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"

News stories like this show how important software testing is for security. Software defects have the potential to cost a business far more than its reputation. Hackers can take advantage of software defects to blackmail businesses for financial gain. Here’s an example of this practice in real life from our guest blogger Alex Smith…

A group of hackers has attempted to blackmail security software company, Symantec in exchange for keeping stolen source code private.

The hackers released a batch of emails to the public that were sent from the FBI posing as Sam Thomas a representative of Symantec.

Officers from the FBI offered the hackers $50,000 or £32,000 in return for the stolen source code. Since negotiations have broken down more source code has been released which is obviously a major concern for Symantec and their customers.

Symantec have been working closely with the FBI after being contacted by the hackers in January.

Our Software Testing Training courses are all accredited to provide delegates with an industry recognised software testing qualification. Get a foot in the door of the software testing industry by learning the best practice approach through ISEB/ ISTQB courses.

It is believed that the hackers are affiliated with the Lords of Dharmaraja who are part of the hacking group Anonymous. Read the rest of "Hackers Attempt To Blackmail Symantec"

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"

Software testers often draw certain stereotypes as this hilarious photo from Richard Walker on Google+ shows:

While comparisons to geeks, airport security and the Justice League are hardly productive and don’t help the image of a software tester, there are a number of characteristics that do make a software tester better in their field. These are essential attributes that software testers must have if they want to be successful:

Judgement

Software testers are rarely given exact requirements on a plate and are unlikely to have time to run all tests within a given timeline. Therefore, good judgement is needed. Think like Judge Dredd and have the conviction to make decisions.

It is the software tester’s job to judge what needs testing, how to long to test for, what areas need the most attention, which issues are defects and whether a bug necessitates deeper pursuit.

These questions can only be answered through a combination of knowledge and experience – but you need good judgement to apply knowledge and experience to real life situations. Read the rest of "Attributes of a Software Tester"

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"

Over the past few years a number of Non-Profit software testing organisations have been set up that specifically employ people with ASD – Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Aspiritech employees

Due to poor social skills associated with autism, sufferers often come off badly in interviews and struggle to build relationships with co-workers – making it very hard to find and keep employment. That is where companies such as Aspiritech and Specialisterne come in; not just employing autism sufferers but fine tuning the workplace push past problems with communication.

It is hard to pin down unemployment figures for autistic people but Japanese firm Kaien claim on their website that 85% of Japanese people with High Functioning Autism (HFA) are unemployed. In the USA, autistic unemployment figures are estimated to be higher than for deaf and blind people and those with mental illnesses.

Why does autism suit software testing?

While autism symptoms include communication problems and poor social skills they also include great attention to detail, strong focus, persistence and the ability to concentrate on tasks that others would lose interest in. These traits are perfect for software testing and mean that those with autism often outperform ‘normal’ software testers.

For more on Software Testing read these Common Software Testing Myths.

Great attention to detail allows people with ASD to spot things that others would miss – producing better results from testing. Focus and persistence allows them to concentrate on a single task for a long period of time – one of the less glamorous areas of software testing.

According to an MIT study, people with HFA are 50% more efficient that ‘normal’ software testers. Autism sufferers often display photographic memories and a propensity to excel at complex maths and troubleshooting. Read the rest of "Software Testing – Autistic People make the best testers"

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"

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"

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.