Guidelines for Advanced Software Testing and Quality Assurance Techniques
What software testing is all about?
Software Development Life Cycle is a software engineering expression which takes account of all the processes in Software development and deployment. It incorporates methodologies that are utilized to design and develop systems. When we talk about software engineering the SDLC idea underpins many varieties of software development procedures. These practices referred are the one that facilitate in generating a framework that can be used as a base for mounting superior information systems.
Why Software testing?
Testing, at times is interpreted erroneously. People cultivate this notion that testing should be done once the programming is complete for a system or software. But on the contrary, testing should be executed at every phase of the development cycle. Underneath is a gist of some regular types of testing that form a major concern in the development process:
- Unit Test
- System Test
- Functional Test
- Automated Testing
- Performance Test
- Acceptance Test
Alpha testing in the league
Alpha Testing that forms an integral part of the above tests is done after the code is competed to verify with most of its functionalities but prior to real user usage. The above process can be easily carried out in terms with small and medium size software but things shape up differently when it comes to larger ones. Once the software testing is completely through, the system or software is launched in the market for the user.
What are the other testing techniques?
Testing techniques like the one below are worth notable.
- Black Box
- Gray Box
- White Box
- Ad Hoc
- Exploratory testing
- Scripted
- Automated testing.
For conducting these tests, there are diverse tools. For example for functional and regression testing, there are rational functional tester, Automated QA Test Complete, Robots for load & stress testing of web applications, there are mercury load runner and rational performance tester.
A first-rate company proffers you with comprehensive software testing services for Desktop applications like Microsoft Windows XP/Vista, Linux, UNIX, Mac OS Mobile phones, PC, WinCE, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, J2me, BREW, and Palm OS etc.
Know Quality Control
Reviewing the quality of all the factors in toto that are involved in the production is defined as Quality Control. The emphasis is on namely three aspects:-
- Controlling elements like job management
- Competence involving knowledge and skills etc
- Soft elements like personnel, integrity and quality relationships etc.
The quality of the outputs is at stake if any of the above three aspects is incomplete in any way. Stressing the need to test products so as to unearth defects, and reporting the same to management who are involved in decision making in order to permit or refuse the release is quality control whereas quality assurance endeavors to perk up and alleviate production, and associated processes, to shun, or at least lessen, issues that lead to the defects.
When should QA testing be initiated in a project?
A QA is concerned with the project right from its inception. This not only assists the teams’ in communing and comprehending the tribulations and concerns and also gives time to set up the testing environment and configuration. On the other hand, actual testing is instituted after the test plans are documented, reviewed and approved based on the design documentation.
Quality Assurance Techniques in use
Various techniques used in Quality check process are here as under:
- Envisaging continuing benefits
- Visualize end product
- Authenticate load calculations
- Test out precision as per standards
- Verify for framing magnitude
- Ensure connection details
- Confirm for interference (clash detection)
- Locate exclusions
- Validate Shop drawings for constructability
- Substantiate the alignment with other trades
Hence, in quality assurance, quality control necessitates the project manager and the project team to scrutinize the proficient work to guarantee that it’s aligned with the project scope. In practice, projects characteristically have a committed quality control lineup which focuses on this area and the output is totally tried software, that ranks grade one on all counts.