The Importance of Testing in Software Development
Software testing helps determine if the actual software product meets the expectations and is free of defects before it is launched. It includes running the software or system components through their paces using automated or manual tools to evaluate the properties of interest. It verifies that a software product or application does what it’s supposed to do. Testing has many benefits, like preventing bugs, enhancing performance, reducing development costs, and increasing customer satisfaction.
Why is Software Testing Important?
Every software engineer believes in the power of testing. In fact, no one will argue against the need for immense quality control during the software development process. A late delivery or software defect can damage a brand’s reputation in the market and lead to disappointed, angry, and lost customers. In extreme cases, a defect can also degrade the interconnected systems leading to severe malfunctions. Software testers evaluate the code by questioning it at various stages. It can either be brief or proceed long until all the stakeholders are satisfied with the results. A software development company identifies bugs during testing along with other issues in the process. Then, engineers fix the issues before launch and ensure that only quality products are shared with customers, boosting satisfaction and trust.
Examples of Losses Caused Due to the Lack of Testing
Nissan recalled more than 1 million cars due to a software defect in its airbag sensor detectors. Similarly, a software bug caused the failure of a $1.2 billion military satellite launch. Starbucks also lost millions of dollars in sales because its POS platform suddenly shut down due to a software glitch. All these could have been avoided if the software had been tested thoroughly.
How Testing Can Help
Testing costs money, but companies can save millions of dollars annually if they invest in testing and QA processes. Early testing uncovers issues before the software product goes to market. As a result, the software development company receives feedback soon, and they can address various issues like
• Security vulnerabilities
• Design concerns
• Architectural flaws
• Functionality problems
• Scalability issues
In a software engineering project, when the development team leaves time and room for testing, it enhances software reliability, and as a result, high-quality applications are delivered with minimum errors. In addition, when a product meets and exceeds customer expectations, it ensures higher sales and a greater market share for the brand.
Best Practices of Software Testing
Software engineers often follow a standard testing process that includes:
• Defining the test environment
• Developing test cases
• Writing scripts
• Analysing the test results
• Preparing and submitting defect reports
Testing is often time-consuming, but it’s one of the most essential steps in a software engineering project. For small builds, manual or ad-hoc testing may be sufficient. But in the case of larger systems, companies need tools to automate tasks. Automated testing also helps teams implement various scenarios and quickly receive feedback on what works and what doesn’t. A solid testing approach includes the application programming interface (API), system levels and the UI. Also, the more tests are automated and run at an earlier stage, the better it is for the entire software development team.
Some of the most common testing best practices include:
• Continuous testing that tests each build as soon as it is available
• Configuration management, wherein companies centrally maintain the test assets and track the software builds that need testing
• Service virtualisation simulates systems and services that are missing and enables teams to test sooner while reducing dependencies
• Bug tracking to track defects and measure their impact and scope while uncovering any related issues
• Reporting and analytics tools to share the status, goals, and results using advanced metrics and monitor the relationship between the test, development and other elements.
Globalion is a software development company that focuses heavily on the power of testing. We offer dynamic and static testing for our clients and also provide agile modelling for testing along with DevOps work environments with the most competent dev engineers by your side. As a result, it promises faster and more collaborative testing strategies in the world of software testing.
Contact us if you’re looking for integration testing, unit testing, functional testing, security testing, performance testing, regressing testing, stress testing, acceptance testing, or more with automation and technological advancements.
We keep the future in mind while testing every software product, empowering our clients to be ready for phenomenal growth and scalability. Let’s start testing!
