Best Practices In Exploratory Testing

Best Practices In Exploratory Testing March, 2017

Overview Exploratory is described as simultaneous learning, test design, and test execution. Here, test cases are not created in advance. The test design & execution is done simultaneously or at the same time. Exploratory testing gives software testers the freedom to design & execute the tests while exploring the product. The tester uses the data gathered from the execution of his first set of tests to conduct the next set of tests. Exploratory testing is highly beneficial in finding critical bugs in a short span of time. Unlike documented test cases, exploratory testing does not rely on a pre-set test design or rules. Testers with sound knowledge of the business goals, end users and the technology explore the application. By browsing through & using the application like a real user, testers are more likely to find issues that customers might face. When To Do Exploratory Testing This form of testing is highly useful in cases where test cases to be run cannot be determined in advance, a scenario that often arises in the early stage of product development when the app is not stable & prone to changes. Exploratory testing is useful in all cases where testing scenarios cannot be determined in advance like the following cases: When you have to provide rapid feedback on product quality in a short span of time. When the product is in early development stage when the system is not stable. When you want to explore the scope & variations of a defect that is found. When scripted tests are not detecting many errors. When the requirements for the project are vague & it is difficult to determine test cases to be run.

Challenges In Exploratory Testing Although exploratory testing has many advantages, it is not suitable for every scenario and it comes with its own challenges in execution. Key Challenges Involved : It is a highly skilled activity that requires access to experienced software testers for planning & execution of the test cycles. It requires careful documentation for reproducing & fixing the bugs found. It is not effective in all scenarios especially in case of a large project where coverage is the focus. Crowdsourced Exploratory Testing The challenge of getting the best talent in software testing can be met by relying on crowd testing platforms. Skilled crowd testers with expertise in requisite domains can successfully plan & execute exploratory test cycles for clients. Execution of an effective exploratory testing skill requires a good testing strategy. Merits Of Exploratory Testing Powered By Crowd: Access to skilled testers. Greater device coverage. Coverage across multiple locations. Saves money & time. Benefits of Exploratory Testing Manual exploratory testing can be used for early stage products before their release and it can also be used to overcome the limitations of existing scripted tests. Exploratory testing is a cognitively structured approach that is effective in finding bugs. Testers have the freedom to investigate even the smallest aspect of an app, enabling QA teams to uncover issues that were missed during the scripted tests. Exploratory testing thus enables product improvement in the following ways:

1) Better Analysis of Product Exploratory testing gives testers the freedom to execute more test cases and cover different testing scenarios. Creativity is encouraged and testers are likely to find more realistic bugs from an end user perspective. By collecting different data & analysing different aspects of the software, they can provide new insights to developers to improve the technology and minimise the business risks. 2) Quick Feedback As different tasks are executed simultaneously, this form of testing saves time & enables quick feedback to developers for product improvement. There is no need to create test documents or designs to execute exploratory test cycles. The shorter feedback loop implies that the management can identify business risks faster and fix high priority issues in time. 3) Find Critical Bugs Exploratory testing enables management to find the most crucial bugs in a short span of time. Chances of finding new bugs with the same scripted tests are lesser. With exploratory testing, testers can explore new scenarios where programs are most likely to fail. 4) Effective for Testing Dynamic Products Exploratory testing involves investigation of the entire software architecture. Testers don’t have to follow any series of scripted tests or rules before moving to a new feature. They can explore different test environments, which speeds up the process of bug detection. Testers can hence carefully observe & analyse the product behaviour. 5) Improve Efficiency of Scripted Tests With exploratory testing, it is possible to improve existing test designs & create better test scripts. It acts as an additional check to ascertain the accuracy of scripted tests. Inputs & data collected from exploratory testing can be used to improve existing tests & diversify testing.

