If all testing teams had the qualities mentioned in this article, there would be significantly less testing problems. However, only a few test groups are more or less airtight therefore it makes sense to analyze the most common errors that testers make and that decrease the effectiveness of software test processes. Sometimes it is enough to simply notify the fellow partners (or oneself) of the likelihood of such mistakes and then develop an efficient strategy to jointly eliminate the consequences of these errors.
Here is a list of some of the typical errors committed by testers:
- Assumption that the program is working correctly. The tester must always assume that the program does not work correctly. He is responsible for identifying why and when the program exhibits the wrong behavior, and not what it does right. Any deviation from the expected result, regardless of its significance, should be considered as a potential symptom of a defect. Irrespective of how preventive and competent a programmer can be, you should not feel sympathy for this person in a situation where there are the suspicions of a defect. Software test company can ensure that developed digital products will be consistent and safe when falling into the hands of the customers.
- Unwillingness to document each problem identified. Such situations often occur during the execution of a long-running test. You face some minor problem, but you move further, hoping that you have memorized enough information to fix them later. When this “later” comes, you either forget about this problem, or you cannot reproduce the actions that lead to it. A good way to prevent such errors is to maintain a special log file, in which minor deviations from the norm are recorded, even those that, at first glance, are not related to testing. If you keep accurate yet complete records, then at the end of the test, you can return to the problem and conduct special studies to determine whether this is actually a defect.
- Ignoring or even concealing the problem. This error is a special case of the first two types of errors. It is fraught with very harmful consequences. In this instance, it is clear that the software product has a defect, but for some reason it is decided to ignore it. It is possible that there will be no defect in the next version of the product. It is not excluded that it does matter at all. Perhaps, due to time constraints, a program failure cannot be analyzed. Such an error can involve serious problems, including causing the defect to be leaked into the customer’s environment. It should be always remembered that any discovered defect can conceal a whole series of other, hidden defects, unless one consistently struggles with those that are visible.