Testing & QA

What defines the Quality of software? The number of bugs and errors. Many people would probably answer this way. But there is a much bigger concept that stands behind the code quality and the ability of developers to implement new features quickly and easily. It is called technical debt.  How can we define tech debt? Technical debt is fueled by numerous issues. Those can be traced to coding practices, documentation, duplication, complexity, test coverage and others. But no matter what causes technical debt, tech debt, if not controlled, can have a huge negative impact on project outcomes, thus, on business scalability and profitability. But how can we avoid those risks? How can we manage technical debt? How to manage technical debt? There is no one right way to control tech debt, but there are basic rules that might be helpful. In order to manage and resolve technical debt, you should understand what you're dealing with. One of the most reliable sources of information on this issue is talking to your customers. The user's feedback cannot be overestimated as it helps to understand what works right as well as the obvious vulnerabilities of the company's software.  Another key element in technical debt management is the effective use of tools that allow detecting tech debt issues. There are plenty of free tools providing useful information on tech debt as well as paid ones which enable more detail code checks. Among those tools - JDepend, SonarQube, Teamscale, ReSharper, Bliss and many more. QArea has also developed its own easy-to-use tool for measuring technical debt dynamics which is called Code Quality. Without a doubt, technical debt metrics give us a solid ground for indicating software issues but those numbers alone are not enough. At the same time, it is more than possible that the developers are aware or can sense the issues that cannot be detected automatically. So one of the most infallible methods of “catching” technical debt is communication with the development team. After you have identified the tech debt it is always a good idea to collect all related issues in a tech debt list or in the backlog. Documenting this data will make tech debt more visible, structured and understandable. Knowing where your debt is hidden is a good start. But you must reevaluate it from time to time in order to distinguish real critical issues and pay the debt down. While dealing with tech debt you should realize that some ...

Professionals working in software development and testing have to deal with specific kinds of requirement specifications when tackling a new product. Accurate and clear requirements are needed for a software development team to work on the creation of the right product, and this documentation makes the overall development process easier. There are different types of requirement specifications, but right now, we are going to describe three main document types that are used specifically in software testing. These are SRS (software requirement specification), FRS (functional requirement specification) and BRS (business requirement specification). It’s worth noting that all these documents are used depending on the company type, standards and process organization. Down below, we will tell you more about each of these documents and explain the main difference between FRS and SRS documents and the difference between BRS and FRS in software testing.  What Is SRS Document? SRS or Software Requirement Specification is a document prepared by a team of system analysts that is used to describe software that will be developed, the main business purpose and functionality of a certain product and ways how it performs its core functions. An SRS is a basis for any project as it consists of a framework that will be followed by each team member. An SRS is also a base of a contract with stakeholders (users/clients) that includes all the details about the functionality of the future product and how it is supposed to run. An SRS is used widely by software developers during the process of product or program development.  An SRS includes both functional and non-functional requirements and uses cases as well. A perfect SRS document takes into account not just the way software will interact with other software or when it’s embedded in hardware but also potential users and the ways they will interact with the software. It also contains references to tables and diagrams to get a clear understanding of all product-related details.  An SRS document helps team members from different departments stay on the same and make sure all the requirements are fulfilled. This document also allows minimizing software development expenses and time.  What Is BRS Document? So what is BRS meaning in software testing? BRS stands for a business requirement specification which is aimed to show how to meet the business requirements on a broader level. A BRS ...

Code quality and velocity of production are two crucial but sometimes conflicting factors for software development projects. It is not surprising that sooner or later each development team faces the issue “speed versus advancement”. No doubt that both code quality and delivery speed matter. Good code quality makes future development simpler, quicker, and more stable. At the same time, a high velocity of production makes the company more agile, and thus more interesting for the customers. But how can a software company find the right balance between short time-to-market and minimizing poor quality code? What is Technical debt? How can we define tech debt? Technical debt is the term used to describe code that was not written properly and can harm the ability to add new features in the future. We can think of tech debt as the work that should be done to improve the code in order to make it more efficient and clear. On the other hand, these improvements won't necessarily bring additional value to the business. Originally the term Technical debt was coined by an American programmer Ward Cunningham, the inventor of the first wiki. The idea was to think about tech debt as an analogy to financial debt. If there is a debt — there is an interest that should be paid. And in the case of tech debt, the interest is equal to the additional development work that it takes to add new features after sub-par code was used. What can lead to technical debt? Tech debt may occur as a result of unreasonable requirements, misguided assumptions, poor communication, or unrealistic timelines. It is not uncommon that developers cut corners to meet the deadlines, but the question remains — should they always do that? Speed vs Quality? No one will argue that both code quality and velocity of production are important. For obvious reasons, different types of companies choose high-quality development at the expense of speed and vice versa. On one hand, we have a very natural desire of startups to move quickly, so they can release their product to the market as fast as possible. On the other hand, we have the logic of well-established companies whose profile is too high to produce low-quality products, so they usually lean towards the quality mode. Moreover, the employees of the same company can have different and even opposite views on speed vs quality of development. Salespeople or product managers are usually considered to be advocates for speed as they see the ...

