Boosting Software Testing Productivity with Test Management

The testing process is embedded in almost every software development project today. Especially as the quality parameters for the products are becoming more stringent, and the increasing competition and user demands have the companies bending over backward to timely deliver the best possible products.

In order to ensure that the organizations are able to achieve a stable and reliable developmental cycle through which they are able to deliver on time and within budget as well, test management tools are necessitated. Even though testing is an integral part of the development process, organizations still have to make sure that it does not become a bottleneck and hinder the achievement of the project scope.

Need for Test Management

The testing of software applications requires the creation of hundreds of unique and relevant test cases, the ability and skills to execute them in a controlled environment, deducing insights from the tests and reporting back to the development team for potential problems, and most importantly, the capability of effectively managing the results and resource allocation. Software applications, on the other hand, are becoming more complicated with new modules and additional features which in turn makes the development phase more aggressive, however, there is still no compromise on quality standards. To cater to all these requirements, proficient test management tools are needed so that the organizations are able to keep up with the fast-paced market.

With effective test management systems, companies are able to personalize the workflow, allocate the tasks and issues to the team members based on priority and skills, and report the insights and results in a manner so that all the members are on the same page. A customizable dashboard not only allows the users and project managers to add modules and sections as per the demands of their project but track the progress and streamline accordingly.

Strategies to Make Software Test Management More Productive

Ø  Embed a diverse set of testing technique from the start of the project

Ø  Keeping in consideration the functionality, efficiency, the economy of use, and the budget when selecting a test management tool for the project team

Ø  Automated testing as apart from being less time consuming and more efficient, it is especially useful for conducting smoke tests that ascertain that the basic functionalities of the software work seamlessly and flawlessly.

Ø  Start the testing process from the initial phases of the project so that the issues and problems can be traced from the beginning, and with the requirement review process, the team is aware of the mistakes and problems in the software even before the implementation phase.

Ø  Communication and collaboration with the team members is the key to increasing productivity; an effective two-way communication strategy allows the testers and developers to connect directly and gain quick feedback for their problems.

Ø  Organizing a special training session for the team member, especially the testers, in order to spread domain knowledge about the project, which will help them understand the functions and the requirements of the software with ease.