Mind Maps and Test Activities

In my previous post, I have described about mind Map and its usefulness. In this article I intend to discuss about how we can make use of Mind Map in our test activities. We can leverage the benefits that the Mind Maps offer, in many of our test phases like test planning, Test design, Problem solving,  developing tour during exploratory testing etc.

Plan your test using Mind Map

Test Planning is a phase when you plan your entire test activities for a particular release or a particular year/period. This is usually a large document in black and white. The Mind maps and its visual appearance can be put to use here. The whole planning activities can be depicted or drawn in a single sheet which increases the legibility of the entire document over the conventional approach.

Test design using Mind Map

The advantage of designing tests using mind maps is that the entire feature/functionality that has to be tested can be represented visually thereby giving insight into the various interconnections and hence giving rise to more test ideas.

Mind Map aids Problem Solving

Trouble shooting and problem solving have always been one of the major activities during the test lifecycle. One always does a brain storming session or discussions to analyze a given problem and then find a solution for it. In a conventional approach the brainstorming sessions and the results derived out of it are not structured and hence difficult to document. If you use a mind map during this process, you can structure out the ideas that come from the discussion even without losing the essence of brainstorming process. This document can be used for reference in the future also.

Gaining insight on complex subjects

Understanding and testing integrated scenarios and complex subjects are always a challenge especially during integration testing. Depict them using Mind map – give them a visual feel – and make your testing easy. It goes beyond saying that you can understand things more easily in pictorial form than in writing. Such mind map documents can be created for KT reference also.

Develop tours during exploratory testing from Mind Maps

Exploratory tests are talk of the town now. We understand the scenario and figure out which tour suits the best for it. If you have a Mind Map in place for a particular scenario, it would be easy for you to find out which is the best tour you can use for it.

To make it practical let me put all what I have said in a Mind map so that you can see for yourself.

Mind_map_for_testing

Is expected result a must for every test?

The inspiration for me to write this is an interesting discussion that I came across in one of the forums. The topic of the debate was – whether every test needs to have an expected result.

The moment I glanced the topic I was very sure about the answer to it – YES every test needs an expected result. Without any expectation any tests were useless. I penned down my feelings and waited for other opinions. Though most of them voiced the same feeling as mine, there were a few who thought differently. Some of non-functional testers did not need an expectation to complete their tests at first. Some of them even asked me whether you had any problems because you had an expected result for your test case.

Now after some days of thinking over the topic I still feel that a test case needs to have an expected result as majority of my fellow testers felt.

However, in some cases, having a strict expected result can narrow down your thought process. In such cases we can write a test case by providing a very generic expected result giving enough space for the testers to ponder and play around. Also if you are doing an exploratory testing may be you would get test cases without any expected results. But even there, you would expect some results based on your previous experience. In some kind of testing especially performance tests, the expected result evolve over time.

You can view the full discussion thread here. And maybe think over the topic and can pen down what you feel about it.

Passion for Testing

Passion for Testing

Regardless of what some may think, software testers need strong analytical and problem solving skills. But what is most essential for a great tester is the passion for testing. It is well quoted “if you do not like testing your product, most likely your customer won’t like testing it either”. Passion for testing is nothing but the passion for breaking things. Doesn’t that sound good enough to make testing fun and challenging?

 Along with passion there are some little things that makes one an excellent tester. Your desire and ability to learn matters- be a continuous learner. Your ability to contribute in the project and excel in your work depends on keeping up with the ever increasing knowledge base and ever expanding skill set. And always be prepared and confident to apply your knowledge and skill in your work whenever the situation demands.

Developing a critical mindset is also important for a good tester. Never ever assume things, but always question. Check everything and expect the unexpected- it never hurts to be a little pessimistic! Always think of “what-if” scenarios. Be a perfectionist and demand for better product. A common statement always said to a tester is “test from the customer point of view”. But I would suggest a tester to consider himself as the customer who paid for the product. You will definitely end up finding more bugs!

No doubt, the aim of testing is to find defects. But the way you report the bug is also important. A bug report should be an accurate, concise, thoroughly-edited, well-conceived, high quality technical document. Also, master the skill of writing a diplomatic bug report. You need to be politely blunt- tell people what you think – tactfully. And most importantly never be hesitant to admit your mistakes.

A tester is the first person who should realize the importance of testing and create this awareness among others. 

You should understand that testing is the first step towards quality. High quality products are recognized and appreciated everywhere. It is always obvious that quality and productivity go hand in hand. Higher quality leads to higher productivity. So dear testers, you are the one who can make the difference.

So next time, the moment you get an application to test, start your treasure hunt. The treasure of bugs is always hidden and will appear at places where you do not see them easily. Make bug hunting a fun.  I recently got a chance to read an incident narrated by a passionate tester who broke an ATM machine when he went to withdraw money. Out of his curiosity he inserted his expired card into the machine and the machine hanged- forever. Though the fellow users were frustrated and disgusted, the tester in him was delighted because he was successful in breaking the machine! Testing was no longer his career, but has become his habit. Once you cultivate this habit in you, you become an excellent tester no matter who says what.