Success Leaves Clues
and Failure leaves Clues
The saying "Success Leaves Clues" is often used to encourage people to learn from their successes and to identify the factors that contributed to them. This can be a valuable approach for software quality testing as well. By carefully analyzing successful test cases, testers can identify patterns and best practices that can be applied to future testing efforts.
For example, if a test case successfully uncovered a critical bug, testers can look for similar patterns in other test cases. This could help them to identify other potential bugs that they might have missed. Additionally, if a test case was able to successfully exercise a complex feature, testers can learn from the way that the test case was designed. This could help them to create more effective test cases for other complex features.
Failure Leaves Clues
Of course, failure can also be a valuable source of clues for software quality testers. When a test case fails, it can indicate that there is a bug in the software. However, it can also indicate that the test case itself is flawed. By carefully analyzing failed test cases, testers can identify the root cause of the failure. This could be a bug in the software, a problem with the test case design, or a combination of both.
Once the root cause of the failure has been identified, testers can take steps to correct it. If the failure was caused by a bug in the software, the bug can be fixed. If the failure was caused by a problem with the test case design, the test case can be modified or rewritten. By taking steps to correct the root cause of the failure, testers can improve the quality of the software and the test suite.
In summary, success and failure can both be valuable sources of clues for software quality testers. By carefully analyzing successful and failed test cases, testers can identify patterns and best practices that can be applied to future testing efforts. This can help to improve the quality of the software and the test suite, and ultimately to deliver a better product to the customer.
Practical Tips
Here are some additional tips for applying the "success leaves clues" and "failure leaves clues" principles to software quality testing:
- Use a variety of testing techniques, including manual testing, automated testing, and exploratory testing. This will help you to uncover a wider range of bugs.
- Create a test suite that is comprehensive and covers all aspects of the software. This will help you to identify as many bugs as possible.
- Reuse successful test cases whenever possible. This will save you time and effort, and it will also help you to ensure that the software is consistently tested.
- Analyze failed test cases carefully to identify the root cause of the failure. This will help you to fix the bug and prevent it from happening again.
- Be open to feedback from other testers and developers. This can help you to identify blind spots and improve the quality of your testing.
In Summary
By following these tips, you can use the "Success Leaves Clues" and "Failure Leaves Clues" principles to improve the quality of your software quality testing. This will help you to deliver a better product to your customers and to avoid costly post-release defects.