7 Main Practices Of Test Automation In The Agile World

Test Automation – What is it?
Test Automation can be referred to as the use of a specific software for controlling evaluation of a particular software (different from the one that is used in testing) as well as comparing its real life outcomes with the hypothetical ones predicted by the developers of the software. It is all about automating certain repetitive yet highly essential tasks with the help of a specifically formalized testing mechanism that is already pre-set or pre determined and adding certain additional testing mechanisms that are hard to carry out manually.

Now when we talk about automatic test, it provides a lot of benefits to the developers which include detecting bugs as well as errors, reduction of expenses of failure, reduction of time by repeatability and early verification, improvement of resource productivity and so on. However, in order to make sure that the best results can be derived through the process of test automation, it is imperative to follow certain tried as well as tested practices. You will find many but here are seven of them that are considered as golden rules or practices of automatic test.

1. Consideration of Costs and Assets
This is one of the most critical as well as important factors that needs to be taken into account during test automation, especially when it comes to testing automation for mobile devices. The cost factor needs to be taken into consideration at the time of deciding whether a particular company should put automation into use or stick to the traditional manual evaluation of various projects that are being developed. However, when we speak about the cost factor, that should be evaluated along with certain other parameters like time taken, number of heads needed, infrastructure, tools as well as training procedures involved therein.

2. Test Coverage and Re-usability
This is another factor that needs to be considered as well as maintained in a thorough manner as automated testing helps in increasing the depth as well as the scope of tests. Besides, test coverage and re-usability also help improving the quality of the software in a significant way. Processes that are lengthy are at times avoided when conducting manual testing. However, when it comes to automatic tests, they can be conducted without any hiccup whatsoever. That is the reason, one needs to make sure that all these aspects are covered during automatic testing. Hence, it is almost a thumb rule to make sure that as many complex test cases covering as many parameters as possible need to be conducted repetitively to ensure creation of new test cases along with building up features that are more compelling.

3. Using the right tools, methods and technology
In order to yield the best results, one should ensure that the toughest as well as cross platform method of testing is opted. This will not only ensure optimal test coverage but will also guarantee on time results. Again the most appropriate tools should be selected to ensure that all the required parameters are aptly covered and evaluated. Besides, this also guarantees that all the requirements as well as parameters are validated properly.

4. Testing Early as well as Frequently
This is one of the most tried and tested golden rule in automatic test. In order to yield the best results, you need to start the test at the earliest. Again, it is imperative that you conduct the test as frequently as possible. It is an almost established fact that the more you subject a particular software to test, debugging becomes easier. The most remarkable advantage of early testing is that in majority of the cases, bugs that are detected early are easier to be fixed and eliminated than those found during the production or installation of the software.

5. Opt for automated tests which are immune to UI changes
Automated tests that are created with the help of certain scripts as well as keyword tests generally depend upon the application that needs to be tested. While the UI of the particular application can undergo changes, more so during the initial stages thereby affecting the results, there may be times when the automated tests might not work with the higher versions of the particular application. Hence it is imperative to opt for those types of tests which will be immune to these changes in the User Interface.

6. Deciding upon the cases that need to be automated
Though classically speaking all the test cases need to be automated, in reality it is almost impossible to do so. Hence, before you commence you need to decide on the particular cases that need to be subjected to automatic tests.

7. Division of automated testing efforts
As automatic testing encompasses various parameters it is highly important that various QA engineers of different disciplines having a sizeable experience and skills under their belts are engaged in the testing to yield the best results.

There are a lot of other systems that need to be covered while going for automated testing. However, those mentioned are thumb rules that are always religiously maintained to ensure that the tests yield the best results and within the quickest possible time.

You can hire testers from top automation testing companies in India who can help you accomplish testing within allocated budgets and time schedules.

We provide automation testing services. If you would like to hire certified automation testers from us, we would be glad to assist you at Mindfire Solutions.

Why should you rely on WordPress for a CMS solution?

Everyone’s talking about it, so does that mean WordPress in fact is good for CMS solutions? Yes, there are advantages, but major players in the market have their own take on it. It shows that companies, even though with a big budget, want to have fewer expenses to shoulder, especially when it comes to website building or maintaining. If you check online, you would find how popular WordPress is. The majority number of players are using the platform for success, so why not you? This is why together we shall take a look on why you should rely on WordPress for a CMS solution.

An easy way to start your business

The world is all technological these days. There are many brick and mortar companies biting the dust, the number being significantly high. The failure is because the number of content management system users are high, since CMS is useful as well as very impressive, which allows ventures to compete with the big fishes in the ocean.

Moreover, one wouldn’t need a lot of money to run the platform for its business online. This is because WordPress is absolutely free, so no money is needed for CMS use. All you need to pay for is hosting as well as registering of the domain, that’s it. In addition to that, upgrades come for free too; icing on the cake isn’t it?

Easy to manage as well as install

All your domain needs or demands are fulfilled when WordPress is taken into consideration. One wouldn’t have to go through complex methods to buy a domain. After getting a domain name of your choice from a reputed registrar, use a reliable host, someone with a one click install facility. Once you allow WordPress CMS engine on the domain, everything is done, and you are now good to go.

Moreover, you do not have to be a coding geek or a genius with codes. Add a reputed or a popular plug-in to the CMS, letting the robustness takes over. You can add skins of your choice, use any of the themes you wish to have. There is no need to deal with any html, sql or php complexities. Focus now on what content you want to have in it, prioritise, then make it happen.

Community help

Ever need help even in the middle of the night, the community of WordPress users would come to your rescue. In a number of cities across the world, there are many who socialise as well as network with the talents for you to use, so that you too could learn how to best use WordPress and seek help if there are issues. There are meet-ups that happen for real, both nationally as well as internationally. Members indulge in best sharing of practices also with regard to CMS use.

Plenty of Plugins to use

Most are happy using WordPress since there are so many Plugins to use, thanks to the mushrooming of many plug-in developers across the community. With plenty of functions along with add ons to your WordPress site, you save time and make more money, making your site stand out, thus being one of a kind.

In addition to that WordPress is the best for SEO or search engine optimisation, thanks to its friendliness. People across the globe would be able to search for information and your site easily, provided the topic or what they look for is relevant to what is being provided. You thus can have a website built which would be found by everyone, the architecture is intuitive and the settings allow the spiders to crawl well, making your site indexed by popular search engines.

Mobile friendly

Yes, CMS is a good friend to mobile users as well and allows websites to render perfect results even when someone accesses your website through their phones. With plenty of themes to use, the mobile Plugins used on the WordPress site is beneficial and makes it handy for clients and customers alike.

Everyone wants to have a website made in the likes of the popular ones or the reputed bigwigs around. Apart from that, they would also want to make money and gain strong web presence online too. Hence choosing vendors who provide WordPress website development can help you build dynamic and responsive websites using WordPress.

We provide WordPress CMS Customization services. If you would like to hire expert WordPress developers from us, we would be glad to assist you at Mindfire Solutions.

How To Make A Developer Fix Your Bug?

Testers have a major complaint these days, which is that there are many bugs caught in the initial stages of development, but considerations for the same aren’t made on the spot. Most testers would say that it isn’t their lookout to deal with such issues, especially fixing bugs. However, as frustrating at it can be, when the efforts aren’t taken seriously, something needs to be done and someone needs to do it.

