As the complexity of your application landscape increases, it becomes more difficult to maintain grip and control over your test process. A mature test process is characterised by a solid test plan supported by a good test management tool. This is easy to turn around because a good test management tool is supported by a solid test plan. From which side you look at it, if you want to keep grip and control over your test process, good tooling is indispensable.
Many organisations have already discovered the benefits of a good test tool. However, there is still a lot of mission work to be done in this area. Every day we still come across numerous (questionable) reasons why an organisation does not (yet) use a test management tool. Below, we list the six most common (questionable) reasons:
(1) We only work in the cloud now
We see more and more organisations using SaaS tools. Of course we like that. However, it does not relieve you of the duty to carry out at least a functional and user acceptance test. Does the SaaS software do what it is supposed to do? Are there no gaps in the software that pose major risks to your business-critical processes or worse? It is nice to trust your SaaS vendor. But it is even better to be sure.
Tip: Let your SaaS vendor look at the test cycles in your test tool as a dummy user.
(2) Our software supplier has tested everything
This is a classic. Do you really dare to rely on it when it comes to your business-critical processes? Of course, there is a difference between a word processing programme and a tool that handles payments. But relying completely on the software supplier brings major risks. By the way, we can also refer to the previous point.
Tip: By registering and sharing defects with your supplier, adjustments to the software can be dealt with more quickly.
(3) We do everything in Excel
On the Testersuite team, we consider Excel to be one of the finest applications ever developed. Running a testing process from Excel (or Word) can be fine to a certain extent. But as the complexity of the IT landscape increases, so does the complexity of the testing process. Tools like Excel, Word and E-mail then become counterproductive and cause confusion. How do you keep a grip and overview of your testing process? Does everyone execute the test scripts in the same way and how and where are defects recorded? And more importantly, is there sufficient support for the test process to be executed? A mature testing tool helps guide the process and create overview.
Tip: Employees without a background in testing will pick up testing faster with an intuitive testing tool.
(4) We are too small for a test tool and test process
The starting point for using a test tool can never be dictated by the size of your organisation. Of course it does have some influence. A large organisation will have a faster need for overview and control of the testing process than a small organisation. But in the end, testing is all about limiting risks and errors. There are small organisations in which the business-critical processes can lead to catastrophe in the event of an error. Conversely, there are large organisations in which an error in business-critical processes has much less impact.
Tip: Do not look at company size, but at the impact of errors on your business-critical processes.
(5) Our application administrators do know what to look out for when it comes to updates
It's nice to have confidence in your employees. Of course, they know better than anyone else how the application works. But isn't it the user who actually sets his own rules when using an application? There are countless examples of software use that originally served a completely different purpose. The user is not always willing to be read the law. We experience this ourselves with Testersuite. Sometimes functionalities are used in a different way than we ever thought of. This changes the perspective but also the impact of possible defects in the application. All the more reason to use a test tool to enforce a structured test process.
Tip: Ask your users to test a tool using a heuristic approach.
(6) We must first define the testing process
Last but not least in this series is the excuse of the test process still to be developed. This is an often-heard excuse why people do not yet use a good test tool. Practice, however, shows that developing a test process is difficult to get off the ground. Where do you start and how do you get your hands on it internally? Many test managers have experienced that developing and implementing a test process goes hand in hand with the use of a test tool. A test tool based on best practices helps you to develop the test process. The motto here is to start with a tool within a small project and from there to establish the process simultaneously.
Tip: Ask fellow organisations with a mature test process about their experiences.
Just start with a free tool
Getting started with a test management tool can be very easy. Without cost and hassle and within two minutes. Testersuite FREE supports the entire testing process from creating and executing test cases to recording test findings. With five users you can demonstrate in practice the added value of a good test tool. Then it's a lot easier to convince management. From there, you can purchase Testersuite PRO or PREMIUM to get started with more colleagues.
