The Value of Professional Certifications in Software Testing

Software testing is a process to start a program or an application for finding out any software bugs. It can also be mentioned as the procedure of validating and also verifying which a software program or application or may be a product. It fulfills the business and also technical needs that led it’s design and the development. It may be used with the exact same characteristic.

Process - Testing is a process instead of a single activity.

Life Cycle Activities - Testing is a process which occurs all through the SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle). The method of designing tests at the start of the life cycle may help prevent defects by getting introduced to the code. Often it is known as 'verifying the test basis through the test design'. The test basis contains documents including the needs and design specifications.

Static Testing - It could actually test and find out issues while not executing code. Static Testing is carried out in the time of verification process. This particular testing comprises of analyzing of the documents which includes source code along with static analysis. It is helpful and affordable method of testing. For instance: reviewing, walkthrough, inspection, and so on.

Dynamic Testing - When it comes to dynamic testing the software code will be executed to show the results of running tests. This is carried out at the time of validation process. For instance: integration testing, unit testing, system testing, and so on.

Planning - It's important to plan as what exactly we wish to do. We manage the test activities, testing progress report as well as the software status in test.

Preparation – We need to decide on what testing we are going to do, through choosing test conditions along with designing test cases.

Evaluation - At the time of evaluation we should look into the results then evaluate the software in test together with completion criteria, that will help us to figure out whether or not we have completed testing and also whether or not the software product pass the tests.

Software products along with connected work products - In addition to the testing of code, the testing of need and the design specifications as well as the linked documents such as operation, user as well as training material is also essential.

If you are a test engineer or maybe a QA engineer it is quite important to have minimum of one Software testing certification. It will help in order to grow the software testing skills, in addition it is useful for testing people to have the promotion within their respective area in large MNC’s. Mentioned below are the some very important certifications for software testing. Look at the description in order to figure out the reasons why you need to decide to go with such certification.

Certified Quality Analyst (CQA) - To have Professional standard of understanding into the principles along with practices of quality assurance within the IT profession.

Certified Software Test Engineer (CSTE) - This is meant to make standards for the early qualification and gives direction to the testing function with an impressive educational program.

Certified Software Test Professional (CSTP) - In order to educate people from various field sound and the effective testing skills and methods and also to certify the individuals as Professionals in Software Testing. Quality Engineer Certificate (CQE) - This is meant for people who are aware of the principles of product as well as the service quality evaluation and the control. Certified Software Quality Manager (CSQM) - This is for the people who know quality principles and also the standards relating to organization as well as human resource management. Quality certainly is the buzzword in modern-day's highly demanding software sell. Quality is usually an important measure of the project success. That is the thing which a customer takes note of eventually. Top-quality products lead to customer satisfaction‚ whereas low quality ends up with customer dissatisfaction. Certified Software Quality Engineer (CSQE) - This certified is perfect for all those who have an in depth knowledge of software quality development along with implementation, possess a detailed idea of software inspection & testing, verification, & validation, and additionally could implement software development as well as maintenance processes and the methods. Quality Improvement Associate Certificate (CQIA) - This is meant to assess basic understanding of quality tools as well as their uses from people who are engaged in quality enhancement projects, while this is not necessarily are sourced from traditional quality sectors. Software testing can transform the success of your business process. Businesses can be helped by software testing in many ways which include constant growth, reputation building, and satisfied clients along with a passionate workforce. Low-quality software will cost you huge amounts of money along with a bad impression to any business's track record. Organizations usually overlook the operations of software testing, because of its lack of idea about the advantages it would possibly provide for their business. Towards building and launching an effective service or product, it is important that the business owners to have certified professionals in the software testing crew and enable their organization from relevant software certifications. Mindfire Solutions, an ISTQB Gold certified partner company, is one of the leading software testing companies in India and has been providing software testing services to its esteemed clients for over 15 years now. We have dedicated teams for enterprise, web and mobile app testing. If you need any kind of assistance in your software testing process, please feel free to get in touch with us now and our Software Testing Team will revert back with a free quote within one business day. Also as a special offer, you can avail the limited period Risk-Free Trial Offer.

Why Is It Important to Have a Test Plan in Software Testing?

Planning makes a task execution in a systematic manner: Planning is something that must be implemented before execution of any assignment. In fact planning gives an ideal path for the execution process. No matter which situation we are dealing with, we can make it simple by proper planning. Hence there is always need of planning in every domain and in every situation. In IT industry planning has even more importance just like any other industry because it not only reduces the time of execution but also increases productivity to a large extent. Hence planning is always done before we kick start any project work in IT industry for a smoother operation in future.

Test plan for finding a suitable way to execute the testing process: Testing is the most important phase of software development life cycle. In fact, it is the only process that starts before the development process, remains during the development process and ends after the development process. This indicates the potential and power of testers in the industry. Anything is useless unless until it is used in a productive manner and the same hold good for software testing as well. For a productive testing we must ensure a quality testing through proper screening and planning. For the same we have to test plan before we kick start the testing process. Test plan give an inside look of the project and hence helping in developing a better testing approach.

We can avoid loopholes: With test plan we can presume and assume all types of upcoming uncertain issues of the application. We can get into the application from the very beginning and can have a clear mind over the uncertain and unexpected problems that may arise during the development process. We can foresee those expected and unexpected issues from the very beginning and accordingly we can prepare our test cases. This will definitely help in avoiding minor to major loopholes in the application from the very beginning. Well it is impossible to predict all the uncertain issues from the beginning but still we can at least find most of them and this will definitely help in developing a better product or service.

Efficient testing can be achieved with test plan: There was a time, when testing was performed by manual testers who use their experience and expertise in finding bugs and issues in the application; with time, the complexity of software applications have increased significantly. As a result, testers are forced to rely on some reliable software tools for efficient testing i.e. automation testing tools. This helped them in quick and efficient testing. Similarly, test plans can also help in efficient testing by eliminating unnecessary tasks, processes from the application.