Experts say, the more you market your bugs the more would attention come through from developers around. One of the ways to catch the attention of developers is to make sure that the bug report you write is enticing enough. This would be something on the lines of advertising, in this case promoting the report of the bugs involved.

Here are a few tips on how to make a developer fix your bug

To make the bug that bugs you stand out in the special edition reports amongst all, please read on and be well-informed of the same:

• Keep it simple as well as straightforward. When the report can be repeated well and in tandem to the report you have generated, pat your back for a job well done, because the report would then be an enticing one to capture many developers’ attention or fancy.
• The report needs to be for real, and remember the bug needs to have everything to do with it in real terms, or else it wouldn’t entice the developers to come calling.
• Developers would be able to reproduce the reports better when they have more sets ups around. This is especially important when the bug which has been spoken off would be an important dependent for configuration needs.
• Nip it in the bud or go to the source, thereby pulling the root out. This is because bugs have more symptoms, not just one to make a problem happen. In such cases one should mention the issues which are very serious, for example, corruption of data as well as the description for the same in the report generated.
• The report created should be appealing, inviting along with invigorating for the attention to be caught. By saying so, exaggerating the report can be great, speaking of the possible outcomes in combination with the importance of the bug as well.
• The description of the bug should be in detail. Also, the report should be well-written, containing details about how it would affect the end user. Speak of the distress calls made by the software when the bug ran through it, along with how competition suffers when the bug plays its game.
• The report should be more of a sales ad, one that markets the bug as well as captures the attention of the developer. It is like selling the bug, wherein the buyers are developers. When you learn how to market the bugs well, getting them fixed in no time wouldn’t be a challenge to deal with.

Problems would be sporadic, say experts, and improving the logging system for the same is a must, which would then tell you where next as well as in which context the bug would appear. Then there are bugs that would only show up when systems run along with various other activities. Hence, what one needs is a load testing which would then unearth the pesky bug, bringing it to the surface.

Developers have to think of other issues on priority as well. For example, code quality issues can be there when code reviews are studied or learnt. There are also re-factoring needs along with technological as well as technical deficiencies to deal with. Such issues pose to be a challenge for product evolution in days to come, say experts. Such issues or defects ideally would be recorded in the user’s backlog. This then can be sorted out when the planning process is done well.

Most would say it isn’t the job of a tester or the developer to check for bugs or to fix it, however, they have to be due diligent at all times, in order to inform the teams of such occurrences happening over and over again. They should also possibly tell of the impacts such bugs have on the consumers, along with perfect steps that should be taken on bug reporting.

You can hire testers from top software testing companies in India who can help you accomplish testing within allocated budgets and time schedules.

We provide software testing services. If you would like to hire software test professionals from us, we would be glad to assist you at Mindfire Solutions.

Is Automation Testing Working for You?

The right test automation strategy will enable your organization to avail several advantages. In addition to optimizing quality and productivity, the strategy will further cut down the product release time and cost. However, the QA managers must implement the strategy properly to achieve a set of preset goals. At the same time, you need to monitor the test automation process and test results constantly to ensure that strategy is working effectively for your organization.

Six Ways to Make Automation Testing Work for You

1) Evaluate Scope of Automation Testing

You must remember that automation testing fails due to lack of a comprehensive testing plan. In addition to deciding the objectives, you also need to define a clear roadmap to achieve these preset goals. Based on the roadmap, you can decide the manpower, tools and resources required to achieve the objectives. The effectiveness of the test automation plan must be evaluated constantly to determine how far you are from the goals. The evaluation will help you in deciding the changes required to make the process smooth and focused.

2) Identify the Test Cases that can’t be Automated
Often enterprises decide to automate all testing efforts with the intention to get the best out of QA engineers and test automation tools. But you must remember that test automation fails when an organization tries to automate the test cases that are no automatable. The test case must complement the test automation tools. Further a test case can be automated only when accurate and static data are available without requiring manual interaction. So you must evaluate each test case in detail before deciding if it is automatable or not.

3) Check the Test Automation Tools
It is always important to evaluate the pros and cons of various test automation tools before picking those that guarantees success. But you must stay tuned to the latest trends in software automation testing tools and frameworks, while checking the effectiveness of tools selected by you. The new or latest versions of test automation tools come with several additional features and functionality. Therefore, you can always consider replacing or updating these tools to achieve better results.

4) Encourage QA Engineers to Acquire Additional Skills
Like programmers and code writers, QA engineers are also inquisitive in nature. These professionals frequently explore options to acquire new skills. You must encourage the testers to learn how to write code. The coding knowledge will help them in writing better automated test scripts. At the same time, they will also be able to think like code writers, while working with the development team without any hassle. When the QA engineers acquire additional skills, they will achieve the preset goals on schedule.

5) Concentrate on Maintaining the Test Scripts
You can always deploy experienced automated testing professionals to start writing test scripts immediately. But there are always chances that the test scripts will not help you exclusively in achieving your goals. Along with finishing the test scripts on schedule, you must explore ways to maintain these properly. The test script can be maintained easily when it is reusable, standardized and well documented, along with being easy to incorporate changes. The standardization will help junior QA engineers in understanding the requirements, while the senior testers can concentrate on writing and maintaining more complex test scripts.

6) Don’t Keep Manual and Automation Test Engineers Apart:
In comparison to manual testing, automated testing is effective in rapidly covering a great amount of functionality. The automation tools can also be used to verify the functionalities that have not changed. On the other hand, manual testing is essential to verify the new and changed functionality. Further, there are certain functionalities that can be tested only by deploying skilled manual testers. That is why; seamless amalgamation of manual and automated testing efforts is essential to achieve your goals. Both automation and manual test engineers must work together as a single team to enhance both productivity and efficiency.

You can further review and modify the test automation plan periodically to get good quality and high productivity. The functioning of the test automation tools and framework must be monitored and evaluated constantly to make the process more efficient by using the latest software testing suites. When you work with companies certified in providing test automation services, you get all this and more.

Looking forward to automate browser-based tests? Hire automation test engineers from us – We at Mindfire Solutions would be glad to help you achieve your goals within allocated budgets and time schedules.

Increase Efficiency and Productivity of Mobile Apps with Test Automation

An enterprise can avail several advantages by automating its software testing process. Along with reducing the development and test cycle, a comprehensive test automation strategy can further get higher ROI, along with increasing efficiency and productivity. Each organization also has option to choose from loads of testing tools and frameworks according to specific needs of individual projects. But the test automation strategy of an enterprise must consider some key points to optimize efficiency and productivity with test automation.

6 Ways to Effectuate Your Test Automation Strategy

1) Decide the Test Cases to Automate: Each enterprise has option to automat all as well as selected test cases. Therefore, the test automation strategy must identify what test cases to be automated. It is always a good idea to decide the test cases to automate based on the repetition of the test. If a test case needs to run frequently or perform the same action by using a huge volume of data, it must be automated. On the other hand, the test cases that run only a few times may not be considered for automation.

2) Test Early and Frequently: Unlike manual testing methods, automation testing can be carried out without investing any additional time and effort. Further, the test cases can be reused and used repeatedly to evaluate the application in detail. But each organization must start testing the software as early as possible, in addition to testing frequently to identify all bugs, errors and flaws in the application. The automated unit testing will further make it easier to build automated test suite without any hassle.

