6 QA Points for Delivering High-Quality SaaS-Based Application
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Software as a service (SaaS) is a fast-growing market that is expected to reach a value of 232 billion US dollars (212.50 billion euros) by 2024. SaaS applications are cloud-based software that can be accessed through various devices and platforms, such as web browsers, desktops, and mobile apps.
The global shift to the cloud is driven by the flexibility and convenience of remote working, which is adopted by over 94% of businesses worldwide. SaaS solutions are widely used for various business functions, such as web hosting, e-commerce, enterprise resource planning (ERP), and customer resource management (CRM).
To deliver high-quality SaaS applications, it is essential to consider the key testing aspects that ensure their functionality, performance, security, and usability
Types of SaaS-based products
Here are some of the most common types of SaaS applications
Customer Relationship Management (CRM): CRM platforms, such as Salesforce, are widely used by eCommerce organisations to run their activities efficiently. Through cloud application development services, they can build sales processes, manage contacts, create pipelines, track leads, reach target audiences, and build relationships. The development of customised functions, such as marketing automation and progress tracking, assures an upgrade in business efficiency.
Accounting SaaS: Accounting SaaS is a cloud-based software that provides general ledgers, accounts receivable and payables, payrolls, inventories, and financial reports to assist in efficient business accounting. Businesses can adjust the number of users, and it’s scalable.
The benefits of accounting SaaS software include cost reduction, enhanced efficiency, timely data access, greater security, and scalability. Some examples are QuickBooks Online, Xero, FreshBooks, NetSuite, and Sage Intacct.
Project Management: Project management software helps businesses to effectively facilitate the planning and implementation of projects, as well as monitor their course, from minor missions to difficult enterprises. These software include features such as task management, timesheets, teamwork, and project reporting.
The widely used project management software comprises Asana, Trello, Monday.com, and others. These tools are important in enhancing efficiency in costs, timely project delivery, etc.
Human Resources: HRM software enables employers to manage pertinent operations such as payroll, staff tracking, hiring and onboarding, training, employee benefits, etc. A few HRM tools that are widely used by businesses include Dynamics 365 Human Resources and SuccessFactors HCM. With powerful SaaS HR solutions, businesses can achieve a high level of automation. This makes it possible to reduce the complexity of personnel life cycle management and save time on tedious tasks. Additionally, these tools provide sophisticated analytics and reporting features for data-driven choices.
Some other well-known SaaS-based products include Salesforce, Communication, Hubspot, Slack, SaaS HR, etc. SaaS-based products are becoming more and more popular among businesses because they provide cutting-edge features like scalability, frequent updates, and the availability and affordability of cloud resources. Furthermore, businesses also benefit from switching to SaaS-based applications because they can adjust the business application architecture according to their business requirements.
So let’s now consider SaaS testing.
What is SaaS testing?
SaaS testing is the process of verifying the functionality of software solutions that are delivered as a service. The aim is to ensure that the software meets its intended objectives and satisfies the needs of the users who subscribe to it.
To achieve this, testers apply various types of testing or main QA points, such as API testing, usability testing, performance testing, security testing, functional testing, automation testing, and more. These tests help to evaluate and improve the performance, security, usability, accessibility, scalability, reliability, integration, and data integration of the SaaS-based products.
Six QA points for producing high-quality SaaS-based solutions
You have ample test types to exercise SaaS-based applications, but we’ll focus on the trending approaches that you can use according to the software you are using.
1. Functional Testing (including Acceptance and System Testing)
In these phases, testers confirm that it satisfies the user's requirements and performs correctly as a fully integrated system.
During Acceptance testing, Team Testers, Business users and even Beta customers test the software to ensure that promised features are working as intended.
System testing is a process that evaluates an application's components to ensure they work together as a complete system. It's also known as black-box testing as testing is typically undertaken without any exposure to the underlying code and logic.
Acceptance and System testing are usually undertaken later in the testing lifecycle and are necessary because it helps identify any defects or issues that may arise when the software is deployed to end users. They are typically seen in a V Model testing approach
Why SaaS-Based Product Validation Requires Functional (Acceptance and System) Testing
Functional testing plays a crucial role in validating the SaaS-based applications to check that:
1. Enhances User Experience
2. Mitigates Risks and Reduces Costs
3. Supports Continuous Integration and Delivery (CI/CD)
4. Finds and removes bugs to assure quality and functionality.
5. Verifies functionality against requirements.
2. Performance Testing
This testing will assess how the application performs and behaves under planned and excess load and saturation.
The primary goal of this testing is to assess the system's capacity to function under various workload and condition scenarios, including volume, speed, and concurrency of transactions.
Since these tests are typically automated, they can be repeated whenever required as the system continues to evolve.
Why Performance testing is needed to Validate SaaS-Based Products
Performance testing is necessary to validate SaaS-based applications for a number of reasons.
1. Assures optimal user experience to check responsiveness, scalability, and availability
2. Identifies and mitigates performance bottlenecks like database performance, memory leaks, resource utilisation, etc.
3. Optimises the distribution of resources
4. Enhances product competitiveness
3. Usability Testing
Usability testing is a process by which a product, system, or service is evaluated to improve the user experience (UX).?
Testing is primarily done to determine how users interact with a product or service and how positive their experience has been.
During usability testing, a set of users are asked to use the product or service to complete a given set of tasks. Testers make observations, such as users' reactions, difficulties, and overall experience.?
Feedback is collected so that designers and developers understand how the product can be improved.
Why Usability Testing is Needed to Validate SaaS-Based Products
Usability testing is an indispensable step in the validation process for SaaS-based products for multiple reasons.
1. Ensuring User Adoption and Retention
2. Rapid iteration and improvement
3. Recognising user needs and behaviour
4. Quantifying the Impact of Design Decisions
4. Security Testing
Security testing is a critical process for identifying and addressing vulnerabilities in information systems.?
These susceptibilities can be exploited by attackers to gain unauthorised access to data, disrupt operations, or hack sensitive information.
5. API testing
API testing is a type of software testing that verifies that an application program interface (API) meets expectations.
This testing is important for ensuring the functionality, performance, and security of SaaS applications. Furthermore, it is important for SaaS applications because it ensures that the API performs as expected when faced with a variety of requests.
Why API Testing is Needed to Validate SaaS-Based Product
API testing is used to validate SaaS-based products for a number of reasons.
1. Reduced development costs
2. Improves the overall security posture of the SaaS application
3. Increased agility and innovation
6. Test automation
Test automation plays a crucial role in continuously and consistently assessing the quality and reliability of SaaS applications on both a functional and a non-functional basis.
It allows for constant and consistent quality checks throughout the day, across different environments and code versions. It also enables human testers to focus on more exploratory testing, where they can find and fix more complex and rare bugs.
Why Test Automation is Needed to Validate SaaS-Based Products
Below are the reasons why test automation is essential for validating SaaS-based products
1. Facilitates Frequent Releases and Updates
2. Increased Scalability
3. Continuously Monitor Application quality
4. Enhanced automatic deployment and test execution for the application.
About us
Are you looking for a reliable and efficient way to test your SaaS-based software applications? Do you want to save delivery time, cost, and resources while ensuring high-quality results? If yes, then you need Test Evolve.
Test Evolve is a leading provider of test automation tools and software testing consultancy services. We help you design, develop, and execute automated tests for web, mobile, and desktop applications. Our tools are easy to use, scalable, and compatible with various frameworks and platforms. Our consultants are experts in test automation, test strategy, test management, and test reporting. They can help you implement best practices, optimize your test processes, and achieve your testing goals.
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