Introduction to Software Testing.
By: P S Drafts.
Tags: Software Development, Introduction, Software Testing, Bugs, Debugging

Let’s say you are working in a firm and you have been assigned a project. It’s almost the deadline, your project is almost complete and is ready to be delivered to the client. The client has come to review the product whether it has all the requirements he had asked for. He finds out that the system has failed to perform the required operation and didn’t meet his requirements. This leaves the client unsatisfied and leaves you, the developer with very less time to debug & make the required changes to fulfil the customer’s need.

What can be done to avoid this?

No software can be developed perfectly but what we can do is try and eliminate the existing bugs. This is where software testing comes into the picture!

Image Credits: GoodCore

What is Software Testing (ST)?

It is a process of finding errors in a developed product and checking whether the actual results match the expected results or not. Software testing identifies errors, requirement gaps, and missing elements in a product or system.

In simple words, Software Testing ensures the product is made bug-free.

ST can be done in 2 ways: Manual testing or Automation testing.

Importance of Software Testing.

As we all know, today’s world is completely dependent on machines and these machines are in turn dependent on software applications. Do these machines behave as we want every time, everywhere? Well, this completely depends on the success rate of software testing.

Let’s say you downloaded an instant messaging application. You send a message to your friend and according to the status of the message it says your message has been delivered. But, on the other side your friend hasn’t received your message. This makes you a disappointed and an unsatisfied customer.

This means that there are bugs in the application. Can you guess why did this happen? Well, it’s because of no testing or let’s say improper testing of the application before it’s launch.Had the tester or developer thoroughly tested the application before releasing it, this problem wouldn’t have occurred and the bugs would have been fixed earlier making the customer’s experience smooth. So, a tester should wear a unique hat that protects the reliability of the software and makes it safe to be used in real-life scenarios.

As it’s said, “Prevention is better than cure”. Correcting this error after the release can cause humongous monetary loss, it can be time consuming and even dangerous if it’s related to privacy or security of data (in some cases it can lead to human loss too).

Image Credits: Indium Software.

Hence, ST is a crucial step in the development of a product that shouldn’t be omitted, it identifies bugs in the product and debugs it to improve it’s consistency, ensure high performance, reliability and security of the product.

Advantages of Software Testing:

Cost-Effective: Early debugging of the product saves a lot of money.The earlier you debug the lesser it costs. Security: Isn’t trust the most important thing between the developer and the customer? ST also eliminates any threats of vulnerability in this field. Better Product Quality: An optimal quality software product that has unique and innovative features has always been the priority of the software industry worldwide. Customer satisfaction: Well, the main aim of any product is to provide a good UX and customer satisfaction.

Now, that we know what Software testing is let’s know about the types of ST in the next post. Stay tuned for more!

Written by, R P Pavitra.