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Well-written documentation lies at the core of an efficient QA process. Documentation brings structure and logic to the testing activities. In a way, it unites project team members around the same goal, providing a clear understanding of the hierarchy, tasks, and expected outcomes. One of such documents is a Test Plan. In this article, you will learn:

• what a software Test Plan iswhat a software Test Plan is;
• how it is different from a Test Strategy;
• what role it plays in the project;
• types of plans;
• why a team needs a Test Plan;
• and, most importantly, how to draw it up.

Before proceeding to the definitions and explanation, we’d like to explain one more important term from the QA field – a test artifact. Test artifacts are by-products generated during the software testing process and shared with the project team. Simply put, these are documents that bridge the communicati...

Though QA business analysis is very significant for a company's advancement on the market, people tend to confuse it with market analysis, UX research, data analysis – probably, with all other analytical activities. Actually, it is not surprising, given the blurry line between roles and responsibilities each of the mentioned activities implies. Meanwhile, it may seem complicated to decide what falls under the responsibility of a Business Analyst during quality assurance procedures and what should remain a task for QA engineers and a Team Lead. We decided to clarify this matter and, explaining the ties between BA and testing, the role of a Business Analyst in the QA process, and the place of this professional in a quality assurance & testing company.

Who Is a QA Business Analyst?

A QA Business Analyst is a member of a product development team whose task is to bridge the gap between an IT team and a business team. Usually, this specia...

Software development companies are in hot pursuit of automation testing service whether it’s set up in-house or as outsourced testing. End-users are demanding higher quality apps with more advanced, intuitive features, which has spurred the evolution in software testing methodologies. Manual software testing is by no means obsolete, but it is not sufficient as a single approach to delivering high-end, bug-free products. It is time-consuming, overly-dependent on human resources, and it doesn’t ensure reliable and consistent outcomes. However, automating every aspect of software testing is not the ultimate solution nor the end goal. Managing too many test cases can be counterproductive and impractical that can cause the testing cycle to slow down with delayed feedback to developers. All too often, teams scramble to automate everything only to run into...

Methodologies in software development are processes, tips, and tools that allow you to create the right environment for development. Knowledge of different methodologies makes it easier to select the right technologies and optimize the development process. There are a dozen of software development methodologies, each with its pros and cons. Waterfall Model and the V-Model are the most commonly-used classic approaches. Scrum and Kanban are the most popular among Agile methodologies. So let's take a look at the pros and cons of the most popular methodologies.

Waterfall Model

Although widely-known, this model will not suit every project. Nevertheless, it is relevant in case timing and compliance are the priority, and a team commits to finishing each stage with a correct and completed solution. The highlight of this model is the sequence of stages. Each upcoming phase starts only after the previous one ends. From the QA engineer’s perspective, this model contradicts one of t...

SaaS is short for Software as a Service, but you must know that already. Every cloud-based solution that functions mostly online via web browsers can be defined as a SaaS. Such applications are convenient, available anytime, easy to access and come with a variety of payment options. SaaS is only one of the variations of cloud services. Together with PaaS (Platform as a Service), IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service), DaaS (Desktop as a Service), and other solutions driven by similar logic, they are united by an umbrella term XaaS (“you-name-it as a service”). But let’s focus on one of its types for now :) SaaS solutions are very diverse in terms of their features and purpose. We are speaking of:

• email services (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.);
• office suites (Office 365, Google Suite, etc.);
• CRM systems (HubSpot, Zoho, etc.);
• cloud storage services (Dropbox, IDrive, etc.);
• and many more.

The functionality and compl...

This post is co-authored with Olha Hladka, a QA Engineer at QA Madness. QA specialists familiar with test design techniques find it much easier to create efficient test suites. By employing a particular technique, we get guidelines on what to test and how to define test conditions. In other words, each test design technique helps to convert available data into efficient test cases. In this post, you will learn about five commonly-used test design techniques that will help you ensure maximum test coverage and reduce time spent on testing activities.

What Is Test Design?

Let’s start with the basics. Test design is a stage of the quality assurance process, during which we create test scenarios and outline the structure of testing activities for the project. A QA team decides on how to escalate test coverage with minimum effort.

When And Why Do We Need Test Design?

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Chatbots have become a popular way to enhance customer support. There’s no need to go deep into the benefits. Customers don’t have to wait until a human assistant is available to get the answers they need. Meanwhile, companies can increase satisfaction rates, simultaneously reducing costs required for a customer support unit. But like it always happens with technologies, there’s one “but.” You need to make sure that a chatbot will be a decent alternative for a human assistant – an equivalent for one. The truth is, a bot can communicate with lots of customers simultaneously, but the value of this communication will depend on a number of tech aspects. In other words, you will need to build a smart chatbot that covers major user requests. And for this, you’ll need a well-thought-out business logic, accurate implementation, and thorough testing. In this article, I’ll focus on the latter – chatbot testing and quality assurance activities that will bring you closer to re...

This post is co-authored with Olha Hladka, a QA Engineer at QA Madness. Interviewing for a QA job position is always a two-step process. At first, an HR specialist checks whether your profile matches the described quality assurance job requirements and discusses work-related moments. After that, a tech specialist comes for a technical interview, where a candidate is to prove to fit the QA position requirements in practice. While QA roles, skills, and responsibilities are described in Software Testing Engineer’s job requirements, you won’t find a list of questions that help to prepare for a tech interview. So how should you prepare for it? Is there anything specific to repeat? As a rule, Junior specialists can expect the general questions, like “What's the difference bet...

Outsourcing services are not a new trendy type of collaboration anymore. Businesses have gotten used to delegating some of the activities, fully or partially. It is a wise and cost-efficient tactic or/and strategic decision. It has already become a usual thing to delegate HR, legal, accounting, financial, QA, and other business tasks to third-party companies. Outsourced software testing services are especially growing in demand. Why is that happening? The main reason is the demand for flawless application and website performance. And in this case, users dictate new standards for the “flawless,” adding to already tough competition on the IT market. As product development is always an investment, QA services should ensure the potential user would be satisfied with an end-product and the experience it delivers. That’s the cornerstone of success that drives project profitability. Earlier, we’ve discussed the ...