Introduction of Software Testing

The Software Testing really plays a major role in the software development team to recognize the difficulties in process very well. SOFTWARE TESTING is performed to check the quality for the end client. People who are working for this role are called as testers and mainly role is bigger than testing since it’s all about giving the input to the final product for the quality.

Importance of Software Testing

Main purpose which is derived for the Software Testing is to give the best quality for the product. The major role of SOFTWARE TESTING involves checking there should be no discrepancy in the software development process anywhere throughout the process. Quality should not get sacrificed at all. Role of SOFTWARE TESTING is to get the requirements and design documents from the solutions architect and functional architect and adapt in the form of test cases and test scripts according to the test plan. There is a document called test plan and it’s consist of all information about the system and for each test cases. All the test cases gets validate thoroughly to check or find the defects in the application or system.

SMEs (Subject matter experts) are the one who approve the test plan and they signify the standards for the closure of the project. Test cases should be agreed with the acceptance standards and all the scripts which are mentioned in the test plan which is really essential for the closure of the project and to prove that all the test cases have been performed with respective all the results in form of pass and fail.

Test cases are really important to generate from the requirements and design templates. Then system can be testing thoroughly. Any feature/s can be included in the test case document it can be related with usability or functionality of the application.

There are respective test scripts which get converted into test cases and it should be validated properly. There are specific test scripts which tells what to do and what should happen in the application after executing them. Detailed information about the design and architecture can be understood with the help of test scripts in the software development process.

Hence, SOFTWARE TESTING is one of the major parts of the software development process and it should be carried out effectively for the quality of the product. I hope above mentioned part can help everyone that what is the role of Software Testing.

Guest Article by Mandeep Singh

Vendors offering the Software Testing/QA Certifications include some of the biggest names like Mercury/HP, Rational, Empirix, and Seque.

• CSTE: The Certified Software Tester (CSTE) certification reflects your proficiency in the basic principles of Quality control in IT industry.
• CSTP: People new to the Testing field or the ones with the role of leadership or anyone who desires to take up his career in testing are recommended to do Certified Software Test Professional (CSTP). It assists the individuals to enhance their skills in testing. The certification is offered by IIST-International institute of Software Testing.
• CTM: People with over 3 years of experience in Software Testing, ones with experience as Managers, development leads are recommended to hold Certified Test Manager Certification (CTM). It helps to improve skills on test management.
• HP QTP: For the ones working on Quick Test Professional (QTP), this has always been the most popular certification provided by HP. It is conducted in HP Performance based Test centres throughout the world.
• ISTQB: Being an ISTQB Certified tester demonstrates your concept of Software Testing. ISTQB comes in two levels as Foundation and advanced one. There is no prerequisite as far as Foundation level of ISTQB is concerned. You need to complete Foundation level course and attain 3 years of experience in Software Testing to attain Advanced level of ISTQB.
• CMST: The Certified Manager of Software Testing (CMST) certification reflects your ability to handle the project and demonstrate your capability to manage the Software test function.
• CASQ: The Certified Associate in Software Quality (CASQ) certification reflects your ability to hold a basic understanding of testing principles and processes. To be eligible, you must hold a 3 year degree from a reputed institution or a 2 Year degree and 1 year experience in IT or 3 years experience in IT Field.

The above QA Certifications will help you to demonstrate your Testing skills and you must select the appropriate one based on your experience and requirement.

Guest article by Varun Arora.

Also Read – Why one should go for Software Testing Certifications?

Software testing has emerged out to be the spine of the IT industry without which no organization can even think to survive in the market nowadays. If you a part of the testing team whether it is Manual or Automation, there must be several challenges that you have to face being a tester. Find below the few challenges that a Software tester has to go through or rather expected out of him.

• Whenever there is any new project comes in, the very first thing comes to the management is to deliver it to the high standards. Indirectly, it is a call to the community of Testers to be proactive in the task going to allot to them. Whether it any phase of SDLC, it is expected out of a tester to clarify the doubts if any exist so that the same is not carry forwarded to any other phase which is indeed a very difficult task assuming it is a new and fresh application or project.
• Testing each and every area of the application is impossible, so it becomes a challenge for a tester to prioritise the area which requires the maximum attention.
• Assuming there are no bugs left to discover for a tester, so it becomes a challenge for the tester to determine if the testing should be stopped now or there should be certain other areas which requires a further investigation.
• With the start of testing, it is expected to discover maximum amount of bugs. It is indeed a challenge for the tester to be in in line with the expectations of the management or development team and report the maximum bugs in the initial phase so that the timely rectification can be done by the developers.
• With new change requests or a change in already freeze requirements, it becomes quite a difficulty to incorporate or alter the test assets and this should be done accurately without affecting the execution schedule.
• There are certain instances when the defects are taken personally or against the developers, hence making it difficult for a tester to explain the developer. At times, there can be some defects left uncaught in the unit testing intentionally just to verify the tester’s ability to find them. All these throw a challenge on the tester’s ability to find the hidden bugs.

