Software testing is an integral part of software development; it helps to uncover bugs and discrepancies which can compromise the quality of the application. As developer work relentlessly to create software, the quality assurance team must collaborate with them to ensure that there are no bugs in the development process. They could perform manual testing to check the codes step by step or leave it to computer software through test automation.

Test automation has become the more-preferred option for organizations to handle the tedious, time-consuming, and resource-intensive task of software testing. However, without a proper test automation guide, there could be errors that cause the test automation to become ineffective over time. These mistakes could reduce the efficiency of the software testing process and impact the software development process.

Common Mistakes to Avoid During Software Testing

Here are some of the common mistakes to avoid when selecting a software approach for your business.

Starting Without a Test Plan 

One of the common mistakes that software testers make is starting without a test plan and failing to understand what the software testing process entails. [Software quality assurance](https://www.simplilearn.com/software-quality-assurance-article#:~:text=Software%20quality%20assurance%20(or%20SQA,established%20and%20standardized%20quality%20specifications.) testing is split into different tasks. For instance, functional testing is the aspect of software testing that focuses on features and functionality rather than code. In the same way, performance testing and security testing focus on other areas of the software. 

As a result, it is crucial to make a test plan and decide on the type of testing. A proper test automation guide will outline an effective strategy for setting up test environments, including configurations and test data preparation to reduce time-to-market while ensuring their products exhibit enhanced functionality and performance over time. In addition, you should make enough time for proper testing so that you can cover every part of the project. If you postpone testing till the end of the problem, you will most likely find bugs and problems. Testing early helps you to find bugs early and fix them.

Selecting the Wrong Automation Tool

Choosing an automation tool that isn’t the right fit for your project can reduce the efficiency of your software testing. Some of the most common factors that lead to poor decision-making and tool selection are:

• The requirements of the software testing are not analyzed thoroughly

• The test tool requirements are not stated properly

• The cost-benefit analysis was not properly done, or the automation tool was selected because it was from an open-source vendor.

• Vendor evaluation was not performed

You can avoid these mistakes by performing a thorough automation tool and vendor evaluation before you commit to the tool. An automation tool may have excellent features and falls within the appropriate range, however, that doesn’t mean that it would be a great fit for you. You will also need to check if the product has sufficient product support for your product. 

When deciding on which tool to use, you should also consider the advice and feedback from people who have used them for past projects. 

Poor Documentation or Not Enough Documentation

It is important to have detailed, well-written documentation that explains the project’s requirements and functionalities. Documentation helps the developers to keep the developers on the same page as other members of the team. If you don’t know how to do it, it is a great idea to contract the job to a technical writer. 

Documentation records the progress in the software development process. If you have enough documentation about the project, there is a chance that the software testing team will work ineffectively or even skip some tasks. It can result in functions being tested multiple times for no purpose with others not completely tested or even omitted altogether.

Ignoring False Positive and False Negative Results 

Not all tests can be automated, especially tests that provide false positive and negative results. A false positive occurs when the test is a success even when the test scenario didn’t go as expected. In the same way, a false negative is when the tail fails even when the test scenario goes as expected. 

If your test automation produces false positives and negatives, then it means that your results aren’t reliable. In this situation, you should consider manual testing to verify the results of the automation. 

Not Maintaining Test Results from Previous Test Runs 

Should you keep old test results? The answer is yes. It is easy to believe that old test results lose relevance after the test run. However, old test results from previous test executions can provide a benchmark for new test results. 

This will help you to easily find injections in the products. For instance, if you find a break during a new test run, you can check the test results from the previous test runs to discover the injection change that caused the break. This will help you solve the problem. You do not need to keep all results from the previous tests, but maintaining the most recent results may provide insights to solve future problems.

Conclusion 

Software testing aims to eliminate bugs and defects during software development. However, its efficiency may be marred by mistakes by the tester or the developer. It is important to watch out for errors and utilize proper agile testing practices to get valuable test results that spur the creation of bug-free software.