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Test automation still causes a lot of debates. Known for its efficiency, software automation testing services can generate highly accurate results, accelerate product time-to-market, improve the team’s overall efficiency, and optimize development expenses in the long run. However, the only way to derive these benefits is to implement AT smartly. What does ‘smartly’ mean in this context? Automation has its optimal point, and exceeding it can have an adverse impact on efficiency. The potential of test automation isn’t infinite, so it is important to automate only what’s really necessary and know when to stop. Automation coverage and the probable benefits vary from product to product. In this article, we’ll explain the basics of smart automation to help you understand this subject a little bit better. Manual vs Automated Testing We’ve mentioned in some of the previous blog posts that manual and automated testing shouldn't be treated as opposites. One doesn’t ...

Bug tracking software helps to streamline the defect fixing process, making development, in general, more efficient. While the ‘why’ question is rather easy to answer, the ‘what’ can give you a real headache. In this article, we’ll share some tips on how to choose a bug tracker. You’ll also find reviews of several tools QA companies frequently use. What is Bug Tracking Software? Let’s start with the basics, in case we’ve got managers that don’t have much technical expertise. Bug tracking tools are designed for the systematic recording of defects and convenient management of a bug life cycle. The core features of an average bug tracking system include the following: Creation of tickets with a detailed description of bugs. Their categorization and prioritization. Assigning tickets for particular specialists. Tracking defect status at the different stages. Easy search, sorting and reporting. Analytics and automatically generated reports. ...

It is natural to think about the future, especially during turbulent times. Digitalization that gathers pace globally leads to significant changes in the job market. As technology evolves, professions keep evolving with it. In a decade or so, we may witness a considerable shift of candidate’s priorities and competencies required by employers. We talked with our team to learn what they think about the future of tech professions and, most importantly, the skills QA specialists should possess in the future. Of course, we can’t be a hundred percent sure what comes in ten years and can only make assumptions. Here’s what we concluded. Hard Skills that Make a Good QA Specialist When it comes to hard skills, the demands can vary from company to company. Besides, a required skill set also depends on a particular profession. In general, the must-haves for an average candidate are: Knowledge of software testing types, methodologies, and techniques. Familiarity with cert...

The concept of management is used in various contexts due to the many aspects it can regard. In the IT field, risk management is one of the basic terms that should be familiar to specialists. All development activities involve risks. Organizations have to invent effective coping mechanisms to handle those risks. With that said, a standard step-by-step risk management model implies identification, analysis, subsequent assessment, and treatment of the unfavorable conditions. If done right, it results in preventing any kind of negative effect on the processes or their outcomes. Throughout this process, teams involved in a project should communicate with stakeholders – they approve all decisions when certain risks arise. The tricky thing is that, in addition to the general pool, each team and each development phase has a specific set of risks. In this article, we’ll tell a bit about those a software testing company or a dedicated QA team usually encounters. What Is Risk in S...

Payment systems have become an integral part of a variety of websites and applications. E-commerce is the first thing that comes to mind, but it is not the only one. Just think about services and applications you use regularly. Food delivery, streaming services, e-learning platforms, taxi apps – the majority of them have in-built payment functionality. Whether we are talking about a fully functioning payment system or a payment gateway, it requires testing before the product goes live. In this article, we decided to cover the basics – the importance and particularities of this testing type and the way a functional testing company approaches it. It would be helpful for stakeholders who want to know more about quality assurance for their product and beginner QA specialists in a manual QA testing services company. Why Is Functional Testing Essential? Functional testing aims to verify that the real behavior of the implemented features matches the requirements and specific...

During testing, a QA engineer faces lots of documentation and different kinds of artifacts. Checklists, test suits, test scenarios, test plans, test reports, test analysis – these are just some items on the list of documentation a QA engineer should be able to interact with and create. Today, we will tell you about one of those significant artifacts – manual test cases. A Test Case: Definition and Purpose. A test case is a set of actions executed to verify a particular feature or functionality of your software application. The purpose of a test case is to verify that a certain feature works as expected, to confirm that the functionality, UI/UX, and other parameters of a system satisfy all the related standards, guidelines, and customer requirements. Differences Between a Test Case and a Checklist We use test cases on complicated projects, for example, where human life depends on system behavior. These projects may be in the sphere of fire alarms, health care, financ...

A software development life cycle (SDLC) is a methodology that defines the process of creating a software product. We’ve talked about some of the widely-used SDLC methodologies in one of the previous posts. In this article, we’d like to focus more on different SDLC phases without connection to a particular methodology. It will help to understand better what stages make a development life cycle. Regardless of their sequence and timing, these stages and activities that take place during each remain pretty much the same. A software life cycle starts at the moment the decision to create a software product arises. It ends when the mentioned product stops functioning. In between, a company builds software and maintains it, often developing new features on the way. The phases that make a life cycle are requirements gathering, concept development, product development, testing, and maintenance. Let’s take a closer look at each of them. Requirements Gathering In all SDLC models, the proc...

According to Statista, the number of mobile devices worldwide will increase by 3.7 billion during the next three years. Taking into account the mass digitization forced by social distancing and followed by remote work and education, it is not hard to believe. Meanwhile, eMarketer reports that smartphone users in the US spend 88% of their mobile time on apps. Of course, the numbers can vary across countries. The general tendency, however, is rather clear: people prefer apps to web view in browsers. This fact reminds us once more that every mobile app should undergo thorough testing before it appears in the stores. To ensure expected business performance and high customer retention, a company should offer users an appealing and functional software product. In other words, a solid strategy for mobile app testing services is essential. What Is a Testing Strategy? A testing strategy is a guideline a QA team follows to achieve the set quality-related objectives for a soft...

You have an idea that you think can improve some people's lives, and you’ve decided to turn it into reality. Sometimes, however, assumptions don’t match existing market needs. So how can one predict if people will be interested in a new product? There is a way: to research the target audience thoroughly and test your idea through MVP. A minimum viable product, that’s what the abbreviation stands for, helps to understand the actual demand. Therefore, it prevents investing time and money into an initiative without a strong product/market fit. In this article, we will tell you a bit about MVP, its advantages for a startup, and specific QA services that will benefit an MVP. What Is a Minimum Viable Product An MVP is a “proof of concept” version of a new product. As a rule, it introduces the basic functionality that will make the core of the product and be significant for potential users. The purpose of an MVP is to generate user feedback and show whether the product will be in-d...