Have you ever had to send an email from a website only to find that it was never received? Or, have you ever clicked on a link and got a page that said “Error 404 – Not found”?
These errors can be avoided if testing is introduced in the software life cycle, one of the activities that makes the difference to a product in terms of quality.
Why is testing essential?
Faulty software can lead to a number of problems: negative corporate reputation, loss of time and money to fix problems or redo certain functionalities. Time and money that could be invested more profitably.
Let’s put ourselves in the shoes of a customer: if a company produced me software with several problems, I would not be satisfied, so on the next occasion I might look for a better company that can successfully follow up on my ideas and make me happy. The same concept applies to an ordinary person: if I used malfunctioning apps or sites, I would discard them and look for better ones.
It is well known that the market for apps and the companies that produce them is very large nowadays. To get noticed, a company has to show its strengths and, above all, prove that it can do things well. The tangible proof of a well-made product is the quality it exudes. In order to achieve this, in addition to software that is well designed in the analysis phase, well-architected and developed by developers with suitable technologies, IT companies play the tester card.
Tester: what is your role and what do you do?
The tester is the person in charge of software testing, an activity with the aim of preventing and reducing so-called ‘bugs’ in the production environment.
Among other essential tasks, it checks whether all functionalities have been implemented as agreed with the customer and ensures that the software is complete, checking that all features are present.
This is a necessary activity nowadays: detecting and correcting bugs in advance of the final delivery is a source of advantage, increases the perception of having produced a good product and provides greater security.
Let’s dispel a myth: testing is not only about executing it on the final product and verifying the results. It is only a small part of the total activities that, time and resources permitting, should be carried out.
In fact, there are several activities. To name a few, tests should be planned, monitored and controlled. They should be designed and implemented before running them. In addition, progress reports or a summary of the tests performed should be made.
Tester activities
There are many activities, and the tester is not the only resource following them. Generally, two main actors can be distinguished:
- Test manager: role with overall responsibility for the testing process to be implemented. Among the main activities, he/she is in charge of planning activities, thinking about a strategy by choosing appropriate testing techniques, giving time and cost estimates, managing resources.
- Tester: is the executor of the tests. Other main activities are tracing failures, designing and implementing tests.
There are several reasons why testing is one of the main reasons for being discarded in the budget: costs are too high, delivery times need to be shortened, or the impact of untested software is unclear. In reality, it is an important and strategic activity. It is important to be aware of the risks involved in releasing software without testing, so this activity is a good antidote to avoid mistakes and obtain a quality application or software. MOLO17 guarantees in the whole life cycle of software production testing phases for a final product of value for the customer.
If you liked the article or if there is a project you would like to discuss with us, please contact us by e-mail at sales@molo17.com. We will be happy to develop your digital transformation project together!
