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Requirements-based software testing
A lot of customers do not often understand what requirements testing is and why it is important. As a result, requirements testing is often overlooked on projects, which leads to multiple problems and miscommunication. In this article, we will explain what requirements testing is and will look at its types and peculiarities.
What is software requirements testing?
Requirements testing is an approach where test cases, conditions, and data are derived from requirements. It is done to find out if the project requirements are fully explained and do not conflict. QA testing requirements include functional and non-functional attributes assessment (performance, reliability, usability). To perform requirements testing, QA engineers get information from the BA or PM who are involved in the collection and description of requirements for a software product.
Requirements testing is an important stage of the testing process which always helps optimize the work of the team and avoid misunderstandings. The requirements testing process ensures the resulting quality of the software solution from the very beginning. Therefore, before testing an application, it is necessary to solve important problems related to the incomprehensibility of the requirements, their frequent changeability, last-minute changes, and incorrect interpretation of the requirements. As a result, the customer gets a high-quality competitive product developed in compliance with all the requirements stated.
Types of requirements in software testing
There are 3 types of requirements testing:
- Testing of business requirements is needed to determine why the product is created, the scope benefits it will bring and how the customer will profit from the product.
- Testing of user requirements finds out what tasks the user will be able to perform using the product.
- Testing of product requirements may be functional (what the solution has to fulfill) and non-functional testing requirements (how the product fulfills these requirements).
Quality Assurance and Testing
Explore our expertiseRequirements testing attributes
When the QA engineer gets the requirements, it is necessary to know which attributes to test to ensure the product quality. We have collected the most widespread ones:
- Completeness. The requirement should contain all the necessary information for developers and all stakeholders concerned. The requirement should also include all the key details that reveal the needs of users.
- Consistency of requirements. Requirements must not conflict with other requirements. Each one should comply with all external and internal documentation and standards.
- Correctness of requirements. Requirements should accurately and completely describe the functionality, so that there are no additional questions and ambiguities.
- Unambiguity. A requirement should be interpreted in the same way by all the users of the system. Documentation should be simple, concise, and accurate. A requirement that is clearly stated can be traced back to the document in which it was first mentioned.
- Testability. The fulfillment of a requirement should be verified.
- Changeability. It should be easy to make changes to individual requirements and to a set of requirements.
- Traceability. It is the ability to track the requirements throughout the life cycle of a project until the delivery of the finished product.
Advantages of requirements-based testing
If businesses want to ensure the superior quality of their end products, implementing requirements-based testing is crucial. The most significant benefits of this type of testing include:
- Increased test coverage. Companies that use requirements-based testing ensure comprehensive test coverage of all software features based on specified user, business, and product requirements. The more features will be validated, the fewer glitches the final product will have.
- Early issue detection and prevention. Test cases based on the documented requirements enable QA engineers to identify and report software errors early in the development process. This proactive approach prevents bugs from escalating into more complex issues that can inflict irreparable software damage later on.
- Reduced costs and time. Testing software solutions against specified requirements considerably reduces relevant costs and overall development time. By helping to identify and address software issues timely, requirements-based testing can save businesses from significant financial losses and accelerate the software development life cycle (SDLC).
- Improved traceability. Requirements-based testing fosters improved traceability of all requirements, corresponding test cases, and identified issues throughout the entire SDLC. Better traceability helps facilitate the entire testing process, track and manage test case dependencies, and establish proper change and risk management.
- Enhanced compliance and security. Requirements-based testing involves aligning test cases with the documented compliance and security requirements. This enables QA engineers to detect security issues and vulnerabilities early, safeguard sensitive data, and ensure adherence to industry-specific regulations like HIPAA or GDPR.
- Meeting stakeholder expectations. Focused on prioritizing user and business requirements throughout the SDLC, requirements-based testing helps deliver highly functional products that meet the specific needs of business leaders and end users and provide a flawless experience for them.
Nowadays, Agile is a common practice among businesses as it offers companies many benefits such as flexibility, increased product quality, quick response to change, and risk minimization. In the iterative development scenario, quality assurance testing holds a valuable place.
Common challenges in requirements-based testing
Requirements-based testing deeply depends on requirements elicited by stakeholders and may have specific challenge:
- Incomplete or inadequate requirements. Incomplete or inadequate requirements are a big problem faced by QA testers, which can result in creating ineffective and inaccurate test cases and delivering invalid testing results. To avoid this problem, it is essential to accurately elicit and document all the requirements, engage with various stakeholders throughout the SDLC to track changes, and establish a clear traceability matrix.
- Test case mapping. To ensure a smooth requirements-based testing process, linking test cases to the specified requirements is crucial. Given that testing requirements are often comprehensive, achieving this goal can be challenging and time-consuming. To address this issue, QA engineers can use specialized tools that automatically map test cases to the specified requirements, ensuring traceability and improved test coverage.
- A lack of flexibility. A lack of flexibility is another challenge of requirements-based testing. Examining apps solely based on predefined requirements without considering potential changes can limit the scope of testing and lead to overlooking unspecified requirements and, thus, functionality. Adopting Agile can help establish iterative development and testing, where requirements are constantly reviewed and updated based on changes.
Product Engineering Services
Explore our expertiseConclusion
When all the requirements are tested and updated, QA engineers write test cases for requirements and start test execution. If you are looking for software quality assurance services, EffectiveSoft QA team is at your disposal. Just contact us, and we will find the best solution for your business.
F.A.Q. about requirements-based software testing
Requirement-based testing is the approach where data, conditions, and functional and non-functional test cases are derived from the project requirements. The main purpose of this type of testing is to ensure that all software aspects meet the predefined criteria and deliver seamless functionality.
Requirements-based testing includes a series of well-defined steps, including requirements gathering and analysis; test planning, design, and execution; defect tracking and resolution; and test closure. Ensuring the traceability of requirements helps maintain transparency and consistency throughout the entire process.
Yes, requirements-based testing is considered black-box testing, which focuses on testing software against specified requirements without diving into a code structure and internal workings of the software.
Whether you need requirements-based software testing, white-box testing, or grey-box testing, hiring EffectiveSoft is the ideal solution in any scenario. Our team of 40+ QA engineers has significant experience conducting various types of manual and automated testing, including unit, integration, performance, security, scalability, and other tests. More perks of choosing EffectiveSoft as your requirements-based software testing company encompass our fully equipped testing lab, comprehensive QA approach, and ability to satisfy the needs of diverse industries like healthcare, manufacturing, financial services, and logistics.
To ensure an effective process of requirements-based testing, QA engineers implement a wide range of best practices. They include early stakeholder involvement in eliciting the necessary requirements; ensuring the clarity, accuracy, and unambiguity of requirements; establishing and maintaining the links between the requirements and test cases by using suitable tools; supporting regular stakeholder communication; and more.
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