Effective software testing projects: tzChromar
Our team are always ready to provide advice and support on how to complete effective software testing projects. Just recently, we collaborated with our colleagues at theICEway on their tzChromar IT solution for cruise. What makes a project effective? Today we’ll try to answer that question, using this recent effort to provide examples.
What is effective software testing?
First, create a testing strategy with robust QA processes. These must be well planned out, clearly defined and documented. Good communication is vital for any project and clear documentation helps to achieve this.
Before testing, we carefully map out our required document scheme:
- Company test policy (includes an overview of the company’s view on testing)
- Project quality management plan (defines deliverables, roles and quality standards)
- Product test strategy (defines the software testing approaches plus aligns QA with the overall business objectives)
- Test plan (covers the scope of testing)
- Test case (defines the testing conditions)
During the planning phase, it is important that you create a test plan brief with only relevant information included. Be very specific within to make the document searchable. As the project gathers momentum, ensure that the test plan is treated as a live document requiring frequent updates. Perhaps above all else, share the plan with stakeholders to ensure maximum transparency with testing processes.
Top Tip for the cruise industry (tzChromar)
tzChromar will ultimately save the cruise industry both time and money. It has been tested and was also created with a security by design ethos. theICEway’s security arm, CRIBB Cyber Security, assumed responsibility for this important aspect of the project.
The experts on theICEway have amassed decades’ worth of experience in the cruise industry. They know the challenges it faces only too well, both those from recent history and those with a more long-standing effect.
Pooling together all of this knowledge was crucial to deliver the best product possible. Those in cruise wishing to find out more can do so here.
What are some best practices in software testing?
We suggest that you:
- Create separate teams for testing different aspects (i.e. performance)
- Talk to end-users and simulate their environment
- Where possible, mimic the developer environment
- Focus on significant code changes
- Deploy a 2-Tier test automation approach
- Run a regression cycle
Extra tips for effective software testing projects
You should:
- Consider the allocation of tasks carefully and communicate your rationale clearly and concisely
- Produce a skills chart to help decide who will do what (and why)
- Agree upon a model for reporting from the outset
- Identify the tools you will require to track tasks early
We deployed many of these tactics when testing tzChromar. We are confident that it is a robust IT solution that addresses a historical issue for those at sea. theICEway will continue to develop more solutions, and we will be there to test them all before release. Contact us if you need help with software testing – we’ll be glad to help.