I am speaking at TestFlix, 2023 – World’s Biggest Virtual Software Testing Conference with 50+ other global speakers, 15+ themes and 8,000 + Global registrations!
The event is slated to take place virtually on 23 and 24 September 2023, which will be 2 days filled with learning, fun, and meeting new people worldwide!
Register now to hear me talk at TestFlix.
My Talk is titled “Keep The Wheels of Continuous Testing in Motion”
The event is Free to attend. Register now at bit.ly/testflix
It is a great feeling to be acknowledged and appreciated at your workplace, not just for what you do at work, but also for everything you bring along – your passions, your talents and interests beyond your desk – For Being You!
It was an honor to be featured in the ‘Getting to Know You’ session by my CSS Org at Alteryx amongst top leaders and executives and by such a dynamic and talented host, who is an @Alteryx veteran!
The session was focused on my personal as well as professional life, my career journey, my background and my interests work. We talked about my passion for trainings and learning, the conferences I speak at and my blog. The twins got a special mention and loads of adorable comments too! 🙂
It went great and we had so much fun just chatting, with loads of fun questions by the hosts as well as the audience!
It was immensely gratifying and humbling to see how interested people are in my story and how many great words of appreciation came back to me after the talk!
Though the recording is for the internal folks, here is a glimpse of the end-
As always, I am grateful for each opportunity that comes my way to connect with such wonderful people and be given a platform like this to share my story. Thanks @Alteryx!
Cheers!
Nishi
Welcome to the world of software development, where a well-crafted software delivery plan holds the key to seamless project deployment. In this rapidly advancing landscape, having a structured approach to delivering software solutions is crucial for success. A software delivery plan acts as a guiding beacon, ensuring that development teams navigate the complexities of the project with clarity and efficiency. From defining the project scope to allocating resources and setting realistic timelines, a robust delivery plan sets the stage for a smooth and successful journey towards delivering a high-quality software product to users. Working in the technology industry offers an exciting opportunity to shape the future through the strategic planning and efficient delivery of software solutions that revolutionize how we live, work, and interact. So, let’s delve into the intricacies of a software delivery plan and unlock the secrets to achieving project excellence.
A software program delivery plan is a comprehensive roadmap that outlines the diverse levels worried within the software improvement and deployment technique. It serves as a guiding light for developers, project managers, and stakeholders, offering them a clear vision of the obligations to hand and the timeline for their final touch. A properly articulated plan allows for placing realistic expectations, handling dangers, and making sure of transparency throughout the project lifecycle.
Having a well-thought-out project plan is paramount to the success of any endeavour. It serves as a roadmap, guiding teams via the various levels of an assignment and making sure an established method to achieving objectives. A project plan clarifies the project’s scope, defining what wishes to be executed and putting clean desires for all involved. This clarity eliminates ambiguity, reduces misunderstandings, and fosters effective verbal exchange among team individuals and stakeholders.
Moreover, a project plan helps allocate resources efficiently, ensuring that time, manpower, and budget are utilized optimally. It allows for the identification of potential risks and challenges, enabling teams to proactively devise contingency strategies. As a result, the likelihood of project delays or failures decreases significantly.
By having a comprehensive project plan in place, teams can stay focused, organized, and on track throughout the project’s lifecycle. It empowers them to monitor progress, assess achievements, and make necessary adjustments as circumstances change. Ultimately, the project plan acts as a foundation for success, providing a structured framework for teams to deliver their best work and attain their project goals with confidence.
Effective project planning and delivery are vital for successful outcomes. By following a structured approach, projects can stay on track, minimize risks, and achieve desired objectives. A well-executed project enhances productivity, fosters collaboration, and ensures efficient resource allocation.
Project planning involves defining project goals, scope, timelines, and resource requirements. It lays the groundwork for the project’s execution. Project delivery refers to the implementation phase, where the planned activities are executed, monitored, and controlled to reach the project’s desired endpoint.
The first step in crafting a successful software delivery plan is defining the project’s scope and objectives. Understanding the desired outcomes and the problem the software aims to solve is crucial for setting the right direction and aligning all team members towards a common goal.
A detailed task breakdown is essential for effective project management. Divide the project into smaller, manageable tasks and assign them to respective team members. Alongside task allocation, establish realistic timelines to avoid bottlenecks and delays.
