Testing an application is a hectic task. Irrespective of pre-discussions with stakeholders and working on issues like testing the functionality and performance, there are several things that delay the software development process. In order to make sure that there is no impact on the overall user experience.
4 top challenges that prohibit testers from performing at their best.
1. Setting unclear goals or making last-moment changes
It’s one of the major hurdles faced by the quality team when product managers change the requirements mid-sprint without considering the consequences.
Challenge – Not defining the measurable success criteria in the first place makes the team frustrated.
Consequence – New requests or changes lead to restarting the testing process from the beginning, killing a lot of time.
Truth – The slightest change can lead to retrying the whole extent of testing and makes a delay in deadlines to deliver the best results.
Resolution – Setting clear goals with measurable success criteria beforehand would help the testing team to run the process smoothly without any unwanted delays.
2. Lack of Communication
Communication gaps between the testing team and product managers/stakeholders are another major concern that creates turbulence in the testing process.
Challenge – Inadequate communication while conveying the software requirements, roadmaps, business challenges, hurdles, etc.
Consequence – These gaps can create confusion in the software development process and delay accurate testing. Eventually, such delays will hamper the client’s business success.
Truth – A communication gap can happen due to several reasons such as differences in time zones between the client and service provider, sudden role changes in the stakeholders or product managers, etc.
Resolution – The managers and stakeholders need to understand the working of quality engineers as they can formulate adequately unless they are clear about the technical and business requirements.
Hence, development and testing teams need to collaborate at regular intervals keeping the preferred time zones in mind in the presence of the product head and client to ensure everyone is on the same page.
3. Delays in decision-making from client/stakeholders
It’s one of the biggest hurdles experienced by the testing team.
Challenge – Whenever an issue is raised in favor or against the development of the software, the response (final decision) from the stakeholder takes longer than expected time.
Consequence – Delays in accurate and quick decisions create unnecessary additional risks in testing issues and impact the development of the application.
Truth – Quick decision-making skills help to settle matters that arise with developers and negotiate with stakeholders on the testing scope, deadlines, costs, and priorities.
Resolution – The product managers and stakeholders should contribute to ensuring quick, active, and effective decision-making with regular meetings along with the quality and testing teams.
4. Bringing the testing process too late in the game
The biggest challenge occurs when the testing team gets last-minute requests from clients.
Challenge – Most of the time, clients request us to perform application testing quite later than ideally, it should be.
Consequence – Bringing us late in the testing process makes the software testing process a time constraint, making it difficult to give 100% desired results. When tester get a short time frame to test the development of an application, it can go against the business specifications.
Truth – The client and stakeholders must understand that testing and debugging time can never be underestimated. Testing and debugging take 50% of the development process. Sometimes it takes more than expected.
Resolution – It’s important to have a plan in place to deal with such time constraints. Ideally, the testing must be introduced in the first phase of its development process.
Final words
There are several other challenges that could hamper the testing process. Resolving the above-mentioned challenges would not only make the process of testing easier but it will streamline the software development process in everyone’s favor. By adhering to the right practices and understanding the concerns of the testing team, it would be easier for us to ensure the clients that their products meet all business needs and functions in the best possible way.
Read also Uncover the hidden bugs with Non-Functional Testing.
