Software Testing Nation

If there is one thing engineers and developers despise, is DOCUMENTATION! It takes away the joy and the pleasure we derive while building software. However, documenting your code is a Gift for Future Engineers and Developers. Writing clean code is essential, but even clean code can be puzzling without context. Documentation is not just for you; it is a lifeline for future engineers. It captures the why behind your work, making transitions and scalability smoother and preserving continuity in the long run. Clean code matters not just for good Code Quality, It goes beyond that. Even the best-structured code can leave future developers guessing about design choices and updates if there is no documentation to provide context. Imagine a new engineer taking over your project. They may find the code clean, yet the logic or the reason behind specific decisions may not be immediately clear. Having a backstory (Documentation) helps them understand not only what the code does, but why it w...

We live in an extraordinarily changing world. You see it every day, AI and other technologies are evolving rapidly. Today, I want to share some things I believe will be helpful for the future. These will help you build better relationships with your colleagues, advance your career or business, and make a greater impact as a software tester. I have been working with clients for over 25 years in the software testing field, testing countless software and working with many people. Based on my experience observing how testers and test managers perform their jobs and what they focus on, I’ve identified 5 key habits that make a good, resilient tester who can succeed in the future. When I work with clients through my mentoring program, they often ask, “Richie, what should I focus on? How can I grow? What areas should I pay attention to?” Today, I’m going to share with you the five key areas I recommend focusing on, areas I include in my “buffet” of recommendations for my clients. Let’s dive in...

I’m a little bit frustrated. Since Twitter died and I decided to start engaging on   LinkedIn   more, I keep seeing posts that perpetuate this idea of “manual” vs automated testing; us vs them.   There is no versus. Your civil war is manufactured. There’s room for everyone and we all want the same thing: good quality.   I’m frustrated by posts which pit people against one another; which disparage human testing; which claim automated checks bring less or no value;  which distract us from actually improving quality .   Testers are specialists. Automation is a tool. Specialists use tools. Not every tool is right for every job. A specialist knows which tools to use and when. What’s the problem here?   I specialize in exploratory testing. I’ve written some automation before and I’m actively working to improve those skills, not because I want to replace my exploration, but because I want to contribute more to making more room for it.   Think of making t...

Having a separate testing team is a beneficial way to ensure that the product is tested and validated from an unbiased point of view. Developers may be too close to the code of the product to provide an unbiased evaluation of it, and may not be completely objective about the quality of the product. A separate testing team, that is entirely independent from the development team, can provide a more accurate assessment of a product. This can result in a better and more reliable product that meets quality standards. While developers can and should test their code to ensure that it meets the expected functional and non-functional requirements, there are several reasons why having a separate testing team can be beneficial: Independent perspective and reduced bias: A software testing team can provide an independent perspective on the software being developed. Developers may be biased towards their own code and may not identify issues that are present. Therefore, having a separate team to...

Let me ask you a question: What are the automated tests for? Whether you’ve written some tests in the past or not, you’ve likely heard that tests can be useful. And I know you’ve also heard stories about tests that are more of a chore and nuisance than any help. Frankly, I believe both parties are right! But to understand why, I will first let you in on a little secret. No test is inherently useful just because it exists. A test becomes useful when it fulfills its purpose. So, what is that purpose exactly? As the name implies, automated tests are here to help us automate something. We take a particular state of our application, perform some actions, and check the resulting system to be what we expect. That’s what any test does, and yet some tests are more useful than others. There is precisely one thing that defines and controls that difference. The intention Just as every piece of code exists for a reason, every test exists to verify the intention behind that code. A paragraph is rend...

Automation testing has revolutionized the way we test software by enabling rapid execution of test cases, efficient bug detection, and improved overall product quality. In a rapidly changing tech ecosystem where speed, efficiency, and accuracy are paramount in software development, adoption of new automation tools and frameworks have has increased significantly in recent years. However, despite the need to automate testing for faster deployment, the fact remains that every software testing endeavor needs a human touch. To better understand the importance of human element in every software testing, there is equally a need to understand the role of using automation tools in software testing especially in a large-scale software development. Understanding the Role of Automation for testing Automation in software testing refers to the use of specialized tools and scripts to execute predefined test cases, perform repetitive tasks, and validate software functionality automatically. By adoptin...

  In our previous post, we discussed the roles and responsibilities of a Software Test Analyst. As mentioned, the Analyst supports the Manager in the testing activities and processes. Now we are going to discuss the role of a Software Test Manager. A Software Test Manager is responsible for overseeing and managing the entire testing process within an organization or a specific project. They have wider range of responsibilities to make the testing process as seamless as possible.  A Software Test Manger assumes the following roles in a testing project/teams:   1. Test Strategy and Planning: Every project starts with implementation strategy and planning. This determines the success of a project. Test Managers develop a comprehensive test strategy and test plan for each project or product. This includes defining the scope of testing, objectives, timelines, resource allocation, and risk assessment.   2. Team Management: They are responsible in the recruitment, ...

