6 Best Practices for Software Testing

Software testing is an important part of custom software development. Software testing is a process that evaluates the capability of a program or system to determine whether it meets the required results. While identifying errors or “bugs” may be at the heart of software testing, this process is also important for a number of other reasons.

Software testing is used to make sure that a program or system meets design requirements. It is also used to assess whether a product or program operates within an appropriate time period. Through software testing, you can also determine whether a given software can be used in the appropriate environments, and whether it meets stakeholder expectations.

While software testing will not establish that a program or system functions properly under all conditions, it does identify whether a program will run correctly under specific conditions. Software testing includes a close examination of code as well as the execution of that code in various environments and conditions.

To describe the point of view a test engineer may take when approaching a case, software testing has traditionally been divided into two methods. White-box testing, also known as clear or glass box, tests the internal structures or workings of a program as opposed to the functionality exposed to the end user. Black-box testing, on the other hand, examines the functionality of the program without any knowledge of internal implementations.

6 Best Practices for Software Testing

Approaching software testing is a challenge that many product development teams face. There are techniques and practices that help ensure the best product available is offered to an investor or stakeholder. Here are some of the best practices software engineers use in the testing process:

1. Give early feedback – Test engineers should be included early in the development process to provide feedback on a wide variety of factors including scope, architecture and sustainability as it relates to software development.
2. Enable the larger team to move faster – Test engineers should be responsible for the product’s automated test framework by responding to the needs of the development team.
3. Inspire creativity – Test engineers supplement the test process by adding in new ideas for test cases. By adding new ideas for cases, software engineers can approach problems in an innovative fashion.
4. Test flexibility- Test engineers focus on exploratory testing and serve as a clear set of eyes when the development team needs quick feedback. This is helpful on less common cases or in areas that are harder to test in an automated fashion.
5. Engage with the outside – As issues arise from areas like customer support, test engineers can assess urgency from the client and prioritize the severity and risk. This will allow software developers to focus on fixing defects.
6. Mix development and test –Teams will grow and retain talent by sharing responsibilities across the team. Rotating the testing responsibilities with development roles gives team members new perspectives. Likewise, encouraging software developers to take part in testing allows project members to be well versed in all aspects of the team.

Software testing is a crucial aspect of any product development project and includes a wide range of approaches and practices. If a software development firm follows best practices when starting a new custom software project, a product development team will be able to maximize efficiency and quality throughout the project, enabling the delivery of the best product available to its investors and stakeholders.