3) Pick Customized Test Automation Tools: An organization can further optimize its test automation plan by choosing the most effective tools and frameworks. As it has option to choose from a large number of test automation tools, the enterprise must evaluate the pros and cons of each tool according to the requirements of the project. At the same time, the company must opt for innovative testing tools that enable users to test a software application across multiple operating systems and web browsers.

4) Consider Changes in UI Design: Often test scripts are written by keeping in mind the features and functionalities of the application. So the accuracy of test results will be impacted if the test scripts do not identify the changes in the user interface of the application. The test scripts further needs to be updated regularly to work seamlessly with the current as well as future versions of the application. As the test tools identify and locate a specific object based on a set of properties, the test scripts must be effective in defining the properties exactly.

5) Divide the Testing Efforts: Similar to software development, testing is also teamwork. So the test cases will be written and run by specific testing professional. While planning test automation, you must identify the skill, expertise and experience of each testing professional. The understanding will make it easier to assign tests according to the QA engineer’s skills and experience. It is also important to choose the professionals who have adequate scripting knowledge to write the automated test scripts. The combination of efficient tools and expert QA engineers will deliver more accurate test results.

6) Evaluate Quality of Test Results: The quality of test results is essential to take several important decisions. The accuracy of test results will also have a huge impact on the data-driven applications. Often the data used for testing are stored externally, and accessed from database tables, Excel sheets, XML files and similar data sources. The test cases can be made more reusable and easy-to-maintain by storing the data that will be entered into input fields in external files. Further, the scope of the test case can also be extended without changing the test scripts. At the same time, the testing professionals must put some amount of time and effort to present the test data in a structured way.

The strategy also needs to concentrate on cross-platform automated testing methods to enhance test coverage. Further, an organization can adopt test driven development approach to shorten product launch cycles, while saving time, efforts and resources.

You can hire testers from top QTP automation testing companies in India who can help you accomplish testing within allocated budgets and time schedules.

If you are looking to outsource automated testing and are considering options to hire certified automation testers, please reach out to us. We will be glad to assist you at Mindfire Solutions.

Cut Down Regression Testing Time by 95%

Despite deploying a high quality technical team, enterprises often find it difficult to automate their software testing process. Along with hiring the right testing professionals, an organization also need to pick the best automation tools to identify the bugs, errors and flaws in the application. If you are looking for an end-to-end automation solution for your web application development project, it is a good idea to choose Selenium. Many reports have highlighted the efficiency and effectiveness of Selenium in cutting down regression testing time by 95%. However, there are also a number of additional reasons that makes the essential to set up a test automation framework with Selenium.

What Makes Selenium a Powerful Software Testing Tool?

Open Source

Most organizations opt for open source tools and frameworks to save money. As an open source automation tool, Selenium can be used without investing any additional funds. Also, each organization has option to avail several Selenium tools including Selenium IDE, Selenium RC, BrowserMob and Sauce RC. So an enterprise can easily set up a customized test automation framework according to the specific needs of individual projects. At the same time, it can also avail the assistance of the large community of Selenium developers and testers to implement the test automation strategy without any hassle.

Support for Major Operating Systems and Web Browsers

The popularity of each web application now depends on its compatibility with major operating systems and web browsers. Therefore, it becomes essential for each enterprise to ensure that the application delivering rich user experience regardless of the user’s choice of operating system and we browser. Along with major web browsers like Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Safari, Selenium also supports major operating systems. The support for major operating systems and web browsers makes it easier for testers to deliver rich user experience by identifying all flaws in the application without putting any extra effort.

Supports All Programming Languages

Similar to major operating systems and web browsers, Selenium also supports a large number of programming languages including Java, C#, Python and Ruby. The feature makes the tool effective in testing all types of web application regardless of the programming language used by code writers. Further, the features make it easier for enterprises to adopt test driven development approach. Under this approach, automated test cases are written before coding starts. So the programmers have option to use a programming language of their choice to complete the coding rapidly.

Multiple Automated Tests Simultaneously

Most enterprisers aim to build a single test automation framework to test several applications. There are also chances that they have to test multiple applications at a time to shorten software release cycle. Selenium comes with a set of test automation tools that enable users to carry out multiple automated tests at a time. As unit, functional and regression testing can be executed simultaneously, the total test cycles can also be reduced up to a great extent.

Easy to Maintain and Reuse Tests

Many enterprises use test automation tools to reuse and modify test cases without any hassle. Selenium enhances the reusability of testing cases. Along with running the same test script repeatedly, the tools further make the scripts reusable for several projects. At the same time, the features also help users in maintain their overall testing process and test cases without incurring any additional cost. They also have option to implement test metrics to strengthen the decision-making process.

Saves Both Time and Cost

A number of reports have highlighted how Selenium is effective in cutting down regression testing time by 95%. Along with reducing regression testing time substantially, an organization can further use Selenium to shorten release cycles and reduce test cycles. Further, the open source nature of the test automation tools helps organization to avoid the expensive frameworks and tools available in the market. The reduction in development time and testing costs along with enhanced product quality will get higher ROI over a longer period of time.

An enterprise can avail several advantages by setting up a test automation framework with Selenium. But it must consider several options to get and evaluate the test data that is 100% accurate and reliable. At the same time, the organization must keep in mind software testing automation best practices and tricks.

You can hire testers from top selenium automation testing companies in India who can help you accomplish testing within allocated budgets and time schedules.

We provide selenium testing services. If you would like to hire expert selenium testers from us, we would be glad to assist you at Mindfire Solutions.

Automating Your Mobile App Testing - A Test Driven Development Approach

An enterprise can avail several advantages by automating its software testing. Along with beating competition by launching the application early, the customized test automation tools will further optimize its performance by identifying all bugs, errors and flaws. But each organization must consider some additional points to effectuate its test automation strategy. The software testing strategy can be further optimized by adopting test driven development approach.

Under test driven development approach, the automated test cases are written before the coding starts. The test case clearly defines the improvements and new functionality required, while producing the basic code required for passing the test. Based on the initial test results, the new code is refactored to meet the acceptable standards. If you are planning to make a comprehensive automated testing strategy for your project, it is time to understand why you must try test driven development (TDD) approach.

Top 5 Advantages of Test Driven Development Approach

1) Easy to Check Individual Logics
Under this approach, testing is integrated from the granular levels of the software development process. So it becomes easier to check individual and standalone pieces of logic regardless of frequent modifications. As the application needs to be tested thoroughly once the development process is over, loads of new and modified test cases needs to be run to ensure that the application is running flawlessly. The new approach makes it easier to update the legacy applications by incorporating changes in the current software development process. That is why; the TDD approach can be adopted by both young and old organizations to achieve different objectives.

2) Better Options to Streamline Codebase
As automated test cases are written before the coding starts, it becomes easier for an enterprise to get enhanced test coverage without any hassle. The initial refactoring process further helps programmers to write as well as streamline the code base. Also, it becomes easier for developers to maintain the code base without putting any extra effort. They can avoid writing any additional code if test case is not written or use-case is not available for a specific functionality.

3) Create a Clean Interface
Under conventional testing approach, the programmers write code by focusing mainly on the internal working of the application. So they often ignore to check the code from an API-user perspective. But the TDD approach emphasizes on the test case to be written first. So the APIs generated based on these predefined cases are written from the prospective of an API-user. These techniques also result in building an interface that is both clean and economical.

