test methodologies

In today’s age of tight deadlines and accelerating delivery cycles of software, test automation is surely favorable for the world of functional testing and critical to the success of big software development companies. But its various benefits have led to unrealistic expectations from managers and organizations. This article highlights the role and use of automation in an agile context and the irreplaceable importance of manual testing.

Testers often find themselves in predicaments where they may be asked to compromise on quality standards—whether it's pressure to sign off on a product before it's ready, getting involved in numbers games that value metrics above all else, or facing harassment to take on work that isn't theirs. Knowing when, how, and why to say no can improve your situation and gain respect for testers everywhere.

In short, redistributed testing is a shift in the emphasis and responsibility for testing. Testers are reassigned to work closer to the business with users or business analysts or are embedded in the development team.By being involved in story and scenario writing, the testers help to refine requirements and improve their quality. How could your systems benefit from redistributed testing?

A software tester can begin testing early—very early—before the software has even been built. Karen Johnson explains that one of the best times to start testing a product is in the product-discovery phase.