Software Testing Best Practices for Web & Mobile Projects

automation testing October 11, 2022
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There is a significant flaw when it comes to software testing projects. Many, if not most, software developers do not understand the value of Testing. After years of dealing with this issue, some software testing best practices have emerged that every software developer should practice. Without proper planning, implementation and upkeep, any software project can get out of control in a short period or simply just fail. Hopefully, this article answers some of your Testing related questions. Also, we’ll go over some best practices for testing projects.

Non-technical software testing best practices

Non-technical software testing best practices

1. Coders Should Not Write Tests

 

Testers, not coders, should write tests. The reason for this is that tests should be written in a language that is understandable to both testers and coders alike. If a coder writes the test, they will write it in the same language as the code it’s testing. But if a tester writes the test, they will use a more easily understandable language by both programmers and testers.

2. Document and Report All Tests

 

Documenting your tests is important because it allows other developers on your team to check back in if they need to fix something in the future. Furthermore, it makes it much easier for teams with multiple members to track what they’ve done and understand what to do next.

3. Clean the Test Code before Final Release

 

Once you’ve run all of your tests and they’ve passed, clean up your code. So, there aren’t any leftover statements or variables that could cause errors in future iterations of these tests (and any others that might use this file). This can be done by running an automated “cleaning” program after every run-through. All of your tests are complete—that way, no extra junk remains behind after each test run!

4. Test Throughout SDLC

 

Although Testing at the end of a project is tempting, Testing throughout the software development cycle is more effective. Ideally, you should be Testing as soon as you create your prototype and continue testing throughout development. This will help you catch bugs earlier in development and avoid needing to return and fix problems after the launch into your code base.

5. Break Tests into Small Pieces

 

When writing tests, each test must cover only one small part of your code. This will prevent anyone’s test from becoming too large and unwieldy and ensure that each test only tests a specific function. Suppose we combine all of our functions into a single test. In that case, we can end up with false positives when there are errors in other areas of our code base that don’t have anything to do with what we’re testing for!

6. Do Regression Tests

 

The regression tests ensure that no new bugs have been introduced into the product since it was last tested. This is especially important in software development because bugs can be introduced at any point during development, so a product must be thoroughly tested before being released into production.

7. Customize Testing

 

Software testing should be customized for each project to fit the needs of both developers and users. This way, you’ll know if your product works well enough for people who use it daily (the end users). You would also know how easy it is for developers to work with this codebase or integrate the code into yours (the developers).

8. Accumulated Skilled Testers

 

A good software testing team should consist of skilled testers with a wide range of skills and experiences. These testers should be able to test the software in various environments, including test data, hardware, operating systems, and other factors that may affect the software’s performance or behavior.

9. Target Operating Model

 

A target operating model is the goal that you want your application to achieve. It is important because it helps you decide how your application will perform, what features it should have, and how they will work together. This will also help you build a roadmap for your project so that you know where it is heading at all times.

10. Have a Mix of In-house & Offshore Teams

 

The best way to ensure the quality of your products is to have a mix of in-house and offshore teams. While outsourcing can help you scale your project, it can also lead to communication issues, which can affect the quality of your product. On the other hand, hiring in-house developers will help you keep track of the progress made by your team and improve on it as needed.

11. Keep your Code Isolated From your Development Team

 

Developers should not have access to the application while they are developing it. This is because the developers can see the data, which may affect their judgment when testing the software. They may think an error is not a real issue, but it could still be one.

Only testers and administrators should access the application after its development and Testing.

12. Maintaining a Dedicated Software Security Testing Team

 

Maintaining a dedicated software security testing team is one of the most important software testing best practices. This team should include people who are experts in application security. They should also have experience in identifying vulnerabilities and implementing solutions using various tools and techniques.

This team should be able to work independently and with other teams across your organization. They will be responsible for performing both manual and automated Testing regularly. We thoroughly test new code or changes to existing code before releasing it.

It’s also important that these engineers access resources such as documentation and toolsets that will allow them to quickly address any issues that arise during testing sessions.

Technical software testing best practices

1. Quality Management and Quality Control

 

Quality is essential for the success of any software testing project. Quality management encompasses all the elements necessary to ensure that the software you are developing meets your client’s requirements. Quality control, on the other hand, refers to ensuring that each test case meets certain criteria before being passed as successful.

