Test report

1 Test Report A Test Report is a document that is prepared once the testing of a software product is complete and the delivery is to be made to the customer. This document would contain a summary of the entire project and would have to be presented in a way that any person who has not worked on the project would also get a good overview of the testing effort. Contents of a Test Report The contents of a test report are as follows: Executive Summary Overview Application Overview Testing Scope Test Details Test Approach Types of testing conducted Test Environment Tools Used Metrics Test Results Test Deliverables Recommendations These sections are explained as follows: 1.1 Executive Summary This section would comprise of general information regarding the project, the client, the application, tools and people involved in such a way that it can be taken as a summary of the Test Report itself (i.e.) all the topics mentioned here would be elaborated in the various sections of the report. 1. Overview This comprises of 2 sections – Application Overview and Testing Scope. Application Overview – This would include detailed information on the application under test, the end users and a brief outline of the functionality as well. Testing Scope – This would clearly outline the areas of the application that would / would not be tested by the QA team. This is done so that there would not be any misunderstandings between customer and QA as regards what needs to be tested and what does not need to be tested. This section would also contain information of Operating System / Browser combinations if Compatibility testing is included in the testing effort. 2. Test Details This section would contain the Test Approach, Types of Testing conducted, Test Environment and Tools Used. Test Approach – This would discuss the strategy followed for executing the project. This could include information on how coordination was achieved between Onsite and Offshore teams, any innovative methods used for automation or for reducing repetitive workload on the testers, how information and daily / weekly deliverables were delivered to the client etc. Types of testing conducted – This section would mention any specific types of testing performed (i.e.) Functional, Compatibility, Performance, Usability etc along with related specifications. Test Environment – This would contain information on the Hardware and Software requirements for the project (i.e.) server configuration, client machine configuration, specific software installations required etc. Tools used – This section would include information on any tools that were used for testing the project. They could be functional or performance testing automation tools, defect management tools, project tracking tools or any other tools which made the testing work easier. 3. Metrics This section would include details on total number of test cases executed in the course of the project, number of defects found etc. Calculations like defects found per test case or number of test cases executed per day per person etc would also be entered in this section. This can be used in calculating the efficiency of the testing effort. 4. Test Results This section is similar to the Metrics section, but is more for showcasing the salient features of the testing effort. Incase many defects have been logged for the project, graphs can be generated accordingly and depicted in this section. The graphs can be for Defects per build, Defects based on severity, Defects based on Status (i.e.) how many were fixed and how many rejected etc. 5. Test Deliverables This section would include links to the various documents prepared in the course of the testing project (i.e.) Test Plan, Test Procedures, Test Logs, Release Report etc. 6. Recommendations This section would include any recommendations from the QA team to the client on the product tested. It could also mention the list of known defects which have been logged by QA but not yet fixed by the development team so that they can be taken care of in the next release of the application. 2 Defect Management 2.1 Defect A mismatch in the application and its specification is a defect. A software error is present when the program does not do what its end user expects it to do. 2.2 Defect Fundamentals A Defect is a product anomaly or flaw. Defects include such things as omissions and imperfections found during testing phases. Symptoms (flaws) of faults contained in software that is sufficiently mature for production will be considered as defects. Deviations from expectation that is to be tracked and resolved is also termed a defect. An evaluation of defects discovered during testing provides the best indication of software quality. Quality is the indication of how well the system meets the requirements. So in this context defects are identified as any failure to meet the system requirements. Defect evaluation is based on methods that range from simple number count to rigorous statistical modeling. Rigorous evaluation uses assumptions about the arrival or discovery rates of defects during the testing process. The actual data about defect rates are then fit to the model. Such an evaluation estimates the current system reliability and predicts how the reliability will grow if testing and defect removal continue. This evaluation is described as system reliability growth modelling 2.2.1 Defect Life Cycle 2.3 Defect Tracking After a defect has been found, it must be reported to development so that it can be fixed.  The Initial State of a defect will be ‘New’.  The Project Lead of the development team will review the defect and set it to one of the following statuses: Open – Accepts the bug and assigns it to a developer. Invalid Bug – The reported bug is not valid one as per the requirements/design As Designed – This is an intended functionality as per the requirements/design Deferred –This will be an enhancement. Duplicate – The bug has already been reported. Document – Once it is set to any of the above statuses apart from Open, and the testing team does not agree with the development team it is set to document status.  Once the development team has started working on the defect the status is set to WIP ((Work in Progress) or if the development team is waiting for a go ahead or some technical feedback, they will set to Dev Waiting  After the development team has fixed the defect, the status is set to FIXED, which means the defect is ready to re-test.  