Benefits of smoke testing

by Hruska William Best Software Testing Company In Canada

There are a few testing methods in the software testing life cycle that are not much talked about. When it comes to solving a certain aspect of testing activity which is key for successfully carrying out further testing activities, then is when the prominence of smoke testing comes in. Through this testing method, bugs can be found early on in the software development process and thus can be fixed quickly without the need to unnecessarily wait for a longer time and thus waste time. In this article, you will get to know the benefits of performing smoke testing.

What is smoke testing?

It is a testing method used to perform testing to ensure whether the functions in the build work properly. It is also known as build verification testing wherein the stability of the build is verified through a set of non-exhaustive tests. The viability of the build is verified through this testing method.

The test cases were chosen in this testing method cover the most important functions of a system. The goal is to not perform exhaustive testing but to ensure that the important functionality of a system is in the best working conditions. The tester can take a call whether to pass on to the next test based entirely on the build’s stability. A few questions that a tester can ponder upon are:

· Is the user able to navigate from one window to another?

· Is the GUI responsive enough?

· Can the software applications be accessed by a tester?

Benefits of smoke testing:

1. Uncover and fix bugs at a faster pace: By simply configuring and executing a smoke testing suite, 80% of the bugs can be uncovered and fixed. Some testing teams have identified that by performing smoke tests on just 20% or less of all test cases, 80% of bugs can be identified and fixed. Conducting smoke testing is proved to be a highly productive activity.

2. Improving the productivity of the QA team: If a QA team is not able to derive actual testing results through the implementation of large test suites, then smoke tests can be conducted to discover testing issues and thus solve it at the earliest. Instead of wasting resources and manpower, it would be wise enough to use such specific testing methods that can provide excellent testing results.

3. Regression bugs can be fixed quickly: If bugs are found while performing smoke testing, then the development team can quickly act by troubleshooting and performing root cause analysis, instead of waiting for the full test suite to get executed. If the build is found to be viable, then there is more scope for efficiency as the QA team can continue to work on regression testing, while the developers use their skills to fix any smoke test-related bugs.

4. Create a productive work environment for QA teams: Boost the QA team's morale to perform even better by becoming a problem solver. Testing is a process that requires constant application of technical knowledge by the testing team and then ensuring that the testing activities that have been conducted have only improved the quality of a product. Teamwork and team bonding go a long way in creating a productive work environment. Every team member should support their peers when there might be a need to solve a specific testing issue. In this manner, team members will have a sense of work fulfillment and thus teams can enhance and improve the results.

Conclusion: The above-mentioned benefits will give a clear idea in terms of performing the testing activity in a strategic manner. Software testing is a really important aspect of software development. It becomes obvious to get connected with a company that is completely focused on providing expert software testing services and solutions that can improve the benchmark for developing software in a more feasible manner.