Quality management and quality control are two sides of the same coin; they are both critical to ensuring that your software meets its goals. A good quality management plan outlines collecting requirements, assessing risks, managing projects, and resources, controlling changes, and managing versions. It also describes how you will measure success at every process stage. A good quality control plan will outline the tests you’ll run on each piece of code as developers submit it—and how often those tests should be run.

2. A Controlled Security Test Environment & a Dedicated Team

 

The best way to ensure that your software testing projects are successful is to adopt a controlled security test environment with a dedicated team. It is necessary to test in a separate environment. The team responsible for conducting the tests should consist of only those directly involved in the project.

By keeping your software testing environment stable and tracking changes, you will be able to identify potential issues before they make things worse. Furthermore, by using a dedicated team, you can ensure that all of your testers have access only to the information they need to do their job properly. This will prevent information from getting lost along the way or being mixed up with other information accidentally.

3. Proactively Plan Software Test Cycles

 

Poor planning, coordination, and communication make software development projects bogged down. The main issue here is that most developers are unfamiliar with software testing processes, which can build up technical debt over time. This means there is a greater chance of bugs slipping through into production, which will inevitably be costly for your business in terms of lost revenue and unhappy customers.

So how do you avoid these problems? The first step is to plan test cycles from the beginning. Plan for potential issues and identify them quickly, so they don’t become major problems. Make sure everyone involved understands their role in the process and what needs to happen before moving on.

4. Quality Management Plan

 

The Quality Management Plan is a document that outlines how software projects are managed from start to finish. It details how quality assurance processes integrate into each project’s life cycle step, including Testing and maintenance.

1) Test Strategy

 

The test strategy is a business case for the Testing. It defines what you are testing, why you are testing it, and how you will test it. It also provides a framework for risk management and quality assurance planning.

‍2) Test Plan ‍ ‍

 

A test plan is a document that outlines how software testers will do a test. It identifies who will perform the test, what to test and how much time it will take on each step of the test process.

3) Test Case‍

 

A test case describes how you want your software to behave under different conditions. A good test case should describe inputs, expected outputs, and results. Each test case should have one or more inputs (or conditions), an expected output (also known as an expected result), and an actual output (also known as an actual result). You can use these results to determine whether or not your software works correctly under certain conditions or situations.

5. Use Development Practices That Are Test-Oriented

 

Suppose a company wants to achieve good results in software testing projects. In that case, they need to use development practices that are test-oriented.

One of the most important aspects is creating tests before coding starts. This helps ensure that everyone on the team understands what they need to do and helps create a more efficient workflow.

Another key component is using test-driven development (TDD). This involves writing the tests and then writing code until the tests pass. This ensures fewer bugs because you’re writing only what is needed and not overboard with unnecessary features.

Test-Drive Development (TDD)

 

Test-Driven Development (TDD) is a software development process in which developers write tests first to ensure the code they write meets requirements. The tests you write before you use the actual code ensures that the code is working as expected.

Tests are written along with each unit of code and should be automated. The developer writes a test and then writes code to pass the test. Then, after writing more code and adding more tests, testers repeat the process until they meet all the requirements.

Pair Programming ‍

 

Pair programming is a software development practice in which two programmers work together at one workstation. In this approach, one programmer, the driver, writes code. In contrast, the other programmer, the observer or navigator, reviews each line of code as you type. Together they discuss approaches to solving problems and look at test cases and requirements. The idea is that two heads are better than one and that this practice will improve quality by improving communication between developers.

6. Integrate Tests into CI/CD Pipeline

 

The most common problem with software testing projects is that the tests are not integrated into the CI/CD pipeline and do not run automatically when code changes.

To check if your tests are running, you need to manually run them in a separate window for every change you make. This means you will be wasting time on repetitive tasks that can easily be automated. It also means that your team won’t be able to trust the results of their tests because they know they are not automated.

This is why we recommend that all tests should be integrated into the CI/CD pipeline so they can run automatically whenever code changes occur. Doing this will help ensure that your software is always tested correctly and consistently across different environments, saving time and money in the long run!

