What is testing?
Testing is the process of evaluating a system or its component(s)
with the intent to find that whether it satisfies the specified
requirements or not. This activity results in the actual, expected and
difference between their results. In simple words testing is executing a
system in order to identify any gaps, errors or missing requirements in
contrary to the actual desire or requirements.
According to ANSI/IEEE 1059 standard, Testing can be defined as
A
process of analyzing a software item to detect the differences between
existing and required conditions (that is defects/errors/bugs) and to
evaluate the features of the software item.
Who does testing?
It depends on the process and the associated stakeholders of the
project(s). In the IT industry, large companies have a team with
responsibilities to evaluate the developed software in the context of
the given requirements. Moreover, developers also conduct testing which
is called Unit Testing. In most cases, following professionals are
involved in testing of a system within their respective capacities:
- Software Tester
- Software Developer
- Project Lead/Manager
- End User
Different companies have difference designations for people who test
the software on the basis of their experience and knowledge such as
Software Tester, Software Quality Assurance Engineer, and QA Analyst
etc.
It is not possible to test the software at any time during its cycle.
The next two sections state when testing should be started and when to
end it during the SDLC.
When to Start Testing?
An early start to testing reduces the cost, time to rework and error
free software that is delivered to the client. However in Software
Development Life Cycle (SDLC) testing can be started from the
Requirements Gathering phase and lasts till the deployment of the
software. However it also depends on the development model that is being
used. For example in Water fall model formal testing is conducted in
the Testing phase, but in incremental model, testing is performed at the
end of every increment/iteration and at the end the whole application
is tested.
Testing is done in different forms at every phase of SDLC like during
Requirement gathering phase, the analysis and verifications of
requirements are also considered testing. Reviewing the design in the
design phase with intent to improve the design is also considered as
testing. Testing performed by a developer on completion of the code is
also categorized as Unit type of testing.
When to Stop Testing?
Unlike when to start testing it is difficult to determine when to
stop testing, as testing is a never ending process and no one can say
that any software is 100% tested. Following are the aspects which should
be considered to stop the testing:
- Testing Deadlines.
- Completion of test case execution.
- Completion of Functional and code coverage to a certain point.
- Bug rate falls below a certain level and no high priority bugs are identified.
- Management decision.
Testing, Quality Assurance and Quality Control
Most people are confused with the concepts and difference between
Quality Assurance, Quality Control and Testing. Although they are
interrelated and at some level they can be considered as the same
activities, but there is indeed a difference between them. Mentioned
below are the definitions and differences between them:
| S.N. | Quality Assurance | Quality Control | Testing |
|---|
| 1 | Activities which ensure the implementation of
processes, procedures and standards in context to verification of
developed software and intended requirements. | Activities which ensure the verification of developed software with respect to documented (or not in some cases) requirements. | Activities which ensure the identification of bugs/error/defects in the Software. |
| 2 | Focuses on processes and procedures rather then conducting actual testing on the system. | Focuses
on actual testing by executing Software with intend to identify
bug/defect through implementation of procedures and process. | Focuses on actual testing. |
| 3 | Process oriented activities. | Product oriented activities. | Product oriented activities. |
| 4 | Preventive activities. | It is a corrective process. | It is a corrective process. |
| 5 | It is a subset of Software Test Life Cycle (STLC). | QC can be considered as the subset of Quality Assurance. | Testing is the subset of Quality Control. |
Testing and Debugging
Testing:
It involves the identification of bug/error/defect in the software
without correcting it. Normally professionals with a Quality Assurance
background are involved in the identification of bugs. Testing is
performed in the testing phase.
Debugging:
It involves identifying, isolating and fixing the problems/bug.
Developers who code the software conduct debugging upon encountering an
error in the code. Debugging is the part of White box or Unit Testing.
Debugging can be performed in the development phase while conducting
Unit Testing or in phases while fixing the reported bugs.
A PC
A Mac
The iPad, a type of tablet computer
A server room
A laptop computer
A desktop computer