Allocating the right resources to specific tasks is vital for maintaining efficiency. Identify the skills and expertise required for each task and ensure that team members are appropriately assigned to capitalize on their strengths.
To ensure a flawless end product, a robust quality assurance and testing process must be incorporated into the software delivery plan. Regular testing and debugging should be scheduled to catch and rectify any issues promptly.
Every software project comes with uncertainties. It’s essential to have a contingency plan in place to address unexpected challenges that may arise during development. This will help mitigate risks and ensure a smooth continuation of the project.
A successful software delivery plan relies heavily on effective collaboration among team members and stakeholders. Regular meetings and open communication channels facilitate a shared understanding of the project’s progress, allowing for timely adjustments and decision-making.
The process of planning and delivering a project consists of 5 main stages as follows:
As we know that web apps are becoming more complex, testing them is also getting equally sophisticated. The stats show that 88% of online buyers are less likely to repeat the orders if the website has bad UI/UX. Hence, it is important to perform thorough testing of web apps to ensure that it has standardized user experience, functions, and security.
For the testing process, there are many automation testing tools available along with manual testing tools. Automation tools help in reducing the risk of making human errors while testing any system and also enhance the accurate consistency of the test results. In this article, we will see more about top web app testing tools to learn in 2023. So, let’s dive in!
Web app testing, or web testing is a process in the SDLC that ensures that the quality of the software and its functionalities are as per the intended requirements of the clients.
The web app testing process also allows you to find errors at any given time before the app or project is released.
Testing any project is quite important before it is released for users to use it. If it is not checked and tested properly, it might cause a heavy crash of that software and also cost you a hefty money expense.
To make the testing process easier, we rely on web app testing tools – that may be open source (free to use) or commercial (paid tools). There might be pros and cons to using each of these, the decision you make regarding the tools to be used is based on your team’s need, budget and resources.
| Pros | Cons |
| The primary advantage of having an open-source testing tool is the cost of entry. Open-source tools like Selenium can be used free of cost. If your team is working with a client who is cost conscious, using free tools is an amazing alternative. Another benefit is the flexibility that testers can get by using open-source tools. Some tools have a large user community behind them. And there are some cool libraries too that can be used easily. Moreover, open-source tools also support different languages. For instance, Selenium offers support for different languages like Python, Java, C#, etc. | The foremost disadvantage of open source testing tools is the technical barrier of entry. Quality is also an underrated con of continuing with different open source testing tools. If you are the leader of the testing team who does not have any automation professionals, then open source testing tools can develop some problems. In such cases, a commercial testing tool is a better option. |
| Pros | Cons |
| There are various advantages of Commercial testing tools, that is you do not need a robust in-house skill set to start and run. Different commercial tools use in-built workflows that can make striking the ground off much smoother. Commercial testing tools also have in-built support and documentation that is huge. There is much documentation available in a well-written format which is easy to use for testers. High team support is also an advantage of commercial testing tools. You can contact the team managing the tool, in case of any emergency arises while using the tool. The in-built feature of reporting present in commercial testing tools is also considered as their main advantage. However, the custom reporting feature of open source tools is also useful. | One of the main disadvantages of using commercial testing tools is its cost. These tools are prohibitively expensive and users need to pay subscription rates to use them. Either annually or monthly fees have to be paid for using the tool. These tools are not flexible like open-source testing tools. Hence these tools are only used while testing particular tasks. If you try to test things that are out of the box for commercial tools, it may drastically fail. |
Here we will discuss the best tools available for web app testing. These tools will help you find the hidden bugs and process them further until they are removed.
Let’s discuss the list of top web app testing tools that are trending at the current time:
It is an open-source web automation testing tool and is the most widely used tool in the modern era of critical testing. Selenium is one of the best tools which automates across different OSs like Mac, Linux, and Windows and also on browsers like Chrome, Firefox, IT, etc.
The test script of Selenium can be written in any programming language like Java, Python, C#, Ruby, PHP, JS, and Perl. This tool also offers record & playback features with a simple browser add-on named Selenium IDE. There’s a POWERFUL Selenium WebDriver that helps you develop more advanced and complex automation testing scripts.
Here are some features of Selenium:
Katalon is a comprehensive automation solution for Web, API, Desktop, and Mobile app testing. With a strong user base of more than 0.5 million, both experienced and beginners test engineers can relish its practical and versatile features for an easy testing process.
Integration platforms: Azure DevOps, BrowserStack, Circle CI, etc.
