Navigating Product Quality with Software Testing Life Cycle: 7 Phases, Best Practices & Strategies

Quick Summary: Software product quality is defined by exceptional customer experience and focused problem-solving for the targeted users. By embracing a well-defined STLC, businesses can reflect on the suitability of their product features, streamline their testing processes, reduce time-to-market, enhance customer satisfaction, save costs, and ultimately drive success. This blog will help you gain a holistic understanding of STLC and enable unlock the keys to effective software quality assurance. Read on to explore the role of software testing life cycle in delivering breakthrough digital products!

Are you planning to launch a custom software product with high-grade features by the next quarter of this year? Well, if yes, then it is crucial that you know the best practices and strategies to ensure that the product works the way you want and rightfully satisfies customer needs, serves the purpose, and meets industry standards. To this a concrete and a strategic software development approach primarily works to shape the product engineering and execution.

However, a well-planned, strategized, and implemented SDLC is not enough to acquire the product output expected. This is where software testing life cycle (or STLC) comes into play. STLC helps optimize your digital product’s quality through a systematic approach of testing that works to identify defects, mitigate risks, and deliver high-quality software to end-users. It is a quality control process that serves to fairly justify the budget and ensures exceptional customer experience.

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Today, only churning out software products to match trends and keep the demands won’t just suffice to compete the hyper-active tech economy. Enterprises need to realize that people are not just looking for a vast range of software choices; but rather they want quality digital products that rightfully serve the purpose and solve real problems.

In context to the above, a few questions that businesses might consider answering before launching the next software product includes:

• Are the critical functionalities of the software thoroughly tested?
• Could the software handle anticipated user loads?
• Is the software’s performance tested against possible risks and vulnerabilities?
• Did the software pass the end user acceptance testing (UAT)?

Establishing value-driven QA largely depends on the right enforcement of software product testing life cycle. It totally pays off in achieving exceptional software quality and a 200% product success.

By understanding the STLC life cycle, you gain the ability to align testing efforts with overall project goals, optimize resource allocation, and make strategic decisions to ensure a seamless software development life cycle.

Let’s get started and take a deep-dive into the topic.

What is Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC)?

Testing is a fundamental part of any quality assurance (QA) and production process. And, the method that goes into conducting these tests for production often involves a series of organized steps that gets termed as ‘life cycle’.

Software products are no exception. It also runs through tests that are enforced using a definitive process comprising phases or qualifying stages. To get a clear perspective on this, you need to first ‘understand the definition of software testing’.

According to Techopedia, software testing is defined as a ‘set of processes aimed at investigating, evaluating, and ascertaining the completeness and quality of computer software. It’s a mechanism that helps ensure the compliance of a software product in relation with regulatory, business, technical, functional, and user requirements.’ In simple words, software testing includes:

• Verifying the performance of the software’s functional features
• Conducting technical assessment to identify bugs/errors that ensures the software remains error-free and rightfully executes its functions
• Analyzing usability for different user scenarios, security aspects, localization, and compatibility, and/or installation issues

Software testing can be automated and manual, and involves conducting thorough quality checks (bug detection, usability issues, security concerns, and more) that all aims to deliver the finest product to the end user that solves certain challenges.

Almost 5% of the businesses sign up for fully automated testing. Plus, 73% aim to achieve a 50:50 or 25:75 balance, and almost 14% aspire to eliminate manual testing.

Now, the above is all about software testing and its importance. But, ‘what is software testing life cycle?’

Well, software testing life cycle (or STLC) is precisely a systematic approach consisting of a series of well-defined stages that a software passes through during its development life cycle to ensure the quality, reliability, usability, and functionality of the digital product before its release to the end-users. It encompasses a series of well-defined phases with set ‘entry and exit’ criteria, each serving a specific purpose in the testing process.

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During the software product development process, the STLC phases can be performed multiple times until the final output is deemed suitable for release and gets certified as 100% error-free.

The STLC approach emphasizes the significance of collaboration and effective communication between the development (or production) and testing teams for continuous improvement. With software testing life cycle, the defects or issues in a digital product gets identified early in the software development process that ultimately helps minimize risks, reduce costs, and enhance the overall output quality.

By enforcing a strategic QA mechanism in SDLC and employing end-to-end software testing services, enterprises can systematically and comprehensively implement quality checks for their digital product launches, ensuring they meet the expected standards and fulfill user needs..

