Testing is an important part of delivering a quality software product, but its role is frequently not understood. There are a number of myths that surround testing that lead to a negative view of what it is and does. Here are three misconceptions about software testing that can’t go unchallenged.
Testing Demonstrates There Are No Errors
In fact the opposite is true. The purpose of testing is to locate errors in the software before it’s rolled out to the end user. Testers shouldn’t assume that the system works, they should set out to find as many errors as they can.
This allows the problems to be rooted out, fixed and further testing carried out to ensure no new errors have been introduced. Testing should therefore be integrated into every stage of the development process.
Testing Is a Cost
The view of many managers is that the process of testing is a cost to the business. They will therefore try to minimise those costs as much as possible. This is can be a mistake as using a software testing service such as https://www.bugfinders.com/ can in fact sometimes lead to potential long-term savings.
Why? Because the cost of system downtime can be substantial. The cost may not be purely financial, it can damage the reputation of the business too which can lead to loss of customers in the longer term. If that downtime is caused by software errors that could have been prevented then it’s easy to see that testing shouldn’t be seen simply as a cost to the business.
Testing Isn’t Difficult
As agile development methods have become more widespread so has a belief that testing software is a simple task that doesn’t require specialist skills. Anyone can be a tester and bugs can be spotted during the development process.
Though it may be easier to draw up test cases, the testing itself can still present a significant challenge. Testing isn’t – as is sometimes assumed – a matter of running through a series of pre-defined steps. Testers need to display judgement and show that they understand the impact of the software on the larger business picture. They also need to understand the impact of new tools and technologies and how these can benefit development as well as the challenges that they represent.
