As you probably already know, software engineers are generally tasked with building and developing software. Product designers also ensure that this software is seamless, pleasing and engaging for users.
However, it is crucial that these products or applications align with each project’s requirements. This is where software testing comes in.
What is Software Testing?
Software testing is a process of evaluating, analyzing, and verifying a software product or application to ensure it matches expected requirements. This process is known as the verification of the Application Under Test (AUT).
Software testers use complex tools to identify defects, bugs, gaps or any missing feature or property in a product or application. You can think of software testing as a way of ensuring that software is seamless, efficient, and in line with the given directives.
In other words, software testing is to software products and applications as editing is to essays. Simply put, it is the dotting of the ‘I’s and the crossing of the ‘T’s.
Software testing is highly essential as it reduces development costs and improves security and the overall performance of a given software. It also enhances the development process, making it easy to add features and ensure customer satisfaction.
Test Cases
A test case is a set of actions executed on software to determine if it aligns with the given requirements and specifications for that software. They are used to access features and functionalities in software to verify whether they are performing as expected.
Software testers use test cases as step-by-step instructions to compare expected and actual results and determine whether a software product is functioning correctly.
Test case documents are usually written by the testing or quality assurance team. They typically contain preconditions, postconditions, test data and test steps developed for specific tests to verify a feature or function. Test cases also help reveal bugs or errors in the software!
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Principles Of Testing
There are seven fundamental principles of testing that guide every software tester during a software development life cycle.
- Early Testing
As with most things, “the earlier, the better”. When testing software, it is important to kick off testing activities as soon as possible. Not only is testing easier to do at this stage, but it is also cheaper. Ideally, Testing is continuous throughout the software’s development rather than just a phase done at the end.
This means from the beginning of a software’s lifecycle — which may start before coding, down to when the last line of code has been written. This can help prevent any defects when the software is fully developed.
2. Exhaustive Testing is Not Possible
Put simply, this means that software can NEVER test at every test case. Attempting to test at every test case would lead to added costs and manpower, which is impractical in reality. Hence, exhaustive testing is impossible.
So how, then, do testers conduct effective testing? They do this by accessing the potential risk of the software and conducting the optimal amount of Testing based on that information.
3. Testing Shows the Presence of Defects
Testing shows the presence of defects but cannot prove their absence. This means that even if the software has undergone rigorous testing, it is still impossible to declare it defect-free. In other words, even when no defects are found, it doesn’t imply that software is free of defects.
4. Defect Clustering
The defect clustering principle states that a small number of modules in a given software contains undetected defects. To support this principle, a principle by Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto is often used. The Pareto Principle states that 20% of efforts bring 80% of results.
When applied to software testing, it is implied that 80% of software defects originate from 20% of modules.
5. Pesticide Paradox
The principle is based on agriculture. When farmers use the same pesticide on their crops, pests are bound to develop resistance, making the chemical ineffective.
The same thing applies to software testing. You will not find new bugs if you repeatedly use the same test cases. Instead, review these test cases and then add or update the test cases to discover new bugs.
6. Testing is Context-Dependent
Testing is all about context! As you can imagine, the approach you will take when testing a magazine website differs from testing a mobile application. The kind of software you are to test for will determine the type of testing that will be carried out.
7. Absence of Errors Fallacy
This principle states that if the software is 99% bug-free but does not meet the user specifications, then the software is classified as unusable. That is, software must not just be bug-free; it MUST also be in line with customer requirements.
Types Of Software Testing
There are different types of testing, and they fall under two major categories: functional and non-functional types of Testing.
Some important functional testing types are Unit Testing, Integration Testing, Sanity Testing, Smoke Testing and Regression Testing.
Non-functional software testing types include Stress Testing, Performance Testing, Usability Testing, Reliability Testing, and Security Testing.
There are also manual testing, automated testing, and system testing types. As a matter of fact, software testing types are a pretty long list as there are over 100 types of software testing, and according to testing principle, six — Testing is Context-Dependent — the type of testing you will perform highly depends on what the application or product is trying to achieve.
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Levels of Testing
There are 4 widely recognized testing levels that help software testers evaluate the behaviour and performance of any software. These software levels exist so testers can find missing areas and avoid overlapping between the development lifecycle stages.
· Unit Testing
This is the first software testing level. It involves analyzing individual components and units of the software to determine whether these components align with the given requirement.
· Integration testing
During this stage, the software tester evaluates the data flow from one module or component to other modules, ensuring accurate communication between all the modules.
· System testing
Here, the application or product is tested as a whole system. System testing is used to check the system’s functional and non-functional requirements by checking the end-to-end flow of the software as a user.
· Acceptance Testing
This is the fourth and final level. Acceptance testing occurs when the software successfully passes through all the previous testing levels.
During this testing level, the customer is given access to the software to ensure it aligns with the given specifications. If it accurately meets the customer’s needs, the software can be sent to the market.
Conclusion
Software testing is a highly crucial aspect of the software development lifecycle. Testing, or the lack thereof, can either make or break software. At The Bulb Africa, we build seamless digital solutions rigorously tested by elite software testers on the continent.
Whether you need our expertise with an existing product or would like to build one from scratch, we have the best engineering talents to build with you. Visit our website to get started.
