The blog post, “The 3 Biggest Software Testing Mistakes” from Daniel Knott focused on highlighting vital mistakes that software testing groups frequently come upon in their testing strategies. I chose this blog post because as we continue to learn different software testing strategies in class I think it was important to highlight some mistakes that could be made as a tester so we can avoid these in the future.
The first mistake that Knott highlighted was the mistake of not asking enough questions. When you are working as a tester your first job should be to ask as many questions during the development phase of the product as possible. This will allow you to verify that the product will work as intended for the customer. These questions should be highlighting product features, limitations, etc. The second mistake is trying to automate everything. Automation if done right can be very helpful however there are scenarios where automation can do more harm than good. Knott says that many teams mistakenly aim to automate everything, often driven by those unfamiliar with automation’s true benefits. Some parts of the code that are still in development, may not be ready for automation, while other areas will require detailed quality checks that automation cannot provide. Due to this, a risk assessment and informed questioning should precede test automation while working. Once suitable areas for automation are identified, decisions on the level of automated checks should be made by the team.The third mistake in software testing is reusing the same test data repeatedly. Software testing heavily relies on data such as text, images, or voice, and system configurations. Reusing test data compromises its integrity. The system’s state or configuration may change between tests which could affect results. To effectively test an application, the development team must define and generate appropriate test data. Generating test data can be complex, depending on the system’s intricacy and technologies involved. Ideally, scripts can create test data for specific tests, allowing for deletion or reset afterward. The conclusion of the blog post has Knott describing how mistakes can be good as they are a part of growing as a software tester. The best thing we can do is to be transparent about our mistakes to allow for a culture of learning.
After reading this blog post, I believe that I am now more confident and informed about how a software tester should go about testing strategies. Being able to identify common mistakes will be beneficial so I can avoid doing those mistakes in my own work. I found it interesting the fine line between automation since it can be both beneficial and harmful depending on just what you are working on. This is why as I read it is best to be left to a team decision as automation has its own list of pros and cons.
Giovanni Casiano - Software Development 