Supported Platforms: Linux, Windows, MacOS
It also provides a 30-day free trial.
Here are the features of the Katalon Platform:
Testpad tool is a simple and more accessible manual testing tool that is a good option for testing web apps. It prioritizes pragmatism over the process and uses checklists like test planning that can be in the form of various ranges of styles like Agile’s manual testing side, exploratory testing, BDD syntax highlights, and also traditional test case management.
Integration platforms: Jira, GitHub, Pivotal, etc.
Supported Platforms: Linux, Windows, Web apps, etc.
It also provides a 30-day free trial.
Here are the key features of the Textpad tool:
intruder is also a powerful error scanner that will assist you to uncover different weaknesses lurking in the web apps and underlying infrastructure. It offers powerful security checks, timely and continuous monitoring, and also it is an easy-to-use tool. Intruder tools will keep your web app safe from hackers.
Integration platforms: GitHub, ServiceNow, Slack, Teams, etc.
Supported Platforms: Windows
It also provides a 14-day free trial.
Here are the features of Intruder:
This tool assists you to express the tests directly as executable specifications are made in English. Users belonging to different technical firms can develop a full test case, small/medium/complex which converts web, mobile, and API in one test. Test steps are made as per the end-user level instead of just relying on details of XPaths, and CSS Selectors.
Integration platforms: TestRail, Zephyr, XRay, Jira, etc.
Supported Platforms: Windows, iOS, MacOS
It also provides a 14-day free trial.
Here are the features of testRigor:
The list is endless with fantastic tools like QA Wolf, TestSigma, and many more.. You can pick the one you like and that fits the needs of your team and project.
There are many web app testing tools present in the market that can greatly change the effectiveness and efficiency of the testing process. These tools ultimately offer a huge range of features and expertise that allows you to conduct comprehensive testing and ensures that the reliability and quality of your web app are not compromised.
Selenium is a well-known tool amongst testers as it is versatile and robust to use. The ability to automate the browser functions and support various programming languages makes it an easily flexible and suitable tool in many scenarios.
Moreover, tools like TestComplete, Appium, SoapUI, etc., are worth considering and depend on your particular testing needs. The final choice of picking any web application testing tool will depend on your needs, budget, and expertise. By using any of these top tools, one can streamline the testing process, search for bugs, solve them, and finally deliver high-quality web apps which provide a beautiful user experience.
<This is a Guest Post by Colin Rooney>
<Author Bio: Colin Rooney is a Technical Consultant at a reputed web development company. He has expertise in developing enterprise level web applications in various domains such as PHP, Laravel, magento and React JS. He loves to share his bylines through blogs. You can find his blogs on many famous websites.>
Modern software development relies on successful software testing services sessions. Postman is currently the best tool for challenging requests. It accomplishes your work involving primary APIs in diverse environments. A well-versed developer can undertake test automation and scripts with monitors. Organised and scheduled tests with team collaboration also can be conducted. They are critical for the efficiency, reliability, and overall effectiveness of this practical tool.
In the context of the increasingly interconnected global landscape, APIs have emerged as a crucial component in contemporary software growth practices. Consequently, API test has emerged as an essential element within the software development life cycle. Postman is widely recognized as a prominent means for API testing, owing to its considerable popularity and apparent advantages. This robust tool empowers developers to efficiently develop, and verify the (APIs).
By offering a straightforward interface as well as a comprehensive set of functionality, Postman makes it possible for developers and API testers to streamline the procedure of testing (APIs). It does not matter whether you have years of experience as a software engineer or are just starting in the field of API testing; it is necessary to have a basic grasp of Postman to make full use of its capabilities.
In this article, we will thoroughly examine the software tool known as Postman and delve into various strategies and techniques which could successfully harness its extensive capabilities.
Ahead we will augment your skill sets as an experienced developer. If you are new and learning to adapt, it will encourage you to explore a wide variety of features of this tool. Eventually, it will not just be the proverbial ‘Postman’ exchanging and delivering requests. It will become the ideal go-to API testing solution as you become a Postman guru.
Disclaimer:
We presume you have already installed Postman, the amazing tool for Application Programming Interface aka API testing. The following blog will only focus on the tool’s credibility for skilled developers. Using various features you can share requests, and create and test documents/files. The tool accepts requests to save complexities related to HTTP and read responses coming from the client-server.
POSTMAN Syntax
GET retrieves data from an API.
