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17Nov

Test Automation and Calculating ROI: Automated Tests’ Role in Improving the Return of Investments

Calculating ROI (Return of Investment) is important for business owners. It judges how well an investment has performed and evaluates the efficiency of the overall project. Amongst its many purposes, QA (Quality Assurance) has to do with increasing the ROI for clients. And relying on better means of testing asserts this benefit, including many other financial gains. In this article, we will discuss how test automation is helping business owners increase their ROI levels and our role at Q-pros to increase and satisfy our clients' ROI. Test Automation as a Cost-effective Tool Limiting the dependency on manual means is a top priority for any company looking to save on project budgets. Working with automated tools not only results in more accurate findings but also cuts a substantial amount of cost compared to manual processes. Take for example Regression testing. If you were to consider doing regression testing manually, you would have to bear in mind the large amount of data to be tested each time a change occurred internally. This results in more labor- hence more time and cost - and a higher chance of inaccuracy. With all the benefits that automated testing carries over manual testing, manual testing is far from being completely canceled. The need for hands-on procedures is necessary. Because at the end of the day, applications will eventually be used by humans! and for that reason, testing phases adopt many manual testing methods to verify defects and ensure quality. Calculating Automated Testing ROI As mentioned, not only does automation testing cut time and cost, but it also guarantees better results, improving the overall quality of the product. Manual testing will always carry the risk of missing specific defects and causing the quality to go down or simply requiring more tests and more time. cumulated costs over time - Source: methodsandtools.com Significant metrics to calculate automated testing ROI include: Measuring the quality of the product (e.g., improving MTTD (Mean Time to Detection) Cost analysis. cutting back on hardware and software costs by unifying the work through singular or lesser channels The speed of test execution. Limiting test duration and manual tests. Software testing is constantly evolving. Automated testing tools are getting better and better at doing their job. This means that calculating ROI could hold more in its criteria than what it does now. How to Calculating ROI (ROI Formula) ROI is the ratio between the net income and the initial investment. The higher the ROI, the better. It means the investment has compared favorably to the costs. ROI is a great metric to evaluate the efficiency of the investment in comparison to other different several investments. To calculate Automated testing ROI, we rely on the following formula: ROI = Savings ÷ Investment Savings: The amount accumulated by replacing manual tests with automated tests. Savings = (time to run one manual test case - time to run one automated test case) * number of tests * number of runs Investment: The costs piped into setting up test automation channels. Investment = time to build framework + (time to code one automated test * number of tests) + maintenance costs (Maintenance costs include the cost it takes to fix failed tests and false positive tests) In Conclusion ROI is a solid identifier for the success of a project. By relying on automated testing, you not only increase the ROI and save on costs, but you also ensure better quality for the product. There is more than one way to recognize the actual benefit of automated testing, one is calculating ROI concerning the actual amount of investment and in comparison, with manual methods. Q-Pros is a leading Quality Assurance and testing service provider, know more about us and check out our list of offers that will help you increase ROI for your projects. Read another blog: What is The Global Star Rating System? ...

15Nov

Load Testing vs Stress Testing: What is the Difference?

by q-pros

in QA Comparisons

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In the software quality assurance field, two terms seem to stick out the most, “load testing and stress testing” - It is on any client’s top priority list to make certain that their application can handle larger levels of usage and maintain all factors of quality. Our methods at Q-Pros guarantee that software applications are set and ready for extreme scenarios for future users. In this article, we will investigate and differentiate the two tests we conduct to eliminate the possibility of such malfunctions as overloading and stress, which cause the application to either stop performing and crash, or to perform slower and force users to uninstall the application altogether. What is Load Testing? A load test will help us understand how an application behaves under expected loads. In other words, it allows us to monitor the overall performance of the application under the basic demands of real users. Load testing is not concerned with overusing the application, but it is all about measuring the performance stats under what is expected of the application. This is done via requesting several demands from the application and then investigating the speed at which it accomplishes its required responses. Load testing helps determine the bottlenecks of applications. Load testing comes in handy in certain periods of the application's usage. For example, your application might have a standard number of users most of the time, but it is not until there is an update or an offer in which will cause the number of users to spike up, take for instance a government portal in which there was a certain event that caused citizens to suddenly request an official paper, or a shopping application on black Friday. Having a good testing foundation firsthand allows you to prepare for all kinds of circumstances, and it will guarantee an increase in ROI (Return of Investment). What is Stress Testing? Stress testing allows us to identify the breaking point of the application. Breaking points are the maximum level of load an application can endure before failure. The benefit of stress testing is not only to inform companies of their application’s limitations but also to make use of such results and scale up the application based on the data gathered from stress testing. For example, knowing the breaking points allows developers to make certain changes in the application's behavior before the breaking point is reached to allow for adjustments and adaptation and avoid extreme results. This in return evaluates the robustness of the application. Stress testing is necessary for developers to know what features break first in case of extreme stress. Knowing that will help them act accordingly to make sure that no permanent crashes occur and to limit the possibility of catastrophic events. What are the differences between Load Testing and Stress Testing? Load Testing is more of an organic approach. It is not concerned with breaking the application as much as it is concerned with finding out if the application has covered its basic requirements of handling the expected levels of load. Load testing is essential for companies because it asserts confidence in the application in case of future challenges. On the other hand, Stress testing is mainly concerned with finding an application's upper limit. Stress Testing helps us determine where the application is most likely to have some sort of failure, and by doing so, it evaluates the robustness of the application. Stress testing also allows developers to enhance the application's behavior by knowing how it will react in case of failure due to maximum usage. Both load testing and stress testing are essential for companies, especially when dealing with bigger service applications that will require more usage and constant maintenance/updates. At Q-Pros, we rely on a team of testing experts using the best testing tools to achieve the best results. If you want to learn more about Load & Stress testing, request service now via our list of offers. https://q-pros.com/online-test-request/ ...