Best Practises In Exploratory Testing Exploratory testing involves investigation of the software beyond the normal requirements. To get the most out of exploratory test cycles, here are some top tips: 1) Understand The App & The Business Goals Although exploratory testing gives complete freedom to testers to test any aspect of the app, it is time-consuming & ineffective to try & cover everything in one shot. Understanding the technology, the business requirement & the purpose of the app will help in identification of key areas that needs to be tested. Factor in the development goals, the lifespan of the app, any laws that govern the app & the end user expectations arising from using previous versions of the app or similar software products. By understanding the app & focusing on the business goals, QA teams can optimize exploratory test cycles to identify bugs in features that matter the most. 2) Don’t Script The Tests The aim of exploratory testing is to find defects that are not detected through other forms of testing, by exploring the product. The objective is to find unknown bugs that are missed out by detailed test scripts. Real users don’t have a scripted document while randomly using a feature in the app. Try new approaches like a real user to test scenarios that are different from the standard scripted expectations. For this form of investigation, it is more effective to plan the tests & explore various aspects of the app without creating scripts in advance. If you do need a few notes to plan your tests & update the stakeholders, you can use one-liners instead of detailed test cases. These are short test cases in a single line that state the purpose of the test. Plan & list out your ideas, instead of creating scripts for executing the tests.

3) Select The Right Testing Technique That Meets Your Goals Choose a testing technique that makes it easy for the tester to execute the tests & the stakeholders to interpret the results. Factor in the availability of time, testing tools & resources for execution of the test cycles. 4) Empower Developers In Fixing Issues A short feedback loop during the exploratory test cycles will empower developers with the quick feedback they need to fix the bugs that are found. A collaborative environment that enables testers to work closely with developers will help in sharing test results and information faster. This in turn would help the development team to fix issues and improve product quality easily. 5) Document Findings Clearly It is crucial to document the findings of exploratory testing in a clear & concise manner. This enables developers to reproduce & rectify the bugs found. Note down the purpose of testing, the way the test was executed & the details on issues found. Tracking the purpose and findings of the tests will help in easy identification of business risks, if any. 6) Use Exploratory Testing Along With Automated Tests While automated tests are scripted to verify the accuracy of expected behaviours or patterns in the software, exploratory testing helps in finding critical issues, undetected in scripted tests that could potentially break the software. A testing strategy that encompasses both automated testing & exploratory testing can help in achieving both adequate coverage & also in gaining end user insights on product quality. If defects are found in exploratory, steps can be added to automate & prevent the issue from occurring again.

7) Make Performance & Non- Functional Testing Exploratory Performance & non-functionality testing can also be made exploratory. Testers can check if the app is responsive enough on slow devices used by end-users. Further, the exploratory method can be used for non-functional tests including for compatibility testing, security testing, usability testing, reliability testing, compliance testing & localization testing. Checks can be made to ensure that the app is secure, user friendly, translatable and works well on multiple device & browser configurations. 8) Know The Distinction Between Exploratory Testing & User Acceptance Testing Avoid confusing user acceptance testing & exploratory testing. While both forms of testing focus on finding bugs, they are distinct. User acceptance tests are high level tests conducted to verify if specific user requirements are met. You can use exploratory testing in user acceptance testing. Conclusion With effective exploratory testing, product managers can know what their product is capable of & where it lags behind. Exploratory testing is highly effective for finding critical bugs in a short span of time and is ideal in an agile environment for releasing high quality software products. About 99tests 99tests is a product of Preenos Crowd Technologies Pvt Ltd. The company is funded by Infosys Co-founder, Kris Goplakrishnan, Allianz CIO, Steve Coles and Founder of Beenos, Teruhido Sato. 99tests is a crowd test automation platform for testing mobile and web apps by top notch testers. With over 20,000 crowd testers from 160+ countries, 99tests has helped over 200 clients including companies like P&G, Intuit and Security scorecard to test their software.We provide companies with economical, and effective crowd testing & automation services.Learn how automation through 99tests can give you the insights you need to build stunning software products. Mail us at contact@99tests.com. www.99tests.com

Best Practices In Exploratory Testing

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