4) Smooth Incorporation of Changes and New Functionalities
The TDD approach prevents the codebase from becoming dated and monolithic through the refactoring process. The process further makes it easier for developers to optimize and strengthen the code base by incorporating changes. As the process is flexible, the programmers can include new functionalities and features by changing the entire architecture of the application. At the same time, they can make the code more efficient by frequently incorporating fresh and innovative ideas without any hassle.

5) Embrace New Technology without Any Hassle
The TDD approach requires the use-cases to be written as test-cases. So the programmers and code writers can observe the test cases to understand the objectives of writing a specific piece of coding. At the same time, unit tests enable developers to adopt and use new technologies by acting as an efficient learning tool. They can simply refer to a small set of predefined unit test, and understand how to address a specific coding bottleneck. Also, the existing codebase can be accessed by new developers to update the application by including new functionalities.

There are always chances that you may have to put some additional time, effort and money to adopt test driven development. But the initial investment will get you higher returns in the long run by delivering rich and flawless user experience.

You can hire automation testers from top software testing companies in India who can help you accomplish testing within allocated budgets and time schedules.

We provide web application automated testing services. If you would like to hire certified automation testers from us, we would be glad to assist you at Mindfire Solutions.

Understanding of Improvements in Software Testing Process

The major purpose of software testing process is to find bugs and hence it is considered to be a part of software development life-cycle. There are also a number of other factors of equal importance that have considerable contributions in terms of completing testing performance. Software should comply with all the technical as well as business requirements. Thus, validating and verifying software with more improved understanding of the performance testing is indeed essential in order to ensure that it properly works without any issues.

Steps to improve Software Analysis Method

The following measures are sure to help your company improve software testing procedure.

• The first thing you must consider is to have complete or thorough understanding of projects that your software testing team members are handling. It will be good if testers are able to attend meetings, discussions or conferences concerning their project.
• Make sure that your team members are ready for changes. Although there is a test plan for every project, it can be changed at any point of time to follow the cutting edge technologies and novel evaluating methods.
• You are recommended to think well before implementing any alterations into your plan to avert making blunders.
• Try not to shunt within your team of software testing. Assign your project managers throughout the duration of the full project execution.
• First important step is to recognize the platform on which the entire application will be running.
• Examine current requisites of the management activity for checking whether all functional as well as business requirements are being tracked in the control system of file-level version including Team foundation Server (TFS), Visual Source Safe (VSS) and many more.
• QA team must be involved in every test phase starting from requirement gathering to the software development life-cycle.
• Keep record of every possible scenario before writing of test cases is started for adding them to the test planning.
• Written test cases must be reviewed by a QA team specialist.
• Generate periodically or weekly test reports for clear understanding of software testing like effort variance, bug find rate, residual defect density, test case effectiveness, schedule variance, etc.
• Make separate QA environment to replicate the production environment.
• After every release, a retrospective or post release meeting must be conducted for the testing and development team to participate and discuss about the good and bad points concerning the projects.

Ways to Improve Agile Development Methodology

Improving test skills of your testers is equally important as improving the test process. With the following measures you can enhance the software analysis procedure.

• Make sure that your testers have in-depth knowledge of the application process they are handling.
• Try to provide friendly vibes between test and development team for the elimination of personal reasons related to inadequate bug fixing.
• Accept the fact that no tester can provide 100% bug free applications.
• Knowledge of application does not mean anything without your testers' domain knowledge.
• Provide your testers with the ability to take part in different working seminars and training programs.

These days, many near-shore development organizations use outdated agile testing practices. As a result, end users get poor software or applications with lots of bugs along with insufficient user interface. That is why it is truly important to improve both testing process and testing skills. The overall software test procedure is actually a constant improvement process. To enhance the procedure the effort of either a single person or the test team is not only responsible. The combined effort of the development team as well as management must understand the value of improving the test method while identifying several areas that need changes for better performance.

You can hire testers from top software regression testing companies in India who can help you accomplish testing within allocated budgets and time schedules.

We provide software testing services. If you would like to hire independent software testing experts from us, we would be glad to assist you at Mindfire Solutions.

Top 6 solutions to avoid software testing failures

During the application of some product under some environment, if there are certain defects then wrong results will be produced by the system which leads to testing failures. While the software is being designed and built, a programer makes some mistakes. There are some defects which may not lead to failures as they stay inactive and are hardly noticed. However, problems will be bound to crop up at some point or the other which makes it extremely essential to ensure that the testing procedure is carried out with utmost care and precision. While embarking on the evaluation procedure there can be many problems to be overcome- whether or not the budget will be overrun, etc. To avoid software testing failures as much as is possible, you can adopt some preventive measures. Here are the top 6 measures that you can follow.

Defining project success as well as the method to measure it- It is very essential to keep in focus the clear objectives and goals of the project or software. While doing that, you should be taking some basic factors into consideration-

• Time- Some or rather most of the projects run on a tight schedule with fast and hard deadlines; this fact should be made very specifically clear to everybody involved with the process in the first place. Interim deadlines should be set up; rewards may be given for meeting them.
• Cost- The planned as well as actual cost should be tracked properly. You should also decide that in case there is some work outside the original planned scope, there should be some means to reject or approve the cost.

Defining functionality- To determine the kind of testing needs to be carried out the kind of work that must be accomplished by the system needs to be described. For that read all text requirements, review the screen mockups as well as provide feedback along with clarification. This may be time-consuming and iterative but cutting it short is not a very good solution as that will also mean cutting short or decreasing the probability of success of the project.

Identifying correct team members- There are various roles in each phase of any project, so when choosing your team members for the testing process make sure that they are fully qualified for a particular step and that they know which segment of the process they are in charge of. Assign individual roles for each and make sure that they stick to it.

Testing- Whether a system is working or not according to the design is the main objective for determination in evaluation processes. The evaluation method should be such that it gives you quantifiable results; so choose accordingly. Some test plans created define all “use case” while some other test plans created by companies just test against some particular required document.

Deciding on the method of communication- This process is such that there is need for perfect communication with the team members at all stages so that maximum positive result is yielded without the wasting of time as well as money. So it is essential to be on the same page and be up to date. Decide on the method for communication as well as the frequency.

Putting off pressures and celebrating interim successes- Testers often face inappropriate external pressures from stakeholders and managers which force them to cut corners and ultimately compromise on the quality of the product that reaches to the consumer. However, this might lead to bad reputation as well as harm of goodwill of the company in the market. It is not harmful to remind of the pressing deadlines but sometimes it would be beneficial if few pressures are taken off the shoulders of the testers. It would not be harmful to encourage by celebrating interim successes; rather it would boost the morale and make them work better, faster as well as more efficiently.

So try to identify, understand as well as avoid a few common testing problems so that the process becomes smooth-flowing. Not only will it make everything easy, but it will eliminate chances of cost escalating as well as delay in project delivery.

You can hire testers from top web application testing companies in India who can help you accomplish testing within allocated budgets and time schedules.

We provide software application testing services. If you would like to hire software testers from us, we would be glad to assist you at Mindfire Solutions.

Surviving the Top Ten Challenges of Software Testing

With the ever increasing innovations in the world of automated testing tools, a large number of organizations make the best possible choice, attempting to make the tools suitable for functioning in their environment. This article outlines the major challenges that are most often seen in organizations that struggle to make effectual automated testing a reality. The earlier these challenges are detected, the better prepared a company will be for the purpose of dealing with them.

Top Ten Challenges of Automated Testing and Solution Strategies

These challenging issues are presented from the least to the highest effect on the overall test automation system.

