Key Components of Software Testing

The software testing process involves activities categorised into key stages during the evaluation of software quality.

The purpose is to facilitate confidence building and informed decision making by running tests, checking results, finding software bugs (known as defects) and articulating results to stakeholders. The results help to determine if the software is fit for its intended use.

Key stages in the software testing process include:

• Planning and control – to determine objectives, risk, approach, strategy, measure, monitor and decide next steps.
• Analysis and Design – to review, build test cases, identify risk, evaluate testability, identify pre-requisites.
• Execution Preparation – progress action in readiness to resolve constraints, clarify assumptions, prepare test data and environments.
• Execution - to run through tests and evaluate if an application is working or not, by monitoring behaviour and outputs.
• Evaluation and Reporting – review results, measure, report and establish if the testing gives enough information to complete testing and move to close stage.
• Test Closure – review of deliverables against those planned, tidy up test scripts for reuse, identify items for lessons learned.

Software testing can provide objective, independent information enabling business stakeholders to appreciate and understand the risks of proposed software releases.

Sometimes, questions raised in the testing process result in re-design of functionality or wider solution. This can save companies a considerable amount of time and money when identified early in the software testing process.

There are a variety of development methodologies which can be employed in this process.

Agile

This is where solutions and requirements evolve within set short time frames:

• Close collaboration
• Cross functional teams
• Agreed chunks of change
• Set duration known as ‘Sprint’ usually 2 x weeks long.
• Effort and complexity points allocated
• Set pattern: Plan – Execute – Feedback – Re-plan - Repeat.

Waterfall

This is where stages in the development are run sequentially. The key aspects of Waterfall are to have defined and agreed documentation agreed prior to each stage for:

• Strategy – initial high-level approach
• Scope – inclusive book of work
• Planned milestone dates
• Key stages and sign off points
• Review and follow up

Iterative Development

This is where multiple mini iterations of Waterfall are delivered via 4 activities:

• Coding
• Testing
• Listening
• Designing

Extreme programming

This is a style of Agile delivery which is broken down into short code feedback:

• Test driven development
• Continuous integration
• Pair programming
• Lower cost of change
• Small releases
• Coding standards

Spiral

This is an incremental model with four phases and the focus is placed on:

• Planning Phase
• Risk Analysis Phase
• Engineering Phase
• Evaluation Phase
• Repeatable iterations

Benefits of employing a software testing process include:

1. Serves as a contract to manage expectations, dependencies, constraints, assumptions
2. Can be issued as a statement of intent – this gives wider visibility and opportunity for Q&A
3. Helps to measure software code quality – so that necessary action can be taken
4. Helps to identify risks and issues – project slippage is avoided and costs/rework are reduced
5. Helps to give traceability in development to ensure effort is targeted and relevant
6. Helps to identify critical success factors – to enable more efficient progress tracking
7. Helps to demonstrate test coverage – to identify gaps and untested areas of risk
8. Sets out ownership expectations across teams
9. Facilitates timeline critical path planning
10. Improves cost control through sharing of information
11. Enables prioritisation – to ensure the most important thing are tested first
12. Highlight important gaps which could impact critical path
13. Sets out planned progress reporting against actuals so that remedial action can be taken
14. Promotes time and task management to optimise efficiency, productivity
15. Defines defect management process so that actions and owners are clearly identified
16. Enables timely and informed decision making - to maintain on track
17. Allows flexibility of approach which can help resolve blockers and respond to fluctuation
18. Encourages stakeholder feedback -to enable active and ad hoc participation
19. Communicates high level progress monitoring – so that senior stakeholders can be informed
20. Improves quality assurance -reducing costs and risk to the end users
21. Increases reusability – to save time and money whilst optimising benefits
22. Helps to deliver return on investment tracking cost-benefit incrementally
23. Invaluable retrospective referencing of legacy agreements, owners and evolving scope
24. Facilitates re-planning where issues arise and blockers cause delays

Following a templated software testing process allows individuals to be clearer of what is expected of them. The forward-thinking types can plan and prepare for what they are accountable for delivering.

Sharing a documented process serves as an excellent and established mechanism to base software development upon. It helps target the areas which are important in establishing if a code release delivery is acceptable and subsequently how this impacts the release implementation and future commercial business use.

Following a tried and tested software testing process can help projects avoid common pitfalls and help to ensure that there is a high-level framework to guide cross functional team members through the process, despite having different skills sets, levels of experience, disciplines and level of engagement.