Effort will be minimized and productivity will be maximized: With test plan, we can reduce the effort of both tester and developer! Why developer? Yes, when we have a pre-planned testing approach, we can save the effort of tester and this will help in avoiding unnecessary iterative processes to a large extent which in turn reduce the effort and time of the developer. Hence it becomes a productive process for all.

Mindfire Solutions has been providing software testing consulting to its esteemed clients for over 15 years now. We have dedicated teams for enterprise, desktop, web and Mobile Application Testing. If you need any kind of assistance in your software testing process or you need to hire software testers, please feel free to get in touch with us now and our software testing team will revert back with a free quote within one business day. Also as a special offer, you can avail the limited period Risk-Free trial offer.

Do Software Developers Need to Learn the Basics of Testing

Testing is an integral phase of SDLC: Software development life cycle is a complicated process and there are many phases in the development process. But testing is the most important phase of this life cycle. Testing starts before the development process with feasibility test and ends after the development process. This indicates the importance of testing in the software development life cycle. Software can never be successful without proper testing of the application. Hence testing is treated as the success pillar of any software application or product. So we are experiencing a continuous increase in demand of software testers in the industry.

Extra knowledge or skill is always an added advantage: No one can ignore the importance of extra knowledge in one’s life. Hence everyone loves to learn more and more. The same holds good for software developers as well. When you are working as a software developer in the IT industry, you should gain some additional knowledge that are closely related with the development process like efficient client interaction, testing and set up related tricks etc so that you can handle few common issues or situations in case the concerned professionals are not with you. This will definitely help you, your client and your organisation during a critical situation as a life safe guard.

Developer possessing testing knowledge is preferable in most cases: Testing is an integral and important part of software development life cycle and we can’t ignore its importance at any cost. But if a developer has some basic fundamental knowledge on software testing then, it will be definitely treated as an added advantage. We are not discouraging the importance of dedicated testers in the industry; but we are encouraging software developers to have some basic testing knowledge so that they can handle some urgent issues in the absence of testers. Moreover we have seen in many cases these part time testers (software developers) saving a significant amount of time, effort and money of the industry in a magical way. So as a smart software developer, you should also possess some basic testing knowledge for the benefit of the industry.

Productivity can be increased with the combo knowledge: In many small scale software development projects, we usually find budget constraints playing an important role in the development process. In those situations, if we have a software developer having sound knowledge in testing then it will definitely help the client and hence the project to be of better quality. The software developer can act as both developer and tester and hence he can eliminate the entire or partial cost of a software tester from the project. As a result, the cost sensitive project can get some room in expanding its functionality through that extra amount of money. This will definitely help in decreasing the cost of the project and also increasing the productivity of the project. So we should encourage software developers to learn fundamental testing methodologies for the benefit of the industry.

So, are you learning some basic testing tips and tricks? Yes! When are you going to learn the basic principles of software testing? You should start it from now to serve the industry in a better manner.

At Mindfire Solutions, we have been providing software testing services to its esteemed clients for over 15 years now. We also have dedicated teams for enterprise, desktop, mobile and web application testing. If you need any kind of assistance in your Software Testing process, please feel free to get in touch with us now and our Software Testing Team will revert back with a free quote within one business day. Also as a special offer, you can avail the limited period Risk-Free Trial Offer.

What Are the Benefits and Drawbacks of Using the Testing Tools?

Testing- An integral part of Software development life cycle: Before the software developer or web developer writes a single line of code on the IDE he is aware of the flow and background process of the application. Hence the developer never finds it difficult while browsing the application as an end user. But, the situation gets reversed when it comes to face the practical environment where the end user doesn’t possess single information about the background processes. Hence he may face difficulty while browsing the application. To avoid this, testers play the role of an intermediate between the end user and the developer. He tests the application as an end user and gives the feedback to the software developer to enhance the quality of the application and user experience. Moreover, he tests each and every module of the application with proper care to avoid if any loop hole still present in the application. Hence the job of a tester starts with the day one of the project and ends with the end product. So we can’t ignore the importance of testers and testing approach in any application development.

Why testing tools: Industry demands quality, reliability and productivity; hence the born of automation testing tools. Automation testing tools change the face of testing methodologies in the industry. It becomes a necessity while dealing with complex and large projects. It helps in decreasing in effort while increasing the productivity of the software company. The tester needs to have some knowledge of scripting languages like VB script for QTP automation testing and other programming language knowledge for Selenium automation testing tool. The best part is through automation testing tool we can prevent the human errors which is a common disadvantage of any manual testing process. Moreover, with proper use of test cases we can avoid the unnecessary effort and headache for similar modules in the application.

Advantages of testing tools: As discussed above testing tools can decrease the human effort in a magical way by improving the productivity of the tester. Moreover, it helps in handling complicated projects in a simple manner. The reusability concept of automation testing tools makes it a perfect combination of efficiency and accuracy in the industry. Hence there is a terrific demand of automation testing tools and testers in the upcoming industry. Last but not the least, automation testing tools can help you in testing an application for multiple platforms like operating systems and form factors of the device. Hence we can say it is a future ready testing tool for the industry.

Every advantage comes at the cost of some disadvantages: Well we can’t call it as a disadvantage but of course it is somewhat related to that. In fact it is the responsibility of the automation tester who needs to handle the tool in proper way. Because a single mistake during the development of test cases can lead to a fatal situation for the application. It may crash the entire software application if not handled with proper care. So, we can say every advantage comes at the cost of responsibility and we have to accept it. Besides, it also hampers the industry by decreasing the need of man force and hence increasing the unemployment. But again if we need quality then we can’t survive with unskilled labour. So we have to take this in a positive mood.

Mindfire Solutions has been providing software testing consulting services to its esteemed clients for over 15 years now. If you want to outsource software testing services or Hire Software Testers, please feel free to get in touch with Mindfire now and you can avail the limited period Risk-Free trial offer.