With so much in place for the testers, it is essential to follow the Standard Testing practices to be in line with the SDLC Standards and come out with no flaws in testing phase.

Guest article by Varun Arora.

Also Read – Why Software Testing is a challenging job?

[Update 2: Due to festival week in India [Deepavali week], we are planning to extend the giveaway deadlines to November 3. 
Those who didnot send the entries – Send us your entries asap and you can be the one to grab best seller QTP books/tutorials for free..]

Sometime back we asked on facebook that who all are interested in learning the QTP for free. Reason for asking is – I don’t understand why people are spending hundreds of $$ on QTP trainings. There are recourses available at affordable prices. The resource we are talking about is a Book – QTP Unplugged by Tarun Lalwani.

About Book:

QTP Unplugged is the first book on QTP and it is the best seller. The writer is Tarun Lalwani. I pre-order this book in April 2009. When I got the book Tarun (author) personally called me on my mobile (not only me, but to all readers) and asked me about the book.

Book is really amazing and in every chapter you will find something new to learn(even if you know QTP). There are really very excellent tips in each chapter thru which one can start working on QTP more smartly. I really appreciate the effort of the author. I bet, if you really want to learn QTP then only this book is enough to understand the basics and advanced concepts. Also whenever you have any issues/queries in QTP, author will help you via QTP forums.

Read the Book review here.

Giveaway: [Update: to make the Giveaway more interesting now giveaways are 4 QTP Unplugged Books and 4 And I Thought I Knew QTP books]

So guys we are planning to giveaway 4 QTP Unplugged Books. Tarun is so generous he agrees to giveaway 4 more QTP Unplugged books to our visitors. So total of 8 books will be given away to 8 lucky members.

So how to become a lucky member? You need to send us the answers of the following questions to our email id fb@onestopsoftwaretesting.com. After a random vote, the winners will be declared:

1. You Introduction and experience in testing?
2. Why do you want to learn QTP?
3. Benefits of Automation over Manual?
4. What do you think about the future of Manual & Automation Testing?

Deadline: Send us your entries by Oct 23, 2011.

Note: This giveaway is only for Indian readers. For rest of the countries will be back soon with giveaways. Books will be delivered in India only.

Discount coupons:

For rest of the members, Tarun generated a coupon code OSSTMEMBER for our visitors. The coupon will provide 10% discount and is valid till 31st Dec. rest of the members can pre-order the book at: http://knowledgeinbox.com/store/ (This site is owned by Tarun). The current price of the book is INR 585 (same as the price of your Family size pizza)

knowledgeinbox.com already have discounted prices on the pre-booking orders. The discount coupon code OSSTMEMBER  will be over and above the existing discounts. The pre-booking discounts will be taken off on 21st Oct. So those who order and pay before Oct 21, 2011  will have real good discounts.

You can join also join And I thought I knew QTP (Tarun’s New book on QTP) on Facebook.

Click Here for More Tutorials on Testing with VSTS 2010.

A. Data Table
B. Active Screen
C. Keyword View
D. Expert View

Q22) Which QTP features can be customized using the Customize menu command?
(Select two.)
A. Menus
B. General options
C. Test Settings
D. Active Screen
E. Toolbars

Q23) In which Options tab can you set the option to minimize the space your stored test will require?
A. Active Screen
B. General
C. Run
D. Environment

Q24) Which Active Screen capture level is the default setting?

A. Complete
B. Limited
C. Partial
D. Minimum

Q25) You record and save your test on a shared network drive as SampleWebTest. What is created on the shared drive?
A. a file named SampleWebTest.qtp
B. a folder named SampleWebTest
C. a file named SampleWebTest_Action1
D. a temporary folder structure

Q26) What are examples of a visual cue condition? (Select two.)
A. A button becomes visible.
B. A record is inserted in the database.
C. A progress bar displays.
D. A button becomes enabled.
E. A bitmap displays.

Q27) Which Quick Test Professional View Option will show you the repositories associated with

each action?

A. Resources

B. Information

C. Script Repository

D. Active Screen

Q28) During the planning phase, you decide to create multiple actions that can be combined

and reused to achieve testing goals. Which element is critical for identifying the actions to

be recorded and how to combine them?

