Forem: DeltaShoppe Private Limited

Bugs in software testing - 5 stages of the bug life cycle

IK_CSTRAT — Thu, 09 Sep 2021 09:30:44 +0000

On the occasion of the Tester's day, it is important to understand the evolution of technology in the testing process. From manual testing to automation, things have changed quite significantly since the first-ever bug was discovered. Software bugs are errors, flaws, and defects in a software application that arise during software development from either the source code or the system in which your application is being developed.

Recently, there have been calls to cast aside the term bug and instead label it a "mistake", "blunder" or "glitch". While the latter terms have been used consistently, however, the main terminology is still a bug that sets aside this from the rest. While history has had its days whenever there are "glitches" and "typos", however bugs can affect the overall development process.

How do bugs appear in an application?

When the initial phase of testing begins, requirement analyses are given to the testing team. If the application is specifically meeting all the requirement analysis, then it's all good to go. However, when things don't go as planned, then the case of "there's a bug" in the application arrives. The bug is reported back to the development team.

Priority levels in software testing

Once reported, the priority levels for software testing i.e. testing for bugs are classified as below:

Low Level: At this level, the bug doesn't affect the core functions. It doesn't have any overall effect on the product/software release.

Mid Level: The software release is possible once the team is satisfied that the bug doesn't affect the core functions of the final product. Here documentation is very important.

Critical Level: Bugs can affect the core functions of the product. Thus, it is a high priority level in testing.

5 stages of the bug life cycle in software testing

The bug life cycle in software testing goes through several stages. They are listed as below:

Pre-Stage - The testing/QA team discovers a bug for the first time. The team logs it and posts it. In this pre-stage, the bug status is called new.

Stage 1 -  Once certain that the new bug is genuine, the testing team assigns it to the corresponding dev team. This means the status of the bug is now assigned.

Stage 2 -  The development team begins analyzing and working on fixing the bug. Now the status of the bug is open.

Stage 3 -  Once coding changes are made by the developers, the bug status is fixed.

Stage 4 -  The bug is sent back. The tester performs retesting of the changed code. This is to ensure whether the bug fix is now working or not. The status is changed to verified once it is ensured that the software is not showing the bug.

Stage 5 - Once fixed, the testing team can set the status of the bug to closed meaning that the bug is now fixed, tested, and approved.

Tracking bugs in an agile environment

Tracking bugs is essential to eliminate errors before the final product is released. An agile QA process can manage bug tracking extremely well. Thanks to testing benchmarks, review meetings, and daily scrums, the workflow in agile are efficient. Moreover, agile teams prioritize, monitor, and report the status of each bug traced. Furthermore, in an agile environment, bugs can be traced as early as possible (during the development process) therefore mitigating costs in fixing thus never compromising on quality.

To sum up

It is always essential to note that the bugs can affect new features as well as the old ones. Therefore, conducting quality tests and incorporating feedback during all stages of the product development process is very important. Using the right tools to track bugs can help in resolving the issues as early as possible, thus meeting the requirements.

Posted for DeltaShoppe (Pvt) Limited - Visit us: https://www.deltashoppe.com

The writer is a Content Strategist in DeltaShoppe (Pvt) Limited

Impostor syndrome management - DIY in 7 helpful ways

DeltaShoppe — Wed, 21 Apr 2021 08:40:13 +0000

What exactly is impostor syndrome management?

Suppose, you are given a task that nobody else has managed to do so far. However, not only do you fail but your performance is worst than your other peers. This one event can completely transform your self-confidence. A psychological effect will take over you i.e. you start doubting yourself, your skills, and you will develop this fear of being exposed as a fraud. This effect is called impostor syndrome. Over 80% people experience impostor syndrome. Overcoming this phenomenon requires impostor syndrome management.

But why failure to begin with?

If you are to determine the initial reluctance of taking on a challenge that is different from your previous experiences, then the best way to feel about it is what your gut tells you.

Moreover, the ability to move forward with that challenge is also an interesting aspect to look into.

Example: Software Industry

Every software engineer in the industry is facing a diversified number of tasks as the delegation of the tasks are multifaceted.
But how does this point out impostor syndrome?

A common occurrence in the software industry, the causes of impostor syndrome could be due to multiple factors. Popular ones are being overcritical, not properly able to consume the technicalities of the task, and even a point where one task is not being able to meet the requirements that shatter down the confidence.

Addressing impostor syndrome first...

