As professional testers, we are expected to think out of the box for all the possible scenarios or situations which can break software under test. In this article, we are going to discuss about situational testing and its main features with benefits.
Every software is different and requires a unique testing approach. Situational testing provides this uniqueness by giving the flexibility of using different forms of testing on the same product for optimal results. This will save the project cost and also takes less time than traditional methods. In other words, we can say that “we test the software according to its situation”. Here, situation can be anything from the type of software to the type of end users for that software. Let’s define situational testing first.
What Is Situational Testing?
Situational testing is a type of testing which offers optimal results by carrying out various forms of testing flexibly. Different testing project will have its own specific objectives and there is no single approach to testing which is suitable for every situation. In order to decide on the best approach each situation must be analyzed individually and testing approach should be decided accordingly.
Principle Of Situational Testing
In situational testing, test approach is mainly determined by system characteristics, type of project and expectations of the organization from the product. A proper combination of test techniques and formats are chosen in order to provide quality in less cost and less time. It is always a value based testing approach. Let’s put more light on value based testing and its levels.
Why Situational Testing? : Five Levels Of Value-Based Testing
Below are the five levels of value based testing:
- Functionality: in this level, functionality is tested against specifications. Whether the product functions according to the requirements given or there are discrepancies which needed to be taken care of.
- Performance and Security: higher the performance, better is the product quality. In the second level of value-based testing, security and performance of the product are tested. These two areas largely determine the value of the system. This level needs functionality (Level 1) base in order to get the exact functional perspective of performance and security areas.
- User friendliness: this level takes care of end users who are going to use the system. The main focus is to determine how easy is to learn and operate the system. This is utterly important when system is going to be used by large number of inexperienced users.
- Usability: this level focuses on the usability of the product. How usable it is for the organization and people of the organization. Are they able to carry out their important tasks efficiently and effectively using the product?
- Success: this level deals with the success of the product. Whether it is adding any value to the system or not. How successful it is to perform the expected functionality? It is crucial to understand that not every level is relevant for every project or every organization, but the idea behind value-based testing is nevertheless always applicable. This means that the basic principle of situational testing where the situation determines the approach and not vice versa is still followed.
How We Perform Testing? Documented and Non-Documented Testing
For a test project, testing could be carried out in two ways: Scripted or documented and non- Scripted or non-documented way. When we have deadlines to meet and there are short intervals available for testing then the method which is more suitable is non scripted one. The best example of this would be Agile methodology. But when we consider waterfall method, we know that all the test cases are scripted and executed accordingly. Some projects need the mix of both, so it totally depends on the situation of the product under test.
Let’s discuss some of the forms of testing which can be included under situational testing:
- Factory Based Testing: This is the purest form of scripted testing and a significant amount of time is devoted in the preparations for test execution. Before executing the test, the tester creates detailed test scripts based on test strategy and scheduled deadlines. The test scripts created by testers are detailed enough so that someone else could carry out their tests by executing the scripts. Once the scripts have been executed completely and there are no unfixed bugs, testing is considered complete. Scripts can be reused in the future if there are any changes in the software.
- Session Based Testing:Session-based testing includes best of both the worlds: scripted and non-scripted testing. This type of testing is carried out in short sessions which last from 60 to 120 minutes. Each test session is solely based on test charter. Below are the four main ideas included in the test charter:
- Mission for the session (what is to be achieved).
- Test points.
- Information about the execution of the session, such as bugs.
A test point is that aspect of the system which falls within the mission for the session and needs to be tested during the session. The tester will apply the usual techniques but the test scenarios are not written in the form of test scripts. This type of testing can be applied in any situation. However a pre-condition would be that the tester who is going to execute the test must be familiar with the system and has a better understanding of the charters.
- Exploratory Testing:This is the purest form of non-scripted testing. Exploratory testing is based on the capabilities and responsibility of the tester. The tester performs this testing by understanding the overall system, creates test design, executes the tests and evaluates the results, all these activities are carried out in parallel. Exploratory testing differs from unstructured testing or error guessing since it is highly structured, and tester’s priorities are mainly based on the product risks identified in a product risk analysis and the execution results from previous cycles.
Conclusion:
In this article, we saw what to test, how to test and different forms of situational testing. Situational testing is a perfect approach when we need quality results since it is flexible approach to accommodate different forms of testing based on the project requirements.