Outsourcing became a common practice for many companies and businesses today. The benefits of outsourcing are diverse. In this article, you will find out what is outsourcing, what types of outsourcing exist, and the main reasons why companies are willing to outsource their software development tasks. What Is Outsourcing and Why Might a Company Practice Outsourcing? Outsourcing means the allocation of specific tasks by a contractor to third-party specialists. Outsourcing comes in handy when a company or business can’t control and handle all the processes internally. Entrusting business processes to external professionals became an everyday reality. Software development, customer support services, content writing are one of the most popular tasks that are outsourced to other companies. The main reason for such growing popularity of outsourcing is the lack of internal experts and cost-saving initiative. For some businesses, there is no need to hire an in-house team of professionals to perform certain tasks. Thus, outsourcing is the best option that can help a company get all the jobs done effectively and for the reduced labor costs. Your company or business can benefit from outsourcing as well. After you allocate a task to the chosen outsourcing company, as a service provider, they become responsible for performing the job and maintaining the highest quality. Why Outsource Software Development? Outsourcing software development routine is a widespread practice today. Whereas hiring an internal team requires way too much time, money, and resources, outsourcing is a much more convenient option. Here are the top 6 benefits that will convince you that outsourcing software development tasks is a good idea for your business: 1. Reduced costs The main benefit of outsourcing consists of much lower labor costs. Therefore, it is cost-efficient and profitable to reduce your expenditures and significantly save budget. At the same time, you will get quality professional service at a reasonable price. Also, you save time and money on recruitment, training new in-house staff, offering benefits, etc. 2. Larger talent pool available When hiring in-house local employees, you don’t have much choice. Outsourcing allows you to expand your search and choose from a variety of companies and the best professionals from all over the world. It is possible to find the right team of experts that will meet all your requirements to achieve better results. The ...

Nowadays, many leading businesses and companies opt for outsourcing to increase productivity, reduce costs on hiring an in-house team of remote developers, and get effective results. Generally, you can outsource your project to onshore and offshore software development outsourcing companies. You might be wondering what is the difference between onshore and offshore software development outsourcing services. Below, you will find a detailed explanation and benefits of using each type.   What Is Onshore Software Outsourcing? When we are talking about onshore outsourcing, we mean hiring a team of individual software developers located in your country. The main advantage of hiring an onshore team of developers is the geographical proximity to your business. The closer your team is to you, the easier it is to monitor their progress and all project-related activities. The contractor can even visit a team of developers personally from time to time to make the collaboration as effective and productive as possible. One of the main benefits of onshore outsourcing is the absence of cultural differences and language barrier as you live and work in the same country. So you won’t have problems with communication and understanding each other. Also, the time zone is the same, and you don’t have to wait long for an answer due to the time difference. It will be much easier to discuss project details and address any occurring issues.  Collaborating with an onshore company means that both of you should comply with your country’s regulations, and it will be easier to determine and resolve issues. However, the main downside of the onshore developers is high labor costs. Yes, you can find highly skilled and accomplished professionals close to you, but due to the talent shortage, it will be much longer and more difficult to search. The hourly rate for the onshore software development services will be approximately $100, and the number can even attain $125 per hour. This price is probably not convenient for all companies and businesses. So, if you are on a budget, consider an offshore option.  What Is Offshore Outsourcing Software Development? Offshore outsourcing means recruiting a team of developers abroad to work remotely. Generally, companies outsourcing their projects, usually collaborate with teams from India, China, and Western European countries such as Ukraine, Poland, Czech Republic, etc.  The main advantage of an offshore ...

Every high-quality software product has gone through various tests before being released. Different testing strategies are applied by QA engineers to ensure that a program or an app meets all the requirements and contains no errors that can turn into a problem for their users. Usually, there are two testing phases before the product is considered successful. They are alpha and beta testing. Alpha testing vs beta testing Alpha testing is the first stage of post-development software testing. Alpha tests are usually performed by the in-house testing teams of the company at the developer's site. Alpha testing requires a laboratory environment so that user actions can be measured and analyzed. In other words, the main goal of the Alpha tests is to emulate the behavior of the real-users and to check if the software functions properly before it is presented to a large audience. There are different techniques of testing performed at the Alpha stage. They are Smoke testing, System testing, Integration Testing, Functional Testing, UI and Usability testing, Security Testing, Performance Testing, Sanity Testing Regression testing and Acceptance Testing. But what is alpha testing vs beta testing? After the software has passed the alpha testing stage, the beta testing is done. During this phase, the limited amount of end-users gets the beta version of the product and have a chance to test it in the “real environment”. When beta tests are done the company receives feedback about the quality of its product. Sometimes the beta versions became available to the public in order to get more information about bugs or errors of the software, so the developers can fix the problems before the product is released. Beta tests are also done for marketing purposes. If users like a product they will share the information about it on different channels, thus helping to promote the product on the market. There are different types of testing in Beta phase such as traditional beta testing (distribution of the software to the target market), public beta testing (software is released publicly), technical beta testing (product is tested by the internal group of the company) and focused beta (developers show a product to users to receive their feedback on specific features of the software). What's after beta testing?  Beta tests are not always the final stage of the testing process of a product. But what comes after beta testing? The next phase is called gamma testing. Gamma ...