1. Purchasing the wrong tool

Solutions

• Take time before defining the tool requirements in terms of applications, people skills, technology, process and organization.
• Involve potential users in order to define evaluation criteria as well as tool requirements.
• Build an evaluation scorecard for comparing the tools' performance against a set of common criteria.
• Perform a POC (proof of concept) as opposed to an assessment.

2. Incompetent test team organization

Solutions

• In the testing team involve a test scriptor who is comfortable to work with code and capable of taking the basic testing which has been developed by a testing analyst.
• The person should also have the knowledge of converting it into an automated script.
• With basic scripting concepts initially start simply to add complexity later.

3. Lack of support management

Solutions

• Communicate that it takes planning and time to build a steady foundation of the right tools, processes and people.
• Present the challenges along with the benefits while making the case to management for acquiring testing tools.
• Reinforce management for carrying a good amount of influence in the way people are going to accept automated testing tools.
• Keep the management informed about tool progress and other related issues that arise.

4. Incomplete test type coverage

Solutions

• When evaluating tools, prioritize what types of evaluation are the most challenging to your success. Then evaluate the candidate tools on those criteria.
• Understand the tools as well as their tradeoffs. In order to get higher levels of type coverage of test, you may need to utilize a multiple tool solution. For example, you may need to combine the playback or capture tool along with a load test tool for the purpose of covering your performance test cases.
• Remind people that 100% test type coverage cannot be possible. However, after having 80% of the automation tests, you can manually deal with the rest.

5. Incompetent tool training

Solutions

• In the tool proposal include money for the purpose of training at least a core section of people.
• Choose the most applicable topics for training to match people.
• Organize tool training performed by a vendor at your location to use your own application as exercise.
• For 3 or 4 weeks, get a skilled consultant who is experienced in tool training.

6. Lack of acceptance and tool ownership

Solutions

• You are recommended not to cut the tool training. Training never guarantees success, but you may be at risk of technological abandonment without it.
• In your organization, include someone for the job of a tool smith. This person will be the resident expert on the testing tools.
• It takes the management to emphasize on the tool effort and usage is an essential part required for the testing process.

7. Lack of a basic understanding of test process or what to test

Solutions

Create a list of evaluation criteria for functionality that you are looking forward to considering while using the automated testing tool. These criteria include:

• Repeatability of tests
• Risk or complexity of applications
• Ease of automation
• Simplicity of operation
• Level of documentation of the functional requirements.
• Analyze your existing set of test scripts and cases to see which ones are most applicable.
• Examine your latest testing procedure and find out where it needs to be adjusted for applying automated testing tools.
• Try and make changes in the latest ways you execute tests.
• Involve professionals who will be using the tool for the purpose of helping in designing the automated testing method.

8. Lack of management processes of configuration

Solutions

• Consider the people as well as processes that are required to manage the test scripts or automated testing.
• Look for tools which accommodate changes gracefully to the user interface.
• Trace automated test scripts as part of the configuration set of an application.
• Include the potential automation test SCM person in evaluating testing tools and their respective offerings of test management.

9. Lack of tool interoperability and compatibility

Solutions

• Select tools having cross-platform capability as much as possible.
• Consider writing bridging scripts, as well as shell scripts possibly in non-proprietary scripting languages like Tcl.
• Critically evaluate whether the ability of performing cross-platform testing is a strong requirement.

10. Lack of tool accessibility

Solutions

• If obtaining a quality technical fit is an issue, find information regarding lesser-known testing tools by networking with other testers.
• Try and find tools that is going to work between platforms.
• Use free or low priced tools in order to investigate the possibilities of building your own testing tools.

It is important to understand that even the organizations that have developed core competencies in dealing with test automation also struggle with these challenges at times. Although, herein the challenges are only focused, there are a number of benefits that can be accomplished from test automation. Tools are a part of an efficient test approach, but not the overall approach. A workable process executed by motivated and trained staff is needed in a controlled environment. Successful software automation tests are possible if the basic issues are managed and addressed.

You can hire testers from top qa software testing companies in India who can help you accomplish testing within allocated budgets and time schedules.

We provide software testing services. If you would like to hire software testers from us, we would be glad to assist you at Mindfire Solutions.

Mastering Performance Testing in an Agile Environment - A Unique Challenge

Testing in the agile environment is growing popular and it is actually a challenge for the quality assurance teams to work in accordance with the present development trends. Now, performance testing is carried out using various methods and tools. Effective testing depends on quite a few factors such as the skills of the agile tester, the tools that are being selected, the approach that is being taken and so on.

Testing Skills

To begin with, for any agile tester, it is necessary for him to be acquainted with a number of tools and techniques, precisely all that are usually implemented. All of the testers are important, as they take equal part in the entire procedure of testing. Subsequently, a thorough understanding of the areas and domains that are being developed is quite essential. The necessary skills usually involve a knowledge about the tools that help in developing tests, which ultimately lead to a meaningful feedback.

Test Automation Tools

Apart from having the basic skills, the members in a testing team should also be aware about the right automation tools, without which everything can actually go wrong. Getting the right tool requires one to take note of the following requirements:

• The tool should be OS friendly and should support as many operating systems as possible.
• The cost of the tool should not be as high as to go over the stipulated budget of the enterprise.
• It should be easily understandable as well as effectively navigable. The user interface should be such that even a person with little knowledge can handle it without trouble.
• Those that come with a code less architecture are preferred because these reduce the necessity of writing codes.
• The tools must lead to quick results as well as reporting abilities for the testers to be able to respond to the requirements of the particular environment of agile testing.

The Agile Testing Environment

The development environment, consisting of certain things ranging from the rather simple machines to the cloud environments dealing with external services, must be checked by the team as well. Problems or bugs in the applications are often the result of the troubles in the network, configurations or backend data. It is, therefore, necessary for the particular team to put focus on improving the quality of the overall environment instead of trying to detect the causes behind the respective problems.

Allocation of Resources and Timings

Allocation of time turns out to be a crucial point when it comes to developing, testing and fixing the iterations. Ideally, the test automation process should be started along with the development to avoid lags while also helping the team get more productive. A successful project accomplishment is one in which there are no last minute rushes and enough time is left for the explanatory test part.

TestComplete in Agile Testing

TestComplete in Agile testing is helpful because it is quite developer and tester- friendly. Enterprises go for this procedure as, it reduces the risk of specialization or what is better referred to as single- role maintainability of the test suite.

Summing it up, here is a list of few more tips that can be of use for the developers.

• It is always desirable to execute tests on a continuous basis
• The suites should not run for more than 1 hour. This is primarily because the one hour suites will be free from redundant flows. Alongside, they wont have more than 5% automation defects, which can further be reduced to zilch.
• Opposed to the commonly held idea, tests fail when there is a real defect and not because of a failure in automation.

You can hire testers from web application testing companies from India who can help you accomplish testing within allocated budgets and time schedules.

We provide independent software testing services. If you would like to hire certified automation testers, please reach out to us at Mindfire Solutions.

Mobile website vs Mobile App: Which should you use?

The rapidly growing popularity of smartphones and tablets has compelled enterprise to promote their businesses by targeting mobile platforms. Each organization has several options to target the mobile device users. Some companies launch mobile business apps to attract their existing customers and prospects. At the same time, many organizations optimize the look and feel of their websites for mobile web browsers. However, both mobile website and mobile apps have their own pros and cons. So each enterprise must compare and evaluate these two options to target more relevant users.

