Software Testing Basics: The Ultimate Guide

The world of software development and software testing is constantly evolving.?

With so many new software development tools, best practices, and strategies to make your software testing methodology more efficient, it can be difficult to stay updated on the latest industry trends.

That’s why the team at TestMonitor has summarized the software testing basics that your organization needs to know in one place.

So whether your quality assurance (QA) team is already established and looking for that extra edge or you’re just now forming your software testing methodology, these are the articles your team needs to read:

The Key Testing Types Explained

Software testing consists of a range of testing types, further organized into functional and nonfunctional testing. Each testing type also has an area of focus, such as integration and unit testing or performance and security testing.?

This article summarizes each type and how your team can develop an approach to organize how they are performed.

The Role of Fit-for-Purpose Testing

After hours of development and coordination, weeks of testing and defect resolution, and sign-off by the development team, there is still one more step that your team can employ to ensure your product hits the market successfully: fit-for-purpose testing.

This form of testing takes the original design requirements and confirms that the inputs, outputs, and interfaces work as expected. Some organizations take it further with black-box testing for a more pure, functional approach to the software testing process.

How to Plan a Test

Whether you’re an experienced software tester or just getting started in the field, here are the steps you can take to ensure your software testing is comprehensive, effective, and efficient. From developing test cases and test runs to handling issue resolution and test management, this should provide your team with a foundation for meaningful software testing.

How to Approach Structured Testing

As your software development portfolio grows and the complexity of each project increases, having a structured testing approach ensures that testing is consistent and efficient each time. This article explains the benefits of structured testing, how to get started, and the tools you need to streamline your implementation.

Ensuring Successful UAT

User acceptance testing (UAT) isn’t just a “check-the-box” exercise; it’s a great opportunity to get vital feedback from potential end users before your product hits the market.

This article summarizes the key steps, tools, and best practices your team can follow to have a more successful UAT experience.

Motivating Your Software Testing Team

Software testing can be a stressful, time-consuming phase of the software development lifecycle.?

Here are several tips on how to keep your team motivated and maintain a positive outlook during software testing, as well as the many benefits it can have across your development effort.

Positive vs. Negative Software Testing

There are different schools of thought when it comes to creating test cases for your software testing effort. One domain focuses on how the test cases themselves are written with a positive or negative perspective.

This article explains each type, its benefits, and how your team can use them together to ensure more well-rounded and effective software.

How to Optimize Software Testing in the Agile Methodology

The agile software development approach (and its scrum methodology) has been widely adopted because it allows teams to evaluate, test, and modify software throughout the process instead of waiting until the end.

However, the key to agile is having the right tools and following best practices to ensure your team captures the full potential of this development approach.

Using Automation in Software Testing

Automating elements of your software testing can bring many benefits to your team, but only if your team fully understands how to apply it and its limitations.

This article lays out the pros and cons of automating testing and how to get started if it fits your needs.

Bringing It All Together

The one consistent element across these software testing basics is the role a test management platform plays in amplifying and maximizing your team’s software testing efforts.?

From streamlining test runs to making it easy for testers to communicate, collaborate, and share results, a platform like TestMonitor takes your team’s software testing methodology to the next level, no matter the scope and scale of your development portfolio.

Want to learn more about how structured, robust test management can benefit your team? Then we recommend checking out TestMonitor’s infographic, The 6 Stages of Test Management.