Poor preparation in software testing can lead to

🙋 Questions
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I’m currently reviewing a module in STEC (Software Testing Essentials Certificate) where one section says:

Poor preparation in software testing can lead to:

  • Missing bugs due to testing the wrong version
  • Wasted time due to incorrect environment setup
  • Incomplete testing due to lack of proper access or tools
  • Inefficient use of testing time due to unclear objectives
  • Missed requirements due to a lack of understanding of the context

What other examples can you think of to add to this list?

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Zooming out a little, it can also lead to:

  • Realised risks
  • Reduced credibility
  • Reputational damage
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With a people lens on, poor preparation in software testing can lead to:

  • Confusion and dissonance among team members
  • A reduction in team morale
  • A high turnover of staff which leads to
  • The loss of essential domain knowledge and
  • An increase in time and effort spent hiring plus
  • A decrease in time and effort spent on learning & development (training, coaching, research, participating in communities etc)
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What does preparation refer to? Which kind of preparation, and of what in particular?

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  • Only obvious bugs where detected, leaving deeper issues unnoticed
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  • Increased stress on the tester, and potential health issues if not an isolated event.
  • Not breaking the work down into manageable parts, and attempting too much at once.
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  • A bottleneck forming at the testing step of the development process
  • the tester being pressured to give the OK to a ticket they are still testing, so it can be released
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I think the list is very good, and pretty enough. if you focus on these you will solve most testing hangups, at least at a reasonably small enterprise. When testing large systems with a lot of testers involved there is a range of preparations needed too, for that.

To solve a lot of those issues you do not only need a test plan but just time to think upcoming tests over, and maybe most important, good relations with people involved. The objectives will not come on a silver plate to a tester, normally.

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