Testing and Quality Assurance

Testing and Quality Assurance

Test and QA Stories
Two rocks balancing on another rock acting as a fulcrum Looking beyond the Tester-to-Developer RatioMany companies have some notion of an ideal tester-to-developer ratio, or the number of testers they need for every certain number of developers. It may seem like a superficial standard, but it's rooted in a very real need to understand staffing requirements and budgets. Let's dig deeper into the team balance.
Cartoon showing a customer's request for a tree swing A Tester’s Role in Requirements ExplorationAgile is supposed to get people to talk to each other in real time. However, many teams still lack a shared understanding of what they are going to build, even as they start coding. As testers, we can explore feature specifications early, contributing to successful and timely delivery through defined requirements.
A cockpit's dashboards as a pilot flies a plane, photo by Kristopher Allison Testing at 43,000 Feet: Reporting Risk That MattersMany teams' daily testing gets broken down into numbers. If you're used to dashboards, it can be easy to forget the prime objective: to raise up quality issues—or, in the case of safety-critical devices, potential hazards. Graphs are comfortable, but do they really provide the information we should be looking for?
Sinking boat Guaranteed Methods to Ruin Your Test AutomationAfter working to develop the test automation patterns used by experienced practitioners to solve common test automation issues, Seretta Gamba started to consider what can ruin a test automation effort instead. Here she shares two sure-fire methods that can destroy your test automation. Steer clear of these examples!
Sheet of paper outlining software requirements Improving Requirements with Preemptive TestingMost product defects are created during requirements definition. To significantly reduce and prevent requirements problems, consider making their management your software testers' responsibility. They can identify requirements defects as they are being developed, as well as work out mitigations for their root causes.
A person tapping their phone to a digital payment system, photo by Jonas Leupe Security Testing Payment Services in the Era of Connected EcosystemsThere are many new trends in online payment technology, so the amount of data passing through and stored across varying systems is growing, requiring new standards for how data is captured, stored, used, and destroyed. Testers especially need to consider vulnerabilities related to data privacy and cyber security.
Developers and testers having a conversation about behavior-driven development A Conversation about Testing within BDDPeople using behavior-driven development (BDD) say conversation is the most important part of the process. They use a “given-when-then” format to describe the current state, an action that is supposed to occur, and what results to expect. But if that structure isn't working for your team, don't restrain discussion.
A successful testing team in a circle with their hands in the middle 3 More Fundamentals of a Successful Testing TeamMany QA managers seek a formula for creating an effective testing team. While they may pursue endless tools and lifecycle approaches, the answer is actually simpler. These three fundamentals will ensure you’re leading your test engineers in the right direction and building a world-class testing organization.