Selenium Is Much Easier to Work on for Testers. Know the Basics

Automation testing tool makes the process effortless: Now a days, software applications are getting more and more complicated with time due to heavy demand of users and large database. As a result the size of the application is getting increased to a large extent. Hence this situation creates many problems for the tester to test each and every aspect of the application. Traditionally the testing operation was handled by manual testers who implement their expertise and experience to test the application efficiently; but there is always chance of bugs and issues in the application due to common human errors and it can’t be avoided at any cost. To make the application free from any such bugs and issues, industry developed many software tools that can help testers in testing any application thoroughly and efficiently than before. These software testing tools are otherwise known as automation testing tools. Few examples of automation testing tools are QTP, Selenium etc. Today we will discuss about selenium automation testing tool and its importance from the automation tester’s point of view.

Selenium is a pure web domain specific testing tool: Well, we know that future relies on web industry. Almost all sectors of the industry are taking the help of web industry in making their business stronger and better. Industries like hotel, tourism, online business etc are few examples that have gained maximum benefit from the web industry. Understanding the potential of websites in the industry, web developers are working hard to develop even better quality web solution. On the other hand, automation testers are now under more stressful situation to fulfil the demands of the industry and user. So, they are taking help of automation testing tools to test the websites efficiently and quickly so that the product can be delivered on time without compromising on the quality. Selenium is a pure web domain specific testing tool and it can test all types of websites and web apps for the industry. Moreover, the selenium tester can write the test case in different languages as per the core language of the website to test the application thoroughly.

Selenium for all your website testing needs: Selenium testers can test any web application thoroughly that too in less time and more accuracy. Moreover, we can’t ignore the importance of smart phones and tablets in the industry; so web developers are developing responsive web applications that can impart same user experience in all size of screens and resolutions. Fortunately, Selenium can be used to test this type of issues without much hassle. Moreover, a selenium tester can test the load on the server and hence the developer can make the application light and optimized as per the report from the selenium tester.

Selenium for cross platform testing: In smart device world, there are many operating systems or platforms like iOS, Windows 8.1, Android etc. So we must make our application fit for all these platforms so that we can reach at maximum numbers of customers. Selenium testers can test the application in all these platforms without any hassle.

At Mindfire Solutions, we provide a gamut of software Testing services to our esteemed clients which include selenium web application testing services. Please feel free to contact Mindfire Solutions, if you want your web applications to be tested using Selenium.

Threats of Not Testing Your Application Before Release

In the age of Internet of Things, organizations need to deliver software applications compatible with multiple devices and platforms. Therefore, software testing has become essential for enterprises to deliver business-critical software applications successfully. However, to deliver flawless software applications, each organization has to invest in experienced testers, right tools, and appropriate processes. Despite increasing the project overheads, software testing helps businesses in getting higher ROI and retaining clients. There are also a number of reasons why each organization must test different aspects of the software application before its release.

Why Businesses Must Test their Software Applications before Release?

Get Higher Returns: Like other business ventures, software development is also a commercial project. So businesses must focus on improving the application’s look, feel and performance to get more profits. When the software application is flawless, it becomes easier for the marketing team to sell the product. Also, the flawless software application will help the business in retaining existing clients and impress prospects.

Ensure High Performance: With software development becoming more complex and competitive, it has become essential for organizations to distinguish their products in terms of quality and user experience. When software testing is performed during various stages of development, it becomes easier for the business to check if the critical functionality is working properly. Likewise, software testing will also ensure that the application is interacting positively with the required devices and systems.

Assess the Code during Different Development Phases: Nowadays, organizations have to build software applications that are large and complex. So the developers find it a daunting challenge to ensure that code is effective and error-free. But the business can ensure the accuracy and effectiveness of code by testing units of code. Unit testing can be conducted during different phases of coding to deliver error-free code.

Less Rework and Recoding: If the errors, flaws or bugs in the software are not detected before its release, the developers will require additional time to ensure that the product is meeting business objectives. They have to rewrite and modify the code to fix the defects in the software. The delay in detection of flaws in the application will also have a direct impact on the organization’s reputation and goodwill. But early detection of defects makes it easier for developers to save both time and efforts.

Facilitate Maintenance and Update: Often businesses avoid software testing in order to bring the project overheads down. But they often forget the long-term commercial benefits of software testing. If the application is tested thoroughly before its release, the business can always save maintenance time and cost. At the same time, it can further update the software without putting extra time and effort.

Check Compatibility with Third-Party APIs and Services: Each user, nowadays, expect the software to deliver personalized experience. That is why; organizations often integrate the software application with a variety of applications, APIs and services developed by others. The performance of the application, thus, depends on how it works with the third-party applications and services. When the compatibility is evaluated in detail the before the product’s release, it becomes easier for the marketing team to impress end-users.

Improve Software Development Process: An enterprise can further reap a number of benefits by integrating software development and software testing. The metrics, defect reports and results of software testing can be used to make the developers more productive. Some metrics like root cause analysis further helps the organization in detecting the areas of improvement in software development. Also, the metrics will make it easier for project managers to track the progress and monitor the operations.

Each organization also has several options to effectuate the testing of software application before its release. It can hire independent software testing services to avail better testing quality at competitive rates. Likewise, the business can also use test automation tools to eliminate the chances of human error while assessing repetitive tasks and actions.

We provide QA Testing Services. If you would like to get your application tested by our certified QA Software Testing professional, please contact us at Mindfire Solutions.

Ensure Better Quality Software by Outsourcing Software Testing

Testing for quality software! Testing is the fate line of software applications or products; because it determines the quality and reliability of the application. The developer when develops an application he is aware of all the background process, logics and flow of the application. Hence if he is said to test the application he will not find any difficulty in his application. He can’t even think about the users difficulty who is totally unaware about the application. To make a connection link between developer and the end user, testers are there. Testers test the application if there is any loop whole is present and also browse the application from the end user’s prospective and report the same to the developer. He also suggest many improvements and enhancements of the application to the developer and accordingly the developer takes immediate actions and fixes for the application so that it can be more interactive and attractive than before. In this process the software application gets a new look and emerge out as a beautiful product in the industry. This is nothing but improvement in quality of the application.