10Nov

What is Accessibility Testing: An Introduction

by q-pros

in software testing

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With most services becoming digitized, the dependency on mobile applications and online services is growing. It used to be the case that we would have traditional alternatives to compensate for the lack of availability of a digital medium. But even the most basic services are becoming solely available through digital means. Taking this level of dependency into consideration, we must think about and put in mind the various and diverse nature of users-Abled and Disabled- And with that notion in mind, Q-Pros believes that all software applications must be accessible and available for usage for all users, and we set out to make sure that everyone has the right to an efficient digital experience. In this article, we will discuss a software testing type called Accessibility Testing, what it means and how we do it. Why is it Important to Test Accessibility? Based on statistics published by the world bank, 15% of the planet’s population undergo some sort of disability, which amounts to over one billion people. For that reason alone, we really must take accessibility seriously to make sure our applications and digital services in general are usable by all people regardless of capability. Types of Disabilities Physical Disability - The type of disability that affects people's ability to interact with applications on a hardware level. Cognitive Disabilities - The type of disability that involves having difficulties in understanding and expressing, as well as having a poor memory. This leaves the user incapable of performing basic tasks. Eyesight Disabilities - This Involves visual impairments or blindness. Hearing Disabilities - The incapacity to hear, whether partially hearing aids or complete deafness. Temporary Disabilities - A disability caused by accidents or environmental conditions. How to Perform Accessibility Testing? The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has determined a set of guidelines called (The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)) which most organizations must follow to make their applications compatible and accessible to people with special needs. These guidelines should be followed through each phase of the SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle) and be listed in Non-Functional Testing Practices. Physical Disability The criteria to overcome physical disability challenges through accessibility testing are as follows: Making sure to have an efficient keyboard option for people with speech impediments Testing voice recognition software Applications should offer an option for human help that can be requested easily by people with special needs Testing the applications while using special hardware that is manufactured for people with motor disabilities Cognitive Disability Make sure the applications are simple and not too complicated to use Make sure to have clear menus that users can easily choose from to reach certain places and take advantage of all services Having media components such as images and graphs to make sure to explain the context of the application Make it clear that the application offers help options, including that of human contact Take the user’s journey to complete an action and make sure there were no limiting or distracting factors throughout the usage Eye-sight Disability Make sure to have text to audio option and testing its efficiency Make sure to include magnifiers Making sure that the fonts used are compliant with WAI standards for clarity Having a filter that takes into consideration people with color blindness Hearing Disability Having an alert system that can function without the need for sound, visual, or vibration alerts Making sure to include sign language options for essential services Audio-to-text option Accessibility Testing Tools To align all the disabilities with WC3 standards and validate the success of the testing process we rely on multiple tools some of which are open-source and available for all users. Some of the most prominent tools used to achieve accessibly compliance are: Screen Readers Screen readers will give a detailed narration of everything on a web page. This includes texts, links, images, buttons, etc. Here are some screen readers you can use to leverage accessibly in an application: IE and Chrome: JAWS (Job Access With Speech) Safari: Voice Over iPhone: Voice Over Android: Talkback Color Contrast Analyzer (CCA) Color Contrast Analyzer helps in establishing a contrast between foreground and background colors, enhancing clarity, and making things easier for people with sight disabilities and all users in general. Screen Magnification People with limited vision have a tough time reading text at certain sizes, which is why it is important to have an option where users can magnify them to have a clearer UI/UX. Some of the tools we could use to magnify screens are: Magnifier App in Windows Zoom option in macOS Speech Recognition Tools Speech recognition tools are used to transfer audio commands by users to applications. These commands could include data entry/input, buttons, opening the applications, and other actions. Good tools to use for speech recognition are: Windows Speech Recognition Apple Dictation Dragon Axe Browser Plugin Axe scans web pages to validate compliance with WCAG 2 (Web Content Guidelines 2) and reports any violations. Axe is a plugin for Chrome and Firefox. The Axe-Chrome extension is an open-source JavaScript library. In Conclusion It is without a doubt essential to even the plain view for all users regardless of disabilities. The foundation of Quality Assurance and Software Testing has always been to eliminate the possibility of bugs and defects, and up the quality level of applications overall, the latter can only be achieved by putting people with disabilities at the top of our lists to validate the success of any testing project. Accessibility Testing results in giving equal rights in the digital world and helps us include as many users as possible. Q-Pros is a Testing service provider with years of experience pioneering in the field. Learn more about Software Testing and get to know more about us. ...

