Page 146 - SOFTWARE TESTING & QUALITY ASSURANCE

Unit 9: Automation Testing

2. Giving High Quality Guidance to People Participating in the Bug Bash Activity: While
including other people in the bug bash activity, if it is certain that they are looking at the software
or application for the first time, it is important to note that they execute the right tests while
running the bug bash activity. Given below are a few considerations to be made:
(a) Preparing a High Quality Test Environment for Testing: It is necessary to check that the
system they are working on does not crash or that they do not face any problems while
logging into the system. It is always advisable to maintain different log in accounts record
all information in a document and make sure the information has been distributed to all the
people involved in the bug bash.
(b) Preparing a Document to Record all Information of the System: It is necessary that the
testers know how to start the process. Hence, if a document given to them depicts the core
scenarios and explains how to execute them, it would be extremely helpful to the testers. By
performing this activity, the testers will be able to start in the right direction and then
perform test around those scenarios and locate bugs.
(c) Maintaining a Bug Bash Template: It is a known fact that many people classify bugs for the
first time. Hence the bug management software that the team uses should be free from
problems for the new testers. For this reason, it is important to have a template that would
ensure that the focus is on locating bugs rather than spending time on the tools.
3. Timing the Bug Bash: It is necessary to time the bug bash activity. One should time the activity
such that it is neither too early nor too late. If it is timed early, then the attention moves away
from recording good quality bugs and customer issues, but if it is planned later, it may not be
possible to detect the issues in the core scenario flow. The best time to organize a bug bash
activity is at the end of the milestone/cycle.
The testers can approach their own team members or the project development team for the test sharing
activity.
9.3.2 Beta Testing

Beta testing is known as an external method of testing. In the beta testing process, the software is
launched for a selected group of customers who use the software in the real world. This method of
making sure that the software has been verified by the end users and validating it is a common method
known as beta testing. This testing process usually occurs after the product is developed and is awaiting
the confirmation that the software is ready for use.
Following are the assumptions prior to planning a beta test:

1. It is Important to Decide Who Performs the Beta Test: Consider a tester who wants to test
particular software for any remaining usability bug. It is possible that the beta tester is anxious
only about the low level operation. Hence, a tester must specify the type of beta tester required
for the testing process.
2. It is Necessary to Know Whether the Beta Testers Use the Software: There may be few cases
where a problem was not reported by users or there were no problems related to the software. It
is also likely that the beta testers use the product for a limited time. Hence it is significant to
check that the software is carefully and properly used by the beta tester and they also report for
any kind of bugs.
3. Beta Test is Crucial for Determining the Compatibility and Configuration Bugs: It is a known
fact that it is difficult to recognize and test a sample of the software or hardware in real world.
Hence the beta participants must be selected in such a way that they represent the target users
and also help in finding the compatibility and configuration bugs for the users.
4. Generally Beta Tests are Not Considered to Locate Functionality Bugs: The reason is that the
beta test occurs at the end of the software development process and if at all any bugs are found,
there would not be much time available to fix the bugs.

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