In the whole software development process, QA testing has a unique space. QA is responsible for ensuring that developed software is bug-free and works concerning technical and business requirements.
QA engineers must have a good understanding of each project and what it means to accomplish. They must deliver quality software to the clients.
Given the responsibility of a QA's job, it is natural to face many challenges in their day-to-day tasks. This article will help to understand the most common of those challenges faced by any QA.
1. Unstable Environment
Usually, QA teams face unstable environment setup issues that we need to prepare for most of what we have. Sometimes the server gets stuck due to overload and requires a restart many times during testing etc.
Escalate these issues to the seniors and make sure you get the environment ready for the testing.
2. Tools Being Force-fed
Now and then, we realize that a tool is not the right choice for the project. We do not have any other option but to keep using it because the clients/organization already have licenses and would not go for a new one until the current license expires.
It is not fun, but you learn alternate options. Or at least, one can conclude with regards to if the possibilities work.
3. Tight Deadlines
The biggest challenge QA is to receive requests for last-minute testing. The primary reasons for such demands are that the development process takes more time than expected and the time for testing is underestimated. Generally, testing and debugging take 50% of the development time. When QA has a short time frame for verification, they should check software against the main business specifications. Software testing should begin at least three days of release.
4. Testing Documents Created By Others
In the case of QA, it's faster to create a document from scratch than to use the one created by others. Using test cases created by others increases the time of verification and puts limits as far as discovering bugs.
5. Friday Releases
Everybody thinks of the successful releases of new features or products, but the reality could be different. From our testing experience, the software doesn't typically release from the first time in most cases. The best time for releasing the software is the start of the week. Thus it gives development and QA teams the rest of the week to manage with whatever comes up.
6. Wrong Testing Estimation
While trying to make an accurate estimate, some software estimations could be entirely unpredictable and go wrong. As developers, QA also doesn't have 100% security from unexpected issues.
7. Fixing Bugs During Testing
Developers and QA engineers should work closely. Testing should be done once part of the development process is done, and after that, bug fixing activity should start. QA submit a test report and only after that debugging begins.
8. Last-Minute Changes to Requirements
It is slightly common to change project requirements mid-sprint in agile development projects. While this can be frustrating for the team and due to that testers can be affected. They may need to re-try the whole extent of testing since even the littlest changes to a codebase should be gone through various tests to guarantee its steadiness and similarity with existing code.
Naturally, last-minute changes in the requirement can be difficult for testers to deal with, especially if there are tight deadlines to deliver results.
9. Insufficient Coordinated Effort Among Developers and Testers
Professional differences between development and testing teams are still common. Developers think that testing is a final process of the software development life cycle, and testers do not require anything apart from a list of user journeys and technical requirements.
However, testers may have difficulty identifying flaws in the code if they are not acquainted with the development process. If they do not understand how the software works, they will have trouble creating test cases to find all possible bugs.
Conclusion
Resolving the challenges mentioned above will not only make the lives of QA testers much easier. Still, it will also streamline the software development process to make it more useful and time-efficient. By making it easy for QAs to do their job well, organizations can ensure that their products meet all business requirements and function in the best possible way.
Written byNeha Vyas
She lives in the Pink City and is working as a senior quality assurance executive. For her, software testing is life! She also loves traveling, music, food, and living life at its best.
