The technology world is changing quite fast and one really has to keep up the pace to be a good and up-to-date tester in the software industry. Testers know that while preparing for the testing process, one of the most vital activities is determining the best tools for their specific project. The process of actually selecting any software testing tools is one which requires a lot of hands-on experience with both testing in general and in your specific niche. But there are unfortunate times when the selection of tools falls into the hands of those people who don’t have any experience. It is then the testing and as the organization together fail to deliver.
The tips mentioned below should be kept in mind when you are making a selection for any single tool or a whole set of tools:
Choose carefully – A Tool not a vendor
For most of the organizations, it’s easy and tempting to go to a vendor they have already worked with and use whatever testing tool they happen to represent for a certain project. However, it’s advisable for you to do in-depth research into the tools that would be suitable for your products’ needs, making sure that the solution is as customized as possible for your particular situation. It is you who knows the project’s requirement best so go ahead and if required, read few books to guide yourself and select the best tool.
Let price not attract you, instead go for the best fit
Take your decisions yourself rather than leaving it to someone who looks at it from a business viewpoint. There is no disagreement that budgetary aspects are important but such decisions should be taken based on extensive testing expertise. Many a times you may end up purchasing a expensive tool but at the same time it if it is efficient and lowers your aggravate testing time, it will result as a good investment. On the flip side if you buy a tool just looking at its low price but it does not serve the purpose of your testing, this will lead to you first being a bad tester and secondly will obstruct the whole testing process which will eventually be time consuming and potentially will be more expensive than the tools you rejected at the first due to high cost.
Experience counts – bank upon tester’s experience
While working in an organization, you are well acquainted with who probably has an opinion on a certain tool? The testers, who will be using it have profound knowledge, try and reach out within your company for more information. It serves as a great help to create a company culture where the decision-makers can reach out to testers and project leaders who already work for them as a resource. These expert individuals will have years of experience and may prove to be an amazing resource for making decisions like these. Take advantage of them and make them feel good and recognized for all their depth knowledge at hand.
Selecting Automated Testing Tools
When you start your search for the right automated software testing tool, it’s important to create a list of requirements to review when choosing a tool for evaluation. If you don’t have a list of requirements, you may waste time downloading, installing and evaluating tools that only meet some of your requirements, or may not meet any of them.
Selecting Security Tools
Make sure the security tool is compatible with the framework and databases you are working with. Try and verify that your tool can work with your code management tool. Developers should take note of the tool’s false-positive performance, as in the Water Fall there is no extra time to waste on false-positives. If working in the Agile environment, it’s important that the security solution blends in well.
Testing is a critical part of the software development process. There are a lot of different software testing tools currently available in the market. The above mentioned tips will enhance your knowledge in picking in the right tool for your products/projects and will pave your way in becoming a skilled and ideal tester.
