Manual testing presents a process of finding defects in the program when the tester checks out the working capacity of all components of the software as if he is a user. For the accuracy of this procedure, programmers often use pre-prepared test plans that determine the most important aspects of the software product. This kind of testing is a key stage in software development. The tester may not adhere strictly to the testing plan but deviate from it for complete testing, which is close to the use of the program by the ordinary user.
Why Manual Testing Is Still Relevant?
Automated testing helps achieve a high performance in detection of problems, but it has not yet replaced manual tests completely for the time being. The fact is that users can perform absolutely unexpected actions, which are difficult to anticipate in automated tests. Automated testing can only determine those malfunctions of a software application which were assumed in advance. During testing, the expert can pay attention to other problems. Manual testing allows to quickly analyzing the data received from various sources.
When the behavioral features and intuition of a person begin to play a key role in evaluating the work of the application, we have to consider manual testing. The tester should put himself in the user’s shoes. He is more creative in the process of checking functionality – he can generate unexpected ideas or simulate cases of uncommon use. This helps to reveal critical errors which can be unnoticeable during automated testing.
Methodology and Tools for Manual Testing
Large projects require a strict testing methodology in order to detect the maximum number of defects. Using tools to manually test a software product can be problematic when testing, for example, some web technologies. The software testing company must find it possible to use this https://sqasolution.com/software-test/manual-testing/ or other tools before testing. Despite possible problems with the use of tools for automated testing, it is unreasonable to completely abandon them. That’s why manual testing should be done by a specialized company or professional testers.
The systematic approach to testing includes several stages:
- Selection of testing methodology, purchase of necessary equipment (computers, software), and testers hiring. Without any automated tools, no serious testing can be.
- Preparation of tests with a description of their implementation and expected issues.
- Passing tests to testers who manually perform them and record the results.
- Transfer of test results to developers with a detailed report describing all identified problems for discussion and correction of defects.
For manual testing, both static and dynamic approaches can be used. The dynamic approach includes the launch of software. Static testing comprises syntax checking and other features of the program code. Manual testing can be functional and non-functional. The first one is a check of the software workspace. Non-functional testing aims to review of the performance, compatibility, and security of the application under test.
Automated Testing vs. Manual Testing
Before you introduce an automation of the software testing, you must first run a series of tests manually. Manual testing requires considerable effort, but without it, we cannot be sure whether the automation is possible indeed. One of the fundamental principles of testing is that the 100% automation is impossible. Therefore, manual testing is a must.
You can test almost any application manually, while only stable systems can be checked automatically. Some types of testing, for example, ad-hoc or research testing, can only be performed manually. Testers think through interesting scenarios for execution and prepare appropriate tests. Now, it is increasingly possible to use the automatic test generators. The advantage of manual tests is in their depth – they reflect the developer’s understanding of the existing range of problems and data structures. The advantage of automated tests consists in their breadth. They perform checking of the big range of values, including extreme ones that people can skip.
Thus, a combination of both manual and automated methods of testing is often used on real projects, and the level of automation depends on the type of project and on the specifics of organizational processes in the company. Automated testing can be used to save time when working out large and monotonous actions and they cannot replace manual testing. Manual testing requires time, but you cannot do without it if you want to produce a high-quality software product.
At the moment, only a combination of these approaches can provide high standards in relation to the functionality and usability of the developed application.