A. input data

B. parameters

C. initial and end conditions

D. visual cues

Q29) Where can you reset the add-in manager if it does not display when you launch QuickTest

Professional?

A. General Options

B. Run Options

C. Test Properties

D. Test Settings

Q30) You set your Record and Run settings to Record, and then run a test on any open

browser. Which applications will be recorded?(Select two.)

A. Firefox

B. Safari

C. Silverlight

D. Chrome

E. Internet Explorer

Click Here to Download the set of 75+ questions

• Stability of product/application – If new features are being introduced and there is a possibility of the existing functionality being disturbed, more effort is required for automation due to rework (Script Fixing)
• Interface to be tested has been identified
• Scope of automation has been identified
• Individual test cases to be automated have been identified & are complete
• Standard Coding definitions for objects is adhered to
• Right tool has been identified

- by the author of “Quick 101 on Automation”

There was an experiment some years ago in IBM. They set up a test team, who they called the ‘black team’ because these guys were just fiends. Their sole aim was to break software. Whatever was given to them to test, they were going to find faults in it. They developed a whole mentality where they were the ‘bad guys’.

They dressed in black, with black, Stetson hats and long false moustaches all for fun. They really were the bad guys, just like the movies. They were very effective at finding faults in everyone’s work products, and had great fun, but they upset everyone whose project they were involved in. They were most effective, but eventually were disbanded.

Technically, it worked fine, but from the point of view of the organisation, it was counterproductive. The idea of a “black team” is cute, but keep it to yourself: it doesn’t help anyone if you crow when you find a fault in a programmer’s code. You wouldn’t be happy if one of your colleagues tells you, your product is poor and laughs about it. It’s just not funny. The point to be made about all this is that the tester’s mindset is critical.

Testers must have a split personality

Testers need a split personality in a way. Perhaps you need to be more ‘mature’ than the developers. You have to be able to see a fault from both points of view.

Pedantic, sceptical, nit-picking to software

Some years ago, we were asked to put a slide together, saying who makes the best testers, and we thought and thought, but eventually, all we could think of was, they’ve got to be pedantic and sceptical and a nitpicker. Now, if you called someone a pedant, a sceptic, and a nitpicker, they’d probably take an instant dislike to you. Most folk would regard such a description as abusive because these are personal attributes that we don’t particularly like in other people, do we? These are the attributes that we should wear, as a tester, when testing the product. When discussing failures with developers however, we must be much more diplomatic. We must trust the developers, but we doubt the product.

Most developers are great people and do their best, and we have to get on with them – we’re part of the same team, but when it comes to the product, we distrust and doubt it. But we don’t say this to their faces. We doubt the quality of everything until we’ve tested it. Nothing works, whatever “works” means, until we’ve tested it.

Impartial, advisory, constructive to developers:

But we are impartial, advisory and constructive to developers. We are not against them, we are on the same team. We have to work with them, not against them. Because it is human nature to take a pride in their work and take criticism of their work personally, bear in mind this quote: ‘tread lightly, because you tread on their dreams’.

If development slips and they are late, you can be assured that they’ve been put under a lot of pressure to deliver on time and that they’re working very long hours, and working very hard. Whether they’re being effective is another question, but they’ve been working hard to deliver something to you on time to test. So, when you find the bug, you don’t go up to them and say, this is a lot of rubbish – they are not going to be pleased. They are very emotionally attached to their own work, as we all are with our own work, our own creation. You have to be very careful about how you communicate problems with them. Be impartial; it is the product that is poor, not the person. You want to advise them – here are the holes in the road, we don’t want you guys to fall into. And be constructive – this is how we can get out of this hole. Diplomatic but firm. No, it’s not a feature, it’s a bug.

The other thing is, if the developer blames you for the bug being there – you know, you didn’t put the bug in there, did you? Sometimes developers think that the bug wouldn’t be there if you didn’t test it. You know that psychology, ‘it wasn’t there until you tested it’. You have to strike quite a delicate balance: you’ve got to be able to play both sides of the game. In some ways, it’s like having to deal with a child. I don’t mean that developers are children, but you may be dealing blows to their emotions, so you have to be careful.

Original Source/Reference for article

Using a simple test matrix can
help you spot test areas that fit
your system’s needs.

So how do you test an e-commerce system? What types of testing do you need to do? In this Guide, author presents a checklist of test areas that group together common types of testing normally applied to e-commerce systems. (Some of these tests also apply to other types of systems.) You can cover certain test areas (such as browser compatibility) relatively quickly, whereas others (like those for transaction integrity) require a higher level of effort.

Download the Guide-> Testing E-Commerce Systems: A Practical Guide by Wing Lam.