In order to address the problem of impostor syndrome, one must find the root cause first.

Let's start with a scenario -

Continuing with our example of the software industry, some of the most common JD's for software engineers include:

Be exceptionally good at coding using the latest technologies.
Be aware of the codebase architecture, technologies, programming languages, and frameworks.
Know how to deliver quality solutions
Understand different business logics to work with i.e. Must have worked on projects with different industries

There are other interpersonal skills that also develop with time e.g.

Strong communication skills
Good team player
Open to ideas

Anyone who ticks if not all but most of the boxes above should be the most ideal candidate.

The troubling part

It is the strengths that somehow turn into weaknesses in some of us. Even the most ideal candidate can become troubled.

The reason: Setting greater standards which if not met brings an internal shakedown in confidence.

This can lead to the belief that one is not just good enough because the standards set were far greater and now there is a mountain to climb.

Although climbing the mountain should be taken as a motivation, but the opposite of it is also very true. This is where impostor syndrome comes into play.

What is the most common sign of impostor syndrome?

The most common sign of an impostor syndrome effect is the individual not meeting expectations of the goal that were set initially. At times, having doubt in all the hard work being put in and falling into the trap of developing fears over competence and skills i.e. not being good enough to take on a challenging task are clear signs of the impostor syndrome effect.

This overthinking causes negative impressions which can undermine your performance. The most appealing aspect is that because of working on a diversified number of projects, one does feel overwhelmed at times. This overwhelming effect can result in negative thinking for e.g., doing a project for a different kind of industry for the very first time can actually have the effect of impostor syndrome.

Despite being proficient technically, the understanding part of the industry is at times a little difficult. Moreover, the task at hand is arduous and the overall zest to feel good on taking a challenging task becomes less fun and more sporadic. This affects everything.

But while this is a mental phenomenon, there are certain things where a solution lies to these underlying issues.

Apply impostor syndrome management - DIY with 7 helpful ways

1. Stop assuming

You should stop assuming things will go bad. Instead go back to the basics if needed. At times going back to the drawing board and starting from scratch can change your overall perception of things.

2. Discuss

If needed, discuss your issues with someone who can actually make you feel good about yourself. Discussing with someone does help.

3. Restart with small steps

Create small goals that you can achieve. It will help regain confidence in yourself. Go easy on yourself, just do the first few basic things right. Build on that momentum, record the peaks, and celebrate on the small things because that will help you stand up again.

4. This too shall pass
Work with the skills that you are best at and acknowledge yourself. Maybe you are not familiar with the technology but you can always trust your skills. You didn’t master to learn the computer in a single day but you eventually stood up and were able to move from something basic like Hello World to something more complex and managed to succeed at it.

5. Nothing's perfect, but you can make it better
It’s not about perfection, it’s more about putting in efforts to bring quality. Nothing is perfect. There is no perfect solution. Ever heard of maintenance and technical support. Yes, the quality with which the work is done shall matter. Start with the aim of let’s run this thing first, then go on and change the face of it with let’s run this thing better. Make it better every time. The better it gets, the more quality it meets. It’s not about perfection. It’s all about persistence.

6. Give yourself some leverage
You are destined to achieve greatness but along the way, you will make mistakes. It’s not the end of the world. Take notes from when things start going bad, start focusing primarily on the mistakes first and try to rectify them. Most of us were never that perfect when we first started coding. How many of you aced running the Hello World code really well the very first time?

7. Slowly begin taking responsibility again
The more you adapt to taking responsibility, the easier things will become. It will help you gain focus on the task. Further, it will help in bringing out better solutions to your work. Moreover, at times the frame of mind completely starts operating differently when responsibility comes in. You start to feel that there is a solution that fits right.

It can happen to the best of us:

Right here, right now, we do feel burdened, reading lines of codes daily, understanding the depth of the problem in many projects, and what not. This does affect mental well-being but it doesn’t mean that one should undermine their efforts put into these lines of code. The art of fun lies in taking on different challenges rather than shying away. The mindset that we have done the best in this and we can’t make it better is overrated.

Parting thoughts:

Impostor syndrome management completely depends on you and only you alone. It's a question of belief in your ability and understanding you can go wrong. But that doesn't mean you will be stand exposed, it would only mean that you are learning and do not hesitate to show that you can learn. One should rather be more inclined towards let’s make it better.

Trust your instinct and you can certainly manage it. Moreover, become helpful for others.

Are you familiar with impostor syndrome management? Share your thoughts below.