On re-testing the defect, and the defect still exists, the status is set to REOPENED, which will follow the same cycle as an open defect.  If the fixed defect satisfies the requirements/passes the test case, it is set to Closed. 2.4 Defect Classification The severity of bugs will be classified as follows: Critical The problem prevents further processing and testing. The Development Team must be informed immediately and they need to take corrective action immediately. High The problem affects selected processing to a significant degree, making it inoperable, Cause data loss, or could cause a user to make an incorrect decision or entry. The Development Team must be informed that day, and they need to take corrective action within 0 – 24 hours. Medium The problem affects selected processing, but has a work-around that allows continued processing and testing. No data loss is suffered. These may be cosmetic problems that hamper usability or divulge client-specific information. The Development Team must be informed within 24 hours, and they need to take corrective action within 24 - 48 hours. Low The problem is cosmetic, and/or does not affect further processing and testing. The Development Team must be informed within 48 hours, and they need to take corrective action within 48 - 96 hours. 2.5 Defect Reporting Guidelines The key to making a good report is providing the development staff with as much information as necessary to reproduce the bug. This can be broken down into 5 points: 1) Give a brief description of the problem 2) List the steps that are needed to reproduce the bug or problem 3) Supply all relevant information such as version, project and data used. 4) Supply a copy of all relevant reports and data including copies of the expected results. 5) Summarize what you think the problem is. When you are reporting a defect the more information you supply, the easier it will be for the developers to determine the problem and fix it. Simple problems can have a simple report, but the more complex the problem– the more information the developer is going to need. For example: cosmetic errors may only require a brief description of the screen, how to get it and what needs to be changed. However, an error in processing will require a more detailed description, such as: 1) The name of the process and how to get to it. 2) Documentation on what was expected. (Expected results) 3) The source of the expected results, if available. This includes spread sheets, an earlier version of the software and any formulas used) 4) Documentation on what actually happened. (Perceived results) 5) An explanation of how the results differed. 6) Identify the individual items that are wrong. 7) If specific data is involved, a copy of the data both before and after the process should be included. 8) Copies of any output should be included. As a rule the detail of your report will increase based on a) the severity of the bug, b) the level of the processing, c) the complexity of reproducing the bug. Anatomy of a bug report Bug reports need to do more than just describe the bug. They have to give developers something to work with so that they can successfully reproduce the problem. In most cases the more information– correct information– given the better. The report should explain exactly how to reproduce the problem and an explanation of exactly what the problem is. The basic items in a report are as follows: Version: This is very important. In most cases the product is not static, developers will have been working on it and if they’ve found a bug– it may already have been reported or even fixed. In either case, they need to know which version to use when testing out the bug. Product: If you are developing more than one product– Identify the product in question. Data: Unless you are reporting something very simple, such as a cosmetic error on a screen, you should include a dataset that exhibits the error. If you’re reporting a processing error, you should include two versions of the dataset, one before the process and one after. If the dataset from before the process is not included, developers will be forced to try and find the bug based on forensic evidence. With the data, developers can trace what is happening. Steps: List the steps taken to recreate the bug. Include all proper menu names, don’t abbreviate and don’t assume anything. After you’ve finished writing down the steps, follow them - make sure you’ve included everything you type and do to get to the problem. If there are parameters, list them. If you have to enter any data, supply the exact data entered. Go through the process again and see if there are any steps that can be removed. When you report the steps they should be the clearest steps to recreating the bug. Description: Explain what is wrong - Try to weed out any extraneous information, but detail what is wrong. Include a list of what was expected. Remember report one problem at a time, don’t combine bugs in one report. Supporting documentation: If available, supply documentation. If the process is a report, include a copy of the report with the problem areas highlighted. Include what you expected. If you have a report to compare against, include it and its source information (if it’s a printout from a previous version, include the version number and the dataset used) This information should be stored in a centralized location so that Developers and Testers have access to the information. The developers need it to reproduce the bug, identify it and fix it. Testers will need this information for later regression testing and verification. 