Evaluating Pros and Cons of Mobile Apps and Mobile Websites

User Access

A business mobile app needs to be downloaded by the users. Once the user downloads and install the application on his mobile device, he can avail its features simply with a single click. On the other hand, a mobile website can be accessed by users immediately on their mobile web browsers. Further, the mobile version of your business website can also be accessed by using mobile version of various online search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing.

Functionality
The mobile applications are more effective in keeping users engaged by offering efficient and high quality functionality. Your business can always impress users by allowing them to perform complex tasks like getting information about products, placing order and tracking payment without any hassle. But the mobile website does not allow users to carry out any such transactions directly. But you can use the mobile website as a medium to get more inquiries and website visits.

Speed
A number of reports have highlighted how a mobile app runs at a much faster pace than the mobile websites. So the mobile applications will help you in keeping users engaged by delivering rich user experience. The mobile websites also require users to be connected to the internet to access the mobile websites. But many mobile applications can be accessed by users without having any internet connection.

Technological Requirements
Most organizations, nowadays, launch different versions of the same enterprise app by targeting different mobile platforms. So each version of the app must be developed using technologies and programming language according to the requirements of the mobile operating system. So businesses have to hire mobile app developers to implement their ideas. On the other hand, the mobile version of your website can be developed without putting any extra time and effort. Your website designer can use some simple tricks to create and optimize the mobile website.

Development Cost
As your existing website can be easily optimized for the mobile web browsers, you are not required to incur any heavy expenses. But cost of the mobile application development project will vary according to the features and functionalities of the app. Further, you have to promote the app on various platforms to enhance its popularity. So the overall cost of developing, launching and marketing a mobile application may be huge. It is always a good idea to keep in mind your budget, while evaluating these two options.

ROI
An organization has option to launch the free as well as paid version of the app. When a user loves the features and functionality offered by the free version of the application, he will not hesitate to download the paid version. Further, an organization can implement a comprehensive promotional strategy to make its paid apps popular. The free apps can also be used as a medium to generate revenue by including in-app purchases and in-app advertisement. So it is always easier to monetize a mobile application in comparison to a mobile website.

Each organization also needs to make and implement a comprehensive strategy to launch a popular business mobile application. But it can optimize the mobile version of the website without putting any extra time and effort. So an enterprise must evaluate cost and ROI benefits before taking a decision in favor of any one. You can hire mobile application programmer from top mobile app development companies who can guide you in detail about the benefits of both approaches.

We provide mobile app development services. If you would like to discuss with an expert mobile app developer from our team, please get in touch with us at Mindfire Solutions.

Does Your Business need a Mobile App?

A number of recent reports have highlighted how mobile apps will reshape the future of businesses in the upcoming years. The steady increase in the sale of smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices also indicate the necessity of mobile applications for enterprises. However, a business has to consider many factors before developing a mobile application. Also, it has option to consider several alternatives including mobile websites. Therefore, it has become essential for each enterprise to decide if it is time to invest in mobile app development.

5 Reasons Why Each Business Requires a Mobile App

1) Reach and Engage Most Relevant Customers

You may be finding it a daunting challenge to promote your products or services by targeting the most relevant audience. The mobile apps make it easier for you to reach the most relevant customer in real time. At the same time, the application will also enable you to keep the customers engaged by accessing their location and detailed profile information. Along with promoting your business, you can further encourage the app users to purchase your products by offering coupons, interactive deals and similar incentives. With most users downloading business applications, it becomes easier for you to attract and engage the most relevant customers and prospects.

2) Serve Mobile Ads
Many reports have highlighted how mobile ads are more effective that other conventional and digital advertising techniques. Often businesses have to incur additional expenses to server mobile ads through publishers and marketing companies. The enterprise mobile app will make it easier for you to serve mobile ads by targeting the most relevant users, while avoiding additional expenses. Along with giving coupons and discounts, you can also easily send location-based push notifications. The innovative advertising methods will further keep your customers interested and engaged.

3) Add Value to Your Customer Service
Often the quality of customer service and support helps a business to retain customers. The business mobile app will make it easier for you to deliver prompt customer service, while adding value to your existing customer care services. Many customers, nowadays, gather information about a product or service directly using their smartphones and tablets. Similarly, many people even buy goods using their mobile devices to save both time and effort. So you can always build a base of happy customers by providing smart and quick customer service through the application.

4) Allow Customers to Shop on the Go
Each customer wants to buy the best product at his own pace and convenience. Along with gather information about a specific product or service, many people, nowadays, prefer shopping through mobile apps. So you can always use your enterprise application as a mobile store that enables users to browse through the products and shop on the go. Many reports have highlighted the growing popularity of mobile shopping options among customers residing in different regions. So you can beat competition through the application by providing smart and flexible shopping options to customers.

5) Avoid Losing Customers
Despite the growing popularity of digital and mobile shopping, many people still prefer shopping at local stores. As the customers will not gather address and contact numbers by visiting your business website, it is important to allow them to access the information in an instant. The application enables you to let customers access your contact information without initiating a web search. Further, the app can use the GPS tracking feature of their mobile devices, and enable customers to find your business without any hassle. The combination of mobile advertisement and option to target all types of customers will help you in building a base of regular customers.

Each business can further choose from a number of mobile application development options. In addition to developing the enterprise app by deploying its in-house team of developers, it can also consider hiring a freelance mobile app developer or outsourcing the project. Many enterprises prefer outsourcing the project to a reliable company to develop, launch and promote their mobile applications without investing any extra time and effort.

You can hire certified mobile app developers from top mobile app development companies in India who can help you build mobile apps within allocated budgets and time schedules.

We provide mobile app development services. If you would like to know more about the expertise of our expert mobile app developers, please get in touch with us at Mindfire Solutions.

Cost-Effective Ways of Hiring ASP Net Programmers

Earlier, enterprises were building websites to reach customers residing in different regions. But with most and more businesses going online, it has become essential for each enterprise to optimize its online presence. However, you must consider several factors to optimize the look, feel, performance and security of his website. Along with diverting regular website traffic through online search engines and social networks, you also need to ensure that the website is effective in converting the visitors into customers.

So your choice of ASP.NET developer will make a huge difference to the impact created by your website on regular and first-time visitors. He can use his web programming expertise, knowledge and creativity to convert all your ideas into a reality. If web development is not your core business, you have to put some time and effort to hire the best ASP.NET programmer for your project. At the same time, you also need to explore options to hire the most competent .NET developer without paying a hefty fee.

Exploring Inexpensive Ways to Hire the Best ASP.NET Programmer

Understand the Specialized Tools and Frameworks
There are several ways to build a robust website. Instead of hiring an ASP.NET developer, you have option to build the website using specialized website development tools and frameworks. Often developers also use these tools to build a website rapidly without putting any extra time and effort. As most programmers charge for their services at an hourly rate, you can always convince them to use these specialized tools and save time. But no developer will tell you about these tools and tricks. So you must understand how these specialized tools work to negotiate with the programmer for reduced rate.

Hire the Most Competent Developer
Despite exploring cost-efficient ways to hire an ASP.NET developer, you must not ignore the professional’s knowledge, skills, experience and expertise. Each developer must be familiar with web forms, web APIs, MVC and similar ASP.NET frameworks, along with knowing C#, VB.NET, JavaScript, XML, SOAP and web services. It is also a good idea to check the websites and web applications developed by each programmer in past to determine his skills. Instead of comparing the programmers in terms of his remuneration, you have to try to avail the most competent professional without paying a hefty fee.

