Everything has a lifecycle, from creation through retirement. In a similar vein, the software is also an entity, and just as its development has a series of processes, so does testing, which also contains steps that must be completed in a specific order. There are two main types of software testing: manual and automation testing
The software testing life cycle is a systematic, planned technique for carrying out testing tasks.
The Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC) is a testing procedure with specific steps that must be carried out in a predetermined order to guarantee that the quality objectives have been reached. Every task is completed in a planned and orderly manner. There are distinct objectives and outputs for each phase. Other groups in STLC go through different phases, but the fundamentals are the same.
The Software Testing Life Cycle is a quality assurance (QA) methodology that detects glitches, errors, or other software defects that may impact user experience and potential software vulnerabilities that undermine data security.
The testing team evaluates and specifies the scope of testing, entry and exit criteria, and test cases at the early stages of the STLC. At the same time, the software product or application is being developed. It improves product quality and speeds up the test cycle.
The testing team is prepared with test cases and starts the execution after the development phase is complete. This aids in early-stage bug discovery. Phases of the STLC may be repeated multiple times throughout a product’s development process before it is accepted for release.
Entry and Exit Criteria in STLC
- Entry Criteria: It outlines the steps that must be taken before the test can begin. It’s required to cross out each prerequisite before testing starts. Before testing can begin, there must be some ongoing activity. You must first get feedback from the development team. In addition, you must review your code, the test environment, test cases, and data.
- Exit Criteria: It outlines the tasks that must be finished before testing is completed. They include tasks to accomplish and procedures to finish before testing is over. The detection of high-priority flaws will be part of it. You’ll need to correct those as soon as possible. To guarantee complete functional coverage, testers must pass a variety of test scenarios.
All levels in the Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC) have entry and exit criteria.
Let’s look into the software testing life cycle phases in detail.
Phases of Software Testing Life Cycle
The phases of STLC are enumerated below:
- Requirements phase
- Planning Phase
- Analysis phase
- Design Phase
- Implementation Phase
- Execution Phase
- Conclusion Phase
- Closure Phase
1. Requirement phase
The assurance team examines the requirements, such as what needs to be tested, at this phase of the STLC. To ascertain whether the requirements are testable, brainstorming meetings with other teams are held. This aids in determining the testing’s scope. During this phase, it is notified whether any feature cannot be tested to develop a mitigation plan.
The quality assurance team interacts with the stakeholders to better understand the specific understanding of requirements if anything is missing or unclear.
2. Planning phase
This is the most effective phase of the software testing life cycle, where all test plans are established. During this stage, we choose the tasks and materials to help us achieve the testing goals. We also provide the metrics and the procedure for collecting and monitoring them. The testing team manager establishes the cost analysis and a projected timetable for testing during this phase. Once the requirement-gathering phase is finished, this phase is started.
In this stage, picking the appropriate automation tool for software testing is planned. For performing software testing, there are many tools on the market. When you wish to test at scale, choosing cloud-based automation testing solutions like LambdaTest is the ideal option.
LambdaTest provides a cloud-based platform for parallel testing across 3000+ browsers and OS. Both manual and automated testing can be carried out using it. The software automatically creates full-page screenshots of the web pages during the test cycle(s), which is a helpful resource for visual testing. It supports testing frameworks like Selenium, Playwright, Appium and more.
3. Analysis phase
This stage establishes “WHAT” will be tested. The test conditions are identified in this stage using the requirements document, product risks, and other test bases. The requirement should be able to be linked back to the test condition.
- The selection of test circumstances is influenced by a variety of factors:
- Test coverage and intensity
- The product’s level of complexity
- Project and product hazards
- testing oversight
- associated with the software development life cycle.
- Team knowledge and proficiency.
- The stakeholders’ accessibility.
We should accurately and elaborately document the test circumstances.
As test cases will be written depending on the test condition, writing detailed test conditions increases test coverage. These specifics will inspire the creation of more intricate test cases, hence expanding coverage.
Recognize the testing’s exit criteria, i.e., decide under what circumstances you’ll terminate the test.
4. Design Phase
The testing process’s design is laid out in this phase. The following tasks are part of this phase:
- Identification and informational test receipt.
- Describing and setting up the ideal test environment.
- Create the metrics for test coverage.
- Create the necessary traceability metrics.
- Create metrics for test coverage.
5. Implementation Phase
The creation of thorough test cases, their prioritization, and the selection of the test case that will be a component of the regression suite are all covered in this step before the test scenario is complete. To make sure the test cases are correct, it is essential to review them. Additionally, it’s crucial to approve the test cases before the actual execution starts.
If your project calls for automation, choose the test cases that should be automated, then continue by scripting the test cases and reviewing them.
6. Execution Phase
This stage of the software testing life cycle is when the actual execution happens, as the name suggests. Make sure your entrance requirement is satisfied before you start your execution. Execute the test cases after that, and record any discovered flaws. Fill up your traceability metrics simultaneously to monitor your progress.
7. Conclusion Phase
The exit criteria and reporting are the main topics of this stage. Depending on your project and the preferences of your stakeholders, you can choose to send a daily report or weekly report when it comes to reporting.
There are different reports you can send (DSRs, Daily Status Reports, WSRs, or Weekly Status Reports), but the important thing to remember is that the reports’ contents vary depending on who you send them to.
Include technical information in your report so that the project managers will be more concerned with it if they deal with the testing background ( number of test cases passed, failed, flaws raised, etc.).
Describe the risks to higher-level stakeholders if you are reporting to them about the things that have been eliminated through testing, as they might not be particularly interested in the project’s technical aspects.
Therefore, to summarize, the conclusion phase mainly entails the following:
- Providing accurate test results and data
- Identifying the risks that are reduced
8. Closure phase
The STLC is now in its final stage. The following are the tasks for the closure activities:
- Make sure the exam is finished. Verify that each test case is carried out or effectively mitigated.
- Make sure there isn’t even a minor defect open.
- Matrix tests.
- Hold discussions about the lessons you’ve learned and write them down. (Include anything that worked well, any areas for improvement, and what can be done to improve it.)
- Results of the test.
Conclusion
The software testing life cycle is in place for a reason: a thorough understanding of the phases of the STLC enables the team to organize their work effectively, provide accurate estimates to the customer, and know which outcomes to expect at each point of the process.
The product owner can also benefit from being aware of the software testing phases because it helps them make accurate time and cost estimates. When working with an external software testing team, where the client cannot reasonably have as much influence over daily operations as they would have with an internal team, this can be extremely helpful.
The quality of a company’s software today determines both its revenue and reputation. Thus quality assurance must be given top priority. Businesses cannot afford to spend weeks on QA and recreate the entire project after it has already been developed because the software industry is continuously evolving and introducing innovations regularly. STLC provides you with a product that is practical, effective, and in line with business needs, increasing client happiness and, as a result, revenue.
To make the testing procedure infallible, it is crucial to utilize time and resources effectively. Using a methodical STLC, you may swiftly address issues and increase the caliber of your work.