On August 6th, 2019, QArea’s CTO, Project Portfolio Manager, and QA team lead will be in Vienna to talk about technical debt, and how finding the right QA partner can help you avoid it. During the presentation you will find out how to: Learn from the mistakes and successes of in-house and outsourced projectsEliminate key issues during the development/testing stagesTroubleshoot your testing: the “when, what, and where” of quality assuranceAnd of course: get to know our new partner QArea When?: 06/08/2019 from 9.30 - 11.00 AM Where?: Speedinvest office, weXelerate tower, space 36 (meeting room: Shocking Orange), Praterstraße 1, 1020 Vienna Price: 100% free of charge What’s more, if you are not in Vienna you can tune in via Google Hangouts. See you there! Thank you to Speedinvest for giving us the opportunity to share our experience and to our clients and our product team for helping us gain this experience!

There are many software testing and QA companies, which deliver QA solutions based on principles of fruitful cooperation and help enterprises of any size and orientation to cover their testing needs efficiently. They can support software product as during its development as after it will go to the production. However, there may be thousands, and which one to choose is not always an easy task. In this post, we would like to present you our top of software testing companies which provide robust and advanced QA services. GreenSQA GreenSQA is a large international QA company with more than 15 years of experience in delivering reliable and progressive testing services, which has successfully implemented about 18000 projects. They work as with big corporations as with startups, ensuring them the proper information systems operation and minimizing risks concerning the software implementation. The company uses cutting-edge technologies and QA tools in its work and also preaches principles of flexibility and transparency in its internal processes. They also pay great attention to the particular needs of their clients and use Agile flexible methodologies. QualityLogic QualityLogic is another big international software testing company, founded at Boise, U.S. and at the moment has 200+ high-grade professionals, including QA experts, project managers, and analysts. The company provides efficient testing solutions for enterprises of any size and orientation and has comprehensive expertise related to the QA problems concerning the innovative technologies as AR/VR, IoT, APIs, 3D print systems, and more.    The QualityLogic team builds trusting and long-lasting partnerships with their clients, so among its clients are Fortune 100 Media brands, Fortune 500 Biotech Pharmaceuticals organizations, and others. The company internal processes are based on the principles of openness and flexibility, thus Agile is the most used management methodology within QA teams. TestFort TestFort is one of the largest software testing companies in Eastern Europe. It includes two business offices in Malta and U.S. and the main office at Kharkiv, Ukraine, where are gathered the high-class QA engineers and testers (over 100+ specialists). During the 18 years of proven work, the company has developed a comprehensive and robust attitude towards the quality of their testing services. They successfully implemented more than 800 projects, among which are QA solutions ...

You have got an idea of a useful, high-tech application. You have gathered a dream team of like-minded people – technical specialists, and those who can help you arrange the development process – first-class managers.

Who is responsible for the quality of the final product: the in-house developers or the outsourced providers of software testing services? It all depends on the initial agreement. Let's review the most common types of contracts that define the client-vendor relationship and responsibilities. Is QA company responsible for the end quality? Demands of an enterprise-level company may differ from those of a start-up. What they both share is the aim to receive a high-quality product in the end. Different types of cooperation models define different levels of responsibility from each side. Dedicated team. The client hires an employee or a team from the QA company. The team may be responsible for Quality Assurance only, which does not necessarily mean all the bugs will be fixed, but it does mean the client has to receive a full bug report and recommendations for how to eliminate them. On the other hand, the in-house team may be responsible for fixing all the bugs, if it is given full access to the code and has a demanded level of expertise to perform this job. A Consulting Agreement and Work Order are the most common types of contracts signed in this type of cooperation. Project-based cooperation. The client gives the whole project to the QA company to receive testing services. This type of cooperation may be versatile, depending on the workload, the client's needs, and on the company's expertise. Usually, the experts apply many testing techniques to fully examine the product in terms of its performance, convenience, and reliability. The vendor may be responsible for fixing all the found bugs upon the client's demand. However, the client may have their own team of in-house developers, which explains why they may order QA services only, where testers just have to find a certain percentage of bugs and provide detailed bug reports. The contracts, signed in this type of cooperation in most of the cases, are NDA and Consulting Agreement. QA services: Non-Disclosure Agreement When the client chose the software testing company that they are going to cooperate with, a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) is usually the first contract to be signed. It is important for the client to protect their idea and proprietary information from competitors. Depending on the priorities of both sides and what needs to be covered by the NDA, it may be signed by only one of two parties, or by both of them. Collaborating on software development and Quality Assurance, ...