It's better to be safe than sorry! We, humans, are never immune when it comes to making mistakes. Now when do you make one, no matter how small or big it is. The first and foremost thing we do is try to cover it up or justify the situation which further leads to additional misfortunes. So before the never-ending chain begins, it's time to rectify them right then and there.
This keeps on happening every now and then in almost every industry including software development. The following post focuses on the objectives of testing in the software development life cycle. Let's get started!
What are Software Testing Objectives?
Delivering quality products is the ultimate objective of testing. You see, releasing a product without being tested would be a complete waste of time,money and energy. Testing a software application is not just about finding potential bugs and errors but it also ensures that the developed product is right in accordance with the pre-defined requirements.
Right from user acceptance testing to functional testing, regression testing, software testing covers it all! Let us delve into the details of the objectives of software testing.
Short Term or Immediate Goals
I am sure you must have come across performing testing. This objective of software testing emphasizes setting individual phases of SDLC. Let's check out some short-term ones!
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Bug Discovery – A short-term objective that shouldn't be avoided at any cost is bug discovery. This means finding bugs at any stage of testing in software development. You see if you happen to discover as many bugs as you can at the early stage, the better end results you are likely to expect.
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Bug prevention – Once they get to analyze the bug by the QA team, the error is being discussed among all the team members of the software development project so that the mistake is not repeated any further.
Time to consider some long-term ones!
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Quality- Since the software is also a product, its quality has to be paramount. Thorough testing means you receive a product that is best in terms of performance and use. Certain aspects such as how correct is the product, does it excels at integrity, how efficient is the product, is it reliable must be taken into consideration.
Bug Detection
Another major objective of software testing is bug detection. For those who don't know, bugs are referred to as defects. Now, what are these defects, and how do they hinder the lives of the end-users? Well, in simple words bugs and errors stop a software system from functioning specific tasks and compel end users to uninstall the app.
Call it an issue, a bug, an error, fault, or failure, these creatures occur only if the developer makes a mistake which is pretty inevitable. Now the question is why a bug occurs in a software application? Well, the reason could be anything such as wrong coding, missing coding, and extra coding.
Software quality
Like I said before, the software is also a product. Therefore quality has to be kept paramount. Thorough testing means you receive a product that is best in terms of performance and use. Certain aspects such as how correct is the product, does it excels at integrity, how efficient is the product, is it reliable must be taken into consideration.
Therefore, it is advisable to conduct software tests rigorously to achieve high-quality standards. After all, best-in-quality will result in increased reliability.
Managing the Risks
Risk management comprises risk mitigation, risk identification, risk impact analysis. By managing the risks, failure can be avoided to a great extent.
Most of the time the Quality Assurance teams ensure to mitigate the risk by prioritizing the module tests and finding solutions with the highest-ranked module, thus saving a lot of time and energy.
Let's explore common types of Software testing
Software testing is a basic process of evaluating the overall functionality of the developed software application. Has the developed software met specific requirements and is it error or bug-free? Right from preventing bugs to reducing the software development costs, enhancing overall performances – software testing offers it all!
Common types of software testing techniques include:-
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Stress Testing
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Acceptance Testing
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Unit Testing
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Integration Testing
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Performance Testing
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Regression Testing
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Functional Testing
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Usability Testing
Software testing is not a new concept though! Still, I find many of you arguing against the need for quality control, especially when conducting a software development project. Also, one of the major turn-offs for end-users is dealing with software that is full of defects and bugs. Imagine what happens when the client finds that the developed software is filled with bugs and errors? Also, considering software testing as an afterthought can result in the late delivery of products. As a result, these scenarios lead to high frustration and significant loss of customers.
With effective software testing, companies won’t just receive an error-free product but also can save tons and tons of money. Now technically speaking in any software development cycle, what exactly happens is that software is developed and then it undergoes rigorous testing just before it is being launched in the market. Seems quite simple doesn't isn't it? Well, it’s not! As soon as the software undergoes testing, it is immediately sent to developers with relevant feedback. Several issues can be recognized via software testing such as poor design, functions, and features aren’t up to the mark, flaws in the infrastructure, and so forth.
Now let's flip the coin and see the opposite side, what if there is no software testing process included while developing the software application completely? Since everything we do is related online whether it's transferring money or buying apparel and accessories, ordering food, booking flights, and a lot more. What if one fine day these applications stop working all of a sudden? Being a non-techie you may not know what a small bug can lead to but those who are would never take such a chance.
Not conducting software testing would lead to:
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We receive costly solutions
As a matter of fact, defects, errors, are bound to happen no matter how hard you try. This doesn’t mean the developer is being careless here it surely means the system is way more complex and complicated that such errors cannot be detected easily. If the website goes live without any detection, you may have to pay a hefty price to fix this. Early identification can definitely save you in regard to money.
- No Customer Satisfaction
For any business, customer satisfaction is a must! Without software testing, the user experience wouldn't be so to the point. Happy customers is what most of the business are seeking? Software testing does lead to that, without a doubt!
- Security
With so many security breaches happening around, Hackers have gained an upper hand in conducting breaches every now and then. These bad guys can steal crucial data and details and misuse them. Today security is of utmost importance and users will always conquer this thought. Testing not just removes the bugs but also ensures that the developed product is highly secured.
- Product Quality
Software testing helps to create a quality product right in accordance with requirements. So I hope now you know why not include software testing to get a high-end software quality product.
Conclusion
And that's all for now! Software testing is an extremely vast field and understanding every aspect in the least amount of time is next to impossible. So I suggest you get in touch with a reputable development company that not just understands the business and user requirements but also delivers software testing services that are way beyond expectations.
