The growth of the QA sphere is stable and keeps at the CAGR level of 7%, and according to GMInsights, the value of the testing market will reach $60 billion by 2027. It is due to the development of the IT industry and the increase in entrepreneurs’ involvement in business digitalization. In the current conditions of mass competition for user loyalty and wallet, more and more attention is paid to the quality component of the app or web resource.
That is why the trend for thorough testing of IT products in the development stream has firmly established itself among the favorite services and received the necessary funding, stimulating the development of the sphere and the study of new methods, tools, and training of specialists.
The topic of testing IT solutions is too big to try to fit into one article. Today we offer you a brief digression into the test closure report in software testing, which is an integral part of QA expertise and directly affects the efficiency of working on an IT product.
Table of Contents
What is STLC? Phases of STLC
This is the life cycle of software testing. What does it mean? Each stage of checking an IT solution for errors, failures, or poor performance ends with a certain result: failure or success. If a problem occurs, the conditions change; sometimes, the code is edited to get the actual result equal to the expected one. Upon completing a certain number of testing cycles with a positive outcome, such a test can be considered passed and closed with a report.
Each test has a predetermined set of parameters, compliance with which is called a pass. Sometimes it is difficult to get the expected result within one sprint. If the bug is not critical, it is transferred to the next stage of development, receiving its priority level, which depends on the bug’s impact on the overall performance of the IT product. Let’s take a closer look at the six steps to closure testing.
Checking Requirements
Before testing starts, a team leader and a project manager study ready-made code fragments and analyze the need for certain checks. This preparation is the basis of the entire testing cycle throughout the sprint, and only its results are used to compare the input and output data.
Preparation goals:
- Identification of the types of future tests.
- Matrix development.
- Selection of test environments.
Based on the analysis results, methods, techniques, and testing tools are determined, and executors are selected: testers or engineers.
Creating a Work Plan
Preparing for testing involves building a roadmap that relies on the finished code/interface. At this stage, the following are determined: the amount of work, the required number of performers, the time spent on the entire testing cycle, and the desired results.
Planning goals:
- Determination of the scope of work.
- Appointment of responsible ones.
- Allocation of resources.
As a result, the team understands the tasks set for them to complete in a limited time frame, namely until the end of the sprint.
Development of Test Cases
The testing process begins with the painstaking work of creating cases, instructions, scenarios, and scripts. Each step is described in detail, and its need for a particular action is specified. It is necessary not only to document the testing but also to organize work within the team.
Purposes of creating cases:
- Organization of test cases.
- Prioritization of tests by importance.
- Optimization of the finding bugs.
Consequently, performers receive a step-by-step guide to test functions, code, or interfaces. Also, at this stage, scripts for automation are written.
Preparing the Virtual Environment
Since about 80% of all test cases can be automated, the environment, tools, and utilities must be set up first. It will facilitate the work in the further process of finding bugs and allow you to make the necessary changes to the scripts directly in the working environment.
As a result, testers receive a ready-made set of tools to start work.
Testing the Current Fragment
The immediate testing consists of many simple and complex operations performed manually by a specialist or using tools. At this step, bugs are detected and categorized according to their importance or danger to the product’s quality.
Testing Goals:
- Finding bugs.
- Documenting problems.
- Reporting bugs to developers.
As a result, various violations of particular functions are corrected or postponed, and a conclusion is drawn up with the priority of the error assigned to the bug.
Test Closure Based on Results
The final part of each stage of testing. At the end of the work on finding bugs, QA specialists create a database of documents, reports, and test cases that describe testing progress and demonstrate the most problematic places in the code or non-working functions. The more they are discovered during the testing, the fewer bugs will get to the final version of the IT solution.
Test closing goals:
- Reporting to the manager.
- Project readiness monitoring.
- Planning for further testing cycles.
As a result, developers receive a detailed description of the problematic code and visual examples of test cases. It allows you to optimize further development and focus on priority tasks for the next cycle.
Importance of STLC
There are no insignificant components in testing IT solutions. All types and techniques play key roles because they are designed to solve various problems. STLC is no exception. The quality of the product depends on the correct construction of the bug search, planning, and final reporting. The more problems are discovered during development and fixed immediately, the fewer problems will make it to the final release. It will ultimately reduce the cost of editing and optimization, which means it will increase the income of an entrepreneur who has invested in the services of QA experts.
The importance of STLC lies in the competent construction of tasks, control over their implementation, and complete documentation of all processes: from developing cases to writing reports. Thanks to this logical approach, you can more intelligently allocate team resources and prioritize the relevant tasks for each stage. Since this also takes time and human resources, it is recommended that it be carried out between sprints, and the initial preparation should be launched immediately after receiving the TOR from the customer. It will help organize time management and harmoniously distribute all available resources.
Summarizing
STLC is an integral part of a comprehensive service for testing IT solutions. Using this technique, you can fully control the process of solving the problem and make the necessary adjustments directly during the next sprint. Improving the quality of a product improves sales of the final IT solution and reduces the cost of its service after release.
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