INTRODUCTION
Today’s race of technology has drastically changed our digital topography. With the improvement of features comes testing challenges and related application quality assurance that needs proper handling. According to Gartner, 88% of service leaders claim that their global users are not satisfied with the current QA processes.
QA testing holds a unique place in the software development process. Testers are responsible for verifying that all code created in a project is bug-free and meets all technical and business criteria.
It implies that QA engineers must have a thorough grasp of each project and what it entails. Furthermore, they must understand what may go wrong during the functioning of a specific website or app. They must also stay up to date on technological and digital advancements so that they are aware of the flaws or risks.
Software quality assurance involves various testing challenges like QA culture, early testing, and merging development with testing. Time and automation of the processes also play a crucial role and demand your focus. Other important factors are skill gaps, training assessments, evaluation, and so on. An effective team plays a vital role in determining success.
Here we will discuss the four most noteworthy testing challenges every QA faces.
Last-Minute Changes to Requirements
In agile development projects, it is usual to modify the project requirements in the middle of a sprint. While this is a source of frustration for the entire team, testers are particularly vulnerable. They may have to repeat the full scope of testing because even minor modifications to a codebase must be tested numerous times to ensure the stability and compatibility with existing code further threatens the software quality assurance.
For example, whenever a browser releases an update, testers must undertake browser compatibility testing to guarantee that the website’s present functionalities continue to function satisfactorily even after the update. Cross browser testing, on the other hand, is required if a new feature is introduced to the website at the last minute to guarantee that the function works flawlessly across various browsers. Naturally, these last-minute adjustments challenge the testers, especially if there are tight deadlines to meet.
Solution: The digital world is developing at a rapid pace. It’s completely conceivable that a feature needs to be adjusted or amended owing to changes in user input or program updates. A recent browser upgrade, for example, may necessitate the modification of a function.
It is something that testers should be prepared with regularly. If requirements change at the conclusion of a sprint, testers might choose to execute as many tests as feasible in the time allowed. Before the project begins, the tester must be aware that last-minute modifications to the software must be thoroughly tested within the set deadlines.
QAs may ensure that they do not look unreasonable after a sprint by conveying the real-world restrictions of the testing. Furthermore, developers and other stakeholders will be aware of what to expect from QAs and will be able to establish timetables accordingly. These will reduce the testing challenge to an appreciable level.
Inadequate information on user journeys
The primary focus of a tester is to formulate test cases based on all possible user journeys. However, QAs must have in-depth information about user journeys to create test cases. This information needs to be conveyed by product owners, who have the best understanding of the software, its limitations, and how users are likely to navigate it.
However, if the product owner(s) themselves lack clarity on the user journeys, they cannot communicate it to the QAs. Then the QAs cannot create test cases that will comprehensively test the website or app for flaws in user experience. This demolishes the purpose of software quality assurance testing services to a larger extent.
Solution: Software Quality Assurance demands testers rely on their judgment. Instead of depending on precise requirements and user stories, testers might begin to consider high-level situations that a user can encounter when using certain products. Instead of waiting for complete clarity on a feature, testers can create a collection of potential user journeys based on the website or app concept.
Changes in feature details will result in modest alterations in test scripts when test cases are developed based on high-level use scenarios. It is because the context and overall user journey remain the same. As a result, QAs will have to exert less effort in this area.
Inadequate Experience with Test Automation
Agile development initiatives necessitate technically skilled testers, particularly in the areas of Integration Testing and API Testing. They must also write scripts for UI automation testing using automated tools such as Selenium.
If a tester’s primary experience is in manual, exploratory testing, they will face significant difficulties in delivering results at speed required in an automation-driven project. It poses significant testing challenges.
The automation industry is estimated to generate around 214 billion U.S. dollars worldwide by 2021
Solution: Anyone interested in working in application quality assurance should be familiar with the programming languages used to develop test scripts. Ruby and Java are two popular examples of such languages.
Even if a tester is knowledgeable with languages, he or she should also be skilled with the appropriate tools for the job. As previously said, Selenium is quite successful for browser automation, and understanding how it works is beneficial.
Similarly, JMeter is an open-source performance testing tool that is simple to use and beneficial in automated settings.
According to Statista, JavaScript and HTML/CSS are the most commonly used programming languages among software developers around the world(As of 2021)
Inadequate collaboration between testers and developers
Professional rivalry exists between development and testing teams. This gives a major blow to software quality assurance. Development teams may believe that testing is the last stage procedure and that testers require nothing more than a list of user journeys and technical requirements.
However, if testers are unfamiliar with the development process, they may have difficulty discovering faults in the code. They will struggle to create test scripts that can discover all possible defects if they do not grasp how a piece of software operates.
Solution: Better testing is possible through active collaboration between developers and QAs. Developers empower testers to make better decisions about which tests to run to ensure software quality and functioning by sharing knowledge with testers from the start of development.
When testers are empowered to make educated decisions, developers benefit as well. Thorough testing of software components guarantees that they are definitively ready for deployment at the end of each sprint.
CONCLUSION
Given the scope of a QA tester’s job, it’s logical that they’ll confront obstacles daily. Addressing the issues raised above would not only smoothen the software and application quality assurance process but will also streamline the software development process. It will make it more effective and time-efficient. Organizations may guarantee that their software products are built to fulfill all business needs and work optimally by making it easy for QAs to conduct their jobs properly. Gartner predicted that, by 2021, 15% of consumer interactions would be handled by AI.
Statistics show that around 1.49 million software quality assurance (QA) workers and software developers will be employed in the United States in 2020. This number is expected to reach 1.84 million by 2030.
