All About Software Testing

Software testing life cycle identifies what test activities to carry out and when (what is the best time) to accomplish those test activities. Even though testing differs between organizations, there is a testing life cycle.

Software Testing Life Cycle consists of six (generic) phases:

* Test Planning,
* Test Analysis,
* Test Design,
* Construction and verification,
* Testing Cycles,
* Final Testing and Implementation and
* Post Implementation.


Software testing has its own life cycle that intersects with every stage of the SDLC. The basic requirements in software testing life cycle is to control/deal with software testing – Manual, Automated and Performance.
Test Planning

This is the phase where Project Manager has to decide what things need to be tested, do I have the appropriate budget etc. Naturally proper planning at this stage would greatly reduce the risk of low quality software. This planning will be an ongoing process with no end point.

Activities at this stage would include preparation of high level test plan-(according to IEEE test plan template The Software Test Plan (STP) is designed to prescribe the scope, approach, resources, and schedule of all testing activities. The plan must identify the items to be tested, the features to be tested, the types of testing to be performed, the personnel responsible for testing, the resources and schedule required to complete testing, and the risks associated with the plan.). Almost all of the activities done during this stage are included in this software test plan and revolve around a test plan.
Test Analysis

Once test plan is made and decided upon, next step is to delve little more into the project and decide what types of testing should be carried out at different stages of SDLC, do we need or plan to automate, if yes then when the appropriate time to automate is, what type of specific documentation I need for testing.

Proper and regular meetings should be held between testing teams, project managers, development teams, Business Analysts to check the progress of things which will give a fair idea of the movement of the project and ensure the completeness of the test plan created in the planning phase, which will further help in enhancing the right testing strategy created earlier. We will start creating test case formats and test cases itself. In this stage we need to develop Functional validation matrix based on Business Requirements to ensure that all system requirements are covered by one or more test cases, identify which test cases to automate, begin review of documentation, i.e. Functional Design, Business Requirements, Product Specifications, Product Externals etc. We also have to define areas for Stress and Performance testing.
Test Design

Test plans and cases which were developed in the analysis phase are revised. Functional validation matrix is also revised and finalized. In this stage risk assessment criteria is developed. If you have thought of automation then you have to select which test cases to automate and begin writing scripts for them. Test data is prepared. Standards for unit testing and pass / fail criteria are defined here. Schedule for testing is revised (if necessary) & finalized and test environment is prepared.
Construction and verification

In this phase we have to complete all the test plans, test cases, complete the scripting of the automated test cases, Stress and Performance testing plans needs to be completed. We have to support the development team in their unit testing phase. And obviously bug reporting would be done as when the bugs are found. Integration tests are performed and errors (if any) are reported.
Testing Cycles

In this phase we have to complete testing cycles until test cases are executed without errors or a predefined condition is reached. Run test cases --> Report Bugs --> revise test cases (if needed) --> add new test cases (if needed) --> bug fixing --> retesting (test cycle 2, test cycle 3….).
Final Testing and Implementation

In this we have to execute remaining stress and performance test cases, documentation for testing is completed / updated, provide and complete different matrices for testing. Acceptance, load and recovery testing will also be conducted and the application needs to be verified under production conditions.
Post Implementation
In this phase, the testing process is evaluated and lessons learnt from that testing process are documented. Line of attack to prevent similar problems in future projects is identified. Create plans to improve the processes. The recording of new errors and enhancements is an ongoing process. Cleaning up of test environment is done and test machines are restored to base lines in this stage.

A kind of testing in which, the application is tested for the code that was modified after fixing a particular bug/defect. It also helps in finding out which code and which strategy of coding can help in developing the functionality effectively.

Interoperability testing has become a requirement for companies that deploy multi-vendor networks. To satisfy this requirement, network and storage providers and managers have three options.

1. Set up an interoperability lab, an expensive and time-consuming project.

2. Use a third-party interoperability lab, such as ISOCORE or the University of New Hampshire.

3. Create a proof-of-concept lab, such as the labs at Cisco or Spirent Communications.

These labs typically connect the devices with a copper or fiber-optic patch cable and run the tests. Such testing reflects a best-case scenario that is useful for base-line interoperability testing but doesn’t represent how the devices will interoperate in an actual network.

It is analogous to testing the auto-pilot system of an airplane to see if it could land the plane in ideal weather conditions. While the test proves the plane can land itself on a perfect day, it is not a predictor of how the system will behave in wide range of weather conditions under which a plane will have to operate.

Sometimes spools of fiber are used to create the delay found in wide area networks. While this is an improvement over patch cables, there are three major limitations to proof of concept and interoperability testing with spools of fiber:

1. Spools of fiber cannot provide dynamic tests. The tests must be manually stopped and restarted to change out the spool of fiber for one with a different length.

2. Spools of fiber are expensive and impractical. Imagine the cost associated with moving an 50,000 km spool of fiber to another lab.

3. Spools of fiber only provide delay. They do not address the various other impairments that exist in a network.

It is as if we improved our auto-pilot system testing to include fixed amounts of wind from a single direction. Factors such as fog, rain, snow and wind sheers are still ignored in the testing. Weather conditions are dynamic and multifaceted. Testing under a single condition is not a realistic test. As with weather, so it is with networks. Impairments in real networks do not limit themselves to a single issue.

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Designing Test Cases


A test case is a detailed procedure that fully tests a feature or an aspect of a feature. Whereas the test plan describes what to test, a test case describes how to perform a particular test. You need to develop a test case for each test listed in the test plan. Figure 2.10 illustrates the point at which test case design occurs in the lab development and testing process.


Test case includes:

* The purpose of the test.

* Special hardware requirements, such as a modem.

* Special software requirements, such as a tool.

* Specific setup or configuration requirements.

* A description of how to perform the test.

* The expected results or success criteria for the test.

Testing not based on any knowledge of the internal design or code. Tests are based on requirements and functionality.


Amit Ahuja