As the old adage goes ‘practice makes perfect’ – it is as true for software testing and IT skills as it is for playing an instrument or a sport. Professional musicians put a huge amount of their time into practice so that they perform well, if they didn’t they wouldn’t improve their skill and nobody would pay to hear them.

Practice To Avoid Frustration

The same goes for software testers – without practice you won’t improve and could even become rusty and start to lose work.

Of course, while practice makes perfect, software testing foundation skills are necessary to get started and there is no better way to improve than through hands on training. With Foundation knowledge in place you can then go on to an ISEB Intermediate Software Testing course or chose an advanced route in Test Management, Test Analysis or Technical Test Analysis.

Why Practice Software Testing?

Well, as already said ‘practice makes perfect’. Software Testers don’t always get the chance to practice hands on testing so it is important to find ways to keep your skills up to scratch. The more you practice an action, the quicker you can perform it so practice is key for improving productivity.

At the same time, practising skills away from your daily tasks stops you from falling into patters. Expanding your skills helps you discover new ways of doing things and prevents your testing knowledge from becoming stale.

Regular practice means you’ll be better equipped to handle new problems and should be able to conquer any challenge. Read the rest of "Software Testing Practice Makes Perfect"

SQS (Software Quality Systems) have published a study conducted by PAC (Pierre Audoin Consultants) looking at market trends in software testing. The survey was conducted on 309 managers and IT decision makers from Europe and North America and shows that outsourcing software testing is a popular solution for businesses.

Software Testing is not the only IT service that is commonly outsourced. Read 5 reasons to Outsource IT Services for more information on external IT services.

Of the 309 managers asked, 91% consider software testing and quality assurance are the most important IT disciplines at their companies. The importance of software testing within a company is backed up by the figures produced by the study that show why managers seek external IT solutions and how they are benefited by them. Further to the proof that software testing is critical to companies is the fact that companies now invest 50 billion euros per year in application testing and quality assurance.

Of the managers asked, 47% already use external test centres while three quarters are considering outsourcing in the future.

When deciding whether to outsource software testing, interviewees set out the following goals for successful application of external sources: Read the rest of "Software Testing Study Shows Benefits of External Services"

Previously, we have written about Problem Steps Recorder in Windows 7, a free program within Windows. This time we’re going to give an insight into iCheckWebsite - a website testing tool. iCheckWebsite is a simple but effective tool for checking websites with different packages available (free for individual users) depending on the amount of testing required.

If you would like to learn more about Software Testing then have a look at the Software Testing Training courses we provide.

Website testing tools are useful bits of kit as you can schedule checks to make sure your website is free of any problems and ensure that you are on top of SEO, accessibility and quality related issues. Website testing is essential to maintaining a quality website, especially if you aren’t technologically sound. iCheckWebsite  is simple to use and provides some great improvements and checks.

Three of the main checks performed are: Quality, Accessibility and SEO which are all very important aspects of maintaining a website.

Read the rest of "Website Testing – iCheckWebsite"

There are a a lot of myths about software testing out there, whether you’re getting your information from forums, books or the Internet, and they can be damaging both to testers and to the industry.

Some myths stick around and gain a false credibility, meaning that they seem true enough, but prove to be false under closer scrutiny.

Check out our top 10 myths about software testing below so that you can avoid them!

If you’re new to  software testing, you might also benefit from these 5 Software Testing Tips.

Myth 1: Complete Software Testing is Possible

This myth becomes a problem when managers believe it, and so expect their software to be defect free. It is, technically, possible to completely test a piece of software, but the occurrence of complete testing actually happening is rare. Managers need to be discouraged from trying to force software testing teams to search for all the defects in a product under all conditions, since it is far more productive to search for defects when the product is used under the conditions that clients are most likely to create for it.  This will not only prevent numerous hours being wasted, but will also prevent all responsibility for defects being placed upon software testers’ heads. This will create a less stressful environment, which is beneficial for all.

Myth 2: If the product’s been tested, it must be defect free

Now you know about Myth no.1, it should be obvious that this myth is also false. However, you should bear in mind that it can be believed by clients. To begin with, the job of a tester is to find the defects in a product. Since you can never be 100% sure that your product has no defects, you cannot reliably say that your product is defect free, no matter how long you spend testing it and in how many different conditions. All you can do is guarantee that the product is defect-free for the tests you carried out. Read the rest of "10 Common Software Testing Myths"

In our ongoing series of tips for Software Testers – here are our final 5 Software Testing Tips – making a grand total of 20 (what generous folk we are!)

These tips are from our experienced trainers – all of whom are professional software testers in the real world. If you would like to learn about software testing in-depth – attend one of our Software Testing Training courses – all of which lead to a recognised software testing certification.

5 More Software Testing Tips

1) Involve software testers from the design phase onward. If software testers are involved from the very start of a project they will develop a knowledge of the application dependability and the test coverage will be greater. Be proactive! If you are a software tester and haven’t been asked to be a part of the full development cycle then ask the project manager get your input on all of the major decisions.

2) Share best testing practice among your testing team. Better still – share that experience with other testing teams in your organisation.

3) Make sure that you allow time for high priority tasks. Prioritise all testing and plan your time accordingly. This will make sure that you don’t run out of time for the most high priority jobs.

4) Speak to developers! Make sure that t you know as much about the product as possible. If you can, speak in person either face to face or over the phone. Misunderstandings can easily arise if communication breaks down. However – make sure that everything is finally confirmed in writing once it has been discussed – especially ares where there has been any dispute.

5) Make your bug reports clear and unambiguous. Describe the symptoms, effect and all possible solutions in detail.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our series of Software Testing tips. Keep your eyes on this blog for more software testing resources.

Your computer going down without a backup is something people think will never happen to them – but when it does it can be devastating.

Whether you’re a home user with lots of personally valuable data (photos, personal e-mails etc…) or a professional with hours (and days) of work on your hard drive – the impact can be HUGE.

Having some sort of regular backup in place is a MUST for any computer user today – but what should you back up?

The main types of files on a computer are user data (your documents, photos etc…) and system data (program files, configuration data).

Many people focus on backing up their user data – but system data can be just as important and is often neglected.

So – which files should you back up – how can you do it and how can you restore them…?

This short guide is aimed at individual Windows users – if you work for a large organisation and want to backup everything across the enterprise, this is a job for your server admins (and to be honest they should be doing it already!!) Read the rest of "Which Files Should You Backup?"

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There are lots of Software Testing tools and applications out there that make the life of a Software tester easier, from free open source tools to expensive professional applications. However – if you’re running Windows 7 on your PC you already have a free software testing tool, and I bet you didn’t even know it!!

If you’re looking for a Software Testing Qualification check out our range of ISEB & ISTQB Software Testing Training courses!

Meet the Problem Steps Recorder!

This handy little tools enables you to track your interactions with any piece of software, taking screenshots and logging your actions along the way, and also enables you to make your own notes about your user experience.

Read the rest of "Tools for Software Testers: Problem Steps Recorder in Windows 7"