SANITY TESTING- Best practices

Posted by Shubham Singh
1
Jul 20, 2023
184 Views
While writing answers during examinations, I often re-check them and have questions like “Am I doing this correctly?” “When all these components are combined and a descriptive answer is created, is it correct?” This is exactly how sanity testing works. Well to make things more clearer let’s take a dive into the sanity testing meaning.

Sanity testing refers to determining whether units of the software are working sanely and are stable. It is usually done after major changes to the code, or to a new build of a software product, to verify that the basic functions of the software are still working.

BEST PRACTICES

For any user, it is important to know the best practices for sanity testing. So here are a few of them

  1. Once a new feature is added, sanity test it: Once a new feature is added or updated, the working of the software changes. Therefore it is important to sanity test the system in order to see how compatible the software or the system is with the new feature that has been added. 

    In case discrepancies are found the errors can be eliminated. Therefore sanity testing allows testers and developers to know the problems as well as advantages of the new feature and its compatibility with the existing features. 

  2. Focus should be on relevant commands: The main goal of sanity testing is to check whether the most important functions of the system work correctly, or if some of them are missing or broken. It is important to focus on the functions and commands that are most important to the function of the software build. This could include verifying user navigation, data entry, data retrieval, and underlying processes.

  3. Use automation wherever required: Mostly manual testing is preferred however if the organization has the resources then automation is extremely beneficial. It not only saves time but also maintains the standards of testing.    That being said, manual testing shouldn’t be replaced. Since it allows developers or testers to know the errors.

  4. Executing tests on multiple environments: This is the key to consistency. A software should be flexible enough to work in different environments. Therefore testing it in a different environment would allow the testers to know more about the system's limitations

    For example, if an application requires specific hardware or software components to function properly, it is important for developers to test the application on different hardware configurations to ensure that it works properly. Similarly, if an application is expected to run on different web browsers, it is important for developers to test the application on each browser to ensure that it functions properly.

  5. Test cases should be simple: Remember how we teach young kids alphabets? Firstly they are taught to draw lines, then a sleeping line, etc. This is done so that the process is not complicated for the kind. It should be as simple as possible. Its the same case for test cases.

    It should be written in such a way that other testers are able to comprehend it. Complexity should be avoided as its only increases the time and causes the testers to make an extra effort. When creating test cases, the focus should be on simplicity. Test cases should be broken down into smaller, more manageable steps. This will help the tester to quickly identify any issues in the software.

    The test cases should also be organized in a logical way. This will help the tester to quickly locate the relevant test cases and execute them. It is also important to ensure that the test cases are written in a language that is understandable to all stakeholders. This includes developers, testers, and project managers.

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