DZone
Thanks for visiting DZone today,
Edit Profile
  • Manage Email Subscriptions
  • How to Post to DZone
  • Article Submission Guidelines
Sign Out View Profile
  • Post an Article
  • Manage My Drafts
Over 2 million developers have joined DZone.
Log In / Join
Refcards Trend Reports
Events Video Library
Over 2 million developers have joined DZone. Join Today! Thanks for visiting DZone today,
Edit Profile Manage Email Subscriptions Moderation Admin Console How to Post to DZone Article Submission Guidelines
View Profile
Sign Out
Refcards
Trend Reports
Events
View Events Video Library
Zones
Culture and Methodologies Agile Career Development Methodologies Team Management
Data Engineering AI/ML Big Data Data Databases IoT
Software Design and Architecture Cloud Architecture Containers Integration Microservices Performance Security
Coding Frameworks Java JavaScript Languages Tools
Testing, Deployment, and Maintenance Deployment DevOps and CI/CD Maintenance Monitoring and Observability Testing, Tools, and Frameworks
Culture and Methodologies
Agile Career Development Methodologies Team Management
Data Engineering
AI/ML Big Data Data Databases IoT
Software Design and Architecture
Cloud Architecture Containers Integration Microservices Performance Security
Coding
Frameworks Java JavaScript Languages Tools
Testing, Deployment, and Maintenance
Deployment DevOps and CI/CD Maintenance Monitoring and Observability Testing, Tools, and Frameworks

Integrating PostgreSQL Databases with ANF: Join this workshop to learn how to create a PostgreSQL server using Instaclustr’s managed service

Mobile Database Essentials: Assess data needs, storage requirements, and more when leveraging databases for cloud and edge applications.

Monitoring and Observability for LLMs: Datadog and Google Cloud discuss how to achieve optimal AI model performance.

Automated Testing: The latest on architecture, TDD, and the benefits of AI and low-code tools.

Related

  • Impact Of ChatGPT on Software Testing Companies
  • 2023 Software Testing Trends: A Look Ahead at the Industry's Future
  • Automation Testing: The Bright Future of Software Testing
  • How Can Artificial Intelligence Transform Software Testing?

Trending

  • Distributed Tracing Best Practices
  • Five Free AI Tools for Programmers to 10X Their Productivity
  • Streamlined Infrastructure Deployment: Harnessing the Power of Terraform and Feature Toggles
  • Beyond the Prompt: Unmasking Prompt Injections in Large Language Models
  1. DZone
  2. Testing, Deployment, and Maintenance
  3. Testing, Tools, and Frameworks
  4. Prioritizing Tests and Tasks With Software Testing

Prioritizing Tests and Tasks With Software Testing

QA testers are constantly under pressure to deliver quality software and track bugs, so learn how to effectively prioritize to make the most of your time.

Sanjay Zalavadia user avatar by
Sanjay Zalavadia
·
Jun. 04, 15 · Interview
Like (0)
Save
Tweet
Share
5.74K Views

Join the DZone community and get the full member experience.

Join For Free

There's a lot of ground for software testers to cover on any given project, so it's understandable when even some of the most experienced quality assurance veterans feel paralysis at the outset of development. Add in the tight release deadlines that have become a hallmark of the industry, and you have a recipe for testers becoming bogged down in too much work with too little time. That's why it's never been more crucial for QA teams to properly prioritize tests and tasks.

When prioritizing software tests and QA tasks, it's important that team leaders look at what aspects of an application pose the greatest threat to its performance. Methods & Tools contributor Hans Schaefer suggested that software testers evaluate risk by looking at both the likelihood of a given component failing and the damage that such an issue would cause. Areas of the software are critical to core functionality are good places to prioritize, especially if their failure would have very real, tangible ramifications for users.

"Such failures may deal with large financial losses or even damage to human life," Schaefer explained. "An example would be the gross uncoupling of all subscribers to the telephone network on a special date. Failures leading to loosing the license, i.e. authorities closing down the business, are part of this class. Serious legal consequences may also belong here."

Prioritizing with little time
When QA teams have little or no time to carry out testing processes, they may not be able to conduct the thorough analysis needed to comprehensively determine priority levels. Under these circumstances, TechTarget contributor Scott Barber suggested that testers first quickly create a short list of the different ways the software will be used. In addition, they should include parts of the software that are either the most critical to performance, beholden to regulatory bodies or most likely to house catastrophic defects.

Software testers should then prioritize this list by need and the frequency with which certain scenarios appear. At that point, teams can then look over their test cases and shelve the ones that are not absolutely essential to meeting the needs of the prioritized list. This process shouldn't take very long and will leave QA teams with a short to-do list that will ensure the core functionality and performance of the in-development software.

Some test management methods are better than others
Under circumstances where time is of the essence, QA leaders need to be cognizant of how they approach test management as well. Not all testing methods are ideal when working under the gun and trying to value the quality of defects over quantity. Schaefer argued that teams be especially mindful of the testing strategies they leverage when attempting to maximize their output.

"The problem with most systematic test methods, like white box testing, or black box methods like equivalence partitioning, boundary value analysis or cause-effect graphing, is that they generate too many test cases, some of which are less important," Schaefer stated. "A way to lessen the test load is finding the most important functional areas and product properties."

At the end of the day, one of the most important things to keep in mind when prioritizing tests is to stay calm and approach things pragmatically. Speed is crucial, but so is accurately separating essential needs and tools from those that can be temporarily sidelined.

Testing Software Software testing Task (computing)

Published at DZone with permission of Sanjay Zalavadia, DZone MVB. See the original article here.

Opinions expressed by DZone contributors are their own.

Related

  • Impact Of ChatGPT on Software Testing Companies
  • 2023 Software Testing Trends: A Look Ahead at the Industry's Future
  • Automation Testing: The Bright Future of Software Testing
  • How Can Artificial Intelligence Transform Software Testing?

Comments

Partner Resources

X

ABOUT US

  • About DZone
  • Send feedback
  • Careers
  • Sitemap

ADVERTISE

  • Advertise with DZone

CONTRIBUTE ON DZONE

  • Article Submission Guidelines
  • Become a Contributor
  • Visit the Writers' Zone

LEGAL

  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy

CONTACT US

  • 3343 Perimeter Hill Drive
  • Suite 100
  • Nashville, TN 37211
  • support@dzone.com

Let's be friends: