Software Test reports: Why you need to go beyond just Pass and/or Fail?

"Manual Testing... has become as stale as last week’s bread! It’s gotten so stale that if you don’t have a clue about testing, you might as well be trying to juggle jellybeans," joked a Sr. Executive of a company during a 1:1 interview.

Let us see here.

Pass

Fail

If you’re running test cases to put your app to the test, you probably have a report boasting a shiny Pass/Fail column. But let's be real—software testing is like dating; it’s far more complicated than just swiping left or right! Sure, this black-and-white binary system might help you code like a pro, but when it comes to testing software, it’s about as useful as a chocolate teapot. Uncovering risks is a wild ride that sometimes involves testing methods that leave you scratching your head, and there aren’t even any test cases to guide you—hello, chaos! Let us consider the the following techniques which do not have test cases but are useful in uncovering risks as just a couple of examples

Exploratory Testing

Rapid Testing

The case for Testing as an activity — with or without test cases — opens a whole new can of sardines! Imagine testers entering a Zen state, where they’re de-focused and floating through a luxurious sea of chaos instead of being tied down to a set of boring test scripts. Now, some management folks might argue, “But we need those test cases! They’re our safety net!” Sure, they are — kind of like having a life preserver in a kiddie pool.

But let's ponder: How many risks have your testers found while valiantly fighting the good fight against the tyrannical test case execution? Have they donned their capes of critical thinking, or are they too busy racing against the clock to finish those tests and hit the nearest coffee machine? It’s a bit sad, really. Many companies have inadvertently turned their testers into mere Zombies of the Test Case Brigade, stumbling around in a Pass or Fail world — which, let’s be honest, feels a bit like a false dichotomy. So, here’s to finding the humor in the madness and maybe letting those testers sprinkle a little creativity between test runs!