Misconceptions about Software Testing Misconception #1: ‘Software tester is a loser developer’ It is often seen that people who were earlier trained to be developers apply for tester positions now. They couldn’t find jobs as a developer, so they chose to be testers. This is because they perceive testing as an easy task that doesn’t require coding skills. However, the fact is that software testing and software development are different jobs that requires different skill sets and attitudes. If you are good at developing software’s doesn’t mean you would be a good tester. Likewise, if you are a good tester, doesn’t mean you cannot become a software developer.
Misconception #2: ‘Anyone can perform software testing’ Another misconception about software testing is that anyone can perform it as it is an easy and monotonous job that requires no programming skills. What a software tester does is sit in front of a computer, opens an application, clicks to and fro to see its working. However, testing requires a wide range of skills and traits such as imagination, observation, passion, logical, communication, debating and certainly includes coding skills. To some extent, software testing can also be considered as an art and apparently, not everyone can be an artist.
Misconception #3: ‘Manual testing is outmoded. Now is the time for automationtesting’ In the recent few years, automation testing services indeed have become a hot topic. There are numerous discussions about how manual testing is fading away and automationtesting being the new hero saving and fixing the software testing world. But the two are different approaches used to solve different problems. While automation testing is becoming more and more powerful by showing its values, it is not designed to replace manual testing. Automation testing is fit for repeated tasks, regression tests and unit tests, manual testing is perfect for testing exploratory tests, usability tests etc.
Misconception #4: ‘Software testing is a cost-center and not a profit-center’ There still exist companies who focus just on software development only as they believe they have the best developers who can write bug-free lines of codes. Also, the concept ‘developers build things, testers break it’ makes testing become less helpful. However, it is rightly said that testing is a cost-center. The more the team tests, more it costs. But without testing, the organization may sooner or later have to face the bigger costs of re-calling and fixing the units delivered, plus the cost of upgrading the lost trust of the customer to the reputation of the organization.
Misconception #5: ‘You missed bugs!’ This is one of the scariest phrases testers might get to hear from their bosses. This comes from the misconception that a software tester is a goalkeeper (or gatekeeper) whose job is to catch all defects from escaping. Yes, all these defects could be caught if all testing techniques, test approaches, test types is applied readily. All this could be achieved when the testers have enough time and money to employ. Final verdict Misconceptions in software testing are not essentially bad things; they are just a part of the learning process. We may perceive things wrongly when we manage the way with software testing and we also could comprehend these misconceptions when we have more experiences in software testing. The most important thing for a tester is to never stop learning and keep sharpening his saws. Looking for an experienced software testing company? Bugraptors is a CMMi5 testing company that provides a manual and automation testing services. Visit the website here.