As you know, pre-release software testing is a vast, highly developed high-tech industry. While a specific set of tests may be used on a case-by-case basis, all testing processes are generally standardized and described.
To ensure that there are no discrepancies in the formulation of tasks, their implementation, and the subsequent acceptance of the results, the universal vocabulary of terms has been adopted in the field of Quality Assurance (QA). Specialists directly involved in testing and managers who take orders and sign an agreement with the customer use this compendium.
Among these terms, there is such a thing as “Test Analysis.” The purpose of this article is to help you understand what it means.
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Where does the process begin?
In any severe software testing company, the drafting of the terms of reference begins with the Test Analysis. Particularly, such practice is accepted in the world-renowned agency TestFort. According to the results of this basic research, the program will be tested.
So, Test Analysis is the name of the process of systematizing customer requirements, understanding all testing goals, and formulating testing conditions, considering the identified specifics.
In the course of this analysis, which is usually written separately in the work plan, the experts of the testing agency should form the basis for further research.
They receive information for this Test Basis from various sources. In particular, these are:
- design documentation, which describes the main functionality of the application;
- business requirements specification (BRS);
- Software Under Test Requirements Specification (SRS).
The result of this preparation for selecting the quality assurance metrics required for a comprehensive analysis of this particular application is the transformation of Test Basis into Test Conditions. In other words, the wishes of the customer, formalized in the corresponding contract, after the appropriate examination within the framework of a clearly defined procedure, turn into direct tasks for testers.
The goals are set, the tasks are clear. What’s next?
The QA sphere has accumulated a massive arsenal of hardware, AI, and manual testing tools. It goes without saying that there is no need to use them all with any application coming in for the expertise of a QA outsourcing company.
Therefore, after Test Analysis establishes a clear framework for each level of testing a program, the development of a set of tests for researching this application begins directly.
A thorough Test Analysis is necessary in order, on the one hand, not to apply redundant tests to the application, which can significantly increase the cost of work and lengthen their term. On the other hand, it allows experts to accurately identify all the obvious and not-so-apparent points and nodes that need investigation before releasing the program to the market.
The specialists of an outsourcing software testing company must answer several questions to determine the necessary and sufficient list of tests. Namely:
- what should be the optimal depth of application testing;
- a set of tools that will be needed to obtain comprehensive results;
- what intensity of use and service life the tested program is designed for;
- Who of the program’s developers can provide additional information if such a need arises during the testing process, and what are these developers’ professional levels.
Also read: How to Advance Your Career Successfully as A Software Developer
It should be said that the selection of tests for Quality Assurance of an application can either follow the Test Analysis stage based on the findings or be done in parallel. In this second case, the relevance of the results of the selection of the necessary tests is subject to the data obtained during the Test Analysis and, if necessary, is adjusted following them.
In any case, conducting expertise of QA outsourcing companies and choosing which of them you decide to entrust testing your application, you should understand the essence of the above processes since they will undoubtedly be the subject of discussion when signing a contract.
It is important to note that in companies showing the highest level of responsibility in approaching any order the above processes are essential for preparing for testing any software. It doesn’t matter if it is about relatively simple web app testing or complex pre-release exploration of the enterprise resource planning platform.
This way of organizing the testing process allows you to save the customer from unnecessary expenses and, at the same time, to guarantee the highest final result of testing the application under its purpose and scope.
Summing up
For a person who does not have a deep knowledge of the specifics of QA processes, some elements may seem insignificant or unnecessary. However, in the highly regulated industry of software testing, there are no small things. Therefore, when planning to send your program to a testing agency, it makes sense to familiarize yourself with some terms accepted in this area and understand their meaning and purpose.
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