whitepaper testingqamethodologies v2

8/8/2019 Whitepaper TestingQAMethodologies v2

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InterraITs Testing & QA Methodologies- A Whitepaper

Background

According to AMR Research, in 2002, US$60 billion was spent to fix software defects. In addition

the business suffered system downtime, loss of reputation, and software nonconformance tobusiness needs. Over half of all software projects fail or suffer significant schedule and budgetslippage because defects are detected too late.

Testing Challenge

Software testing is a critical issue for organizations because of tight budget, competitive forcesdemanding faster time to market, and developers limited bandwidth and interest to carry oudetailed test execution. To meet product release cycle, organizations today require trainedspecialists, test automation tools, and high response rates. This is because of the increase incomplexity of software and IT solutions. Traditionally, developers focus only on defect detectionTherefore, testing is carried out in the later stages of software life cycle. Inadequate testing in theearly stages can lead a minor defect to develop into a major defect, which will result in higher cost

to fix. The following diagram shows the relative cost of fixing a defect in the different stages of thesoftware life cycle.

The challenges for IT organizations are:1. Competitive forces demanding faster time to market

2. New features being added frequently

3. Tight budget

4. Developers apathy to testing

5. Absence of dedicated testing experts

6. Limitation of manual testing in covering all possible scenarios

7. Tactical approach focusing on defect detection

8. High cost of setting up an in-house testing laboratory

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Testing Solution

Conventional outsourcing of testing services, wherein the outsourced vendor merely executestest cases, does not address all these challenges. Only a robust methodology and framework-driven test execution will address all these challenges. This method of test execution is aninnovative approach to software testing that leverages proprietary automation frameworks andtool sets from leading vendors. Recent studies show that this approach helps organizations saveover 80 percent time and cost by replacing manual software testing processes with framework-driven test execution.

The real value of offshore test execution is not just in cost arbitrage, but also in the competitivelever it provides. Using this test execution, organizations deploy defect-free software that solvesbusiness problems and contributes to results today, not tomorrow. It also helps IT organizationsto deliver quality systems in less time with fewer resources.

InterraIT uses these two basic paradigms, benefits of offshore testing and the need for robus

framework and methodologies in test execution in all its testing engagements. With a decade ofexperience in software development and testing, InterraITs QA and testing practice group hasdeveloped methodologies to improve software quality and offer high degree of customesatisfaction.

Methodology

Experience from prior engagements in software development and testing has made us realizethat testing and development should be viewed in tandem in software development life cycle.

Traditional approach to software testing considers design, development, and QA to be sequentiasteps. This approach is tactical in nature and focuses on defect detection and developing fixes.

To perform effective defect detection and fixes, you need to carry out development and testing inparallel by using Agile Methodologies in Testing.

The figure above shows the flaws in the traditional approach. Testing should begin at the start othe development process and should be an integral activity of development process. In theInterraITs Testing Lifecycle Management approach, the testing process consists of distinct levelsor phases, which ensures that testing is integrated into the software development life cycle. As aresult, the emphasis is laid on quality and defect prevention while reducing development time andcost.



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InterraIT treats software quality assurance, software development and performance assurance assynchronous activities.

Benefits of InterraITs Approach

Conventional approach focuses on defect detection, whereas InterraITs approach focuses ondefect prevention. The benefits of this approach are:

Significant costs savings to the customer because of early defect detection. Parallel development and testing reduces time to market. As the QA team is different from testing, it brings new perspectives Leverage resources and access to testing best practices. Increase in the productivity of the testing resource. This is done to reduceaverage time and efforts for testing resources. Quicker turnaround time through the use of offshore resources.

The benefits of defect prevention far outweigh those of defect detection. Having realized thebenefits of methodology- and framework-based test execution, one needs to understand theprocesses of managing the life cycle and implement methodologies for defect prevention.



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Testing Life Cycle Management

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Usually Testing Life CycleManagement is a misunderstoodconcept and is not given adequateimportance. The software product osolution must go through a detailedtesting cycle; the various steps owhich are depicted in the followingdiagram.

The InterraIT methodology fotesting includes the complete life

cycle of testing, which includesrequirements identificationplanning, execution, and finaacceptance. This cycle usually suitsdergo periodic releases and version

upgrades.the testing efforts of software products or applications that un

This testing life cycle is synchronized with the development life cycle to reap the full benefits ofparallel development and execution.

InterraITs Testing Project Tracking Tools

An application or software testing engagement working under offshore model should use

InterraITs approach with proper issues tracking and reporting processes. A proper defecttracking methodology and reporting processes would help the development and testing team towork closely and efficiently bridging the geographical gap. InterraIT has developed in-house toolslike APR Manager, Hunt, and Help Desk to log, track, and report defects under various stages.

Implementing InterraITs Testing MethodologiesInterraIT adopts a flexible engagement model with its clients and tailors the scope and level of itsresponsibility according to the engagement need. InterraIT's dedicated test labs and itscompetent testing resources can assume wider responsibility with increase in clients comforlevel.


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The figure given above shows three typical levels of testing implementation options. The optionsinvolve different degrees of InterraIT's participation.

Production TestingInterraIT handles ongoing testing for production applicationscapitalizing on its ability to institute efficiencies over time.

Project TestingInterraIT engages with its clients in a defined testing project likeindependent validation of functionalities and performance testing of a new software application.

End-To-End Software Development and TestingInterraIT takes full responsibility odesign, development, and testing of one or more functionalities of a software product or the wholeapplication.

This flexibility in engagement models helps clients choose the optimal testing service. At theminimum base level, InterraIT provides resources and guidance to execute an existing plan for a

project, but has no responsibility for development process improvement. As scope andresponsibility grow, InterraIT is able to leverage its expertise and global capabilities to gaingreater efficiencies and provide high value-added services to its clients.

SAP Testing StrategyFollowing is a brief overview of the SAP Testing at InterraIT: -

Business ProcessProcedures - Unit

Testing

Conversion andInterface Testing

Integration & UATRegression Testing

Typically the SAP testing at Interra consists of the following phases

Unit Testing

The purpose of Unit Testing is to ensure that all the individual objects

(such as Forms/Reports/Scripts) of each larger business process complywith the requirements.

Conversion Testing

Conversion Testing phase ensures that the conversion of data i.e.extraction, transfer and Load meets the specifications. This process also

establishes the cutover load timing. Interface Testing

Interface Testing verifies the interfaces the existing systems by validating

o Cross reference Mappings

o Accuracy and Timeliness of the Interface Links

o Backup and Recovery procedures

Integration Test & User Acceptance Testing



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Integration Testing tests the end to end processes (including Conversion,Interface Processing, Forms, Reports, user exits) and verifies that: -

o The SAP System conforms to the Defined Business Process

Procedures.o System works correctly with the data migrated from legacy

application

Integration Testing typically consists of three Cycles, with the last cycle being the UserAcceptance test. In this phase the business process owners are required to sign off at the end ofthis test that the functionality meets the business requirements.

About InterraIT Testing and QA Practice

InterraIT has a dedicated testing and QA team, state-of-the-art Test Labs, and CMM Level 5 andISO 9001:2000 software practices duly followed in all its engagements. Using its tried-tested-and

evolved testing methodologies and processes, the testing and QA practice has exceeded clientsexpectations in all its engagements. The testing practice has used its expertise in unit, system,integration, performance, regression, and functionality testing across clients serving in variousbusiness domains. The competency in automation testing by using third party and in-housetesting tools has helped our clients in reducing their time to market and cycle time for productreleases.



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InterraIT Confidential

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