No one is perfect, and neither is tech. Something can always go wrong. Before your purchase, test your software. Here’s the importance of software testing.
Immediacy and tech tend to go hand in hand. People don’t just want new software solutions and digital products, they want them yesterday.
When you’re in the 11th hour on a project, it can be easy to try to push things to development without proper testing. After all, you don’t want to miss a deadline or ruin client expectations.
Sometimes it can seem like you need to be in QA to see the importance of software testing. Pushing software to the finish line when it’s not ready can have disastrous results, but it happens more often than you’d think.
Want to know why you should take the time to invest in software testing? After you read this post, you’ll wonder how you’ve managed to go so long without it.
The importance of software testing explained: Six reasons to always test
You can technically release software without rigorous testing, it’s just never a good idea to.
It can be hard to run simple tests when your boss or client is insisting on meeting a deadline. But sometimes it’s better to push a deadline if it means you can get in quality testing.
The next time someone is trying to push a release without doing proper testing, use this post to show them why it’s a bad idea.
Improve software quality
Whether you work as a contractor or for a large agency, quality is everything when it comes to software.
Products should be rigorously tested before they’re released. You never know when a seemingly minor bug could cause catastrophic problems out in the world.
Upsetting a client with a missed deadline isn’t ideal, but releasing buggy software with their name on it would make them more upset.
Think about how many software glitches and failures you’ve seen over the past few years. Buggy software decreases the quality of products, puts user security at risk, and just looks bad for companies.
Remember, it doesn’t take much for a software company to have a social media disaster on their hands because of a bad product. Stop the problem before it starts and test before you release anything to the public.
Make the development process faster
One of the biggest reasons why companies forego testing has to do with time. Some people claim that testing would slow things down. But the reality is that implementing testing would make things faster.
Proper software testing helps developers find bugs and easily produce scenarios to reproduce the problems. Eventually, it becomes easier for the developer to make fixes fast.
Also, software testers can and should work in parallel with developers. Saving it until the end creates more work for developers. Testing alongside development can help you identify problems before they get too dire.
Developers aren’t testers
There’s a reason why agencies will pay companies like Quality Logic to handle their testing needs. We hate to break it to you, but the truth is that you shouldn’t expect a developer to QA and test what they’re working on.
When you’ve been working on something for weeks and know exactly what’s supposed to happen, creating negative test cases can get to be tricky. They won’t be in the right headspace to test something for potential errors.
There’s also the possibility that a well-meaning developer could choose to forgo testing because “they know” that it’s going to be right. Their confidence could end up costing you a lot of time and money.
This is why it’s a good idea to have someone dedicated to QA on every project. Having developers handle the testing process leaves too much room for errors.
Reduce ongoing maintenance
When some people think of a product release, they assume that the work is over once the software is out in the world. Work continues well after a product is released. Companies make constant updates to keep their software running.
Iterative updates are a natural part of the software development process. But if you implement testing in the development process, you’ll find that your updates go a lot smoother.
Instead of running updates to fix time-consuming bugs, you’ll be able to use that time to really focus on the best ways to improve the software.
It saves money
In 2004 the UK’s Child Support Agency (CSA) and the Department of Work & Pension decided to reconstruct their internal systems with testing for compatibility.
Overlooking simple compatibility testing caused massive system errors which ended up overpaying and underpaying people in the system. This caused massive problems for people receiving benefits and child support.
That one completely preventable error ended up costing the UK government around $1 billion.
It’s an extreme example of what can go wrong when testing isn’t done in the development process, but it shows how important it is to make testing a priority.
You may not be working on an app that controls millions of checks, but an improperly tested app can result in lost revenue from lost business. Save your company money and test now before a big problem occurs.
Improve compatibility
Remember the days when apps could thrive despite only being available on Android or iOS devices? Having software run on one OS is ancient history. If you want your software to be successful, it’ll need to run on a variety of platforms.
It’s possible that you may have made software that runs like a dream on Windows 10, but can barely run on the latest version of MacOS.
In order to cut down on capability issues, make it a habit to test on as many devices and operating systems as you can during the development process.
Releasing software that runs well on one platform but terribly on another is bad for business. Take time to test now so you can ensure that you’re running everywhere you need to be.
Your turn
Now that you know about the importance of software testing, take some time to make sure that all of your tech is error-free and ready to thrive.
Your software may be up to date, but what about your website?
A buggy website is bad for businesses and developers and could lead to security risks. Check out our post so you can make sure your website is ready for 2019.
Photograph by Simplu27