7. Adopt Tests Written for Maximum Coverage

 

When testing software, it’s important to write your tests to cover the maximum amount of code. Because the more code you cover by tests, the less likely any bugs will make their way into production, it is best to write as much code as possible in a test-driven manner.

It’s often tempting to write tests focused on individual functions or pieces of data. Still, there are many reasons why this isn’t always the best approach. Suppose you only test a single function at a time. Then, you won’t have the opportunity to perform regression testing. It may result in bugs you’ve previously fixed, which are now breaking again due to system changes.

8. Run Regular QA Technical Reviews

 

The QA technical review is a critical part of any software testing project. It should be run at least once a month and attended by both the development and QA teams.

This meeting aims to resolve any significant issues preventing the project from moving forward. A QA technical review should also include a discussion about how the project is progressing and any major issues that have come up since the last meeting.

This ensures that everyone on both sides stays updated on what’s going on with the project and where it’s headed. You can do this through the following;

Technical Reviews

 

A QA technical review is a process that helps ensure that the product is tested thoroughly and effectively. It also helps to ensure that the software meets user needs and the business’s requirements.

A QA technical review usually involves a group of people involved in different parts of the development process. This can include developers, testers, and managers. The group will meet to discuss any issues identified during Testing or previous meetings. They will then review the issues and come up with solutions for them.

‍Review Meeting ‍

 

A review meeting is a great way to make sure that everyone on the team has a chance to share their thoughts and concerns about the project. It’s also a good time to find out if anyone needs more information.

Walkthrough ‍

A walkthrough is a process where you walk through your software and look at it from all angles with different people from various parts of your organization. This helps you better understand what your customers will see when using your software. It also lets you see if there are any problems with it before it gets released into production.

Inspection ‍

Inspections are another great way to make sure that your team understands what they’re building and that they’re building exactly what you need them to build. It’s a good idea to review each step of the coding or wireframing process before moving on to avoid missing anything important.

9. Enact User Acceptance Testing (UAT)

 

User Acceptance Testing (UAT) is an important part of the software life cycle. It’s a test to ensure that the final product meets user requirements and expectations.

This can be done in several ways. For example, you could ask your clients or end users to test the interface and provide feedback on what works well and needs improvement. You could also give them a set of tasks to perform with the product and see if they can do them successfully. Or you could have them come into your office or lab and let them try it out there.

Software Testing Best Practices for Web & Mobile Projects

The point of UAT is not just to check whether the code works; it’s also about making sure that it makes sense to real people using it in real-world situations.

There are five types of UAT, namely:

Type 1: Contract Acceptance Testing:

 

Contract acceptance testing is a type of user acceptance testing (UAT). This test is performed at the end of the software development process and before the software goes live. This test aims to ensure that the software meets the requirements in the contract between the client and developer.

Type 2: Alpha and Beta Testing:

 

Alpha testing occurs when a product is nearly complete but still contains defects. In contrast, beta Testing takes place after alpha testing and fixes all remaining defects. Internal rather than end users often do these tests because they are more critical to fixing bugs than external users.

Type 3: Regulation Acceptance Testing:

 

Regulation acceptance testing (RAT) is a process used by banks and other financial institutions to ensure that new software complies with regulatory requirements before its implementation. It’s also known as Regulatory Compliance Testing (RCT) or Regulatory Testing.

Type 4: Black Box Testing:

 

Black box testing is an approach where you don’t have access to the code or source code of your application/website/software/mobile app etc. You only see the output from the browser or client-side when interacting with it from an interface perspective.

Type 5: Production Readiness Testing: ‍

 

Production Readiness Testing is also known as Production Acceptance Testing (PAT). This type of Testing ensures that an application is ready for deployment into production by creating a series of test cases that evaluate its stability, security, scalability, and other factors.

10. Measure Code Quality.

 

Code quality is an important metric to consider when performing software testing. This metric can be useful to gauge the quality of your codebase. It may also help you determine if your code is ready to be released into production.

Code quality can vary widely depending on how we use it. For example, suppose you’re building a web app that integrates with third-party APIs. If you use open-source code, you may need to customize it to fit your needs. The code will likely be messy and could contain bugs that cause problems when deployed on your platform.

There are many different ways to measure code quality, but some of the most common include the following:

– Readability: How easy can other developers understand your code? For example, does it use proper formatting and indentation?

