Application Testing in IT

Software/ Application testing is very important and plays a vital role in successful and error free implementation of the software/Application. IT Companies invest a lot in development and customization as per client requirements. However, subsequent to development of such applications/software, companies are required to ensure that such software/applications perform in accordance with the client’s requirements. To ensure that all bugs in the software are identified prior to the deployment, various testing procedures are implemented by the IT industry. The importance of this process directly impacts the ability of software up to its potential. If the new application is unable to perform the function it was designed to do, the client might face severe losses due to stoppage of work and also adversely affect the business of the respective Application development Company. Thus, IT Company’s invest substantial amount of money on Application testing. The scope of these procedures is to facilitate identification of a problem in the application. Some of the leading Testing methodologies implemented by companies in the IT industry are as listed below:

1. General Testing: This refers to the tests carried out on software/applications to check whether the functionality of newly developed Application/software is working fine as per the requirement of the client. Among all other testing, web testing and usability testing are generally used for most of the application testing. The online performance of an application is measured using web performance testing. Usability testing is implemented depending on the type of application. Its main objective is to see whether the application works successfully in different IT environments. The purpose of these types of testing is to identify the general functional capabilities of the software/application and to help developers determine areas of improvement for the same. A software development organization performs general testing of software/applications along with other more advanced methods to ensure that the software conforms to the pre-defined operational capabilities specified by the client/user group.
    
2. Load Testing: This methodology simulates operating conditions of the software/application during higher/normal load conditions to analyze the effect of such changes on the functional capabilities of the software/application. Load testing checks the operational capabilities in case of both normal load and high load conditions. This is considered to be a type of non-functional testing, which is undertaken to gauge how many users can simultaneously login/use the application.
   
   This is a commonly deployed methodology in IT Companies. It is often utilized on similar lines with volume, reliability, software performance and concurrency testing. By using load testing, developers can attempt to determine the reason for slow performance of software. The common reasons for such slow response commonly include load balancing between multiple servers, types of Server used, their specifications, client-side processing, network congestion/latency, available database service and/or bugs in the application server(s) or software. The use of load testing is a must for software/applications, which are subjected to SLA (service level agreement) for ensuring that the software is capable of supporting multiple concurrent users. As the procedure simulates an increase in system load by using multiple virtual users, various software are currently available to carry out load testing. Some of the leading load-testing tools used by developers globally are IBM Rational Performance Tester, Apache JMeter, LoadRunner etc.
   
   
3. Functional Testing: This is a type of black-box testing based on the specifications and functionalities of the software components being tested. It is called black box testing because the internal structure of the program is seldom considered. The functionality of specific modules of the application is to give inputs and check respective output thus obtained. The key steps involved in functional testing include identification of functions which the application is expected to perform, creation of input data according to specifications of the identified functions, determining output based on the specifications of those functions, executing the test scenario based on the test cases followed by comparison of the obtained output vs. the expected output. Functional testing is carried out by checking a program with respect to established specifications and available design documents for the software/applications.
    
4. Regression Testing: The regression testing is a technique which works on identifying errors/bugs that are present in the functional or non-functional areas of the application before working on the final configuration or adding patches as per the client requirement. The main objective of regression testing is to ensure that the use of a new patch or upgrade does not introduce a new bug into the existing system. Also, regression testing helps ensure that the changes in one section of the software do not affect other part of the software’s code. Some of the commonly applied regression testing methods include the use of earlier tests to check for alterations in program operation and the search of any previously fixed bugs, which had re-emerged subsequent to introduction of the new code. Fixed bugs in software often re-emerge and regression testing is one of the leading methods to ensure that such re-emergence is identified and easily controlled before any major damage occurs. Software development companies repeatedly perform regression testing of software/applications after any change in coding such as use of patches etc. to ensure that the functionality of the application is unaffected. Such repetitive testing is usually automated by using an external tool such as Bamboo, TeamCity, Jenkins, Hudson, Tinderbox etc. This type of testing is generally performed by the QA team in case of leading software development companies, however, smaller companies are often engaged in outsourcing such services to companies specializing in the field of software QA and testing.

Application testing is very important for the success of any Software/Application. Various types of application testing should be religiously followed depending on the type of Software/Application before the final implementation/deployment. This will ensure successful implementation of the application within set timelines and as per the user requirements. Proper usage of Application testing methodologies will result in smooth functioning of the application for the client which in turn will help the Application development company to achieve goodwill and success.

About Author:

Amol Bhembre is a consultant in Systems Plus Pvt. Ltd. Within Systems Plus, he actively contributes to the areas of Technology and Information Security. He can be contacted at: amol.b@spluspl.com