2.5.1 Summary A bug report is a case against a product. In order to work it must supply all necessary information to not only identify the problem but what is needed to fix it as well. It is not enough to say that something is wrong. The report must also say what the system should be doing. The report should be written in clear concise steps, so that someone who has never seen the system can follow the steps and reproduce the problem. It should include information about the product, including the version number, what data was used. The more organized information provided the better the report will be. 3 Automation What is Automation Automated testing is automating the manual testing process currently in use 3.1 Why Automate the Testing Process? Today, rigorous application testing is a critical part of virtually all software development projects. As more organizations develop mission-critical systems to support their business activities, the need is greatly increased for testing methods that support business objectives. It is necessary to ensure that these systems are reliable, built according to specification, and have the ability to support business processes. Many internal and external factors are forcing organizations to ensure a high level of software quality and reliability. In the past, most software tests were performed using manual methods. This required a large staff of test personnel to perform expensive, and time-consuming manual test procedures. Owing to the size and complexity of today’s advanced software applications, manual testing is no longer a viable option for most testing situations. Every organization has unique reasons for automating software quality activities, but several reasons are common across industries. Using Testing Effectively By definition, testing is a repetitive activity. The very nature of application software development dictates that no matter which methods are employed to carry out testing (manual or automated), they remain repetitious throughout the development lifecycle. Automation of testing processes allows machines to complete the tedious, repetitive work while human personnel perform other tasks. Automation allows the tester to reduce or eliminate the required “think time” or “read time” necessary for the manual interpretation of when or where to click the mouse or press the enter key. An automated test executes the next operation in the test hierarchy at machine speed, allowing tests to be completed many times faster than the fastest individual. Furthermore, some types of testing, such as load/stress testing, are virtually impossible to perform manually. Reducing Testing Costs The cost of performing manual testing is prohibitive when compared to automated methods. The reason is that computers can execute instructions many times faster, and with fewer errors than [...]... the technical test environment Deviations taken from the test plan or test process Inputs to the Test Execution Process Approved Test Plan Documented Test Cases Stabilized, repeatable, test execution environment Standardized Test Logging Procedures Outputs from the Test Execution Process  Test Execution Log(s) Restored test environment The test execution phase of your software test process... the test Test Data Sources - Take note of the sources for extracting test data if it is not included in the test case Inputs to the Test Design and Construction Process  Test Case Documentation Standards  Test Case Naming Standards Approved Test Plan Business Process Documentation Business Process Flow  Test Data sources Outputs from the Test Design and Construction Process Revised Test. .. from the Test Design and Construction Process Revised Test Plan  Test Procedures for each Test Case  Test Case(s) for each application function described in the test plan Procedures for test set up, test execution and restoration Executing the Test The test is now ready to be run This step applies the test cases identified by the test plan, documents the results, and validates those results against... application values for the procedure being tested A proper test case will include the following key components: Test Case Name(s) - Each test case must have a unique name, so that the results of these test elements can be traced and analyzed Test Case Prerequisites - Identify set up or testing criteria that must be established before a test can be successfully executed Test Case Execution Order - Specify... accurately measure system performance It should also provide test results in an easy-to-understand reporting format 3.3 Preparing the Test Environment Once the test cases have been created, the test environment can be prepared The test environment is defined as the complete set of steps necessary to execute the test as described in the test plan The test environment includes initial set up and description... example, a test execution may be required for the functional testing of an application, and a separate test execution cycle may be required for the stress/volume testing of the same application A complete and thorough test plan will identify this need and many of the test cases can be used for both test cycles The secret to a controlled test execution is comprehensive planning Without an adequate test plan... learning curve GUI and Client/Server Testing A robust testing tool should support testing with a variety of user interfaces and create simple-to manage, easy-to-modify tests Test component reusability should be a cornerstone of the product architecture Load and Performance Testing The selected testing solution should allow users to perform meaningful load and performance tests to accurately measure system... components, and create meaningful end-user and management reports It should also allow users to include non-automated testing procedures within automated test plans and test results A robust tool will allow users to integrate existing test results into an automated test plan Finally, an automated test should be able to link business requirements to test results, allowing users to evaluate application readiness... measurements of the test execution phase include: Application of Test Cases – The test cases previously created are applied to the target software application as described in the testing environment Documentation - Activities within the test execution are logged and analyzed as follows: Actual Results achieved during test execution are compared to expected application behavior from the test cases  Test Case... to print a salary check Creating a Test Plan For the greatest return on automated testing, a testing plan should be created at the same time the software application requirements are defined This enables the testing team to define the tests, locate and configure test- related hardware and software products and coordinate the human resources required to complete all testing This plan is very much a “living . testing effort. Contents of a Test Report The contents of a test report are as follows: Executive Summary Overview Application Overview Testing Scope Test. Revised Test Plan  Test Procedures for each Test Case  Test Case(s) for each application function described in the test plan Procedures for test set up, test