test design

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Test automation frameworks Heresy! Automation Does Not Require Test Cases

Traditionally, automated scripts are derived from existing test cases. But if we divorce the notion of “automation” from the notions of “test cases” and “test scripts,” we can think of automation as a judicious use of technology to help humans do their jobs. This broadens our world to include different tools that can help testers increase coverage, test faster, and detect trends.

Paul Grizzaffi's picture Paul Grizzaffi
Shift right Testing the Unexpected: A Shift Right in DevOps Testing

When it comes to testing in DevOps, more than simple regression checking can be automated. By shifting right in the lifecycle and testing in production, you can analyze the undefined, unknown, and unexpected by relying on real traffic and unpredictable test input. With shorter implementation and release cycles, testing and production come closer together.

Stefan Friese's picture Stefan Friese
Test estimation Why Is Estimating Software Testing Time So Difficult?

Management loves to ask testers to estimate how long their efforts will take. But so many important aspects elude measurement that testing time is difficult to predict. Here are some of the major factors that significantly influence our ability to estimate testing time well, along with some advice on how you can tighten up your efforts.

Lee Copeland's picture Lee Copeland
Rope fraying Your Load Test Model Is Broken: How to Understand and Correct the Data

When conducting load testing, if all you do is run the same tests and then examine data such as average response time, you could be missing some red flags. Load test models usually aren't analogous to the real world, so you may have disappointed users you don't even know about. It's our responsibility to understand what our tools do as well as what the results mean.

Jeremy Carey-Dressler's picture Jeremy Carey-Dressler
translate button on keyboard Test Data Management for Testing Global Products

If you’re testing a product to be released to an international marketplace and you merely translated the text, then you’re only half done. An effective translation testing strategy should be coupled with globalization testing to test actual functionality of an application designed to support multiple languages. Here are some ways you can use test data for that crucial next step.

Praveena Ramakrishnan's picture Praveena Ramakrishnan
value highlighted in dictionary Get Smart about Your Regression Tests’ Value

If you aren’t measuring the coverage your regression tests provide, you may be spending too much time for little benefit. Consider the value of your regression tests as you create and manage them. You need to be smart about the regression tests you maintain in order to gain the maximum value from the work put into creating, running, and analyzing their results.

Leanne Howard's picture Leanne Howard
string reminder around finger 4 Things to Remember to Ensure Good Test Coverage

When it comes to testing, there are so many areas that it's difficult to feel sure you covered everything. It can be helpful to use a mnemonic or other memory aid to remind you of your main points to hit. Terry Wiegmann recommends adding the acronym NEBS—for Normal, Error, Boundary, and Special test conditions—to your toolkit.

Terry Wiegmann's picture Terry Wiegmann
man guessing Don’t Guess Your Tests—Strive for Complete Requirements

Many teams struggle with test creation due to miscommunication or a lack of requirements, testers not being present during design phases or discussions, a shortage of time, or incomplete information. But that doesn’t mean you should turn to guesswork. Your tests will suffer in quality and completeness. We must always strive to get the desired requirements.

Nishi Grover's picture Nishi Grover
equation on chalkboard Hidden Parts of the Performance Equation

To cover your bases when testing performance, you may try writing a "performance equation" so you can check each factor. But the individual pieces do not always equal the whole picture. It can be easy to overlook performance-affecting components. Testing is much more about the discovery of systems’ behaviors than verification of a few samples of expected behavior.

Albert Gareev's picture Albert Gareev
magnifying glass Methods for Testing the Back End: An Investigation

Cem Kaner once defined testing as “a technical investigation done to expose quality-related information about the product under test.” If you agree, then a tester is a technical investigator—which is just what you need to be when testing the back end of a program. But is that enough? How else can we think about testing?

Matthew Heusser's picture Matthew Heusser

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