State-of-art software development is not complete without proper QA testing, because it is at this stage that the quality of the product can be significantly improved.
“Properly conducted QA processes ensure stable and smooth operation of applications and web platforms, which leads to customer satisfaction”, says Andrii Shynkarenko, QA Engineer at AnyforSoft.
The Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC) consists of several main stages, which may differ depending on the project management methodology you choose. You should also distinguish between levels or types of testing, and approaches. Besides, testing the finished product for compatibility with other platforms, accessibility of URLs, cleanliness of codes, etc. is completely on the sidelines.
Be aware that most developers classify Unit Testing, Integration Testing, System Testing, Acceptance Testing – as types, but not to the stages of QA testing.
QA Testing Stages
At first glance, it may seem that there are enough types of testing to ensure the stable operation of a web page or application. In fact, these are just tools, it is much more important how they are used.
Requirements analysis. It all starts with an assessment of the requirements of all stakeholders. It is most effective if QA engineers are involved in discussing requirements and drafting the first specifications early in the project. However, it depends on the chosen project management methodology. The main task of the testing team here is to determine how transparent, clear and understandable the requirements are. This is necessary both to stay on the same page with the customer and for the finished product to fully meet expectations. An additional survey or meeting may be required to discuss pressing issues.
Test planning. Test planning is a very capacious process that takes into account several key factors: strategy, tools, budget, deadlines, reporting system. The plan must necessarily include the types and levels of testing required for the project. For each project, a test plan is developed individually, it is impossible to use a ready-made template.
Test design. At this stage close collaboration of the development team and QA engineers is crucial. It helps to create the right testing environment, thinking through steps and cases to determine if a particular function is working correctly. Often, they start with exploratory tests to understand exactly how to interact with the software, and based on the analysis and specification, checklists and test cases are created. If the use of automation testing was previously determined, it is at this stage that automation scenarios are developed.
Test execution and bug reporting. And finally, the execution of the testing plan. As a rule, manual and automated testing are used. Revealed bugs are recorded in special tracking systems and sent back to the development team for fixing. Automated tests, launched using additional programs and frameworks, also record the results in reports for research and fix bugs if they were identified. Test results – positive and negative – are recorded in the logs for further analysis.
Regression testing. After the bugs identified at the testing stage are fixed, re-tests and regressive tests are launched. New testing allows the team to check again if any bugs were missed earlier. Regression testing shows whether (and how exactly) bug fixing affected the functioning of other options. It also helps to explore whether the product still meets the requirements and expectations after troubleshooting.
Release testing. Release testing involves several small but important steps. As soon as the development team finishes with all the fixes and writes a report on the work done, the features used and important details, the QA engineers start release testing. For this, an ideal environment is created and the end-user environment is simulated. It is used to ensure that all parts of the software are running smoothly and reliably. Only after passing this stage successfully the product is ready.
Testing Closure. Many consider this stage to be optional since it is more common when using the Agile methodology. However, this stage is necessary for optimizing QA processes and analyzing teamwork. At the meeting, everyone involved in the testing process shares their insights, challenges, and thoughts that have arisen during the work on the project. This allows to identify weak points and bottlenecks and find a solution to improve work efficiency and avoid similar problems in the future.
A comprehensive testing process and adherence to all its stages ensure high quality of the finished product, stable and trouble-free operation, saving time and money for bug fixing after release. Learn more about how to improve the performance of your website with the proper QA testing here: https://anyforsoft.com/blog/website-quality-assurance-checklist/
AnyforSoft is a software development company specializing in Drupal and Javascript technologies. If you are looking for a reliable and skillful team, the company can offer you QA audit services for your website or application, or comprehensive product development from scratch with mandatory QA testing.
Please share your opinion on how important or not it is to strictly follow the above algorithm, whether you have had a successful experience in improving QA processes.
