What is Software Testing...?

A vital process often remains behind the scenes in software development, where innovation and technology converge to create intricate applications that shape our digital world. Still, it plays an immense role in delivering robust, functional, and reliable software - software testing. In this blog, we start a journey to understand the basis of software testing, its significance, and its multifaceted dimensions.

What is Testing:

Imagine building a grand architectural marvel - a skyscraper that stands tall against the horizon. Before it can host occupants and offer breathtaking views, architects and engineers meticulously inspect each detail to ensure structural integrity and safety. Similarly, software development involves coding, designing, and crafting intricate functionalities. But just like the skyscraper, software needs a careful examination too, and that's where software testing comes into play.

Software Testing & its Objectives:

Def: Executing a software product for the purpose of finding bugs/defects and ensuring that the software product should be defect-free is called software testing.

Objectives of Software Testing:

·      Finding Defects.

·      To Prevent the defect.

·      To build the Quality of a product.

·      To fulfil the user requirements.

The Importance of Software Testing :

Ø Testing is important because software bugs could be expensive or even dangerous. Software bugs can potentially cause human loss.

Examples:

·      Nissan cars recalled over 1 million cars from the market due to software failure in the airbag sensory detectors. There have been reported two accidents due to this software failure.

·      In April of 1999, a software bug caused the failure of a $1.2 billion military satellite launch, the costliest accident in history.

Ø Testing contributes to the success of a product.

·      In the Software Development Life Cycle, delivering the right product to stakeholders is impossible without Software Testing. Software Testing reduces problematic delivery by testing the software using appropriate test techniques and expertise at different test levels.

Principles of Testing:

1.   Testing shows the presence of defects.

2.   Exhaustive testing is not possible.

    3.  Early testing saves time &Money.

    4.  Defect clustering together.

    5.  Testing follows the Pesticide paradox rule.

    6.  Testing is context-dependent.

    7.  Absence of errors is a fallacy.

The Layers of Software Testing:

Software testing isn't a monolithic process; instead, it's a layered approach that involves different types of testing:

Unit Testing: Testing individual components or modules in isolation to ensure they function as intended.

Integration Testing: Evaluating how components interact and ensuring they work together seamlessly.

System Testing: Assessing the entire software system to verify its requirements.

User Acceptance Testing (UAT): Inviting end-users to test the software in real-world scenarios, confirming its suitability for their needs.

The Journey to Continuous Quality :

Continuous quality is a systematic approach to finding and fixing software defects during all phases of the software development cycle. CQ reduces the risk of security vulnerabilities and software defects (bugs) by helping developers find and fix problems as early as possible in the development cycle. Continuous quality is part of a continuous integration (CI) / continuous delivery (CD) process, which leads to "continuous testing," where testing is integrated throughout the software development lifecycle, ensuring that issues are detected and resolved promptly.

Manual vs. Automated Testing :

Software testing can be conducted manually, where testers manually execute test cases, or it can be automated using specialised tools and scripts. Automated testing is particularly effective for repetitive tasks, regression testing, and evaluating large datasets.

Conclusion :

Software testing is the unsung hero of the software development process. testing is a critically important verification method that takes up a very large portion of a project’s resources, including schedule, budget, staffing, and facilities. Unlike the many constructive activities of systems engineering, testing is relatively unique because it is inherently destructive. In addition to defect detection, testing is also performed to provide sufficient objective evidence to justify confidence in the system’s quality, fitness for purpose, and readiness for being accepted and placed into operation.