Why outsource testing? As we know testing helps in developing a quality output by continuous effort from the tester and developer. So we must put maximum emphasis on the testing process to get an awesome product. At the same time we have to invest both quality time and money for the testing process to make it flaw less. But there is also another option that can help us in quality testing but at an affordable cost. You can opt for outsourcing the testing operation to a reliable third party through which you can save a good amount of bucks in your testing operation. The best part is you needn’t to expend a single penny for the infrastructure development for your project. Moreover if you are dealing with a single or less number of projects then it will be extreme loss for you since at no point of time all your resources will work together during the development process or maintenance process; but in that period you have to pay the wages unnecessarily. Moreover you may face many situations in which you will require exports to handle the situation perfectly. But your resource may not have that much expertise. To avoid all these situations you can simply transfer your testing process to a reliable software farm having a group of expert testers who can help you out from any unexpected situation at any point of time.

Parameters for deciding your outsourcing destination: Well, outsourcing your testing operation to a third party can be beneficial from both financially and for better quality. But to gain all the benefits, you have to choose a good farm for your needs and this needs a wise decision from your end. The most important consideration is the reliability of the software farm. To add this you have to check the track record of the farm and their expertise in testing for past couple of years. The rate of success can also be considered while taking a wise decision. Mindfire is an offshore software Testing company with 100% certified testers for immediate project requirements.

We provide QA testing services. If you would like to hire software Testers from us, we would be glad to assist you at Mindfire Solutions.

Is the Software Testing Market Growing?

Why Software testing? As a software developer you should always careful for quality and reliable output. To achieve the same you have to design and develop and enterprise standard software application for the industry. From the top, it looks as if a good software developer is the key for a reliable software application or product; but the fact is quite different. From the ground we can see the reality and it says the importance of software tester is much higher than that of a developer. When a developer develops an application, though he can make it robust with his skill and experience but he will fail in providing that supreme quality of user experience for the end user. This is quite obvious since he can never feel the difficulty and pain of the end user due to prior knowledge of all background processes involved in the development process. He can easily roam around the application without any difficulty and this gives him virtual feelings of being inside a perfect application. But when the application is projected to the practical end users they may find it difficult during the browsing process; because they are totally unaware of the background processes. To avoid this issue testers play an important role in the industry as a connecting link between the software developer and the end user.

Industry understands the importance of testers for reliable output: Testers checks each and every aspect of the application thoroughly and tries to find any issue or box in the application. Moreover they browse the application from the end users prospective and hence they find all the loopholes within the application that may not be found out by the developer anyways. Once the tester finds those issues and box in the application, he reports the same to the developer for correction. Then the developer takes immediate and necessary actions against those box and errors to make the application more robust and reliable than before. This process repeats several times so that there will be minimal to negligible amount of issues in the application. Hence we can say for a reliable output, the importance of tester is extremely vital and same is understood by the industry. As a result, industry is now more focusing on quality testers for the reliable end products.

Market potential of software testing: Due to the emergence of variety operating systems and computer devices in the industry, there is a need of even more better and capable software applications in the industry to accommodate with the ever changing situations. Now the industry is trying to develop a common application that can be fitted in different platforms and devices. To achieve the same the role of testers is getting even more precious than before; because they have to test the application thoroughly in different situations so as to produce an outstanding product and hence the importance of software testers are growing tremendously in the industry.

Big yes for the growth of software testing in future: Considering all above constraints and requirement we can conclude that there is a tremendous market potential for software testers in the industry in coming future. Mindfire is an offshore software Testing company with 100% certified testers for immediate project requirements.

We provide QA testing services. If you would like to hire software Testers from us, we would be glad to assist you at Mindfire Solutions.

Manual Vs Automated Testing - Which of Them Is in Demand

Why Testing? Testing is the integral part of software development life cycle. It is often said that testing is the fate line for any software application or product. This indicates the importance of testing in the industry. The top IT giants of the industry give maximum priority to their testers than even developers; because they understand that tester determines the quality of the end product. Hence they don’t hesitate to hire testers at much more wages for the industry. They often believe that in order to sustain in the market with prestige, they need to provide better products and for the same the importance of testers is unique and unmatched. Anyway, today we will discuss about the two basic types of testing methodologies and their importance in the industry.

Manual testing: From the name itself, we can assume the meaning and procedure of the testing methodology. Manual testing is the process in which a software application or product is being tested by a person or a group of testers without any machinery or software help. In other words we can say here the testers test the application using their experience and expertise. It is the primitive way of testing any application. Though the testers give their maximum effort to make the application bug free; but, it can’t be achieved in practical; because, there must be some loopholes in the application due to the human error. Moreover, the process is damn tedious and frustrating when we have a large application on board. It becomes even more time consuming and inefficient for complicated large scale applications.

Automation testing: The automated testing is the new era testing approach for efficient and quick testing. It eliminates all the drawbacks of that of a manual tester. This testing is done by a software application i.e. automation testing tools. Hence we can expect quick process. Moreover, the tester has the option to run a testcase repeatedly to avoid irritating iterative modules; because, once the automation tester writes a testcase, he can run it any time as per the requirement of the application. This is extremely beneficial when we deal with a huge application having several common modules embedded throughout the application. Moreover, we can avoid the human error through these testing tools. Automation testing tools can save both time and money through an efficient software tool for the testing process.

Industry demands for: This is the biggest question here, isn’t? Well, the answer is simple yet little descriptive. From outside, you can say that Automation testing is best; but it is not hundred percent correct. Because automation testing tools needs some initial investment to purchase the licence for commercial use. Hence for small applications like some static applications, or some small websites, it is recommended to use manual testing, because there we have less resource and the application can be easily handled by any tester. On the other hand, for complex or large scale applications, we have to rely on Automation testers, because here we need efficient testing that will be done in less time and hence increase the productivity to large extend. Mindfire provides web based software Testing services through out testing experts who can help you build projects within allocated budgets and time schedules.

If you are thinking of outsourcing software Testing projects to India and would like to hire software Testing engineer, please get in touch with us. We would be glad to assist.

