How to Improve A Manual Testing Process

The quality assurance process with software is a crucial step towards creating something which will soon be presented to the world. Ensuring that the system and the performance are up to the mark, there are many levels of quality assurance that need to be considered. Learn about the quality assurance process here.

To enhance the user interface and experience, there are two levels at which quality control is done. Even though automation and manual testing work in tandem to make software efficient, there is no doubt how much manual testing can help create a better service from the end user’s perspective. Here are some ways in which you can improve the manual testing process each project you take up:

1. Create an Environment Specific for Testing

Automation testing does not require an environment that is free from distraction, but your manual testing experts do. All the focus needs to be on the User Interface and the experience so that any minute problems and glitches can be caught right away. Creating separate working areas for manual testing will help boost the analytical skills of the experts and help them come to conclusions faster. Having proper equipment like headphones to check the sound quality better is also recommended.

2. Change Your Policies about QA

Source: process.st

Quality assurance for many companies comes only when the prototype is finalized. But it can have serious drawbacks and can also result in a significant delay of the project. Being more serious about QA can save time and resources and make your team more productive in the long run. Integration of QA, both manual and automation testing, earlier in the design and development process can change the way you approach the process.

Make your team aware of the expectations and practices so that they engage in manual testing each time a new feature is added to the software. Altering the framework and the code later when everything is done will prove to be more time-consuming as compared to when the app development is in progress.

3. Appoint Someone In Charge

The QA process is very demanding, so keeping everyone on their toes is essential. You can always choose to increase the number of testers on your team, but until they are given direction or guidance in the form of a supervisor, there always remains room for improvement. If you want to improve your manual testing process, click to read more about what you can do.

Hiring someone to supervise the QA process is also advantageous on the account of management. More time would be saved, and the productivity would be significantly increased when the directions to the manual testing are clear. Create an agile environment for the testers to see improved results.

4. Make the Manual Testing Process More Focused

Source: vtestcorp.com

It is one thing to manually check all the details once the app is done and another to waste and energy on domains that are better tested through automated methods. Being smart about the manual testing process will help you achieve better results in your overall quality control procedure.

For instance, if you want to engage experts in manual testing, then you should notify them to give more priority to certain areas than others. Let the manual testing include important aspects like:

  • Customized features which are specifically catered to a particular brand and retail knowledge is needed
  • Upgrades or changes are done in an existing design
  • Analyzing based on subjective interpretation
  • Features tailored to a certain customer demographic

5. Use Automation Wisely

Manual testing is an excellent way to determine flaws that a machine can probably miss out on. However, it does not mean that you can let go of automation altogether. Focus on dividing the QA process so that the productivity of the entire team is improved. There are many aspects that are better tested through automation.

Building a clear scheme that allows bifurcation of the aspects that need automation manual testing will save your expenditure on resources and help maximize productivity.

6. Remove Redundancy in Manual Testing Resources

Source: testim.io

While creating a policy that allows quality control and easy testing every step of the way might be an approach you take, it is better not to be overtaken by the idea. Doing the same test time and again, for example, will waste a lot of time and will not contribute to the productivity of the team at all.

Compartmentalize your approach to manual testing for an effective QA procedure. Managing your manual testing resources is essential because your experts work hard to analyze the program and provide good results. Asking them to do the same thing can adversely impact morale and waste precious time.

7. Early Detection and Fixing

Manually testing the software is one thing, but if there is no action taken regarding the regression spotted, the testing procedure goes to waste. This will increase redundancy related to manual testing and cause problems to persist even after several rounds of testing. Better integration of the team can help curb these issues early on.

Being vigilant enough to spot early issues is highly beneficial because you do not want to check at the last step and see that constant upgrades cannot be executed. They might have impacted something basic, which caused the software to function properly. If you are building on the basic framework, then checking after each major upgrade will help in the detection of problems that can be resolved before moving on.

The Takeaway

Quality control or quality assurance process is the final step that allows you to understand the details of the software you created and make changes as and when required. While there are different approaches to manual and automation testing available, managing them in complete consonance with each other is how you can improve your productivity.

To improve your manual testing process, you will have to engage in integration, planning, and policy change. When you take into account the results and the resources, you will understand how your new approach helped in bringing about a positive change in your company’s QA process.