“More than the act of testing, the act of designing tests is one of the best bug preventers known.”
— Boris Beizer.
The software testing lifecycle is an interrelated set of actions that rely on one another for execution and Software QA Services are an important ingredient in software development. For third-party software testing companies, one of the first and foremost important steps is the creation and implementation of test cases and its correct execution plays a significant role in the success story of the testing project. Any loophole in this phase or any drawbacks here may lead to an extrapolated effect all through the project. Hence, designing of test cases is an action that needs specific care and expertise to be able to function to its optimum. It is a talent that can be garnered by experience, in-depth understanding, and expertise. Test case management is an entirely specific area that is given high-end focus while implementing testing projects.
Effectiveness, reusability, flexibility, simplicity, time factors are some of the most important aspects that need to be taken care of while designing test cases. In order to achieve an equalized balance of these factors, testers, in software testing & QA service companies, need to have a thorough knowledge of how best to create and design test cases so as to get the best of testing outputs and that too, in the stipulated time, environment and budget. It is a known fact that software testing is meant to add value and not just find bugs. Hence, implementation of all its stages, if done correctly, it surely boosts the success of the entire project, leaving a sign of satisfaction and ownership with the esteemed client.
5 Strategic Best Practices to be followed for Test Case Designing
Each and every software tester aims to write the best of test cases because they know the worth and need of doing so and what implications does a bad test case carries all over the project. There are certain evident essentials that are a must for any test case to be of good quality.
To achieve these key requirements while designing test cases, the following are the most important best practices that need to be followed and adhered to:
- Take into Account User Perception
After all, it is the end-user who has to feel happy and contented, and hence it is very important to include the end-user perception into the test case design right from the beginning. That serves to be the base need for any user, leaving less scope to keep disturbing the user every now and then. This brings along a lot of clarity and direction till the end of the project and enables the development of real-life situations which assist the testers in checking for all types of scenarios at any given point of time.
- Adhere to a Streamlined Naming Standard
Since the test cases are designed right from the start, identifying and utilizing them at the later end of the project turns out tough if there is no proper naming standard followed. Out of this huge mass of information, without attaching proper names, it is impossible to map the requirements to the test cases to the further line of code. Also, the name of the test cases needs to reflect the module, function, or requirement that is being served. This allows for wonderful and synchronous coordination between testers and test cases.
- Include Description, Assumptions, Pre-requisites in Test Cases
What is being written has to be well understood by the tester. This is really important that the software testing & QA service companies understand, perceive, relate, and thereby manage the test cases exactly as per what is written and desired. Hence, what is primarily needed is the writer needs to accurately include the test case description, assumptions, pre-requisites, etc. perfectly so that the tester needs no extra guideline to execute the test case. Even the testing data and database need to be identified well in advance along with the set of testing tools that may be used. Any type of special condition in terms of environment setup, test condition, etc. should also be mentioned right up front.
- Imbibe Reusability and Modularity in the Test Cases
Out of a whole lot of test cases, while designing it itself, be sure of having reusability and modularity engraved in the entire test case, so that it can be further used in other modules and functions. In case of interdependencies; let that be mentioned very clearly in the document so that while testing it further, relevant steps can be performed well in advance. The test cases should try to avoid any kind of clash amongst them and that can happen only when the requirements are understood in a streamlined and balanced manner.
- Be Sure of a Full Test Coverage without any Assumptions
Be sure of designing test cases based on the requirement specification document provided and not on your own mindset. This way, you tend not to miss out on any functionality or requirement and thereby, cover the entire solution completely. With the help of statistics or a traceability matrix, we can ensure nothing gets untested or left out. Yet another important thing is not to assume anything on your own. This may lead you to miss out on important features while writing the test cases.
SPEC QA, as a Software Testing Services Company in India, offers independent QA and Testing Services across the complete software release lifecycle. As an ISO 9001:2008 company, we guarantee a process-driven approach in all our quality assurance practices and software testing services.
Our Software Testing & QA Services make certain an accurate blend of Manual and Automated Testing and provide support through the Testing Life Cycle. As a Third Party Software Testing Company in India, we possess skilled resources in Automated Testing tools like Selendroid, Selenium, Appium, Robotium, Quick Time Pro, etc., and Performance tools like JMeter, hpLoadrunner, BlazeMeter, etc. which help in simulating scenarios and performing continuous routine mundane tests.
With a stringent focus on quality and processes, we have been implementing several web app testing services in a multitude of technologies. Request for a Free POC to test-drive our services.
SPEC QA