Testing Your Applications with Mindfire Solutions - Few Reasons

In the age of Internet of Things, enterprises have to launch modern software applications that deliver personalized and flawless user experience. That is why; a constant increase is being noted in the number of organizations hiring offshore software testing companies to yield high quality software at reduced cost and timeframe. But most companies find it a daunting challenge to hire the right offshore software testing partner. If you are looking for the expert and custom software testing services from the most reliable software testing company, it is a great idea to hire Mindfire Solutions.

Why Mindfire can be Your Organization’s Perfect Testing Partner?

Full Focus on Testing: Mindfire provides both software development and testing services. But it deploys a team of dedicated tem of QA engineers to focus on testing project fully. As the company deploys expert software testers, it can effectively handle a variety of testing scenarios. The organization has further invested in robust and secure infrastructure to effectuate the testing of a variety of applications. Along with hiring skilled software testing professionals, Mindfire further train the professionals consistently to gain industry knowledge and deliver service excellence.

High Level of Scalability: Mindfire has already impressed clients by finishing and accelerating software testing projects without compromising quality. As it has a dedicated team of testing professionals, the company can easily deploy additional tools and manpower. The high level of scalability and flexibility provided by Mindfire makes it easier for IT companies to test large and complex software applications with tight timeline and changing requirements.

Variety of Testing Services: Mindfire has already leveraged its testing solutions from a wide range of areas including content management system (CMS), customer relationship manager (CRM), healthcare, gaming and publication. So the company has testing professionals with in-depth understanding of different types of software development tools and frameworks. Mindfire further allows clients to choose from an array of testing services including general/standard, domain-based, specialized and automated testing. It further allows clients to test their application by hiring an independent QA team.

Adequate Industry Experience: As an offshore testing service provider, Mindfire has experience in testing a wide variety of applications. So the IT companies can hire Mindfire to assess enterprise applications, web-based applications, mobile applications and desktop applications. At the same time, the company has evaluated the performance of several high-traffic websites by conducting load testing. It also has a team of Mac testers who have tested different versions of Mac OS, hardware and applications.

Experience in Using Several Testing tools and Frameworks: Based on its experience in testing a variety of software application, Mindfire understands the significance of test automation tools and framework. The testers at Mindfire have expertise in using several widely used software testing tools including HP Quick Test Pro (QTP), Selenium, Robotium, Ruby Watir, Jmeter and Appium. So they can use the most appropriate testing tools to assess different aspects of the software application within the stipulated timeline. Also, the testers prefer using open source test automation suites and frameworks to control the project overheads.

Safeguards Client’s Intellectual Property: Mindfire has already invested in robust and secure testing infrastructure. The company is passionate about safeguarding its reputation and brand value. So it understands the importance of safeguarding client’s critical project information while testing the software application. Mindfire further frequently updates the security measures to eliminate the security risk associated with latest mobile technologies and cloud computing. Unlike other software testing companies, Mindfire Solutions does not believe in providing services and solutions that are not its core competencies. The company allows clients to choose from an array of software testing services according to their specific needs, objectives and budget. Test your applications by hiring testing services of an independent software testing company that fits your budget and time.

We provide software application testing services. If you would like to hire software testers from us, we would be glad to assist you at Mindfire Solutions.

Is It Good to Hire an In-house Tester or to Outsource Testing?

Testing is mandatory may it be in-house or external: Testing is an integral part of software development life cycle. Any application that needs to be refined in terms of quality and reliability must go through several stages of testing processes. Hence the industry understands the importance of testing for any product or service to survive in the market and they give it maximum priority while developing any software application, services or product. Well, there is basically two options a client has to test his application thoroughly i.e., through an in-house tester team or outsourcing the testing operation to a reliable third party. Whatever the case may be the target of any project is to achieve reliable and quality output as the end product and this can only be possible through proper testing processes.

In-house testing: In-house testing is done by team of testers for any enterprise in parallel with the other works of the organization. These testers or a single tester is responsible for testing the application or product which is being developed by a software farm which may be a foreign body. Well, since the tester is with the organization itself, hence we can expect a quick filing of bugs in our product as we find during the working.

Outsourcing testing: On the contrary, out sourcing testing defines we have to rely on a foreign party who can test our application thoroughly to get a reliable product. Well in this case we can’t ignore the importance of offshore software development farms in the industry. India is the best place to outsource your software product or application because they are extremely reliable and quality conscious as well. Moreover, Indian offshore development farms can provide you the same or even better quality of end product with proper testing at an affordable cost. They can take the total headache of your testing operation over themselves and give you a peaceful sleep at night.

Should you outsource? When we think about in-house testing we must consider the associated expenditure for the operation. We have to pay a huge chunk of bocks on a regular basis for the tester team even if they remain idle for most of the time. On the other hand, if we rely on a tester who may not know everything about what we need to test our application then that becomes a headache for the owner. But, if we outsource our testing operation to a reliable software farm then we can save a considerable amount of money because we pay on a per work hour basis. Again upon outsourcing, the offshore software development farm will provide all types of necessary and immediate assistance for our project at an affordable cost through their expert testing team. Hence we can rely on them without any doubt in mind.

Why take unnecessary stress if it can be transferred at low cost: It’s obvious that we have lots of other works to do like marketing, campaigning, dealing with different parties etc to enhance our growth. So why we take this unnecessary burden that too at a cost of heavy amount of money and anxiety. So we shouldn’t behave like a fool and should outsource our testing operation to a reliable software farm. Test your applications by hiring testing services of a offshore software testing company that fits your budget and time.

We provide QA testing services. If you would like to hire software testers from us, we would be glad to assist you at Mindfire Solutions.

What Is Negative Testing and Goals of Doing It

The main motto behind conducting tests on a particular software product is to ensure that it will be able to run on all systems and under computing environment of any type. The process of software development has Quality Conformance Testing as an essential part. Throughout the different stages of the developmental process as well as on the final product, various tests are performed before dispatching the item to the end user or the client.

