{"id":315,"date":"2018-12-18T23:07:59","date_gmt":"2018-12-18T23:07:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rainforestqa.com\/2018-12-18-the-top-5-donts-of-software-testing\/"},"modified":"2025-03-18T13:03:17","modified_gmt":"2025-03-18T13:03:17","slug":"2018-12-18-the-top-5-donts-of-software-testing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/2018-12-18-the-top-5-donts-of-software-testing","title":{"rendered":"The top 5 don&#8217;ts of software testing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Over time, the QA industry has developed many great processes and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/qa-testing-best-practices\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">best practices<\/a> that drive software and business success. These practices have become the playbook for how to do good QA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, some common QA practices are outdated and are in need of innovation, while others have even had a negative impact on product success. Industry expert and Rainforest QA Professional Services Manager, Melissa Tondi, recently sat down with TechWell for a webinar to discuss the Top 5 Don&#8217;ts of Software Testing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep reading to learn what these five big &#8220;don&#8217;ts&#8221; are, and what to do instead:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/2018-12-18-the-top-5-donts-of-software-testing\/#1_Dont_be_the_enabler\" >1. Don&#8217;t be the enabler<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/2018-12-18-the-top-5-donts-of-software-testing\/#2_Dont_automate_everything\" >2. Don&#8217;t automate everything<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/2018-12-18-the-top-5-donts-of-software-testing\/#3_Dont_have_%E2%80%9CQA-only%E2%80%9D_sprint_cycles\" >3. Don&#8217;t have &#8220;QA-only&#8221; sprint cycles<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/2018-12-18-the-top-5-donts-of-software-testing\/#4_Dont_own_all_software_testing\" >4. Don&#8217;t own all software testing<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/2018-12-18-the-top-5-donts-of-software-testing\/#5_Dont_hide_information\" >5. Don&#8217;t hide information<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/2018-12-18-the-top-5-donts-of-software-testing\/#Key_takeaways\" >Key takeaways<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Dont_be_the_enabler\"><\/span>1. Don&#8217;t be the enabler<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>QA teams often do a large portion of their work at the end of the software development cycle. This may be perceived positively by the team because it feels like QEs are saving the day. But waiting to manage quality at the end of the development process slows down delivery and hinders QA teams from more strategic initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong id=\"\">Instead<\/strong>: Adopt an &#8216;all-for-one and one-for-all&#8217; mentality by using risk-based and context-driven approaches to software testing. By strategically managing the execution of high-priority tests first, your team can understand what gives, when the schedule won&#8217;t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Dont_automate_everything\"><\/span>2. Don&#8217;t automate everything<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Test automation makes humans more efficient, not less essential<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>QA practitioners are technologists and, as technologists, should leverage as many tools and technologies available in the most efficient&nbsp;way possible. Test automation is one of those tools, but being held to meaningless outcomes like, &#8220;automation everything,&#8221; is not a strategic way to manage QA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong id=\"\">Instead<\/strong>: Think carefully about your team&#8217;s approach to test automation and ensure it&#8217;s speeding up development. Have a qualification process in place to strategically determine which tests should be automated. To do this effectively, define selection criteria for your team to use to determine a test&#8217;s fit for automation. When done well, test automation can take development and QA teams to the next level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Dont_have_%E2%80%9CQA-only%E2%80%9D_sprint_cycles\"><\/span>3. Don&#8217;t have &#8220;QA-only&#8221; sprint cycles<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>From designing new features to shipping code to production, there are many places throughout the development cycle where problems can crop up. Yet QA teams often stand apart from development teams. The further along in the development process issues are uncovered, the harder (and more expensive) they are to resolve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>ABC: Always Be Coupled&#8230; with Dev<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>: QEs should always be coupled with developers. By shifting left, QA teams can have a much larger impact on enabling development teams to ship high-quality code, faster. Additionally, shifting QA left makes it easier for developers to solve any issues that arise in their code &#8212; it&#8217;s much easier to fix something you worked on two days ago, rather than something you worked on several sprints ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Dont_own_all_software_testing\"><\/span>4. Don&#8217;t own all software testing<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Developers should, and often do, own a standard amount of unit and integration testing. Product teams should, and often do, manage products with quality in mind. Yet, it&#8217;s common for QA teams to carry the load of the blame when buggy software gets into the hands of customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Everyone owns quality<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Make quality everyone&#8217;s responsibility. Set the entire company up for success by building a quality-driven culture. From Product and Engineering, who manage and build the product, to Revenue and Customers Success, who put products in the hands of customers and ensure a delightful experience, to Recruiting and People Ops, who hire and maintain talent pivotal to quality success. Everyone owns quality in one way or another.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_Dont_hide_information\"><\/span>5. Don&#8217;t hide information<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Meet with every person who contributes to software quality.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Communication about the good (and the bad) is key to building and shipping software that delights customers. However, it can be challenging for fast-moving teams to keep the feedback process flowing smoothly, resulting in important information being hidden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Instead<\/strong>, turn implicit information into explicit information by building channels of communication and writing implicit information down. To do this, Melissa suggests having a flow like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Meet the team<\/strong>: QEs should meet with everyone who contributes to product quality. This will vary company-to-company, but key players often include Product, Engineering, Design, and fellow QA team members.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Create the dev plan<\/strong>: Developers should give an overview of their plan.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Iterate the dev plan<\/strong>: Product and Engineering should prepare to be able to answer questions regarding their plan and make edits where appropriate. Additionally, they should be able to add more contextual information while discussions are happening.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Share the testing plan:\u00a0<\/strong>Lastly, QEs should provide key players with an overview of what they are going to test.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Key_takeaways\"><\/span>Key takeaways<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The key to software quality success is to regularly evaluate and iterate your QA strategy. We challenge you to take these 5 don&#8217;ts of software testing and evaluate your QA process against them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Over time, the QA industry has developed many great processes and best practices that drive software and business success. But some practices are outdated, while others have negatively impacted product success. In this post, we share the Top 5 Don\u2019ts of Software Testing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-qa-strategy"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=315"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/315\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3056,"href":"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/315\/revisions\/3056"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}