03Nov

What is Security Testing? Definition & Methodologies

by q-pros

in Types of Testing

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One of the most important properties of software is security. This varies in broader terms to include multiple aspects, from financial information to personal information and data storage, and for those reasons, security must be taken seriously. In this article, we will define security testing, investigate its several types, and how we at Q-Pros approach security testing in the scope of software testing and QA. What is Security Testing? Security testing is a type of software testing that focuses on revealing any potential vulnerabilities and weaknesses concerning security aspects, including data loss from deliberate attacks or system errors. The goal of security testing is to conduct friendly fire on the system to make sure it is set and ready for real-time action and possible failures and survive such scenarios without harming sensitive attributes. Any system that deals with authentication-based activities (Accounts, subscriptions ...

01Nov

Important Metrics & KPIs for Software Quality Assurance

by q-pros

in QA Tips

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The success of any software product relies heavily on how well its quality is measured. The efficiency of the testing process is a key factor in ensuring revenue. Knowing what differentiates a good testing procedure and a bad one means we must have extensive knowledge of various software testing metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs). KPIs will help us determine the fittingness and suitability of the testing team and the testing types provided. As a leading software testing provider, Q-Pros follows extensive criteria to define a successful testing process. Our metrics range from team members' efficiency to solid academic and rhetorical factors based on universal standards. In this article, we will investigate the metrics and KPIs of software testing that any application should cover to be suitable for release. Here are the KPIs & Metrics that should be on top of any testing team’s checklist: Derivative Metrics - Derivative metrics are identifiers that allow the testing team to increase the accuracy of their testing process. Defect Density - Defect density measures the number of issues faced concerning a fixed period, this helps the testing team decide if an application is ready for post-production stages or if it might require more testing. A formula used to know the Defect Density is Defect count divided by the size of release divided by module. Defect Removal Efficiency - Defect removal efficiency (DRE) is the number of defects that a developer can remove before the official release date. In other words, it is the number of defects resolved divided by the number of defects at the current time of measurement. DRE is calculated across the test phases. Defect Category - It is essential to categorize the aspects of the software we are testing for, such as performance, functionality, or reliability, and many more. Review Efficiency - Review efficiency involves documentation of defects; it aims to decrease the probability of defect leakage in subsequent stages of testing. (RE) = Total number of review defects / (Total number of review defects + Total number of testing defects) x 100. Time to Test – Time of test is a key performance indicator that helps the testing team know the amount of time it takes to transition from the stage of testing to the stage of completion. It also allows us to know the level of effectiveness that the testing team operates on. Test Instances - A KPIs that measures the number of instances available in a test set, this helps increase the velocity of test execution plans. Passed Tests– This KPIs is measured by monitoring the implementation of every configuration within a test. It measures how well those configurations are in detecting the defects during the testing phases. Defects Fixed per Day - This KPIs, as the name indicates, is measuring or keeping track of the total number of defects fixed daily, this helps us monitor the progress of the overall project. Test Coverage - The test Coverage metric allows to define the level to which the software's complete functionality is tested. It resembles the completion of testing activities and would later be used as criteria of which we decide on a test as concluded. Requirement Coverage is (Number of requirements covered divided by the total number of requirements) x 100 Defect Resolution Time - This KPIs involves measuring the time it takes the testing team to verify a fix of a defect. This KPI helps us highlight where certain team members' efforts are directed and how long it takes them to resolve certain tasks. Test Economic Metrics - Testing is associated with cost, and testing procedures, by nature, slow the production by adding various steps in between the production era. Several metrics should be put in mind prior to deciding the testing approach adopted: The overall cost of testing How much it would vary in execution to the estimated budget Variance from the schedule Cost per bug The cost of not conducting any test Test Team Metrics - This set of metrics simply concludes how well the testing team is working, this could help us acquire information about certain team members or entire team sections involved in a specific area of the test. In return, this provides a way for us to empower the team in certain required areas and sustain a stronger bond between team members. These metrics include but are not limited to: The number of test cases conducted by each team member Test cases directed to each test team member Returned defects are distributed to team members Active Defects– This KPI includes identifying the open or fixed defects. Automated Testing - It is mandatory for every testing team to segregate high-priority defects that require automated means for testing. Test Case Quality - Both a metric and a KPI, measuring a test case Quality helps us evaluate test cases in accordance with the desired result. To accomplish test case quality, we rely on the following: Tests should be written and organized in a report, this report will include findings regarding defects and bugs. Test requirements should be pre-established. Testing data must cover all probable scenarios. Testing data must cover Pass/Fail scenarios. Summary These Metrics and Key performance indicators are the "Make it or break it" factor to the success of any testing company. Knowing the measure of success on every level of the project gives excellent results in the end. Implementing software testing metrics and key performance indicators will increase the effectiveness of the testing efforts. At Q-Pros, we take pride in involving experts who are extensively knowledgeable about all metrics and KPIs. Know more about us and request one of our services. ...