Role of Software Testing



Said simply, the role of testing is to ensure the safety and reliability of the developed product so that it is viewed favorably by the customer and, hence, puts the organization in a favorable business position.

I think most organizations view testing with mixed emotions – perhaps, as a “necessary evil”. Testing is expensive: according to Edward Kit’s Software Testing in the Real World, 40 to 70% of initial software development time and resources can be devoted to error detection and removal. Further, most organizations do not have established methods of knowing what they actually spend. Top management needs to realize that early investment in a thorough testing plan can save them much more in the end than the initial investment. Another cause of concern within an organization is the ability to manage the developers and testers. Testers are in a unique position: they are “looking for “trouble” or “starting trouble” i.e. their job is to find flaws in the system – something the developers worked hard to create. This can be taken the wrong way by the development team and can create an “us vs. them” scenario. Although the two sides are working for a common cause (customer satisfaction), human egos and emotions can get in the way of meaningful relationships. Both sides need to understand that they each perform a special function and that the bottom line is producing a high-quality product for the customer.

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