POST sends new data to an API.
PATCH and PUT update existing data.
DELETE removes existing data.
Agile software development has become the modern gold standard in programming and tech innovation. Known for its dynamic and flexible methodology, Agile is rooted in customer satisfaction, consistent delivery, teamwork, and the capacity to adapt to changes.
However, central to the Agile methodology is a component that often goes unappreciated – testing.
No matter how elegant or efficient the code is, thorough testing is necessary for it to succeed. This post will dive into the critical role of testing within Agile, demonstrating how it aligns with programming & source control best practices, such as using Git, implementing effective web development strategies, and leveraging Azure. By exploring various testing strategies, we aim to shine a light on enhancing your software development process for success.
Agile testing is a critical part of the Agile methodology. Unlike traditional testing methods, it is integrated into every stage of development rather than being a separate phase. This approach ensures that issues are identified and resolved quickly, facilitating a smoother development process.
The key principles of Agile testing include:
Unlike traditional testing methods that usually occur after coding is complete, Agile testing runs concurrently with development. This continuous, intertwined process allows for rapid adjustments, reduces bug accumulation, and ensures that the final product aligns more closely with user needs. Agile testing’s essence is flexibility, frequent communication, and adaptability, instrumental to successful software development.
Navigating the dynamic waters of Agile software development requires robust, adaptable testing strategies. These methods facilitate quality assurance, swift error detection, and effective communication, all while keeping the user’s needs at the forefront.
Read More »
While the software development process is going on. It is necessary to test various functions of the software repeatedly. Repeated testing ensures that the software is working in an intended manner and bugs (if present) are eliminated.
Many software development companies use smoke testing to find if the project is ready for end users’ use or if are there any more necessary changes in the software.
When in-depth testing is done, the chances of solving even the smallest bugs increase. In this article, we will understand what smoke testing is, along with its benefits, risks, and when to use this technique. So, let’s dive into this together.
Smoke test, aka, confidence testing, is a process to know the functionality, stability, integration ability, and efficiency of the project under development.
One can also call this process verification testing as the test checkers for errors with the software build. This technique generally involves multiple tests that testers can conduct manually or use automated test methods.
Testing different software components can enable the testers to discover breaches in the code issues without using more valuable assets. Smoke testing also helps the QA team to determine whether the software is ready to release or might require additional development and testing work.
Smoke testing is a process that is performed in the phase of software when it is released to the QA and testing team. Consider a situation where an eCommerce app is deployed in the testing phase, but when the tests are going on, it is found the user is not allowed to log into the app to proceed and perform different tasks; or one can say- the user is blocked from using the app because he/she is not able to perform basic login activities.
Then there is no meaning in performing detailed and exhaustive testing of other major modules of the app. First, the development team has to solve the issue where users cannot log in to the app. Such issues are determined and solved first while performing smoke testing.
Here are some prime reasons why smoke testing is used while developing software or an app:
Testing a web application ensures that each user can use the site. Web accessibility testing is a specialized test that ensures websites are effective in digital accessibility testing.
Additionally, guidelines for web accessibility testing are essential to follow. World Wide Web Consortium has set four rules for accessibility testing – perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. Plus, companies can use three conformance levels – A, AA, & AAA – in their testing life cycle.
A well-designed accessibility testing focuses on balancing the needs of people with disabilities – helps match the needs to best techniques, automate the test case and use clear language for expression.
1. MYTH: Website accessibility is expensive, plain, and boring
FACT: When you think of accessibility issues at the design stage, it reduces the cost. Accessibility does not mean that the site should contain only text. You can add more images and make them attractive and accessible for all.
2. MYTH: WCAG benefits people who have low vision or are blind
FACT: While ensuring that your site is accessible to all the people who are blind or have low vision, there’s no single access needed that dominates WCAG’s success criteria. Some disabilities may be permanent, while some temporary.
3. MYTH: Automated tools ensure complete site accessibility
FACT: No automated tool can help to solve total site accessibility. As such, these tools are cost-effective and can help to identify a broad range of issues across sites but keep in mind that 75% of WCAG site criteria – aren’t even tested.
4. MYTH: Developers are responsible for making a site accessible
FACT: Though developers play a central role, the responsibility of meeting WCAG success criteria rests on many people like – designers, content authors, UX specialists, and project managers. Making the sites accessible is a team effort.
