QA Testing: A 7-Step Process To Become A Pro At QA Testing

Testing a software solution before it gets released in the market is essential. Every development firm has to ensure their software delivers what they claim to provide, and that’s where QA enters the picture. The developed software solution should perform at its best and provide what it promises to users. And to ensure that QA testing is executed to receive the best results.
What is QA?
Quality Assurance (QA) is the process of assessing software for its functionalities and features that it claims to provide. Testers are assigned the responsibilities of evaluating the software on every possible measure to ensure its productivity. Every software has to go through the process of QA testing before it gets released in the market. The process of QA testing defines the expertise of a tester, and a rigorously tested software always succeeds in the market despite the cut-throat competition.
There are mainly two approaches used for testing:
#1. Manual Testing
Manual testing is executed by humans. Testers manually search for the bugs and notify the possible fixes that must be done. It contains various tests, e.g., user acceptability tests, smoke tests, usability testing, regression test, and more. Manual testing focuses upon the end performance of the software and notifies if any performance lags are observed during testing.
#2. Automated Testing
As technology is upgrading by leaps and bounds, automated testing allows testers to automate the task of testing out the codes and provides support for efficiently running the tests. It includes unit testing, system integration test, and more. Using automation testing throughout the development cycle gives a test-driven development approach where code gets tested at each phase.
Regardless of the testing approach chosen and followed, the testing process remains the same for every testing type and helps ensure the best results are obtained.
The Importance of QA Testing
But how vital is QA testing for software developers? Very. QA testing not only ensures the software is performing excellently, but it also helps prove a development company’s expertise in developing a solution. An excellent software solution can prove the expertise of a development firm and establish them as trustworthy development support.
To ensure the best results are achieved, it becomes essential to put best practices of QA testing in effect and receive productive software solutions. The QA testing process determines whether the solution has been tested rigorously or not.
The Process of QA Testing
The best practices of QA testing generally follows a 7-step process that can help check the software from every possible aspect.
#1. Analyze Requirements
It is not possible to thoroughly test a software solution without understanding the requirements. Therefore, it is crucial to keep all the needs in mind when planning out the testing strategies. The QA tester must focus upon the requirements of the software to understand what aspects are required and analyze the performance of the software.
The requirements must be written down in a clear format to make use of it whenever required. It is not possible to understand and clear all the requirements in a single sitting. This process is time-consuming, but patience is all that you need to ensure the first stage is executed well.
#2. Prepare a Strategy
Once all the software requirements are listed down, the next step comes of strategizing the entire development process. This step requires a tester to think carefully and design every step, further keeping the time constraints and budget in mind. An experienced tester has passed through numerous testing procedures and can plan out an effective test strategy that can deliver the best results.
Testing strategy not only helps you conduct testing in the best way possible, but it also gives you the reason to assure your investors and clients of the best approaches followed. Once finalized, the testing strategy can not be changed or updated every day or at every phase. Therefore, it is important to build a strategy that doesn’t create any issue in the future.
#3. Plan Out Testing
Once a testing strategy is developed successfully, next comes the implementation. No matter how good or great your testing strategy is, if not applied in the right sense, it may lead to devastating results. Therefore, the planning is required to be done in the best way possible and implement it with the best practices.
The software must be tested with the best practices and across all platforms that they run on. Creating a matrix of environments that are required is advisable to execute testing. The test setup comes under the planning phase and is required to be done in advance to produce the best results.
#4. Define Test Cases
Once the software gets developed, the time is to run testing! But beforehand, decide the test cases that get executed on the application. The test cases must be designed, keeping every possible condition under which your software gets used. For example, if you have developed an application, it is important to keep in mind the possible chances under which your app solution has to perform its best. e.g., how does your app works with slower or no internet connectivity? What performance changes are observed when the device battery is running low? And more.
The test cases help you find out whether your software can perform its best under pressure and how it functions or crashes under such situations. It helps in adding up measures that can keep up with the performance expectations and provide the best services to end-users. It ends up benefitting your developed solution and exercises the best practices.
#5. Run Testing
Now its time to run testing and find out the possible bugs. But before you start with that, you should have your test plan in mind and follow it throughout the testing procedure. Applying various testing methods on the code requires time and also tests the patience and expertise of a tester.
Perform testing for every feature developers have added in the code. Check if the developed application successfully meets all the requirements specified by clients. If you find any errors during execution, take a note of it.
Mention every bug that you find in the code when testing it. If you find any functionality or features are missing, do inform the development team. Keep checking the code until you develop the best software that is error-free, functional, and supports every demand of its users.
#6. Rigorous Testing
As mentioned in step 5, if the code is updated after one testing cycle completes, do recheck it, and this time, more rigorously. It helps you find out if any errors are still there in the code and search for the possible reason. The software must be tested for every test case you have developed and provide the expected outcomes. If not, continue checking and updating the code.
#7. Software Release
Once the software is ready to get released in the market, the QA team is required to gather and develop a release document that includes all the necessary details about the software and its use- versions, operating system requirements, environment restrictions, limits, and more. It defines what your software is capable of and provides support to users to understand if they encounter any possible problems with its use.
Preparing the usage guide and release document requires a tester to follow the best practices and adhere to company policies. The instructions should be clear, concise, and user-oriented to help them use the software in the best way possible. If your current version of the software has any defects- do mention them. And also inform when the possible fixes will be released to help users maximize the use.
Role and Responsibilities of Testers
The importance of a QA tester in any software development firm can never be neglected. Despite the automation practices in the testing field, manual testing holds its value as it was before. The ultimate goal of a tester is to find and sort any messes in the developed software. But it requires them to possess commendable organizing skills and thorough knowledge of technical aspects.
Only a QA tester can understand what it means to break down a large code into smaller chunks to perform the best practices of testing on them and obtain excellent outputs. A tester is responsible for an error-free software solution development and creating a unique identity of the development firm in the market.
A QA testing individual should always be ready to cope up with any challenges and should put his/her earned knowledge and updated definitions of testing in use.
Conclusion
The role of a QA tester is challenging as well as the responsibilities are tough to manage. However, by adhering to the best practices of testing, a QA tester can ensure excellent software solutions get developed and released in the market. Apart from all the required qualities, a tester should remain process-oriented to generate the best results.
By providing excellent testing support to a development firm, a QA tester can ensure their software solutions thrive in the market and can help build a good market reputation. The load on the shoulders of QA testers is indeed heavy, but with the best practices and thorough testing experience, they can assure of providing the best quality software.