Basically two types of tests are carried out. The first is Positive and the second Negative. While the first caters to tests that verify and validate the product, the second ensures deeper customer satisfaction. Every testing firm has their primary goal edged out in possessing the most optimal product.

Negative Testing is performed to ensure that the application or the software product does not fail to perform in the event of giving the same an unexpected input. Here, the process of validating the system is carried out against the data input that is invalid. This test checks whether an application conforms to its expected behavior even with the negative inputs. It thus ensures the handling of invalid input or a user behavior of unexpected type by a particular application.

Goals of Negative Testing

Negative testing is generally carried out for checking the stability of a particular software application against the influence exerted by different types of data set with incorrect validation. Negative testing usually aims to find the loopholes or the flaws inherent in an application. Thereby, it takes active measures to improve the quality of the same. It results in spotting out the faults that can lead to significant failures or crashes.

This testing is undertaken for exposing the weakness of the software as well as its exploitative potential as well as to showcase the corruption of the data or breach of security. It is usually performed for the purpose of breaking the system and verifying the response of the application in case of unintentional inputs.

Another purpose of this testing is to observe and measure the response of a system to the external problems. It stresses the system beyond the normal limits for which it has been developed besides using the same in an incorrect way. It stresses the system beyond the margins of normal use cases resulting in denial of subsequent service.

Also referred to as Dirty Testing, it is performed to ensure greater satisfaction level of the customer by checking the resistance of the software like if it is carrying out a function that it is not supposed to. For example if particular software opens an application by accepting a password of all letter variables when the requirement is to have at least a number. It tests the software beyond the normal operational limits to be specific it denotes testing a software above its upper specification limit or below the lower one.

It aims to diagnose the expected causes of system failure such as crashes, breach of security, etc as well as to check the validation and rejection of the input. These tests are significant to the companies as they check that the given software is stable enough and is working with respect to its expected functional criterions. These tests are carried out to ensure and verify the proper functioning of the software and thus ensure satisfaction of the customers and clients alike.

The test houses with the help of specialized process to assure the quality of the product carry out different tests to find out maximum flaws or defects while undergoing the testing process. It is done to ensure that the end user or rather the client does not come across any abnormality with respect to the functioning of the same in its computing environment. Test your applications by hiring testing services of a web application testing company that fits your budget and time.

We provide QA testing services. To hire software testing consultant from us, please reach out to us at Mindfire Solutions.

Software Testing and Its Different Kinds

As an integral part of software development process, software testing is done to assess the quality of the product. Also, software testing makes it easier for developers to identify the differences between given input and expected output. Based on its objectives, an enterprise can conduct a wide variety of software testing. However, software testing can be divided into two basic types, i.e., black box testing and white box testing.

Back box of functional testing focuses on output based on requirements and functionality. The testing normally ignores the internal mechanism of the system. On the other hand, white box or structural testing considers the internal system design, and determines the working of internal software and code. Thus, both white box and black box testing can be of different kinds.

Different Kinds of Software Testing

Unit Testing: Unit testing is considered as a white box testing. The testing is conducted to evaluate an individual unit or a group of related units. The testing aims to evaluate the output produced by the implemented unit against the given input.

Integration Testing: Integration testing can be categorized as both white box and black box testing type. The testing is conducted when several components are grouped or combined to produce expected output. If the software and hardware components are related, integration testing evaluates the interaction between these components.

Functional Testing: As a black box testing, functional testing is done to check if the application meets the specifications, and performs all the required functions correctly. The QA engineers have to perform a series of tests to validate the application’s feature by feature behavior.

System Testing: System testing is considered as a type of black box testing. The testing is conducted to check the performance of the software in different environments. A software application needs to be tested in different environments to check its compatibility with different operating systems. Therefore, full system implementation and environment is essential for conducting system testing effectively.

Stress Testing: As a type of black box testing, stress testing is conducted to evaluate the performance of the system, component or software under unfavorable conditions. So stress testing is always conducted beyond the limits of specified requirements. Normally, same process is used for both stress and performance testing. But stress testing applies a much higher level of simulated load.

Performance Testing: As a black box testing type, performance testing is done to assess the software’s speed and effectiveness. The testing further ensures that the software is generating the expected results within a specific period of time, while adhering to the performance requirements.

Usability Testing: The testing is conducted to determine the user-friendliness of the software application. So application flow testing is also done from the perspective on end users. The testing aims to determine if the software can be used by the by new users without any hassle. It also helps developers in deciding if additional documentation is required to make the software more user-friendly.

Regression Testing: During the development process, the any module, functionality or the software as whole needs modification. Regression testing is done after a component, system or group of related units is modified. The testing ensures that the modifications are working properly, without affecting the expected results.

Acceptance Testing: The software application is also required to meet the specifications required by the customer. So acceptance testing is conducted to check if the software meets the requirements specified by the customer. Normally, acceptance testing is performed by the customer or user before accepting the application.

Beta Testing: The final testing is conducted before the commercial release of the software. Normally, beta testing is done by end-users or external teams. The black box testing aims to cover unexpected errors before the commercial release of the software.

Nowadays, each enterprise has to conduct many kinds of software testing to deliver flawless user experience. It can further automate some of the testing efforts to optimize the software by identifying and fixing all errors, bugs and flaws within a stipulated timeframe. To get maximum benefits of testing, you may consider hiring services of a application software testing company.

We provide QA and testing services. To hire software testing engineer from us, please reach out to Mindfire Solutions.

5 Best Practices to Follow When Testing an Application

One thing that is often not even considered by developers and in fact quite under-estimated is testing. However, it is a key element in any application development; without this pillar no developer can put the developed software or application on market. Through proper evaluation the quality is determined which in turn consists of several dimensions like features, adjustability as well as engineering.

There are several kinds of tests that are carried out to determine the quality such as platform compatibility tests, functional tests, usability tests, scalability tests, performance tests, robustness tests, etc. One thing that must be remembered in this respect is to assign the job to an actual specific tester with distinct test roles; here the role of a developer and a tester is poles apart. While testing, to yield the best possible results here are some practices that you must follow.

