What is Exploratory Testing?

In today’s Software testing class I am talking on interesting part in the Software Testing i.e. “Exploratory testing”. In this Software testing article I am covering the importance of exploratory testing, Advantages, disadvantages and how to use it on your actual testing. Also key tips on how allow you to start understanding and applying Exploratory Testing in actual testing.

Basic question in testers mind is “what is exploratory testing in software testing?” As name suggest that the exploratory testing means testing of software without any specific plans and schedules. This is formal testing process where we don’t have any test cases or test planning documents to test the application. Identify the functionality of application by exploring the application and exploring & learning the application testers design the test cases & simultaneously execute them as well.

Exploratory testing definition

“Exploratory Testing is a testing approach that allows you to apply your ability and skill as a tester in a powerful way.”Testers have to understand the application first by exploring the application and based on this understand they should come up with the test scenarios. After that start actual testing of application.

Key tips to remember in Exploratory testing techniques:

• Preparation of test scenarios validates the software stability.
• Exhaustively testing of the software based on the identified requirements.
• Find out the requirements as well as functionality of the software application.
• Find out the limitation of the software application.
• Identify the scope of the project.

In this type of testing the testers have to do minimum effort for planning but maximum execution cover so that tester gets exact functionality of application. This can be helpful for tester to decide what can be next to test.During testing the tester learns about behavior of the software application, start creating test plan or test scenarios. There are different exploratory testing tools in the market. One of the Exploratory testing tool is “Session Tester” that can be used as for managing and recording Session-Based Testing. The creation of test scenarios is totally based on the experience and learning of application under test.

In this type of testing tester have freedom in testing. The finding bug is not only depends on experience of tester but also on the skill of the tester.

Many of testers are thinking of when this type of testing is comes in the picture, so here are points when we can use the exploratory testing:

• When you don’t have a requirement or testing document or minimal documents.
• When you want to complete your application testing in short period of time
• When you have to test the application in the early stage of SDLC

  Advantages

• It doesn’t require preparation for testing as we don’t have documents for testing.
• In this type of testing time saves due to all task are doing simultaneously like Testing, Designing test scenarios and executing test scenarios.
• Tester can report many issues due to incomplete requirement or missing requirement document.

 Disadvantages

• Few issues cannot be catch in this type of testing.
• There is review of test planning & designing of test cases/scenario while testing may cause issues.
• Testers have to remember the scenario what he is executing because if any bug is found then tester should report a bug with proper steps to reproduce Difficulty to perform the exact manner especially for new found bugs.

I think I have addressed all major points in the Exploratory testing method. To get software testing articles in your inbox click here to Subscribe with your email address or add you email address below: