A proper Software Development Life Cycle is always incomplete without the product testing phase. It also ensures that the product is free of errors and bugs, and is optimized for the correct devices and OSs. It is also protected against potential cyber security threats and is quick to target the user.
But with different ways to incorporate automated and manual testing into the SDLC. However, adopting accurate software testing can be tricky. This is why some development teams have different systems in place to handle their testing processes, and a dedicated test team leads to check the testing processes.
There are various benefits and importance of test management in the software development process. Let’s learn more about them.
Advantages and Importance of Test Management in Software Development
With various benefits and importance, the test management system is getting popular in software development lifecycle. Its benefits assist the development team along with the dedicated team in using test management for its full certainty. Let’s discuss the importance in detail:
Providing accurate delivery estimation
A process of test management can make it easy to get the progress, measure the results, and also use that data to make enlightened decisions.
It helps the development team to measure how far the software development has reached, and decide when the project will be ready to release.
The development team can use the budget and time estimations prepared by the manager to decide on a deadline that is achievable and realistic. Because of this process, clients get more transparent acknowledgment of the SDLC, and they get confidence that their project will be almost ready within the given time limit.
Reducing Data duplication
When the testing team executes different tests, they take the risk of collecting duplicate data. Gathering duplicate data from different databases can create clutter, and makes it harder for developers to analyze the results and create informed reports.
In the process of test management, this trouble is solved by combining all the test information in one single reference point. This gives the manager and test team a loud picture of the whole testing process. They can also monitor different activities, make detailed reports, and review the results.
Standardizing testing compliances and procedures
While making software for a particular industry, they can typically have their guidelines, rules, and regulations. When you have a test management process that is well-coordinated and well-planned, it makes it easy for the development and testing team to ensure that your software fulfills all the requirements of your business.
Easy Consolidation
The process of test management tools will eventually assist you to view different aspects associated with the tests such as test defects, test cases, requirements, test plans, and much more. Along with that, the test management also has a defect tracking and management system that makes management easier than manual methods.
By using different test management tools, the testers, and developers can develop tests and save the reports, milestones, executions, and test cases for good work convenience and clarity. Start-ups and tech giants are using these tools for test management and streamlining the testing process.
Better communication between Developers
Different management tools make it feasible for testers and developers to communicate conveniently by skipping the barriers of emails and chats.
It assists to provide the teams with a feature of direct commenting for quicker and better work interaction.
Along with that, managers can also allocate work tasks seamlessly using the test management tool and monitor whether the task is completed. Testers can update task completion status as well.
Enhanced test coverage
In the process of manual testing, there are requirements for coverage of simplifying the whole process. It is difficult for start-ups to provide their maximum time in manual testing. However, the test management process provides specific rules and regulations that make test coverage better and more effective.
Here are some popular test management tools that make the process of test management easy and streamlined:
- PractiTest
- Testpad
- TestRail
- Xray
- TestMonitor
- Kualitee
- TestBench, and many more
Here are certain steps of the Test Management process that make the procedure easy.
The steps of the test management process
Here is the breakdown of a simple test management process:
The plan
The primary step of the test manager is to make a plan for the project. The plan involves test estimation, risk analysis, test organization, and test planning. Each of these phases is crucial in developing well-coordinated and well-planned test management procedures.
Analyzing the risks
The testing manager will search for all the risks, like errors and bugs that arise during the SDLC. Ultimately they will put them in place of solutions for those problems before they take place. Easy detection helps in preventing such issues from blocking progress.
Test estimation and planning
The test managers will count the amount of budget and time that is required for performing different testing activities. It includes the cost and time for performing particular tests and reviewing the results after sharing the results with other team members. These estimates give the software testing team an easy expectation of different project deliverables, goals, and deadlines.
Test plans
A different test plan is a document that provides every aspect of the testing procedure including the timeline, scope, budget, staff allocation, resources, etc. It outlines the suspension, entry, and exit criteria for each testing activity. Such criteria use the conditions that must be in place before the beginning of the test, suspends, and stops.
Test organization and execution
Once the test plans are made and estimations are final, the manager makes a team. And allocate them different roles to find their responsibilities, and assign them suitable and qualified members according to project requirements.
After organizing tests, one can easily get the test execution phase into action. The manager has to make test cases and execute them and make sure that the activities are carried out in a proper way to avoid more expense and more time requirements.
Test control and monitoring
When this step is running, managers can discover unexpected results in the test management process. One can see if the resources are getting less or if the team is running late. Here, it is easy to monitor whether more staff is required to perform testing. If yes, then further steps are taken to complete the process in the provided estimated time.
Error Management
If any expected bugs, issues, errors, and problems arise are solved according to the test plan. This ensures that the final product will be bug-free and also the delivery pipeline will be streamlined quickly.
Test evaluation and report generation
Once any project is finished, the test manager along with the whole team will evaluate the results. It will assess the testing measures, skills of the staff, frameworks, etc. Based on that a final report will be generated which includes suggestions on how the project can be improved and what changes are necessary to make before releasing the project.
We hope that from the above information, you might have understood how important it is to use the test management process while developing the software.
Concluding Words
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