1. Planning ahead- When a software or application is being tested, the undertaking is important as well as costly which might require careful execution. For that purpose it always helps if as a tester you can plan ahead. A careful planning as well as execution ahead of the evaluation phase ensures the success as well as usefulness of tests. In the planning phase you must consider the five essential steps which are establishing baselines, establishing expectations as well as goals, understanding the challenges that might come with the evaluation procedure, getting ample help as well opinions from the client, operations as well as development team and early involvement of third parties.

2. Building a solid strategy for application evaluation- Building a solid strategy ensures that the best procedures are followed from the word go. For effective strategies you must include exploratory, automated as well as manual tests so that the risks can be reduced efficiently and release cycles tightened. In this respect there are three kinds of test approaches that can be followed- integration which exercises entire subsystems while ensuring that sets of components fit as well as interact nicely; unit which helps in validating of the system’s smallest components so that known outputs and inputs can be handled correctly; and functional that helps in verification of end-to-end scenarios which might engage your users. In essence, functional tests can affect the entire system, but still unit as well as integration testing is important due to recovery speed as well as test performance. Functional test is always slow in running too.

3. Staggering the user number- Applications have to support a large number of users at the same time; so one of the scenarios to consider is its performance capability when handling a load due to a vast number of users. The best way of analyzing this properly is to increase the number in an ascending manner. If you start all the test drivers simultaneously then the results might not be very accurate since some time should be given to the system so that it can warm up a bit and prepare for a heavy load.

4. Experienced as well as informed management- Experience certainly counts a big deal, especially for something as crucial as evaluation it is best to go with experience. On top of that the management must ensure that all tiers involved with the application are informed about its aspects so that the best possible solution and insights are achieved.

5. Including early feedback- This starts in the development process itself where test engineers can be included. They can provide feedback on the sustainable development, feature scope too as architecture which can lead to an all-round well developed application.

These days, a software project is far more complex that what it used to be even sometime back. With the rapid changes in the methods and procedures, it is best to keep an open eye and establish some ground rules before beginning any work. The same is applicable for testing too since knowing what to do and what to avoid will help in the long run. When you hire testing software companies, you must ensure that the team has proven experience in handling medium and large sized testing projects over a long period.

We provide software application testing services. All of our testers have cleared industry certifications in testing. If you would like to hire software testers from us, we would be glad to assist you at Mindfire Solutions.

Is Demand for UFT growing in Today's Market?

HP Unified Functional Testing (UFT) software is used widely by developers across the world to automate testing process. The software application makes it easier for the QA professionals to carry out a variety of testing including functional testing and regression testing. The testers can further write test scripts using Visual Basic Scripting Edition (VBScript) scripting language. The scripting language simplifies the process of manipulating the objects and controls of the application and specifying a test procedure. The integrated development environment (IDE) provided by the application helps testing professionals to write and validate test scripts more effectively. With more and more organizations automating their testing process, the demand for HP UFT software is increasing at a steady pace.

Why Automate Your Test Process with HP Unified Functional Testing Software

Effective in Testing both Front-end and Back-end of the Application

HP has designed the Unified Functional Testing software application as a comprehensive testing platform to test both GUI and API. The combination of GUI testing and API testing makes the software useful for testing both front-end (User interface) and back-end of a software application. The QA professionals can use the GUI testing method to evaluate the front-end of the software application, whereas the back-end of the application can be tested using the API testing method.

Simple and Easy-to-Use

Often organizations have to provide training to software developers and testers while adopting a new technology. Despite being effective in functional testing and regression testing automation, UFT is still simple and easy-to-use. So your workers can learn its features and navigation option easily, and start generating reports and validate the user-friendly results. Further, UFT can be combined seamlessly with Test Management Tool (Hp-Quality Center). So the users can easily schedule tests and monitor the test results.

Facilitates Data-Driven Testing

HP has further designed the UFT software with support for data-driven testing. So it allows the data to be stored as a data table to be reused for another project. The QA professionals even have option to implement data-driven testing as a Microsoft Excel workbook, which can be accessed from the UFT application. The application further supports two distinct data table types, i.e., local or action data sheets and global data sheets.

Quick Scripting Process

The amount of time required for completing functional or regression testing is impacted by the time required to write test scripts. HP UFT allows testing professionals to write test scripts using VBScript. In comparison to object oriented programming languages, VBScript is easier to learn and code. Thus, the UFT scripting can be completed by the professionals within a shorter span of time.

Enhanced Code Reusability

Like other powerful test automation tools, HP UFT also enables QA professionals to save the test scripts, function libraries, objects, components and application areas. It comes with a centralized quality control solution known as ALM. The developers can store the test scripts, function libraries, objects and components with the with the ALM project. The details stores with ALM project can be shared with other QA professionals, and reused for other testing projects.

Extensible to Several Development Environments

Despite being used by QA professionals to automate both web based and windows based client-server applications, HP UFT still does not support all operating systems and web browsers by default. But the testers have option to install corresponding add–in to make the software compatible with a particular development environment. The application comes with three default add-ins, i.e., ActiveX, Visual Basic and Web. But users can still load corresponding add–ins to use UFT with Java, .NET, SAP, Oracle Apps, Delphi, Web Services and Flex.

HP further allows organizations to use Unified Functional Testing software either the seat or concurrent license. The seat license is specific to a computer on which the UFT software is installed, whereas the concurrent license is a network based license that enables multiple users to use the application at a time. So an organization has option to choose the licensing according to its specific needs and budget. If you are planning to hire services of offshore software testing companies, you must evaluate them to see if they are sufficiently agile or not!

We provide QA testing services. We have expert testing team with 100% certification ratio. To hire software quality assurance tester from us, please reach out to us at Mindfire Solutions.

