How to begin the testing process?
Are you developing a new app, web page or a software? One of the key points of the whole development process is testing. Without testing, no proper development process could even exist. Our experience in RSM Technology CZ with implementation of ERP systems or implementation of solutions during the revision process only confirms this – without testing we simply won’t move forward. Even if we do move forward at first, by the time the users or costumers come into play, problems occur.
All applications, SW or web sites that you ever used or visited have undergone a thorough testing before they got to you. This testing process serves primarily to detect, find, and fix mistakes, securing the quality of the tested product and providing the user with a flawless version. Developers, of course, test correctness of individual processes during the development, but this type of testing differs from testing of the final product. Our newsletter will focus on testing of software and web pages from the perspective of the future user – meaning testing and securing potential problems in the final version, not during the development of the product. This specific process is called ‘quality assurance’, or quality guarantee of the final product.
This whole process starts with making testing scenarios. It’s important that the testing scenarios are specific enough, understandable for the tester (testing person), and can be organised together into a comprehensive whole. In an ideal case, the testing scenarios should describe what task the tester should do to check if everything is ok.
During testing, software programs like JIRA, Asana, and Testrail—where you can save testing scenarios, note down problems that are discovered, and actively communicate with the developers on their solutions—are used. With smaller testing processes or testing very specific processes you can create a clear and quality environment in Excel.
It is important to state priorities, requirements and goals that unwind from testing. The following questions could help you state requirements for testing:
- How extensive will the testing be? What capacity of people will be needed?
- Is the tested app/web page targeted at people with certain qualifications? (Is there a need to use people with certain qualification for testing or is the app/web page targeted at the broad public?)
- What time frame do we expect for the testing period? What budget do we have?
- Do we have an option and capacity to test part ourselves?
- Can we select a qualified person for a leading the testing or will we need to secure someone for the job?
Organization of testing can be quite stressful – it requires coordinating a group of people with different qualifications and making them cooperate. That’s why it’s important to have access to a person who knows these processes and, at the same time, knows project and change management. Project management is absolutely necessary for this process – you can test as much as you want but, unless the testing is organised, you won’t get to usable results. A correct and timely communication and reporting of results is also important, especially when the testing shows negative results, meaning that testing scenarios are not successful, and it is clear there’s a mistake. In a case like that, it’s necessary to communicate with more stakeholders.
Based on our many years of experience with testing processes, we prepared a summary of basic advice on what to avoid and what to focus on. We believe that they will be useful to you:
Communication
Communication is always important, but with testing processes, it is especially crucial. Testers and developers must actively communicate and work together with each other. Everything is solved faster and more effectively thanks to this communication.
Correct way to report problems
It may sound banal, but every discovered problem must be properly described, complemented by pr screenshots/intscreens/pictures or by video. We like to use a template with three points:
- Steps to reproduce – here you write the steps of how to get to the problem
- Actual results – here you write what happened and what problem has occurred
- Expected results – here you write what should have happened if the app/web page worked correctly
Continuous testing
Never wait until the last minute for testing. Ideally, you should test continuously throughout development. This approach prevents the time press and overload of the developers – they will be able to solve the problems gradually during the development process and avoid repetition and pillowing.
Right organization of testing
Organization of testing is inseparable part of testing process. Without organization, there would only be in-bulk random testing that would make the testing lose its added value or meaning as the number of tests grew. From an organizational point of view, we divide testing into different groups. For example during app testing we have a group of tests for notifications, another for content (category A is supposed to have 4 categories but only 3 are seen=bug) and last but not least a functionality category (if you click this link ant it will take us to this link, if not we make a bug)
When you are developing software for a web page, testing is unavoidable if you want to have a good quality product. The testing process isn’t difficult, and you don’t have to be afraid. If you organise it well, you can finish very quickly and effectively. If you need a helping hand or any advice, do not hesitate to contact us. We also welcome your experiences with testing and implementing new systems, apps, or web pages in your company.
