OTP #2: Software Testing Costs, and Knowing Your Architecture

Outside The Parameters (OTP) is a 'micro-correspondence' focused on sharing things from the world of Software Testing, every other day.

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We apologise that OTP #2 came in late.

We were fine-tuning the format, mining for more fodder, completing some setups and reworking the name - because we jumped into the deep end to push out the first issue.

So we have a new name - Outside The Parameters. The OTP abbreviation was hard to shake off, so we decided to stick with it. "Outside The Parameters" gives us the freedom to go outside the ambits of common Software Testing information, which may or may not be about what is trending, will cut across several topics, and can also refer to the past.

On frequency, OTP will be 'every other day' (at least 2-3 times a week), and could come in a back-to-back daily sequence (e.g. a Tue-Wed-Thu cadence), when we have extra time.

Now to the business of the day.

Ways to Measure Software Testing Costs

Software Testing saves time, cost and business reputation

However, Software Testing is seen as a cost centre. Knowing how these two centres are treated differently in organisations, with profit centres getting all of the attention, it has become important that we show how Software Testing adds to the bottom line.

One major step is to measure the costs that Software Testing accrues and saves. Below are four of them:

• Prevention costs: the cost to train developers to write maintainable and testable code or hire developers with the same skillset 

• Detection costs: the cost to create test cases and setting up test environments to detect defects 

• Internal failure costs: the cost to fix the defects before delivering the product

• External failure costs: the cost to fix technical problems/issues incurred after delivery of a compromised quality product

How much of Architecture Details Should a Tester Know? (Part 1)

Gone are the days when features were thrown over the wall for Software Testers to test. Shift Left has been in public discourse for years. Still, some people do not believe Software Testers should know details about a product's architecture.

This comes in different forms and shapes.

For example, excluding Software Testers from architecture processes, 'solutionising' meetings. In other instances, conversations are held about how the product will be built without inviting Software Testers.

The truth is as a Software Tester, you should know these things.

Why?

Because you are to:

• think of scenarios as an end user that non-tech persons and most developers don’t think of

• think of improvements or bottlenecks with architecture to avoid rework

• brainstorm on non-functional scenarios, that are usually not the centre of attention for others

• test at a more granular level and at the correct layer of the test pyramid (Unit, API, UI) to save time and cost

• contribute to the development of the Test Strategy and Test Plan, based on the architecture of the application and tech implementation

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Unsung Testing Tool of the Day

Proxyman

Proxyman is a web debugging proxy app used to inspect network traffic; and capture, decrypt, and mock HTTP(s) requests/responses. It is available on MacOS, iOS, Windows and Linux. With Proxyman you can inspect headers, queries, cookies, and body with syntax highlighting.

This is what it looks like.

Testing Quote of the Day

Software Testing is like deodorant. The people who need it most never use it. - Ingo Philipp

Image Source: Testing Titbits by Ingo Philipp

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