The process of assessing a system or its components to see if it complies with requirements is known as ‘Quality Assurance Testing.’ Software quality assurance carries out a series of operations to spot any bugs and issues.
This article will discuss the steps involved in quality assurance, a general review of QA practices, and an explanation of the duties of a quality assurance manager.
Table of Contents
What is Quality Assurance in Software Testing?
Software quality assurance aids in the identification of potential issues and flaws in IT products, as well as verifying the compliance of all business scenarios and user needs.
The terms 'Testing,' 'Quality Assurance,' and 'Quality Control' are frequently conflated or used in the same sentence. These terms, however, describe a variety of separate processes, including:
- Testing refers to the process of finding bugs in an application or software.
- QC (Quality Control) It involves putting the testing procedure into practice through case description, search, and issue establishment;
- QA (Quality Assurance) is establishing a control system to defend against errors during the software development phase and minimize the number of flaws during the testing phase. It entails the design of the testing procedure.
We requested detailed reviews of the QA software testing procedure from the quality assurance specialists on our software development team, as well as an explanation of why QA testing services are required for all software development projects.
Why do we need QA Specialists to Conduct Quality Assurance Process?
This topic was hotly debated in IT five to six years ago. However, a firm providing software testing services will still be in need in the next years. IT testing needs to be done by experts with the necessary training.
So, what is QA testing? What do quality assurance specialists do?
- They examine all connections between various settings and portions of code that aren't part of the software they created themselves;
- They simulate the experience of a user for whom the product is being developed while conducting tests;
- The QA engineer's work is not only to design and build software but also includes minimizing the possibility of its breakdown.
What is Verification and Validation in Software Testing?
Verification is making sure a software program accomplishes its objective error-free. The procedure is used to check whether the generated product is acceptable. It checks to see if the created product satisfies our standards. Static testing is verification.
Does validation entail whether we are constructing the product correctly?
The process of validating a software product involves determining if it meets high-level criteria or, to put it another way, is up to par. It is the process of ensuring that the product we are building is genuine or the appropriate product. It serves to validate the real and anticipated product. Dynamic testing occurs throughout validation.
Differences between Verification and Validation
Verification Process
The verification process helps to ensure that the product is designed to deliver all functionality to the customer.
- The development process is started with verification. Examining papers, plans, codes, requirements, and specifications. It involves reviews, meetings, walkthroughs, and other types of inspection.
- It answers queries like, "Am I developing the product correctly?"
- Am I correctly obtaining the data?
- It is a low-level task while creating important artifacts, such as walkthroughs, reviews, inspections, mentor feedback, training, checklists, and standards.
- A demonstration of the software's consistency, completeness, and correctness across each development life cycle phase and between each stage.
Verification Process Steps
Step 1: Planning + when we perform verification, as part of planning, to determine what we want to include in a particular version of the application
Step 2: Execution
Step 3: Reporting
Step 1: Verification Planning
Planning for verification is done at every level of the system that is being developed. The process of creating a verification plan includes:
- Verification Method and Level Assignments: Describes the connections between the level of validation and the method of validation for the defined criteria. Analysis, inspection, demonstration, and testing are part of the verification process.
When we perform verification as a part of planning, we should determine what we want to include in a particular version of the application. Verification results could be inaccurate if the wrong techniques are used
Step 2: Verification Execution
The execution of a certain verification assignment while using supporting tools. Results of the verification task—whether they come from a test, analysis, inspection, or simulation—are reported for compliance or non-compliance with evidence to support the finding.
Step 3: Verification Reporting
Provides a summary of the outcomes of the performed verification plan and confirms that all areas of the application were tested with no potential threats or bugs (and any bugs were reported and will be checked again).
Test cases to improve the Verification process
What is a Test Case?
A test case is a collection of operations to confirm a specific feature or functionality of your software application. A test case is a set of test procedures, test information, preconditions, and postconditions created for a specific test scenario to validate any requirement. The test case comprises certain variables or circumstances, which a testing engineer may use to compare predicted and actual outcomes to assess whether a software product is operating as per the client's needs.
Best Practice for writing Test Cases
Here are some expert-recommended tips for writing Test Cases:
1. Test Cases need to be transparent and simple
Make your test cases as straightforward as you can. As the test case author might not carry them out, they must be clear and simple.
Use direct language, such as going to the main page, inputting your information, and clicking this. This facilitates easy comprehension of the test procedures and speeds up test execution.
2. Create Test Case with End User in Mind
Any software project should aim to produce test cases that are simple to use and operate while still meeting client needs. A tester must write test cases with the end user's perspective in mind.
3. Avoid test case repetition
Avoid rerunning test cases. Call a test case by its test case id in the preconditioned column if it is necessary for another test case to be run to complete it.
4. Do not Assume
When creating your test case, don't presume the functionality and features of your software program. Be sure to follow the specification documents.
5. Ensure 100% Coverage
A test case should be written to verify each software requirement listed in the specification document. Use the Traceability matrix to verify that no functions or circumstances are left untested.
6. Test Cases must be identifiable.
The test case id should be given a name that makes it simple to recognize later when recording software requirements or faults.
7. Implement Testing Techniques
It's impossible to test your software program for every conceivable scenario. Software testing methods assist you in choosing a small number of test cases with the best chance of detecting a flaw.
