This skill is called ‘Early…’ in Software Testing

One of the seven principles of software testing is “Early Testing”. The principle of early testing states that testing saves time and cost if the testing process is started early. This also means that bugs are detected early and fixed early.

As I reflect on the word early in software testing, I realise that the word early is a life-saver. All the different cycles in Quality Assurance like SDLC, STLC, SRLC, BLC and so on stand on this timing principle. of “early”. If testing processes begin early like requirement analysis, test planning, test case development and so on, then it's highly likely that defects, failures and or unnecessary requirements can be fished out. early

Sometimes in the testing cycle, you look at a requirement and the designed product and though the application does not have any defects because some requirements are not perfectly implemented you throw it back to the developer and thus the cycle of rework and fix begins. That is why we say in testing that, ‘slow and steady’. You are not slow, but you are not too fast either. Rather you create a balance between quality and speed. The solution is to balance speed with quality using the word “Early”

Now Early does not only apply to the testing processes but also Defect Detection and Defect Communication. It's one thing to notice or report a defect, it's another to communicate them early. Communicating defects early enough will save a tester and the organisation a lot of stress, time and money.

In the case where requirements are not stable with frequent changes, early communication will create a balance between the test life cycle and the bug life Cycle. It's important to note that communication also involves reporting and documentation.

Documenting features, tests and processes will help in understanding future occurrences. This principle of “early” in quality assurance and software testing processes cannot be over-emphasized.

Recently an issue occurred in my team. we had been preparing for a DEMO(Done after Test Closure before Release) for stakeholders, and a few hours before the meeting, We discovered that certain endpoints didn't pass all the required attributes so it was not available. This omission was not from my team but from another team so it would take quite some time to get it fixed. We moved on to the DEMO hoping it was not a big deal but lo and behold it was a big deal.

In my reflection on all that happened, I realised that early testing, Early bug detection and early bug communication all play a huge role in the release of quality software applications and are the only balance or bridge between speed and quality. As you progress in your career, master the principle of “early”.

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