Software Testing - Test Management
Software testing is a very critical phase in the entire software development life cycle (SDLC). During the testing phase, it is very important that all the testing activities are well managed to ensure that they are performed seamlessly without delaying the committed timelines.
What is Software Test Management?
Test management is a technique where the testing processes are managed to ensure that software quality is maintained and the testing activities are of high standards. It involves monitoring, arranging, governing procedures, and verifying the importance of the testing processes to deliver a software with highest quality. It ensures that the team can carry out the testing activities without any bottlenecks.
Thus the test management is critical as it guarantees delivery of high quality software which has minimal probability of finding defects in the production. It ensures that the software is built as per the requirements given by the customers. Moreover, it helps to meet the project timelines faster, encourages an environment of collaboration, and effective allocation of resources.
Process of Software Test Management
The test management process is adopted to manage all the testing activities right from the beginning to the end of the SDLC. It allows planning, demanding, chasing, and keeping track of every software testing tasks. These tasks include test planning, test case preparation, test execution etc. It helps to set up the initial resources, and correct the requirements and specifications to streamline the testing process.
The test management process enables collaboration between different project stakeholders to choose the best practices for testing. It gives all the resources for monitoring and keeping track of testing activities throughout the SDLC. It also comes up with a future roadmap of the testing activities.
The test management process mainly consists of the two parts namely planning and execution. The planning phase consists of the evaluation of the risks, estimation of the testing tasks, test planning, and test organization. The execution phase consists of the monitoring of the testing activities, management of defects, creation of test reports and its further analysis.
Activities Involved in Software Test Management
The activities involved in the software test management process are listed below −
- Test Planning − It involves the planning of the testing activities in the entire SDLC. It sets out clearly the aims, and objectives of the entire testing lifecycle.
- Test Designing − It involves the creation of the test cases.
- Test Execution − It involves the execution of the test cases and then comparing the results against the requirements.
- Exit Criteria − It determines all the checklists which should be fulfilled before the testing can be considered to be completed.
- Test Reporting − It involves generating reports to list down all the testing activities, and processes. It also describes the outcome of a specific test cycle.
Tools Used for Software Test Management
The various tools used for the software test management are listed below −
- TestRail
- Test Collab
- ALM/HP
- Zephyr
- TestLink
- Testpad
- qTest
- Jira
Advantages of Software Test Management
The advantages of the software test management are listed below −
- The software test management prevents the identification of redundant defects.
- The software test management ensures faster release of software.
- The test management improves the user churn rate which ensures the delivery of good quality software.
- The test management keeps track of the progress, identifies problems, and makes decisions for large projects.
- The test management involves effective utilization of the resources and planning.
- The test management enables the early detection of defects from the initial stages of the SDLC, which brings down cost of defect fix.
Disadvantages of Software Test Management
The disadvantages of the software test management are listed below −
- Software test management is a costly process.
- The software test management is not adopted for the applications developed on cloud.
Conclusion
This concludes our comprehensive take on the tutorial on Software Test Management. Weve started with describing what is software test management, what is the process of software test management, what are the activities involved in the software test management, what are the various tools used for the software test management, what are the advantages of software test management, and what are the disadvantages of software test management. This equips you with in-depth knowledge of Software Test Management. It is wise to keep practicing what youve learned and exploring others relevant to Software Testing to deepen your understanding and expand your horizons.