Attributes of a Good Test Management System

Creating quality software is the ultimate goal of any tester but to reach that goal he has to overcome obstacles that impede the smooth progress of software development. The main responsibilities of a tester include creation and execution of test cases, defect management, tracking of metrics, collaboration, releases and sprints and so on. Taking care of all these activities manually is a time-consuming task and delays the software development process.

For effective testing lifecycle management, testers need a reliable test management system. A good test management system makes it easy to manage the entire testing life cycle. Test case management can be easily done with test management software that helps in creating test cases faster. Similarly, it helps the tester to run test cases rapidly and to update the results in real time.

A test management system should gel perfectly well with any of the QA methodologies chosen, to achieve better results. The tester should be able to effectively manage every aspect of the testing department with the help of this system.

Benefits of Software Testing Conferences

A few QA testers, developers and managers attend software testing conferences. These conferences and forums provide information and details on the latest software test management tools and test management software. Attending conferences also helps new and aspiring software testers to learn the nuances of testing. It provides an opportunity to interact with experienced and seasoned software testers, developers and managers. It opens new vistas for them to try and develop the skills necessary to discover bugs in any type of software.

End consumers are more dependent on software for performing their day-to-day activities. A technical snag or a software bug can therefore make way for competitors to beat our product/service. A lot of research is taking place in the testing arena to minimize bugs and to provide new ways of testing. Attending testing conferences keeps us updated about the latest happenings in the testing field.

Advantages of an Effective Bug-Tracking System

In software test management, bug reporting is a complex and complicated process that requires precision, detailing and a whole lot of information. Reporting and tracking bugs manually works fine in case of small projects, whereas for mission-critical or large projects, a paper-based approach can result in chaos and confusion. QA test management teams need an effective defect tracking management system to log the identified bugs and to monitor them.

A bug-tracking system helps the project team to successfully measure the project’s status. The measurements, also known as metrics help the QA test management team to assess the quality of the software and in taking business decisions. The software metrics like project metrics, progress metrics, defect metrics and testing metrics also help in evaluating the success ratio of a tester or programmer.

A defect tracking system not only tracks defects but also tracks metrics to make sure everything is going according to the software development plan.

Flexible and Affordable Test Management System

The new software test management system is feature-rich making it easy for testers to accomplish their testing endeavors faster. With live and automated dashboard, customized desktop, centralized repository and slick UI, testers can save time for more productive purposes. The software test management tool also integrates with defect tracking systems like JIRA and Bugzilla.

Not only that it tracks all kinds of metrics like project metrics, testing metrics, defect metrics, quality metrics live and updates them in neatly organized charts and data tables. Its flexible design fits and enhances the different QA methodologies such as Waterfall, Hybrid, Agile, or V-Model thus serving as a good test management system.

QA test management software takes charge of the whole project by facilitating end-to-end management of quality cycles, including department management, resource management, test case management, test execution, defect tracking management, document management and all the aspects of reporting and metrics in real time.

Perfect Partner for a QA team

The economic recession has affected most of the countries and has put companies in a tight spot. Companies are doing all that’s possible for cutting costs- layoffs, pay cuts, cut down on marketing and other expenses.

With deadlines looming large, the QA test management team has no other go but to speed up the testing process. But there are several shortcomings in the current QA test management scenario:

• The test management software not being in sync with most of the common QA methodologies chosen for the project like waterfall, hybrid, V model and agile.

• The test management system not being able to track most important metrics like testing metrics, quality metrics, progress metrics, project metrics and so on effectively.

• The test management system not being able to help in end-to-end testing lifecycle management.

• With financial bankruptcy looming on the face of most companies, to spend money on expensive software test management tools is not at all a feasible solution.

But thanks to a test management system that is available as SaaS, making it affordable and easy to deploy for QA teams.

So even if the global economic crisis has forced the companies to cut back on costs, the availability of affordable and feature-rich test management software is a welcome relief for companies.

The Secret of Success

Most software testers, developers and managers do not attend software testing conferences and testing forums on the pretext of hectic work schedules and assignments. Though the work pressure and stress are something that’s genuine, squeezing in some time for testing conferences is not practically impossible. As a matter of fact, most people do not feel the need to attend conferences.

One of the benefits of attending testing conferences is that it can provide you with a fair amount of information about the latest developments in the testing discipline. Success beckons those who are worthy of it and the worthy are those people who crave for knowledge. So if success means a lot to you, attending testing conferences can empower you.

The Golden Rule for Better Performance

Software testing like any other discipline has new developments taking place on a regular basis. Now it is up to the software testers, developers and managers to keep pace with the changing scenarios. To perform well, one needs to be inquisitive and should crave to learn more about their respective discipline.

To be up-to-date with the latest software practices is easy with software testing conferences and testing forums. These conferences help software testers, developers and managers to interact with experts and gain more information. On a lighter note, a testing conference and forum saves you the trouble of reading lengthy articles about the latest happenings in the software testing arena.

Check out the list of testing conferences for 2008-09.

Track Metrics with Precision

Metrics are important in software test management as it helps the QA team to take relevant decisions. So the different kinds of metrics such as defect metrics, project metrics, process metrics, testing metrics, product metrics, quality metrics and so on need to be tracked with great precision. A small mistake and the quality of the software products can get affected. Test management system helps in quickly assessing the quality of the software and delivering the products to the market on time. But the global economic recession has forced many companies to cut back on costs and therefore they cannot invest in expensive test management systems.

New test management software is available as SaaS, making it easy for organizations to buy and deploy the testing software. It tracks metrics and instantly updates in neatly organized charts and tables. This makes it quite easy for the QA team to make accurate assessment.

Test Management Software that is Affordable

The economic recession has affected most of the countries and has caused much devastation in the IT industry. ‘Value added’ has been showing a steady decline for the past few days and companies have been taking drastic measures like layoffs, salary revisions and so on. They have no other choice but to cut back on costs so as to remain in the race. In such a scenario, it is a welcome relief for QA companies to get test management software affordably through SaaS options.

Software test management tools, which are built around the concept of desktops and dashboards, allow the QA test management team to do their jobs faster and better. They make matters easy and smooth for the team as the QA tools are role based and available for a reasonable price range.

QA Team’s Indispensable & Affordable Tool

The IT industry has been shaken by the global economic recession and saving money is the catchphrase for most companies. So the demand for affordable software test management tools has intensified.

A test management system should facilitate effective test case management and defect tracking management as these are two main time-consuming areas. It’s best if it can enhance the quality of the testing process by working in sync with any of the QA methodologies chosen. A QA tool should promote end-to-end testing lifecycle management. Test management systems are now available as SaaS, so companies can benefit from the low-cost model.