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How Software Testing Engineers Manage Substandard Software Reqyuirements

What exactly constitutes a good requirement is always subjective to some degree, but in most cases, as software testing engineers you will know a good one when we see it. You shouldn’t be concerned with less than perfect requirements as long as you understand them and know how they’re understood by the stakeholders and project team - and you can test them accurately.

Once requirements have been received by the testing team they can be used for identifying and writing tests. As the process of identifying and creating tests begins, it quickly becomes apparent whether or not requirements are good enough, since the major part of identifying and writing tests is gaining an early understanding of the requirements.

Now the two questions arise

1) What should be done when requirements aren’t available at all?

2) What should be done when requirements are available but are substandard?

What should be done when requirements aren’t available at all?

Best solution is: Be Proactive & Anticipate Requirements

Even if requirements aren’t available early, it may be possible to anticipate what they may be.

While preparing for the ISTQB Advanced Level Technical Test Analyst exams it is of prime importance that the aspirant clearly understands the different learning objectives, those form the basis of this exam.

Learning objectives are appropriately linked with the advanced level syllabus. A learning Objective states what you should be able to do prior to taking an advanced exam. Each Advanced exam has its own set of learning objectives.

The learning objectives are at four levels of increasing difficulty:

1) Remembering
2) Understanding
3) Application
4) Analysis

From foundation level exam to an advanced level exam, there is an upward progression of ability that adheres to each increasing level of learning. Hence most of the focus at the Advanced level is on application and analysis.

Exam questions will be structured so that you must have achieved these learning objectives to determine the correct answers for the questions. The exam will cover the more basic levels of remembrance and understanding implicitly as part of the more sophisticated levels of application and analysis. For example, to answer a question about how to create a test plan, you will have to remember and understand the IEEE 829 test plan template.

It is quite natural for the business managers to aim to automate every activity that is performed by the human beings. All of us hear a lot about software test automation and its benefits. The reasons for building such common beliefs can be the following:

a) Automation saves on labor costs
b) Automation eliminates human error
c) Automation increases productivity
d) Automation brings information online and in real time etc. etc.

But apart from the above the biggest fact that remains live & can’t be forgotten is that, not all the activities can be automated. It is amazing to note the fact about the amazingly small number of activities involved in software testing that can actually be automated.

Let us analyze the activities involved in a typical GUI level regression test.

1) Analyzing the specification documents and all other documents for any error or ambiguity.
2) Analyzing the source code with a view to find any error.
3) Designing of test cases.
4) Creating the test data.
5) Executing the tests for the 1st time.
6) Evaluating the 1st result.
7) Reporting a defect from the very 1st run.
8) Debugging the tests.
9) Saving the code.