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Role and Importance of Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC)

Software testing life cycle has a critical role in the process of creating a digital product that users appreciate and value. It serves as a comprehensive technical framework for conducting quality engineering in software testing that emphasizes top-notch quality assurance.

STLC makes the software applications capable of real-time monetizing by ensuring it meets the end user needs with the right solutions. Some of the determinants of the software product testing life cycle framework are as follows:

1. Identification of the ambiguities and inconsistencies in the software product requirements
2. Efficient risk mitigation related to performance, security, usability, compatibility, integrations, compliances, functional suitability, and maintenance
3. Early detection of bugs or errors in the software product
4. Systematic approach to verify and validate the product’s architecture against the defined technical specifications
5. Explicit measurement and optimization of the software product’s performance by stimulating real-world scenarios
6. Identification of the software components interaction with external systems, modules, or APIs to ensure it seamlessly integrates and functions in a connected environment
7. Emphasizes proper documentation and traceability of the test cases and its results for future technical reference

By implementing a robust testing environment, organizations can ensure that their software products are thoroughly evaluated for quality, efficiency, and performance that enables improved customer satisfaction and a competitive edge in the market. Now, let’s get a detailed understanding about the phases of testing life cycle.

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Tip: Software is not a goal but a necessity in today’s digital world with user expectations soaring and competition getting more fierce. Here sustainability is driven by the right decisions at the right time which in turn is driven with the right knowledge and market awareness. So, don’t miss out seeking knowledge. Read on!

7 Software Testing Life Cycle Phases That Enforces Systematic Product Quality Checks

Software testing life cycle involves a series of multi-step phases with each carrying certain ‘entry’ and ‘exit’ criteria that are carried out in sequence and in a systematic manner. The STLC steps are structured to identify not just the bugs but even the smallest glitches to avoid gaps and ensure top-notch quality assurance. The STLC stages usually consist of 7 stages. Let’s understand each of these phases step-by-step!

1. Requirements Gathering and Feasibility Analysis

Analyzing the software requirements is the first and foremost step to start with the STLC process as it helps gain a clear understanding of the expected functionalities and performance. The test cases are then formulated to align with the set needs and outcome projections. The following workflows goes into this step of the STLC stages:

• Collecting and analyzing the software requirements (comprising business needs, architectural or design needs, system requirements, and integration needs) to understand the desired functionality, performance, and quality expectations
• Identifying the possible inconsistencies, ambiguities, and gaps in the software requirement specs which may impact software testing
• Collaborating with stakeholders to clarify requirements and establishing a solid foundation for test planning and execution
• Preparing RTM (Requirement Traceability Matrix) to map and trace user requirements with test cases [Note: If applicable, the testing team may also work to prepare an automation feasibility report as a part of this step]

The set ‘entry’ and ‘exit’ criteria for the requirements analysis step includes:

Entry Criteria - Documented requirements of the software, defined acceptance criteria, and intended system architecture.

Exit Criteria – Client approved RTM (Requirement Traceability Matrix) and automation feasibility report.

2. Test Planning

Creating a comprehensive test strategy and plan is the next step to the STLC life cycle as it enables to set and define objectives, scope, resources, approach, timelines, and infrastructure. The following task list goes into this step:

• Developing a comprehensive test strategy and test plan based on the analyzed software requirement specs
• Defining the scope of software testing, including in-scope and out-scope functionalities
• Determining the testing approach, techniques, and methodologies to be employed in the process [some of the commonly practiced testing methods include unit testing, system testing, API testing, integration testing, install/uninstall testing, sanity testing, smoke testing, interface testing, etc.]
• Establishing the test environment that includes hardware, software, and network configurations
• Defining resource requirements, timelines, and milestones for each testing life cycle phase
• Determining and projecting the efforts and cost estimates for the entire project

The set ‘entry’ and ‘exit’ criteria for the test planning step includes:

Entry Criteria - Software requirements analysis document, RTM, and test automation feasibility report.

Exit Criteria - Approved test plan and strategy document including timelines and risk/cost analysis.

3. Test Design

Designing detailed test cases and scripts is the third step to the STLC life cycle. This phase helps to lay the executional foundation, define parameters, set criteria's, and outline needs for running the test cases. It’s important that all the software requirements are 100% covered in this stage. The aspects that gets covered in this step of the testing life cycle include:

• Identifying and prioritizing the test scenarios, test cases, and test data based on identified requirements
• Designing test cases that cover all functional and non-functional aspects of the software
• Defining the test conditions and expected results for each case
• Creating test scripts and automation frameworks to facilitate efficient test execution

The set ‘entry’ and ‘exit’ criteria for the test design step includes:

Entry Criteria - Approved test strategy and test plan with complete timelines and risk/cost analysis.

