process.

Software testing is a process of executing a program or application with the intent of finding the bugs within. It is a type of software review in which one or more auditors conduct an independent examination of a software product. These auditors may not necessarily be members of the same software development team.
It comprises of a process or set of processes that helps you to assess a product’s compliance with pre-mentioned specifications. You can also use it for validation and verification that ensures a software program or application or product meeting your requirements that helped in its design and development.

How software testing and auditing complement each other?

A software firm’s test management software provides high-quality collaboration, even for your employees who work offsite. It lets you share information with ease. There is also the added benefit of reusing these test scenarios. This will help you to remove friction that may accompany test standardization and remote interaction.

Read Also: 5 Types of Testing to Make Your Mobile Apps User Friendly

What more do you need?
Software auditing also keeps your testing and QA teams on track. For those of you who are unaware, auditors are often responsible for verification of a product’s compliance with certain standards. But it is also their responsibility to maintain the integrity, security and sustainability of technical processes.
Hence responsible auditing and test management further ensures you that software is being developed and used in accordance with company requirements. This pairing is especially benefitted by organizations as it gives a good insight into day-to-day practices, along with areas needing improvement. Combining technology and procedure helps you to put these applications in a context where they can be correctly evaluated.
Need for Auditing In Testing
Auditing the Software Development Processes helps you to ensure transparency and reliability of the IT systems. From a technical point of view, an audit checks for what kind of bugs may have slipped through the cracks during testing which may cost your company millions.
In the context of testing, it helps us to ensure that the testing processes are followed as defined.

Various Testing Process Audits

The reasons to conduct auditing are in plenty and will certainly help you to achieve certain set of goals. Based on that we can classify them as follows:
Audit to verify compliance: The prime motive here is to evaluate if a process complies with given standards. In these scenarios, the actual testing process is compared with a documented one. For example, our software testing processes needs to be defined according to ISO Standards. The audit verifies whether testing was conducted as per documentation.

Recommended Read: Top 5 Software Testing Trends to Look Out For in 2015

Audit for improving process and problem solving: Here the motivation is to audit and trace the various steps involved in the process and try eliminating the problems. For instance it was noticed that quite a lot of software defects were overlooked even after following testing process to the core. So the audit is done as a preliminary step to collect facts and analyze them.
Audit for Root Cause Analysis: This type of audit deals with finding a root cause for a specific problem using various testing processes. For instance, if a customer discovers something wrong with your software. Retracing our testing steps helps to find out where and how things went wrong in a specific case.
Internal Audits
Here initiation of internal audit is done from within an organization.
External Audits
Auditing is done and initiated by external agencies while conducting external audits.

8 Instances Software Bugs Proved To be Too Costly

Posted on July 9, 2015January 29, 2024 by tbsupadminnxtbackendacc

The world has reached a point where everything is dependent on a set of codes. From the cars that you drive to military vehicles, and department stores to top secret military installation, everything runs on computer programs. The integration of software to our day to day life has truly made life easier.
As helpful as software has been, they have also contributed to some of the most bizarre and catastrophic losses to nations and companies worldwide. Most of these have occurred due to improper software testing methodologies.

The results were devastating in terms of financial damages and in the some serious cases, even human life was sacrificed. This blog brings insight into some of the most outrageous events that took place in history by reliving those moments.
More often than not, software integration using computers gets it right and gets the job done. But when things start to fall apart, all hell breaks loose.
1. Almost World War III

On the night of September 26, 1983, the early warning system of the Soviet alerted of a nuclear strike launched by America. What could have been a worldwide bloodshed was averted, thanks to the Soviet Air Defence officer Stanislav Petrov. Later he said in the Washington Post that he “had a funny feeling in my gut” about the authenticity of the warning. Investigations proved that the alarm system was faulty.
2. Faulty Mars Climate Orbiter

NASA is known for many blunders, but none more embarrassing than what happened with its Mars Climate Orbiter. Launched on December 11, 1998, the mission to better understand the only other planet capable of supporting life in our solar system would bring United States to the forefront in astronomical research.
But what happened was quite different. An error in the ground-based computer software resulted in a $326.7 million lose to the agency. The Orbiter went missing after 286 days of its launch. Software testing showed that a slight miscalculation caused the Orbiter to enter Mars’s atmosphere at the wrong entry point causing it to disintegrate.
3. Bug Triggered Blackout

Eight US states and Canada were given a scare by a tiny bug in the software thread affecting 50 million people. What the authorities described as a race condition bug, was caused when two separate threads of a single operation used the same element of code. The lack of synchronization caused the threads to tangle and eventually crash the system. This caused 256 power plants to go offline causing major disruptions and widespread panic.
4. Glitch in Patriot Missiles

The bugs that were mentioned so far were responsible for some major financial loses but the software error in the Patriot Missiles caused the lives of 28 with an additional 100+ injured. The missiles were designed to protect the American barracks from the scud missile during the Gulf war. But the bug caused a delay in tracking the missiles real-time rendering the barracks defenceless to the Iraqi attacks. The loss of human life is what makes this one of the most costly software testing mistakes in history.
5. The IRS Debacle

The Internal Revenue Service lost something between $200 and $300 million in revenue in 2006 while depending on computer software to find potential fraud cases in returns claiming refunds. The tax collection agency later found that the software was inoperable, but by then it was too late.
6. $440 million in 30 Minutes

The losses were even higher for Knight Capital Group, when the bugs in the company’s trading algorithm decided to buy high and sell low on 150 different stocks. A market-making firm that had an outstanding reputation up until August of 2012 managed to hit rock-bottom in just 30 minutes; surely it has to be a world record.
By the time the company addressed the issue the losses were cataclysmic. The company lost $440 million as compared to their net income of $296 million in 2011. Even the company stock price dropped 62 percent in one day, according to Bloomberg Business week.
7. 450 Violent Offenders Given Parole

This embarrassing and dangerous event took place in California when 450 high-risk prisoners were released into the public. The state which decided to reduce its prison population by 33,000, releasing non-violent offenders, instead went on to grant non-revocable paroles to approximately 450 violent felons. A huge misread by the software algorithm. Many of them remain free even today.
8. The AT&T Crisis

On January 15, 1990 around 60,000 AT&T customers were denied the luxury of making long distance calls. Initially the company believed it was being hacked until finally the real culprit was found in the form of a software bug.
The company updated its software to make the processes faster. Well, be careful what you wish for. The process became faster than expected and the server sent two messages to the subsequent server causing the switches to reboot in a loop. By the time the issue was taken care of, AT&T has lost $60 million in long distance charges for the dropped calls.