Opt for Freelance Programmers
You have options to choose from individual website developers or web development companies. Normally, the web development companies are effective in providing a variety of related services including website designing, development, hosting and promotion. But the companies always charge an amount much higher than the freelance programmers. As you have option to choose from several experienced freelance ASP.NET programmers, there are chances of negotiating for a better deal. However, it is also important to hire the independent developer only after deciding his expertise, experience and professional credibility.

Avoid Paying Hourly Rates
Most programmers charge for their services at hourly rates. So the cost of the website development project will vary based on man hours. As you cannot determine the exact amount of time to complete the ASP.NET project, it is always advisable to save money by hiring a professional who is not charging on an hourly basis. You can always ask the professional to quote the cost of the whole project. You can compare the quotes received from several programmers to decide the most cost-efficient option to develop your website.

Hire an Offshore ASP.NET Programmer
Many enterprises prefer hiring offshore ASP.NET developer to avail high quality service and support without spending a lot of money. But you must consider several key points when you decide to outsource the project offshore. Along with hiring the right offshore website developer, you also need to draft a comprehensive outsourcing agreement. The agreement will transfer the burden of quality and timeline to the outsourced company to ensure that your website is launched on schedule. It is also a good idea to retain the services of the programmer to update your website at regular intervals.

Before exploring the cost-efficient ways of hiring an ASP.NET developer, each enterprise must identify its specific needs and objectives. It can further involve the developers as part of the development plan to complete the project at a rapid pace. However, no enterprise can compromise on the quality of the website development project to save funds.

You can hire .net developers from top software development companies in India who can help you build your software's within allocated budgets and time schedules.

We provide asp.net web development services. If you would like to know more about our .net application development team, please get in touch with us at Mindfire Solutions.

Major Challenges in Agile Testing & The Role of Automation

The Agile testing approach emphasizes on agility and speed. The development process runs concurrently along with the evaluation process. Testers have to work often as well as fast since the development model is time-boxed. The testing of the code has to be done very frequently, in fact in some cases almost daily. This makes Agile testing quite challenging, more so in comparison to evaluation of traditional development methods. If not handled properly there is a risk involved of Agile testing becoming uncontrolled, chaotic and unstructured. But when automation and agile testing are implemented together, it is possible to overcome those challenges.

Inadequate test coverage

This can be hugely problematic; with Agile, there is an increase in volumes of tests. Due to that, often for every user story, too little results of tests are written down which leads to lack of visibility into codes changed all of a sudden. Sometimes developers change codes that are beyond the scopes of released features which are done for many reasons. To tackle this challenge tests should be linked to user stories which will provide insights into test coverage.

Short deadlines
It is not always very easy to take care of deadlines; there are times when we have very little time for testing at a cycle's end. Long evenings along with proper documentation will help in that case. However, it may be challenging since testers are required by Agile to work by deadlines each day. So make everything work, the automation of most tasks must be done well.

Codes broken accidentally because of frequent builds
If daily builds are performed, there always remains a risk of breaking the existing code. When sole reliance is on manual testings, full regression of the existing code every day is not practical. So the best bet is to use automated evaluation tools for recoding and running of tests automatically. This will ensure the testing of more stable features without new code breaking into them.

Detection of defects
It is very important to detect defects early on during the development cycle; being late will need more money and time for the fixing process. In fact, if the defects could not be found till the production, it will prove to be a bigger problem altogether. Implementing peer reviews along with using of static analysis tools for scanning of code for identification of defects early on, can help in this respect.

Ignoring traditional evaluation techniques
As the movement of agile testing is faster, the coping of the flowing development stream is very challenging for testers. So it is best to adopt a streamlined as well as proper approach. For that you should not be just dependent on documents but you should constantly keep interactions with stakeholders, developers, end users and clients.

Detection as well as fixing of bugs
The main aim of this testing is detection and getting rid of major bugs during the very initial stages. It is very expensive to fix bugs during the later stages of development cycle. In fact, despite identifying the bugs, fixing within the specific time-frame may be extremely challenging. This can be resolved by running static analysis tools over source codes. Automated tools can also be used for detection of hidden bugs.

Bad API Testing
The best coding skills are not necessarily inherited by testers. These days, the APIs are revealed by most software so that it can be easily used by other developers for integration along with other uses. If this area sees any mistakes the application or software's popularity will be seriously crippled. Using API testing tools that are automated will give Agile testers an edge to tackle API evaluation.

According to the points discussed here, agile approach needs to be dealt with accuracy as well as speed. Manual testing is not a process that can be relied upon solely. Efficient automation will make the testing processes better and faster. Thus automation has to be implemented during all levels so that you can ensure all angles. Independent software testing companies can help immensely in this regard.

We provide QA testing services. If you would like to hire automation testers, please reach out to us at Mindfire Solutions.

Agile Performance Testing Life Cycle

In a software development life-cycle, performance testing is a vital activity. Application performance in terms of initial planning along with overall application performance and production analysis drives the development of better software releases as well as iterations. In all iterations of software development process, application programmers, testers and stakeholders must make performance a major consideration in every iteration. Here you can get a closer understanding of how performance testing can be integrated into your Agile process.

The Key Activities Involved in Agile Processes

The best practices relating to performance testing involve various primary issues. Throughout the past two decades, business application devices have experienced significant evolution from monolithic mainframe systems to composite as well as distributed systems. Development life-cycle process is presently measured in weeks or even days as opposed to years. These changes to the development methodology or technology increase the pressure on test engineers to finish or plan performance testing. Besides the evaluation of new systems or issues of legacy application, implementation continue to have impact on test engineers.

Issues Associated with Traditional Agile Testing

At the environment testing core, there is the art of analyzing how the application responds after imitating the real user activity or behavior. With brand new testing systems, test engineers are forced to make a deliberate guess about the users' behavior based on requirements as well as use-cases. With brand new systems, the test engineer is forced to make a calculated guess about the behavior of users based on use-cases and requirements.

The essential performance related issue reliably uses data from a constricted non-production environment to predict precisely the implementation ability of the system in a rather robust environment. Test engineers generally do their best in order to attempt or extrapolate for identification of system presentation, but often gain constricted success forecasting environment.

An Agile Environment Approach

With growing business needs as well as technology advancement, enterprises continue to work on producing highly developed software in less time. To realize this goal, a number of organizations have started adopting Agile methodological analysis. This approach helps in accelerating time to market, improving the quality of software, enhancing productivity and alignment between several business purposes and the technology innovations.

Agile methodology has tremendous momentum as it has been on the rise over the past few years. Software development breaks through the barriers of conventional waterfall model to Agile development to render better value much faster in order to improve the return on investment (ROI). An Agile environment puts several teams to work and develop the specialized, iterative as well as incremental product. This methodology promotes appropriate reviews, close teamwork, self-organization and more iterations. This approach also facilitates rapid delivery of high quality software and thus enables an industrial practice that aligns software development with company goals along with customer needs.

Agile Performance Testing

Performance evaluation which generally takes place in a waterfall model at the end of the life-cycle moves to the beginning in an Agile process that includes the designing as well as analysis. An application performance is directly proportional to its design. Hence, at the early stage of the life-cycle development it should be addressed. Throughout the Agile process, performance testing is considered from the release planning stage onwards.