5. MYTH: Using web content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) is vital to achieving WCAG conformance
FACT: Using the WCAG techniques is not important for achieving WCAG conformance. However, they can help you get closer to the goal to an extent. What matters is your digital assets meet the required WCAG success criteria.
6. MYTH: Converting the inaccessible site to an accessible one is time-consuming
FACT: It’s important to prioritize things and work on basic needs so it’s not time-consuming.
Web accessibility testing provides easy access to users with a disability and added challenges. It increases the audience reach and market share and improves efficiency and maintainability.
Moreover, you should follow different software testing trends. In short, by leveraging the emerging trends and implementing accessibility testing in the testing process, will help teams ensure the site’s content is accessible to all users without glitches.
Accessibility testing simplifies the process of navigation and how you can understand software and site needs. Moreover, it is for all users, and testing can be done for everyone.
Like other testing ways, you can do it manually or using different automation tools. However, it’s vital to check whether the guidelines are fulfilled or not and how user-friendly the process is.
<This is a guest post by Harikrishna Kundariya>
Author Bio:
Harikrishna Kundariya, a marketer, developer, IoT, ChatBot & Blockchain savvy,designer, co-founder,Director of eSparkBiz Technologies. His 12+ years of experience enables him to provide digital solutions to new start-ups based on IoT and SaaS applications.
It has been a while since I have made it to an in-person event. So, this one was extra special.
Though, a very busy week (or perhaps month 😛 ) left little time to prepare for my talk, I was excited for the day and to present in person, network and meet people at the conference. And the day matched my expectations!
It was really fun presenting to such an engaged crowd and I was amazed at the response and feedback I received during and after the session! There were some great discussions, very keen participants sharing their own stories & experiences and many fantastic comments by the delegates.
My Topic was – “Keep the Wheels of Continuous Testing in Motion”
Here are the details of the event and my session
The event was also a great platform to meet people and teams from esteemed organisations. I spent time chatting with very talented people and made some great connections.
I also took this opportunity to dust off my Sketch notes pad 🙂 I made sketchnotes for some interesting sessions of the day.
I thank 1point21GWS team for having me as a part of this esteemed speaker panel.
I am always grateful for opportunities like this and always look forward to more such days!
Happy Testing!
Nishi
<This is a guest post by Nishil Patel>
Digital development and customer experience run parallel with each other. Thus, businesses
across the world majorly focus on customer satisfaction as it is the only key to success. The
way businesses are operating has changed drastically in the past few years. However, it is
the one thing that will not change is the customer impact.
It means if your product or service doesn’t appeal to your audience, then you must focus on
improving them. There is no doubt that marketing will help you to some extent, but you will
not go too far. Significantly when it comes to software testing, customer experience is still a
priority. It is the base of the testing strategy that guides the testers and developers to
make it the best.
The customer-centric testing approach revolves around prioritizing the user experience over
rigid specifications and aims to automate exploratory testing to enhance speed and
scalability. In this approach, the main focus is on understanding and meeting the needs and
expectations of the customers.
This customer-centric testing approach goes beyond traditional testing methods that solely
rely on predefined test cases and requirements. Instead, it embraces a more adaptive and
dynamic approach that allows for continuous feedback and improvement.
By continuously monitoring and analyzing the user experience, testing teams can proactively identify areas of improvement and make data-driven decisions to enhance the overall user satisfaction.
By leveraging machine learning and AI, organizations can scale their testing efforts while
ensuring a high degree of accuracy and efficiency. The intelligent algorithms can process
vast amounts of data and provide actionable insights, enabling testing teams to optimize
their testing strategies and prioritize their efforts based on the most critical areas affecting
the user experience.
Customer experience plays a vital role in strategizing software testing. To understand how,
let’s have a look at the following points.
Businesses nowadays should be transparent for an effective communication flow with the
customers. A wide range of social media such as Twitter, Facebook, etc. provides you with
direct feedback. Furthermore, you can easily expand your target audience and improve
customer loyalty.
Every growing business focuses on improving customer behavior. It also helps in
understanding the current and upcoming demands. Gathering information such as
requirements, customer behavior, cultural behavior, etc. prompts innovation to bring new
ideas.
Just gathering feedback from the customers will do nothing. As an organization, you must
respond to them. The task of creating a positive impact becomes easy when you start
solving the doubts and problems. This feedback will lead the testing and development team
to know where they lack and rectify the issues smoothly.
