Testers: Avoid These All-Too-Common Mistakes Made During the Software Development Life Cycle
Check out the article to find out some common software development mistakes that can be easily avoided!
Sometimes bugs slip by, regardless of how much rigorous testing is performed by testers. Even if it’s the tiniest of bugs that pop up during development, they can have a major effect on your site. The bugs that are missed during testing can end up being very harmful in more ways than one. For example, some consequences include legal liability, loss in revenue, upset customers and a, now, negative reputation.
Because it’s inevitable, it only makes sense to expect and prepare for it.
To catch these bugs and ensure your end users remain happy and satisfied, watch out for these typical everyday mistakes made during the software development life cycle.
Improper Mindset
It starts with your team’s mindset. Being a tester isn’t for everyone. It’s a job that requires one to be very, very meticulous. This can be quite challenging. If your organization doesn’t help build a bug-conscious culture by providing the right resources, tools and knowledge, then it’s likely more bugs than normal will slip through the cracks.
Failure to Identify Areas of High-Risk
Without a doubt, there will be areas on your site that are riskier than others. As a result, those spots will require extra attention. Whether it’s an area that is simply used more by your customers or leads to purchase, failing to identify high-risk areas will lead to a lot of wasted testing time. Efforts will end up misplaced and used in spots that don’t necessarily demand such scrutiny.
Overlooking “Nonessential” Bugs
Just because a bug seems insignificant at the time of discovery doesn’t mean it should be dismissed so quickly. Not only could it potentially lead to a much larger issue, it may even be tied to one. All bugs found require further investigation – big or small.
Spending Too Much Time On One Task
It’s understandable that before moving onto your next task, you may want to finish the one at hand first. Though investigating all bugs is important, it’s equally – if not more – crucial to know when to move on. Sometimes it’s better to have an idea what is going on in the grand scheme of things versus knowing everything about a few minute areas. By having a greater understanding of the site as a whole, you can prevent bugs from showing themselves when it’s too late.
Poor Bug Reporting
When you’re a tester, your job involves more than just testing. Yes, finding bugs and design flaws is a major part of the work, but so is reporting those finds. While this should be a given, it, unfortunately, is not. It’s a classic mistake, but bug reports are often poor in quality. Either they don’t help the programmer in any way or there lacking critical information such as an explanation for what went wrong, priority of the bug, procedure and more.
If you’ve finished reading this blog and you’re on the verge of a panic attack because you’ve realized you or your testing team fall into these traps, don’t stress yourself out. Fortunately, you’re here and are taking the time to learn about these mistakes. That’s the first step towards success, after all – knowledge.
Life isn’t perfect and neither is testing, but having the right practices in place will help you find as many bugs as possible before release. Continue to be in the know and watch out for those pesky testing mistakes!
