Essay On Exploratory Testing

Improved Essays
Exploratory Testing vs Scripted Testing : which is better?

Problems with multiple solutions signify that people can approach issues in the way that best suits their resources, capabilities and requirements. This is true for testing methodology where there are a number of ways that can be taken, but it's truly the end result that matters. The choice comes down to two potential ways: scripted or exploratory. Testing teams can apply a variety of underlying practices to drive their testing efforts and produce better quality products. However, teams must understand the difference between scripted and exploratory testing and which approach to take.

Scripted Testing:

Scripted testing is an approach that focus on precision and control. In, a scripted testing approach the testing effort is disciplined by designing and reviewing all test scripts in advance. In this approach the tests are well documented and executed , and it is easy to repeat tests when required. Scripted testing means designing test scripts early, and executing them later, and these scripts have quite detailed steps, and a clear expected result. In contrast of James Bach's Exploratory Testing definition, “Scripted testing has a test planning and design phase, followed by test execution. The artifacts of the test design phase are test plans, test specifications ,test cases and scripts. These artifacts are used while test execution is conducted for formal testing of a system. “ “If test scripts are used to control the testing then it is scripted testing approach.” Exploratory Testing: “ If test scripts are used as a reference for further testing then it is an exploratory testing approach." James Bach defines exploratory testing as "test design and test execution at the same time." Exploratory Testing in its native form is a path that focus on learning, evolution and freedom. Exploratory Testing in real life is a group of ways of testing which is sometimes used as an implementation example of the approach, sometimes used for testing that don’t comply a script. Exploratory testing permits testers to learn on the way of execution, adjust their test-scripts accordingly in this process and reveal software issues that are often unexpected. The final result is a mature software that reflects a user’s experience versus that of those who created it. Benefits of Scripted Testing: In scripted testing, testers create elaborated test scenarios , later modify into scripts. Scripted tests provide strict guidance based on knowledge of the software application under test and are expected to produce a well-defined set of results. Scripted tests are preferred for their stability and ability to guide the work of less skilled testers. They produce measurable results and reasonable estimates for completion of the work. Due to their high level of repeatability and detail definition (explanation), they are easily automated. Scripted tests are created from requirements, design and code, the important properties of the system will be covered by tests and this coverage can be manifested. Scripted tests, when written to the proper level of detail, can be run by people who would not be able to test the system because of the lack of
…show more content…
Does this mean that exploratory testing is perfect and the answer to every software tester’s dreams? Not at all.

Exploratory testing vs. Scripted testing; Is it really only either or?

As mentioned several times by thought-leaders within the testing community, “If you imagine a product as a field of landmines and each landmine is a defect, then it’s pretty clear that treading the same path over and over is not the way to find them all.” This mean that the practical and right approach, with regard to coming as close as possible to “minimal” defects, is going to be a mixture of the two.

Sometimes while exploratory testing uncover the completely unexpected defect of a program, there is a chance that to miss the simplest defect as the tester simply never got there. Now, there may be times when testers need a descriptive set of steps in a scripted test to pass specific requirements, or need absolute control over what is being tested and how it is being tested. Sometimes testers want to use an exploratory approach to test as tester is unfamiliar with a new undocumented or under-documented feature, or when testers want to assess the system in ways which have not previously

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Organization Bunge Nipawin, is a canola crushing and refining plant in Nipawin, Saskatchewan, which is part of a larger company called Bunge Limited. Bunge Nipawin specifically sells canola meal, crude canola oil, and refined canola oil to various external and internal customers. As the refinery and utilities supervisor, I look after the tank farm inventory, the bleaching process, the deodorizing process, the boilers and auxiliary equipment, the tailings pond, and the skimming pits. The Pitch - Problem Background It is industry practice to hinge a quality specification on a taste test, prior to shipping the rail car of canola oil to the customer.…

    • 939 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Penetration tests assesses the overall security. It is the process of attempting to gain access to resources without knowledge of specific user names, their passwords, or other normal means of access (similar to what an attacker would do). The big different between a penetration tester and an attacker basically is permission. A penetration tester will already have some permissions (such as an normal user account) in place from the owner or managers of the computing resources that are to be tested. From here, the pen tester will attempt to gain additional accesses.…

    • 460 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Pt1420 Unit 1 Study Guide

    • 607 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Testing is one of the most important parts of software development life cycle. It is an element of software quality assurance and can be described as a process of running a program in such a manner as to uncover any errors. Testing also demonstrates that software functions appear to be working according to specifications, that behavioral and performance requirements appear to have been met. That test will be carried out when the system is complete. In this chapter, I test my simulation software with testing method.…