– Maintainability: How easy is it for you or others on your team to make changes or updates? For example, does it use clearly defined functions/methods/classes?

– Stability: How often does this code break after the changes? It should rarely break; any issues should be caught during development before they’re deployed into production environments so that users aren’t affected!

-Security: How secure is this code? For example, does it use strong passwords for authentication, do you have any encryption or decryption going on at any point, etc.? Suppose your code doesn’t meet these basic standards. In that case, other developers on your team will have an even harder time understanding what’s happening in the application and making changes as needed.

– Performance Efficiency: ‍ How efficient is this code? Does it use the right data structures and algorithms to do the job quickly? If not, then you may need to refactor some things. It’s also important that your code be performant in production (for example, when a user makes a request). Otherwise, they’ll have an awful experience and probably leave!

11. Develop Testable Requirements

 

Developing testable requirements is a critical component of any software testing strategy. If the requirements you are testing are not testable, then the tests you run will not be able to provide accurate results. Your software testers can only do so much with a non-testable requirement; they cannot make it testable independently.

Testability refers to how easily an automated tool can test a software product.

Testable requirements have one or more of the following characteristics:

– Ability to be tested by automation

– Ability to be verified by manual inspection

– Can be checked for non-compliance against some predefined criteria

Ideal Methods for Writing Requirements

Writing test requirements is a complicated and challenging task. Writing good test requirements is even harder.

The first step in writing test requirements is to ask yourself what you want to achieve. Do you want to make sure that your software works well? Do you want it to be able to handle unexpected situations? Do you want it to be able to deal with unusual input?

Once you have decided what you want, the next step is to think about how you can achieve this using tests. What kind of tests would we need to write? How many tests do they need to be? What kinds of things should they try out? And so on…

software testing strategy

Once you have decided what kind of Testing needs to take place, think about which aspects of the system need Testing and how many of them should undergo it at once.

Following are some of the ideas for software test writing methods

A) Test-Driven development (TDD):

 

Test-driven development (TDD), a software development process, involves turning requirements into specific tests. Then the software is improved to pass those tests.

B) Behavior-Driven Development (BDD):

 

Behavior-driven development (BDD) is a software development process that enables collaboration between business people and technical experts.

C) User Stories:

 

A user story is a brief description of functionality needed by your users or customers. It should be written from the user or customer’s perspective and describe a single feature without going into unnecessary detail.

D) Acceptance Test-Driven Development:

 

Acceptance Test-Driven Development (ATDD) is a methodology that focuses on defining acceptance criteria before any development work begins. It helps ensure that the development team agrees on what needs to be built and provides them with clear expectations about what it should do.

12. Understand Product Objectives to Design Effective Test Strategies

 

The most important thing to do when designing a test strategy is to understand the objectives of your product. If you don’t understand what you’re trying to accomplish, you can’t design a strategy that will help you get there.

For example, suppose you’ve built an app that tracks your calories and helps you stay on track with your diet. In that case, it’s important to understand how it’s supposed to work to design tests that will test its functionality. This means understanding what happens when someone uses the app: how they input data, interact with it, and so on. It also means understanding what the result is supposed to be: how many calories have you tracked over time? How many people use the app? And so on.

If you know what success looks like for your product, then you can design tests to find out if you’ve reached that goal.

Test Execution

Test execution is running an executable to validate a certain set of requirements. It is also known as “testing.” Test execution aims to ensure that the software under development functions correctly. This can be done manually or using tools such as automated testing frameworks, static code analysis tools, coverage analysis tools, etc.

When you manually execute the test, it requires additional effort from testers to identify bugs and report them back to developers. Manual Testing usually involves the use of test cases, which are documents that describe how tests should be run on a piece of software.

Summary

 

However, the landscape is a little different regarding software testing tools. Here, the progressive approach is to view test automation as an industry-wide problem that requires more than just an apples-to-apples comparison of tools. To this end, we have outlined what we believe are some best practices for software test automation management in our “Software testing best practices.”

Don’t get overwhelmed if you can avoid it. Practice will help magnify your strengths and work on your weak spots. Above all else, success comes from learning from your mistakes; each failure is an opportunity to improve. Use them! There’s no better teacher than experience.

Bijin Azeez July 13, 2018
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