Day 2: Detailed Concepts and Practical Aspects of Software Testing

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Detailed Concepts and Practical Aspects 

1. Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC)

The Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC) is a sequence of specific activities conducted during the testing process to ensure software quality. STLC phases are:

1. Requirement Analysis:

• Objective: Understand what needs to be tested.
• Activities: Review requirements documents, identify testable requirements, and create a Requirement Traceability Matrix (RTM).
• Deliverables: RTM, testable requirements.

2. Test Planning:

• Objective: Define the strategy and plan for testing activities.
• Activities: Develop a test plan, identify resources, estimate effort and schedule, determine roles and responsibilities.
• Deliverables: Test plan document, effort estimation, resource plan, schedule.

3. Test Case Development:

• Objective: Create detailed test cases and prepare test data.
• Activities: Write test cases, review and baseline test cases, prepare test data.
• Deliverables: Test cases, test data.

4. Test Environment Setup:

• Objective: Set up the test environment where testing will be conducted.
• Activities: Identify hardware and software requirements, configure the environment, install tools.
• Deliverables: Test environment setup document, ready-to-use test environment.

5. Test Execution:

• Objective: Execute test cases and log defects.
• Activities: Execute test cases, log defects, retest and track defects until closure.
• Deliverables: Test execution report, defect log.

6. Test Closure:

• Objective: Wrap up testing activities and document lessons learned.
• Activities: Ensure all test cases are executed, document test summary report, collect test metrics, analyze test results.
• Deliverables: Test summary report, test metrics, lessons learned document.

2. Writing Effective Test Cases

Components of a Test Case:

• Test Case ID: Unique identifier for the test case.
• Test Description: Brief description of the test case.
• Pre-Conditions: Conditions that must be met before executing the test case.
• Test Steps: Detailed steps to execute the test case.
• Test Data: Data required for executing the test case.
• Expected Result: The expected outcome of the test case.
• Actual Result: The actual outcome after executing the test case (filled during test execution).
• Status: Pass/Fail based on the comparison of expected and actual results.
• Comments: Any additional information or observations.

Best Practices for Writing Test Cases:

• Write clear and concise test cases.
• Ensure test cases are easily understandable.
• Use consistent naming conventions.
• Include both positive and negative test cases.
• Review test cases with peers or stakeholders.
• Update test cases as requirements change.

3. Introduction to Test Automation

Why Automate Testing?

• Speed: Automated tests can run faster than manual tests.
• Accuracy: Reduces human errors.
• Reusability: Automated test scripts can be reused across multiple test cycles.
• Efficiency: Suitable for large projects with repetitive test cases.

Common Test Automation Tools:

• Selenium: Used for web application automation.
• QTP/UFT: A commercial tool for functional and regression testing.
• JMeter: Used for performance testing.
• Appium: Used for mobile application automation.

Basic Steps in Test Automation:

1. Select Test Cases for Automation: Identify which test cases should be automated based on frequency, complexity, and importance.
2. Choose the Right Tool: Select an automation tool that fits your project requirements.
3. Develop Automation Scripts: Write scripts to automate the selected test cases.
4. Execute Automation Scripts: Run the scripts to execute the test cases automatically.
5. Maintain Automation Scripts: Regularly update and maintain the scripts to ensure they remain effective as the application evolves.

4. Introduction to Defect Management

Defect Life Cycle:

1. New: A defect is identified and logged.
2. Assigned: The defect is assigned to a developer for fixing.
3. Open: The developer begins working on the defect.
4. Fixed: The developer fixes the defect.
5. Retest: The tester retests the defect to verify the fix.
6. Closed: The defect is verified as fixed and closed.
7. Reopen: If the defect persists, it is reopened for further investigation.

Components of a Defect Report:

• Defect ID: Unique identifier for the defect.
• Summary: Brief description of the defect.
• Description: Detailed description of the defect, including steps to reproduce, expected result, and actual result.
• Severity: The impact level of the defect on the application.
• Priority: The urgency of fixing the defect.
• Status: Current status of the defect (New, Assigned, Open, Fixed, Retest, Closed, Reopen).
• Reported By: Name of the person who reported the defect.
• Assigned To: Name of the developer assigned to fix the defect.
• Attachments: Screenshots, logs, or any other relevant files.

5. Hands-On Practice

Manual Testing Practice:

• Choose a simple web application (e.g., a login page).
• Write test cases covering different scenarios (e.g., valid login, invalid login, empty fields).
• Execute the test cases manually and log any defects found.

Automation Testing Practice:

• Install and set up Selenium WebDriver.
• Write a simple script to automate the login functionality of the chosen web application.
• Run the script and verify the results.

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  INTERVIEW                                                                               CLASS-3

Conclusion

Day 2 provides a deeper understanding of the software testing process, focusing on the Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC), writing effective test cases, introduction to test automation, and defect management. Practical exercises in both manual and automated testing help solidify these concepts and prepare you for real-world testing scenarios.

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These notes should give you a more detailed understanding of software testing and prepare you for practical testing tasks.