8. Self-cleaning
You must not make the test environment useless with the test case you write; rather, it must restore the Test Environment to its pre-test condition. For configuration testing, this is particularly true.
9. Repeatable and self-standing
The test case should generate the same results every time no matter who tests it.
10. Peer Review
Request the review of your colleagues after building test cases. Your colleagues can find the flaws in your test case design that you would easily overlook.
What is a QA Test Summary Report?
A test summary report thoroughly reviews all the significant information that was recognized and learned during the various testing phases. The software must be delivered to the appropriate stakeholders to communicate its high or bad performance. Therefore, the main goal is to improve their decision-making process while deciding whether to go live.
It allows project stakeholders to evaluate how the test plan was carried out, promoting accountability and openness.
The quality of testing efforts, information gleaned from incident reports, and the performance of the program in various situations are all included in the report.
How to create a test summary report?
Generally speaking, depending on your testing exercises, this may vary from business to company. However, a test summary report must include a few typical components listed below.
- A concise assessment of the testing's effectiveness.
- Testing effort quality.
- Evaluation of the software's quality.
- Statistics were gathered from incident reports.
- A summary of the test's outcomes.
There should be brief mentions of the project and product. For example, the name of the project, the official or preferred product name, and the specific product's version.
Purpose
Include a brief description of why the report was created. For example, "The accompanying report is a summary of all the insights discovered during the various testing phases of the ABC project,"
Software/Product Overview
You can follow the below example as a reference.
Objective and Testing Scope
The stakeholders can comprehend the testing-related functions included and excluded in this section. Details on the things that aren't tested and the reasons why. The limitations, obstacles, and lessons learned at each step are also discussed.
For instance: "A verification that requires third-party connectivity was not feasible. A technical issue led to this, which will shortly be fixed.
Magical Metrics
The most intriguing and significant one thus far. The essential understanding of certain complicated data is made possible by the crucial metrics in a visual depiction. The greatest way to grasp something is generally via the use of visuals.
Metrics like:
- Test cases passed vs. failed
- Cases planned vs. executed
- Total defects found, their severity, and status
- Module-wise defects distribution
Types of Testing
The data about a project's extensive testing was used. This ensures that all testing is carried out per preceding plan agreements. Here are a few excellent examples.
- Smoke Testing
- Regression Testing
- System Integration Testing
a) Smoke Testing: If a build is obtained, this testing is carried out to make sure the essential features are operating as intended. Accepting the build will enable you to begin testing later.
b) Regression testing is re-running functional and non-functional tests to ensure that previously developed and tested software still performs after a change. If not, that would be called a regression.
c) System integration testing is conducted to determine whether the entire piece of software complies with the requirements without any issues. Additionally, several business scenarios are evaluated to ensure that the crucial operations are operating as intended.
Testing Environments
The details of the testing environments should be recorded here, with accurate data. Follow the below format:
- Application URL
- Server
- OS
- Device
- Database
- Tools used example: Quality Centre (HP ALM)
Lessons Learned
This is a simple part of learning experiences, not for stakeholders. Throughout the problem encountered, remedies are identified, and critical decisions are taken. These documented errors can be avoided in the next round of testing. Examples: The Problem - Manual testing is difficult in smoke test situations.
Solution – Test cases were automated, and scripts ran, saving time.
Recommendations and Improvements
You are welcome to make suggestions that would strengthen the software testing. For instance, more effective test management systems with useful integrations can be employed for rapid and efficient testing.
Test results
A detailed inventory of all functionalities checked and the defects found.
- Details about test case results also should include the links to issues of only failed and blocked test cases
- No. of bugs found
- Status of bugs (opened, resolved, and depending)
- List it by severity and priority
Exit Criteria
The portions that include the majority of the details are additional yes-or-no questions. It may be summed up as the testing process is finished once all predetermined conditions are satisfied. Here are a few instances:
- Planned test cases are executed – Yes
- The defects and all kinds of severity are entirely verified and closed – Yes
Again this may differ from project to project and company to company.
Conclusions
- The testing team's readiness to go live is discussed in this specific session. Inform the audience if the testing didn't satisfy the exit conditions.
- It is not recommended that the application or program go online.
- The following recommendation should be made if the program satisfies the exit criterion and meets all the requirements.
We recommend the software/application go live because it complied with the exit criteria and the conditions listed in section 9.
Definition, Abbreviation, and Acronyms
A QA test summary report explains the intricate testing procedure and its outcomes to the stakeholders.
Sometimes the phrases used in the report may not all be known to the stakeholders. It would be preferable if you included such information in the report itself. As crucial as the testing itself is, making communication simple. Furthermore, don't fill your report with technical jargon; not every stakeholder is an engineer and won't be able to grasp them.
Summary
A QA process and report helps to:
- Assist in reducing the number of defects in the latter stages of development.
- Make it easier to comprehend the product in the long run if it is verified from the outset of creation.
- Lessen the likelihood that the product or piece of software will fail.
- Aid in producing a product that meets the requirements and needs of the client.
Furthermore, once a QA Analyst/Specialist sees that all of the flow has been validated, he can approach the release with greater calm. Furthermore, the report's format is legible even by the OP, who is not technically savvy, which is sometimes critical.
If you have further questions regarding the QA process or would like a QA done for your products, Contact us now!
