Bug Blog

Functional testing is the process of determining how closely a program matches specifications. It is based on the development of test case scenarios derived from program specifications. What are specifications? They are the requirements that the software is intended to meet based on documentation. Simply put, functional testing answers the question, " How does this software function?"

What is continuous delivery? It is a solution that is intended to eliminate the traditional slowdowns in software development. The basic idea is to develop a system that will gradiently improve software by the delivery of working software elements at each stage. These elements can be tested and assembled into a complete application while taking needed improvements and requirement changes into account. And so, continuous delivery is an approach to software development that allows users to receive new features as quickly as possible.

DevOps has become an important concept in software development, software testing and deployment. The purpose of DevOps is to create a cross discipline community that can evolve and act in a coordinated and scalable way. Development engineers and operations work together in a cooperative way throughout the software development cycle, rather than each working in stand alone departments.

A software glitch has resulted in the BC Lottery Corporation awarding nine gamblers more than one million dollars. The problem occurred in the Wizard of Odds slot machine game and caused an error message to be displayed, rather than players being notified when they had won the progressive jackpot. The glitch also appears to be localized and restricted only to PlayNow.com.

It’s no longer about being first to market. You only need to look at Friendster and Facebook to see the evidence of that. Today it’s about startups getting to product market fit first and by doing it lean. Recently I had the privilege to keynote in front of 500 senior executives at IBM’s A/NZ Smarter Selling Academy I dived into this topic by sharing how we did it at Bugwolf. I want to share some of my comments from that talk, and a few other thoughts I’ve had since then.

When users switch between devices throughout the day the applications used are going to be the ones that function the same way regardless of the device size. Screen size plays a significant role in end user satisfaction even though in testing software “display” issues are the least important part of the code. However, with mobile applications, screen size and display issues become critical. Screen sizing testing can be infiltrated into nearly every phase from initial development through certification and in beta testing.

Regardless of the methodology used, once the release is out doesn’t mean testing stops. Testing never stops because it’s impossible to completely cover all testing areas, let alone test thoroughly. The short cycle of certification testing is one example. During the standard test period it’s impossible to test all testing types. No one finishes I don’t care what they claim. The fact is, to be effective testing needs to be continuous.

Exploratory manual testing is effective in rapid testing situations where test coverage and value is important because it finds defects in unexpected workflows, buried deep within iOS8 integration or right on the surface. Exploratory testing is manual testing that allows the individual tester to use their intellect, experience, and drive to break software creatively to unearth defects.

Test automation has many fans and is gaining momentum in mobile app testing. The tools have changed but the central question remains: Is using either approach effective enough to significantly improve mobile application testing.

So how are you going to get it all done? If you’ve reviewed the features coming up in the release of iOS8, there’s a lot of testing ground to cover. How are you going to certify that your apps are updated and ready if you’re still coding the updates. The typical two week notice period is barely enough time to investigate, design, and code let alone test and certify the application.