In this developing business scenario, with the existing system, advent and demand of new products, the switch to the agile development technique is taking place from standard convention techniques. With the application of new or latest technology, more and more improved software are being developed. The performance of the products mostly depends on the specification and design of the product that can change at any point of time. Hence, this latest version of software should always be updated and monitored well for better functionality and adequate level of user satisfaction.

You can hire software testing companies from India who can help you accomplish testing within allocated budgets and time schedules.

We provide QA software testing services. If you would like to know more about the expertise of our certified software testers, please reach out to us at Mindfire Solutions.

15 Tips - How to make your software testing more efficient?

Software testing is a phase that is very much essential for a great software. Just the word software testing will not make your software error-free; you have to approach the entire process in such a way that they turn out to be free from all bugs, performing efficiently. The process of software evaluation thus not only has to be optimized but needs to be correct as well. Here are some tips which you should implement in your evaluation process so that any mistake can be avoided and the end result turns out to be exactly what you had wanted.

1. Good test plans- The most important thing in case of any evaluation is to have an excellent test plan. To guarantee that you have to make sure that an experienced tester like QA manager or lead writes out the plan. While writing, an organized approach should be taken. The plan should cover all things related to testing products, budget limitations, scopes of evaluation, deadlines, test objectives, risk identifications, test execution schedule, etc.

2. Understanding the product- The product or application in this case should be understood thoroughly so that the tester can understand the requirements which will result in detailed as well as complete test coverage. Even if you are not involved in development cycle, it would be a good idea to be involved in decision making meetings or processes. Hold conversations with developers so that you get to know about the application better.

3. Intelligent storing- Do not spread your documents over servers or even store them as emails. You will reap best benefits if all things are stored in a single place so that whenever you need to go back and find some record you will know where to find. Avoid keeping bug reports stored in emails.

4. Testing often as well as early- The evaluation should be done as early and as often as possible. Problems when identified early are easier to fix as compared to those identified later, which are difficult as well as expensive to fix.

5. Writing test cases early on- During design along with requirement analysis phases of Development Life Cycle you should start writing the test cases which will help in understanding whether all of the requirements can be tested or not.

6. Testing with a positive mindset- While starting the process your attitude should be positive; do not think there will be no errors or bugs in the code. If your intentions are to find bugs then you are bound to find them.

7. Writing effective evaluation cases- Test cases should be written with clear steps as that will become handy later on for the reproduction of test cases for testers as well as developers.

8. Understanding testing coverage- When testing, the application must be divided in a smaller functional module as that will help in the understanding of testing coverage. The modules should again be divided into yet smaller logical parts; write test cases in a single module.

9. Using good metrics- Choosing right metrics is extremely important as they will help in achieving of productivity along with efficiency. Metric chosen must be simple for execution as well as effective nature-wise.

10. Bug report should be clear, descriptive and good- This will ensure that the software testing conducted is more efficient. Since this job is creative as well as challenging you have to handle the situations well. Good bug reports will help you save company resources.

11. Going beyond the requirement testing- A good rule in this industry is to go beyond the requirements so you should be testing the application for something that it is not meant to do.

12. All teams should get test cases- While writing a test case the location must be kept central so that it can be accessed by all teams. Analyzing test cases will help in development of better quality application by developers.

13. Increasing communication with developers- During meetings, you should always discuss all points with developers and even ask for additional information on unclear aspects so as to avoid all kinds of misunderstandings. This will help you resolve problems quickly and easily. 14. Identifying regression test cases- You should identify and then group sets of regression testing cases as that will help in effective testing of manual regression.

15. Testing team should own test environments- Test environment and production should be exact replicas of each other. While developing, developers add configurations in run script, but failing to add them in configuration file or release document would result in failed application during production despite working in lower environment. So the test environment should be owned by testing teams so that things like these can be controlled.

For promotion of good software throughout the world, good testers must share experiences and best testing practices with fellow testers. You can hire software test professionals from top automation testing companies India who can help you accomplish testing within allocated budgets and time schedules.

We provide QA software testing services. If you would like to hire software testing company or would just like to speak to one of our expert software testers, please reach out to us at Mindfire Solutions.

What should you choose - Manual testing or automated?

During the development process, we have to be sure that it is the right application being developed and after the process we have to test it the correct way to ensure positive returns on the testing investment. Evaluation techniques like behavioral, static and structural are adopted to find out some bugs but for the test suite there is a major decision that has to be taken- manual or automation. There are some tests which are perfectly suited for automation and manually they are not feasible at all. However, some tests are most effective if done manually. So, it is essential to check the pros and cons of both the types of evaluation to determine which is most productive or efficient.

Automated testing

This process uses automated tools for the running of tests, repeating predefined actions which compare the expected as well as actual outcomes of developing programs. In case the outcomes and expectations align, the project is likely to be bug free. If there is no alignment then some issue calls for address. The code must be looked at, altered and tests must be run continuously so that the expected and actual outcomes align. This kind of evaluation is excellent for large projects, in case of lots of system users or during filling out of forms.

It takes some time to set up the tests but after automating there is nothing to worry about. The tests can be reused and there is no need to fill out repeated information for constant changing of codes. Automatically, everything is done for you.

Though expensive in short terms, in long-term it is very cost-effective; more work is done in shorter time-period. In fact, defects are found faster as well so that the team can react far faster which saves both money as well as time.

Test automation solves the problem of filling out same forms repeatedly which can be very frustrating. While setting up the test coding, considerable thought is needed which involves your technical minds.

Automated tests have results which can be viewed by everybody, unlike that of manual testing. This allows better team collaboration, ultimately leading to better final products.

However, purchasing tools related to this is expensive which makes it imperative to use ones giving full or as full as possible coverage. In fact, the development of evaluation processes takes a lot of time; they have to be run as well. Most bugs in the system are detected by the tests. But despite that there are certain limitations. Some changes related to visual considerations such as font size or image color can be determined only through manual testing.

Manual testing
In this kind of evaluation process tests are run manually by software developers and actual outcomes are compared with program expectations so that software defects can be found. It is perfect for small projects. In fact companies that are short on financial resources can resort to this as well.

This kind of evaluation lowers the short-term costs. Issues that are likely to be faced by real users are discovered. Since they are done manually, the results are far removed from the robotic automation of automated tests. One of the most remarkable benefits of going manual is that it is very flexible. If you think that changing something will change the project’s course, then you will have no problems in accommodating that.

However, some actions will be very difficult to be done manually. The result might be prone to oversights and mistakes. In this case automated testing are better equipped. Also they can be very boring and repetitive- just filling out same things and forms over and over again, this results in not staying too engaged in the process, making room for mistakes. In case of automated testing anything can be added to the program, so that the tests are re-run instantly. But for manuals this is certainly not the case. For changes in software, tests have to be run by hand again, losing valuable time.

Both the kinds of testing have their own unique sets of cons and pros. To decide on which is the best, you should let your common sense to guide in your decision. But preferably both the kinds should walk hand in hand so that you can reap the benefits of both at the same time, making the entire testing smooth and error-free, delivering the best product.

You can hire certified automation testers from top automation testing companies India who can help you accomplish testing within allocated budgets and time schedules.

We provide software testing services. If you would like to hire software testers from us or would just like to speak to one of our expert software testers, please reach out to us at Mindfire Solutions.