    • 607 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Standardized Testing is a Global Issue “If the purpose of learning was to score well on a test, we lost sight of the real reason of learning.” A quote by Jennie Fullbright. Standardized testing has been a part of the educational system since the beginning of the twentieth century and it was created by a psychologist named Alfred Binet. The test developed a love-hate relationship through all students in Universities. These tests were to improve efficiency and managing the student’s population growth in the early twentieth centuries.…

    • 887 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Problem-solving is used as testing by using different methods. As someone who teaches the subject of forensics science, "Teachers must be organized and be willing to try new…

    • 1469 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    • Malicious process monitoring: We could make use of a tool like a windows registry accesses which helps tracks all the malicious programs trying to access the system. Such a tool on the dashboard greatly benefits the user since they can try keep the system safe without any external threats entering the system without notifying the user. The real time updating of the tool in this case will be easier because the user needs to only notified of programs that require them to look at the program as fast as they can. o Requires attention: The sub-point inside this metric could be a metric that can be called Requires Immediate attention. Not all the malicious software trying to access the system are of level 10 danger.…

    • 1042 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    JOURNALISM 220: FOUNDATIONS OF ADVERTISING HOMEWORK #2: AD ANALYSIS Creative Brief: Clorox – “ Bleachable Contest/Distance” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_g7s2oBzCw Objective: The main objective in this commercial is to persuade. They do this by showing that Clorox is the best choice to use when cleaning the bathroom and even include a hashtag at the end of the commercial that states, “#Bleachitaway.” Essentially they are persuading consumers that Clorox’s bleach will clean it all away. Target Audience: • Females • 30-45 age range • Mothers •…

    • 601 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Goodman's Flaws

    • 161 Words
    • 1 Pages

    He does not just complain about the problem he has, but he offers solutions along with it. He writes that if the only reason for testing is to point out weakness then it is not helpful to the student. He says that…

    • 161 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    That statement from the article gives an example of how much stress and time these tests are taking in schools and the toll its taking on children, especially young children. We want our children and students to excel in school and want to be there, but yet we are making them take all these test that are stressing them out and making some students lose purpose when it comes to school. The teacher Dawn Neely-Randall is an example of a teacher who finally saw what testing was doing to students and this is why she finally had to start speaking…

    • 647 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In an interview with Mr. Gordon, a teacher at Poolesville High School, he says that multiple choice tests are probably the worst kind. There is no partial credit for trying and applying knowledge. Multiple choice questions are also hard to give feedback for, as you cannot see the student’s thinking. Testing can improve learning, but not when it is like this. There is no constructive feedback and no motivation to actually learn the information.…

    • 661 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Aids is a very harsh virus that has been terrorizing many people over the last hundred years (“Ethics”). Even with treatment you still have a very slim chance of surviving. If mandatory testing is required, we can find those who are infected and prevent it from spreading. If we catch all the people with AIDS and stop them from spreading it, less and less people will contract the virus. Many people do not even know if they have the virus until later in their life.…

    • 467 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Could you imagine a world without tests? I know I would love one! Having a world without tests is something I think the majority of students would like to have, but sadly it is not possible. In school we learn a vast amount of material for each class, and there has to be a way for teachers to determine if you know a material or not. If you ask me, I do not like tests, but I do feel it is necessary for schools to have them.…

    • 1688 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Exploratory Research

    • 847 Words
    • 4 Pages

    1. You want to determine whether graffiti is really a problem, whether the citizens who have complained are representative of the community as a whole (as opposed to random “troublemakers”). Describe at least four types of data you could collect to determine whether graffiti is really a problem. Be creative and be specific.…

    • 847 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    How many of you didn't do well on that test we took today? I'm talking about below proficient, so less than an 80. I will be honest and say I scored less than an 80. I hate tests for many reasons, but the one you won't find on this post is if I do bad on them. Hating tests because of the fact you don't do well isn't a reason (or a very good one at that).…

    • 936 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Standardized Tests How many countless hours have teachers and kids struggled over ACT packets and practice SAT’s for a mere three hours of filling in bubbles? President Barack Obama said, “teachers should not be forced to spend the academic year preparing students to fill in bubbles on standardized tests.” In high schools all over the U.S. teachers prepare student for these impractical tests, to measure how smart someone is. These standardized tests, however, don’t take into account many other things such as work ethic, willingness to be involved, and student’s effort.…

    • 1712 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays