Software testing is a natural – and essential – part of product development. Effective software testing will be independent, objective, and follow a standardised framework and reporting structure.

It’s highly important that testers have formal qualifications in software testing to show they understand the importance of thorough and objective testing, as well as the tools and techniques for the task.

The ISTQB (International Software Testing Qualifications Board) is a non-profit European company, offering a framework that meets businesses’ requirements for effective software testing.

ISTQB testers need to have taken the official exams from the Chartered Institute for IT (formally ISEB) after undertaking a formal ISTQB Software Testing training course. Our ISTQB training courses include the relevant exams on the final day.

Advantages of having the ISTQB software testing certification

• ISTQB is the fastest growing software tester certification in the world
• ISTQB is recognised worldwide Read the rest of "Why Companies Like ISTQB Software Testing"

It may pain any managers, designers and developers to hear it but software testing is crucial at every part of a product’s development.

From the initial conception, to the design and development and even the finished product testing should occur to keep the product on task for completion.

ISEB/ ISTQB Foundation Software Testing Training teaches delegates about testing throughout the entire software life cycle.

Testing at the last stage is inadvisable as any necessary changes will mean running the product back through the entire process.

Testing should be done at four stages:

• Planning
• Design
• Development
• End product

The below diagram shows how a problem at each stage of the software cycle can affect the final product:

Testing During the Planning Stage

The Design and Development stages may be spot on, but if the wrong requirements are introduced during the planning stage then the wrong product will be produced. Ensuring that all the correct requirements are in place is vital to design and development of the correct product. Read the rest of "Software Testing Throughout the Process"

As businesses look for software that meets the demands of a modern working environment, they are increasingly using cloud computing and mobile technology. Cloud computing really took off in 2011:

Even the best Software Testers don’t pick up every problem and sometimes a bug that is deemed unimportant is picked up by users as a critical issue. Releasing a product that seems unfinished into the public domain may seem counter-productive but it is known to work. Often businesses do this with beta testing – only releasing to a small number of users with warnings that the product is unfinished and an expectation of feedback. Google released almost all of their products early and then makes changes as they go. This means that the finished product is always better at the time of full release than one with no user testing. However, testing is still a critical element of releasing new software and so software testers are still in high demand. Without professional testing, product launches are likely to be hampered by issues unnoticed during development. The best testers are trained testers so please enquire about our accredited ISEB/ISTQB Software Testing Training courses by browsing the websites or calling us on 01273 622272 for more information.

If you have taken the time to research some business terminology then you will probably be familiar with the term ‘iteration cycle’. The idea behind this is that you release your product out into the wild, see how it does, and then improve on it based on the feedback you get.

So in other words, you might release a website, notice that no one is staying on it very long or visiting your other pages, and so improve your navigation and layout. That’s one cycle – release, feedback, edit. Read the rest of "Iteration Cycles and Feedback"

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"

The ISEB/ISTQB Foundation Certificate in Software Testing is the industry standard certification for software testers. The qualification allows testers to demonstrate their skills to employers and for businesses to show the proficiency of their software testing team.

The qualification is recognised internationally and so opens up testers and businesses to a wealth of new opportunities world wide. It also allows for multi-national projects as everybody is working with a common understanding of software testing.

You will find more information on the course and how to book at our ISEB/ISTQB Foundation in Software Testing Training course page.

What you need to know before starting the ISEB/ISTQB Foundation course

Who is the course for? Read the rest of "ISEB/ISTQB Foundation in Software Testing – What You Need to Know"

by Caston Corporate on Flickr

When you are testing software you need to identify risks in applications and prioritise them to test, this is called Risk Analysis.

There may be some risks which are unavoidable in software testing, for example –

• A change in requirements or requirements which are incomplete
• The amount of time allocated for testing
• Developers may delay delivering the build for testing
• Clients may be urgent for delivery
• There may be defect leakage due to the applications size or complexity.

The following must be done to overcome these problems –

• Conduct a risk assessment review with the devolvement team
• Profile for risk coverage is created by mentioning the importance of each area
• Use all available resources for work on high risk areas e.g. allocate more testers to high risk areas and use minimum resources for medium and low risk areas.
• Create a risk assessment database to refer back to for future risk management.

by Alpha Beta Gamma on Flickr

Alpha Testing Definition –

Alpha Testing is like performing usability testing, which is normally done by the in-house developers. On rare occasions Alpha Testing is done by the client or an outsider. Once the alpha testing version is released, it’s then called the Alpha Release.

Beta Testing Definition –

Beta Testing is done by a small number of end users before it is delivered; the change request is fixed if the user gives feedback or reports a defect. Once the beta testing version is released, it’s called the Beta Release.

Gamma Testing Definition –

Gamma testing is done once the software is ready for release with specified requirements. This testing is done directly by skipping all the in-house test activities.

by alisdair on Flickr

Dynamic Software Testing –

Dynamic Software Testing is done by executing the actual application with valid inputs to check the expected output. Unit Testing, Integration Testing, System Testing and Acceptance Testing are all examples of Dynamic Software Testing.

Static Software Testing –

Static Software Testing is a white box testing technique where the developers verify or test their code with the help of a checklist to find errors in it. This testing is done without actually running the application of program. At this stage of testing, code reviews, inspections and walk throughs are normally performed.

Here are some differences between Dynamic Software Testing and Static Software Testing –

• Static Software Testing is actually more cost effective than Dynamic Software Testing; this is because Static Software Testing is done in the initial stage.
• Static Software Testing covers more areas in a shorter space of time than Dynamic Software Testing.
• Dynamic Software Testing is done after the code deployment; Static Software Testing is done before.
• Dynamic Software Testing is done in the Validation stage, whereas Static Software Testing is done in the Verification stage.

In any project team you need someone with knowledge of business analysis, this is very important and it’s a great skill for any project manager to have.

Usually, the business analyst’s role entails –

• Consulting
• Requirements Management
• Requirements Analysis
• Systems Analysis
• Business Analysis

It is vital that the business analysis process doesn’t happen just once as it is a key concept within the structure of a project. It needs constant monitoring and should start at the beginning of the project and work right through to the end.

Read below to find out the main time-frames in the project lifecycle, where business analysis is key –

When producing a Business Case – Plans are drawn up for every project, it should include in-depth information and everyone involved should understand what is expected of them.

Requirements Planning – creating a schedule with various time-based requirements and documenting tasks.

Requirements Management – Managing the project as things develop and change is very important, it can be very complex and lots of things can change and evolve as the project progresses.

Obtaining Requirements – Building a relationship with stakeholders is key, you need to think about how you word and structure your questions and also consider where things could go wrong so you’re prepared.

Even though project management and business analysis do have common characteristics, they are still noticeably different. The whole project is presided over by the project manager, this includes being in charge of the projects progress, reducing the chance of risks and finishing the project on time and within budget. Whereas the business analysts’ job is to define the product in the project and make sure that it is of a sufficient standard. This job doesn’t end until the stakeholders confirm that the product is at a good enough standard and so it follows the whole project lifecycle.