Software quality control is a rather complicated process. Sometimes, after launching a project in the process of work, bugs appear that block the program from working. It is a rather tense moment because they usually come to light at the most inopportune moment, and it takes time to eliminate them. It negatively affects the reputation of the company and leads to losses. Is there a way to track the work of the software to identify the slightest errors and fix them in time? Today we want to discuss 5 main metrics that allow you to track testing effectiveness.
1. Fixed bugs
Once a product is on the market, testing doesn’t end. If you want the product to work effectively, you need to regularly run automated tests to ensure that no new errors appear in the work process.
When you test, you discover new bugs that can negatively affect the performance of the software, which means they need to be fixed quickly. If the client does not report failures, you have dealt with the errors well. But, if failures occur, there were errors you could not identify in time. It may be due to several reasons:
- Poor code coverage;
- Choosing the wrong tools;
- Choosing the wrong test scenarios;
- Misjudgment of errors;
- Outdated or ineffective tests.
If this happens, you should rethink your overall testing strategy, interaction with programmers, identify weaknesses and take appropriate action. If you cannot identify problems on your own or need help understanding how to solve them, you always can turn to professional and certified consultants. On the site https://testfort.com/qa-consulting you will find a dedicated team of professional QA engineers who may dispel all doubts and provide a full consultation on your issue.
2. Test coverage
Some experts believe that the more tests, the better. But in fact, it is more work and time spent. You can have 500 tests, but they will be less effective than 50 tests that affect the most critical features of your application.
Instead of covering as many code elements as possible, we suggest covering 100% of all critical user paths. This process can be compared to the work of a snowplow – first, they clear the streets with the most traffic, and some areas remain unclean because a few people use them.
You can check out the platform’s analytics to help you prioritize.
3. Testing Reliability
Sometimes it happens that tests fail. It can be due to outdated tests, test environment failure, and so on. If this happens, you need to determine the cause and take the appropriate troubleshooting steps. An ideal test suite should have a perfect correlation between the number of defects and failed tests.
Quality control to measure team performance
You don’t always have to increase the number of tests; sometimes, it’s worth revisiting the distribution of responsibilities within your team and understanding what actions can positively affect the final result of quality control. You can also discuss what tools you can use to get test reports faster without losing quality.
4. Test time
The sooner you get the test result, the better, but in pursuing speed, you should remember about quality. Automated testing is much faster and more efficient than manual testing. It would help if you chose those tools that will allow you to quickly and efficiently identify errors.
Speaking about testing time, it is necessary to consider the terms for writing tests and their implementation. Sometimes it makes sense to spend more time creating test cases to improve efficiency and code coverage. In pursuit of speed, remember quality.
5. Time to fix bugs
After the specialist tested, the system gave him many errors. They must analyze the result, determine the priority of fixing bugs, and make recommendations to the programmer who will change the code. Sometimes, the tester has identified a bug, but the programmer needs more time to make the appropriate changes before they become noticeable to users. Establishing communication between the two departments is necessary to prevent this from happening.
In addition, all members of your team must understand the development and testing life cycle. You may need more info on this subject.
Quality assurance is a balance between speed and quality
The sooner you can identify and fix the error, the better, but in pursuing quality, many people need to remember the rate. Maintaining this balance can sometimes be challenging. To do this, you need a clear idea of how many minor errors your team can regularly admit before, how it will affect quality and profit, and how often you need to release updates to stay competitive. Once you have identified these metrics, you can use the 5 metrics above. Particular attention should be paid to metrics that measure the effectiveness of tests and the team’s work.