  In a testing team, there are different roles assigned to the team members. Roles like; Senior Tester, QA Manager, Junior Test Analyst or Automation Tester are some of the advertised roles in the software testing job listings. Depending on the organisation’s preferences, such job roles can be named differently but they all come down to two basic roles; the Test Manager who manages the end-to-end testing process and the Test Analyst who provides support to the Test Manager. A Software Test Analyst, also known as a Test Analyst or Quality Assurance Analyst, plays a critical role in ensuring the quality and reliability of software applications. Depending on the Analyst’s area of expertise and experience level, the following are the 14 roles and responsibilities Software Test Analysts in their respective teams or projects: - 1.   Collaboration: The first step in delivering a successful project is the ability to collaborate with others. The Analyst should be able to work ...

Software testing is an effective Risk Management technique in product development.  When testing the product, right from requirements analysis (Shift-Left testing), the Test Manger helps in deciding on the Risk Management approaches. These four approaches are guided by analysis of the LIKELIHOOD & IMPACT of the identified risk(s) which are; 1. Treat: Can the risk be reduced or eliminated completely? What should I do if my team/organisation cannot treat it? 2. Transfer: If my team cannot treat it? can someone treat it for me when it eventually crystallises? How much would it cost if I transfer to a third party? 3. Tolerate: What if I cannot transfer the treatment to a third party? Can the product survive the anticipated damage should the risk crystallises? What loss of reputation would this cost the company? 4. Terminate: What if we decide to remove the feature that has that risk? Is the feature necessary for our next release? How useful will the product be to our users if we re...

The importance of maintaining high-quality software to protect a company's reputation and brand image cannot be over-emphasized. In today's highly competitive and interconnected world, the success of software products relies not only on functionality but also on reliability, security, and user experience. Failing to prioritize software quality can lead to severe consequences, tarnishing a company's reputation and eroding customer trust.  Here are some examples of failed software projects that illustrate the significance of guarding software quality: 1. Therac-25 Radiation Therapy Machine (1982-1987) : The Therac-25 was a medical device designed to deliver radiation therapy to patients. However, due to software bugs, the machine administered lethal doses of radiation to some patients, leading to deaths and injuries. The lack of proper software testing and quality assurance procedures resulted in a catastrophic failure, damaging the reputation of the manufacturer. 2. Windows ...

Data is arguably the most precious thing to every Nigerian that uses a smartphone but unfortunately, it always seems to be expensive. We all love to surf the internet at our free time (or we make the time for it 😊). We buy data mainly to update ourselves on what's going on around us and the world at large. The downside to data we buy is that we always exhaust it before the end of our subscription. So this makes us wonder if what we buy is truly what we get. While this might be true, we should also consider the fact that we may be overusing our data thinking that we have enough. Here are some tips that will assist you to use your data more efficiently; 1. Know what app consumes your data the most: To find a solution to any problem, you must understand the problem first. Find out which app consumes most of your data. On your phone go to Settings->Network & Internet->data usage->app data usage. That will give you an insight on which of the apps on your phone you use mos...

We are always quick to call out the Government on what they're not doing well or how they're supposed to make our country better. It's a good thing to point out what needs to be done but What have YOU done in your capacity as a Nigerian to make things better for your country? When you finish with your drink, do you just throw away the bottle/sachet anyhow or you dispose it in a nearby bin? How do you dispose the trash when you clean your house or business place? When you drive, do you abide by the traffic rules even when there's no enforcement officers around? Those potholes on your street, did you at least report to the relevant quarters if you cannot fix it by yourself? That neighbor/colleague that is disturbing everybody, did you try politely speaking to them about their wrong doings? That public toilet you use in your workplace or in the market, did you clean after when you finished using them? In your workplace, did you finish the task that was assigned to you? As ...

In this modern age, we use our phones more than we use any other device.  I use my phone to type important documents, create a spreadsheet, prepare slideshows and respond to my emails.  These are the basic things you do in a typical office on your computer.  There are free mobile apps that can be used to achieve all this without having the hassle of  carrying around your laptop/desktop. I downloaded all of them from Google play store. I use WPS office to draft documents and convert to pdf. I use the same app to prepare worksheets (spreadsheet). You can prepare other documents as well but that's basically what I use it for.  For reading pdf documents, I use Adobe Acrobat reader. I use it to read journal papers, ebooks, and review my draft documents. I love the feature that saves the last page you viewed, such that you don't need to recall the page you were on a document (no need to bookmark the page). Google notepad is a very important app(for me). I take notes f...