Exit Criteria - Approved test cases/scripts with automation framework details and test data.

4. Test Environment Setup

Not all tests can be performed on local machines. There are software products that needs to be validated for quality over a dedicated testing server. This STLC stage works for setting-up the test environment. There are wide range of software tools and hardware devices that are used for this sort of testing that includes Selenium, Katalon Studio, and TestComplete. The following workflow goes into this step of test environment setup:

• Preparing the test environment that includes the installation and configuration of hardware as well as software components
• Ensuring that the test environment accurately replicates the actual production environment
• Configuring the test data and simulating real-world scenarios to mimic actual usage conditions to validate the usability

The set ‘entry’ and ‘exit’ criteria for the test environment set-up phase includes:

Entry Criteria - System design and architecture layouts with environment set-up plan.

Exit Criteria - A fully functional test environment, approved test cases, and complete test data setup.

5. Test Execution

Now starts the actual execution. This is the step when the test cases are actually executed, defects are logged and tracked, and the software's behavior is validated against the expected results. Testers also conduct regression testing to ensure that the new changes or fixes do not introduce new issues. The following aspects are covered in this step:

• Executing the test cases as per the test plan, covering functional and non-functional aspects
• Monitoring and logging the actual results, comparing them against expected outcomes
• Capturing and documenting defects or issues that are identified during running the tests
• Conducting thorough regression testing to ensure that fixes or changes doesn’t introduce new problems
• Performing performance, load, and stress testing to assess system’s behavior under varying conditions
• Executing security testing to identify vulnerabilities and potential security risks
• Conducting usability testing to evaluate the user-friendliness and overall user experience

The set ‘entry’ and ‘exit’ criteria for test execution involves:

Entry Criteria – Availability of all exit criteria from previous STLC phases including the RTM, test plan, test cases/scripts, established test environment, completed test data setup, and unit/integration test report.

Exit Criteria - All tests are performed as planned, defects logged and managed for closure, and results documented.

6. Defect Tracking and Management

During the test execution phase, defects or bugs are identified, documented, and prioritized. They are then assigned to development teams for resolution. Defect tracking and management involve monitoring the progress of defect resolution and verifying fixes in subsequent test cycles. The aspects that are covered in this stage of the testing life cycle includes:

• Logging defects and issues that are identified during the test execution into a defect tracking system
• Prioritizing and categorizing defects based on their severity and impact
• Collaborating with development teams to provide detailed defect reports and facilitating timely resolutions
• Retesting and validating defect fixes to ensure their successful resolution

7. Test Closure

The test closure phase involves evaluating the overall test results, generating test reports, and analyzing the effectiveness of the testing process. Lessons learned from the testing experience are documented for future improvements, and the final sign-offs are obtained from clients/stakeholders. The test closure stage includes the following:

• Evaluating the test results (involving code quality defects and other critical inefficiencies or bottlenecks) and analyzing the overall effectiveness of the testing process
• Preparing comprehensive test reports that includes test coverage, metrics, and defect summaries
• Conducting lessons learned session to identify areas for improvement and best practices
• Obtaining stakeholder sign-off on the testing activities and readiness for software release

The set ‘entry’ and ‘exit’ criteria for test closure (the final STLC phase) includes:

Entry Criteria - Test results and logging from all previous phases with detailed defect logs.

Exit Criteria - Delivered and client approved test closure report.

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Validate and Control Your Software Product's Quality with a Robust STLCThe STLC methodology is a systematic and sequential module that is designed to validate and control the quality of the software products, and ensure that the launched system works as expected. It largely contributes to the success of the digital product among its targeted customers by perfectly aligning its usability as per the need while ensuring zero bugs or glitches. When done right, the STLC model can save costs, improve customer satisfaction, boost reliability, cut maintenance expenses, increase profit, and inspire confidence. The distinct ways the STLC process enables a product's success makes it a critically significant part of modern software development.The seven step STLC process that is covered in the above context needs to be handled by a pro-team of testers to ensure effective quality control of your software product. Get in touch with Radixweb’s vetted experts to get the right STLC support. With our rigorous and robust STLC process in place, you get a software with the highest performance quality that rightfully satisfies your customer needs.