7 Best Principles of Manual Testing Leading to QA Success

Manual testing is a critical part of the software development lifecycle. It helps you find errors and inconsistencies in the software and correct them before launching it to the world. Since it holds so much significance, you must be 100% sure of the manual testing strategy, its results, and its alignment with goals. Therefore, you must follow the seven principles of manual testing. 

The blog explores seven principles of manual testing that enable software quality, security, and performance maintenance. These principles are the foundation on which you can deliver value to your customers through user-centric software. They help you strengthen the software’s capabilities while alleviating risks and creating trust.  

7 Principles of Manual Testing 

1. Testing exposes the flaws with room for undetected defects

Manual testing allows you to identify the errors and defects in the software to align with the customer’s requirements. By continuously resolving these defects in subsequent iterations, you can eliminate these errors. Thus, it allows you to reduce software flaws. 

But it does not mean that you have achieved a perfect software solution. The quality has undoubtedly improved from the development stage, but risks of other undetected flaws still exist. Manual testing means chances of manual errors like overlooking or misunderstanding. There is a higher chance that the end user will notice another inconsistency that does not align with their needs. Thus, manual testing detects flaws, which you can remove, but does not detect 100% bug-free status. 

2. Comprehensive testing is not viable

Comprehensive testing means checking every feature for security, performance, usability, and acceptance. You’ll manually test the software on different combinations of inputs, environments, and conditions to generate outcomes. Just imagine the time, effort, money, and resources you need to manage these tests. Thus, creating several test cases and running the software through them sounds like the ideal situation, but it is not practically possible. It can lead to the failure of the entire testing project. 

A better strategy is for software testers and companies to focus mainly on the important modules for testing. This means you must emphasize the risk-prone features, vital functionalities, and high-impact test cases to check if they work fine and per the client’s requirements. 

3. The sooner the testing, the better the benefits

Manual testing must kick off early in the software development lifecycle. Software development occurs in iterative stages to enable creation, bug detection, and correction simultaneously. By identifying these defects early, you can correct them and enhance the functionality. On the other hand, testing the software after it’s fully developed might lead to adjusting other capabilities to correct a few errors or even rewriting the code, which wastes time and money. 

Another way to correct flaws is to properly define requirements in the first stage itself. An incorrect definition means an inappropriate testing process, which can result in monetary and time losses. So, it is better to revisit the requirements, align them with client expectations, and revise them for a seamless testing stage. 

The best strategy is to consider Agile development. This means testing is not a phase after development but runs parallel to facilitate early feedback and correction. Such parallel runs prevent flaws in the software. 

4. Defect clustering identification improves the discovery

Some modules/aspects of software are riskier and more complex than others. So, there is a higher chance of defects being discovered in these modules. Identify such clustering of defects in specific complex software features because it makes testing easier. This principle of software testing follows the Pareto principle 20% of the software components contain 80% of the defects. 

Once you know the high-risk areas of the software based on historical data, you can concentrate your resources on them and proceed with the inspection. Such targeted testing enables easy detection of flaws and immediate correction, saving time, effort, and money. 

5. Pesticide paradox: Diversification in test cases gives better returns

If you keep repeating the same test cases, it will be challenging to identify new flaws or inconsistencies. In such cases, testing becomes ineffective, leading to diminished returns. Therefore, it becomes necessary to update your test cases regularly. It is similar to the case of pesticides, which become ineffective at killing insects with constant use. 

Review the existing test cases, diversify their scenarios, and change the variables to make the testing process more effective. The revised test cases must align with the requirements listed in the first step to facilitate improved bug discovery.  

6. The contextual testing approach works better

The context of your software undergoing development determines its ideal testing type. Since every software has its unique features, capabilities, and the client’s usage expectations, the testing strategy differs. Identify the following:

• Why you are developing the software
• Who will be using it
• How will the usage work

So, before selecting the type of testing for your software, identify these aspects and choose the one that aligns. If you develop mobile apps, the inspection of security and responsiveness is essential. Usability, performance, and security testing are crucial for e-commerce sites. Therefore, you must find the context of the software before conducting tests on it. 

7. Alignment with users’ requirements is vital

Software testing is not only about identifying bugs and removing them. Yes, that is necessary, but the software must meet user requirements. If it fails to address business needs, the software is a disaster. This is called the absence of errors fallacy, owing to the misconception that the software is high quality because it does not have errors. 

The end-user satisfaction is of paramount importance. So, test it only against the correct set of business requirements. Testing it for incorrect requirements gives you errors, so even if you fix them, it doesn’t serve the purpose because you cannot meet the user’s exact requirements. The users might find it challenging to use, or another competing solution might be better. 

Why These Principles Matter in Manual Testing

These seven principles of manual testing help you create a testing strategy to guide the process. You can structure it well, generate desired outcomes, and ensure a smooth process with the guarantee of high-quality software that meets users’ needs. 

In combination, adopting these principles leads to the early implementation of testing strategies to detect flaws early in the software development lifecycle. You can create clusters of high-risk features in the software, create different test cases, and identify the best test type based on these scenarios. After this, you can manually check the high-risk aspects to reduce the number of bugs in the software and align it with user needs. 

Thus, following these principles ensures:

• Efficient resource allocation
• Focus on high-risk areas
• Reduces software development lifecycle time
• Lowers development costs and effort
• This leads to faster time-to-market
• Results in user-centric and business-specific outcomes 

Conclusion

Manual software testing is vital to free the software from bugs, inconsistencies, and flaws. It aims to develop software that meets users’ requirements. Embracing these seven principles of manual testing will improve the quality of your software and ensure a successful testing strategy and execution. 

Looking for expert manual testers to ensure your software is flawless? At Inevitable Infotech, our skilled testing team follows the best manual testing principles to identify defects, enhance performance, and align your software with your business goals. Contact us today to discuss your testing needs.