Key Elements of an Effective Software Testing Process

Essential Aspects of the Testing Process
The quality of the testing process determines the success of the testing effort. Testing has its own cycle, which begins with the requirements phase of software and runs in parallel with the software development process. For each phase of the development process, there is an important task of testing.

Prevention of Defects Through Early Testing
More than half of the defects are usually introduced at the requirements stage, and the cost of defects is minimized if detected at the same stage they are introduced. Inspections and periodic reviews are effective and cost-efficient tools.

Choosing the Right Test Tools
There is a wide variety of products to choose from, some more appropriate or easier to use than others for different platforms. To determine structural coverage, it is important to have a strategy for acquiring tools and procedures for selection, which, although based on common sense, should be applied consistently.

Accountability in the Testing Process
A real person should be responsible for improving the testing process. Good specifications, reviews, and inspections positively affect the quality of the evidence. Its improvement is not conceptually difficult but requires effort and time, necessitating clear responsibility to plan and manage progress.

The Professional Discipline of Testing
Testing is a professional discipline that requires trained and competent people. To cope successfully, it requires qualified professionals with appropriate support from senior management. Testing should not be treated as an entry-level position or a trampoline; it should be independent, impartial, and organized to ensure fair recognition of their contribution to product quality.

Cultivating a Positive Team Attitude
Creative destruction requires considerable creativity to dismantle something in a controlled and systematic way. A good test methodically disassembles a product, finds its weaknesses, and pushes the limits.

Economic Aspects of Testing
Most software costs are related to the costs of defects: designing tests to discover, implementing these tests, defect detection, and defect correction.

Testing Process Steps

• Planning: At the beginning of development, establish guidelines, methods, and levels of ambition, including automatic or manual estimation of required resources and standards involved.
• ID: Detailed estimates of resources required.
• Specification: Description of tests at a functional level (purpose) and detailed level (steps).
• Implementation: Development of both automated and manual tests, recording the results.
• Analysis of Defects: Identification of the defect and its causes, along with corrective actions.
• Completion: Preparation of the equipment and test cases for later use, along with documentation files.