Quality Assurance is a Process, Not a Department

In the software industry, the terms testing and quality assurance (QA) are used interchangeably. Many organizations even deploy a team of dedicated testers, and name it QA department. While considering software QA as a separate process, most organizations undervalue its significance as a significant and ongoing process. In nutshell, software quality assurance can be defined as the methods used to ensure quality by monitoring different software engineering processes constantly. However, the methods of QA can vary according to the nature and requirement of the software development approach. Along with adopting ISO 9000 standards, an organization can further ensure quality by adopting CMMI model. But each organization must consider QA as an integral part of the overall software development process, instead of isolating it as a distinct department.

Why Organizations Must Consider Quality Assurance as a Key Process?

1. Easy to Adopt Agile Processes: A constant increase is noted in the number of organizations adopting Agile methods to iterate software development projects. Along with making it easier to incorporate changed during different stages of development, the methodology further emphasizes on delivering high quality. With companies constantly exploring options to reduce project cost and time to market, it has become essential to ensure quality from the initial stages of the project. So organizations must integrate QA in each development process to avail the many advantages of Agile methods.

2. Address Different Changes: While developing a software application, the company has to address both technical and business quality issues. As the application needs to be developed rapidly within a stipulated timeframe, there are always chances the defects may naturally creep into the software. Similarly, the constant changes in end-user requirements results in several business quality issues. These issues must be addresses during each stage of development to deliver rich user experience. Thus, QA must be integrated into the development processes from the initial stages to handle different quality issues without putting any extra time.

3. Meet Exact Needs of a Business: The enterprise software applications are developed to solve specific business problems efficiently. So there must not be any gap between the end user requirements and the software delivered by development. The software also needs to be evaluated at various stages of development according to the requirements of the client. Further, there are chances that the client will want new features and functionalities to be included in the software during development. So QA must be integrated seamlessly with each development process to ensure that the product is meeting end user requirements exactly.

4. Save Both Time and Resources: Most business software applications, nowadays, need to be integrated with third-party solutions and services to deliver rich user experience. Further, the complex and complicated nature of the applications makes it a daunting task to complete the project on time. The extremely tight deadline also does not allow organizations to take additional time to evaluate the software’s efficiency and performance. When an organization considers QA as a distinct department, the testing professionals evaluate the software once the development is over. So many organizations are adopting test-based software development model to save both time and resources.

5. Facilitates Distributed Development: Within a short span of time, distributed software development has becomes widely popular among companies as a medium to curtail project cost. Many organizations deploy seasoned software developers and QA engineers who work in different regions. When a software program is being developed in a distributed environment, it becomes essential for the organization to integrate quality assurance in each process. When software testing is conducted at the end of development, there are always chances that the developers have to rework. But the gap between the end user requirements and software developed in a distributed environment can be eliminated by adopting QA as an integral part of the overall development process.

As an ongoing process, software quality assurance further makes it easier for enterprises to beat competition. Along with reducing time to market, the process will further make the software application popular by delivering flawless user experience. If you are planning to hire testing software companies, you must evaluate them to see if they are sufficiently agile or not!

We provide QA and testing services. If you would like to hire software testing engineer for your software projects, please contact us at Mindfire Solutions.

Applying Agile to Distributed Development - A Format for Success

A gradual increase is noted in the number of organizations developing software applications in distributed environments. Under distributed development plan, bulk of the software development and testing efforts are outsourced to developing countries to curtain the project overheads, while a small team of consultants or in-house manages work on site with the business stakeholders. Further, many organizations implement Agile methods in the distributed environment to deliver quality software on time and on budget. According to the 8th Annual STATE OF AGILE survey, over 35% of software development companies use Agile with distributed development teams. So your organization can avail several advantages by using Agile to address some of the common problems related to distributed development.

Why Over 35% Companies Apply Agile Methodology to Distributed Development?

Facilitates Uninterrupted Communication

The Agile methodology facilitates smooth and uninterrupted communication among distributed teams regardless of their geographic location. Along with one-to- one communication, the methods further emphasize on on-the-fly interaction between team members. According to the methodology, an organization has to allow remote team members and project owners to communicate in a real time environment through emails, conference calls, video conferencing and texting. So the organization can eliminate the need to schedule formal meetings required according to the conventional project management methods. An organization can further avail competitive advantages by adopting Agile communication model.

Maintains Transparency across Distributed Teams

Unlike conventional project management techniques, Agile methodology emphasizes on uniting the members of distributed teams to unite around the team’s common goals and vision. The elimination of ownership silos results in code sharing and training among team members. At the same time, the Agile methods further require the project information to be shared continuously between stakeholders, product owners and development teams. The daily scrum or standup meetings between different stakeholders ensures that each party stay tuned to the current status of the project. Also, the frequent reviewing of requirements makes it easier to incorporate changes in the process to deliver better usability results.

Optimizes Decision Making Process

Often companies find it a daunting task to take quick decision in a distributed development environment. Along with defining the team’s common goals and vision to each member, Agile methods further empower distributed teams to decide how to complete the assigned tasks on schedule. So each distributed team can carry out its activities without waiting for the centralized management’s direction or approval. At the same time, each member of team clearly understands his responsibilities, along with having the authority required to take sound decisions according to the iteration’s requirements. So the prompt decision making process is no way affected by the different geographical locations of the teams.

Enhances Scope for Automated Software Testing

The Agile methods further optimize the scope of automated software testing in a distributed environment. As many developers can make changes to the code in a distributed environment, there are chances that feedback received from a tester many become both faulty and outdated. So automation testing techniques are used to share quick and reliable feedback with development teams. As end-to-end use cases to written to constantly evaluate the software’s critical features, the testing can be completely automated to deliver flawless user experience. At the same time, each team can use automated test metrics to set goals and keep track of progress. These metrics will further help the teams in identifying the issues that slow down the performance, despite not having any impact on the products.

When you decide to use Agile methods in a distributed development environment, it becomes essential to make and implement a comprehensive plan. The inclusive environment created by embracing Agile methodology will further make it easier for your organization to meet widespread challenges. However, it is also important to avoid adopting a specific process or methodology without evaluating specific requirements of the software development project. If you are planning to hire software testing companies, you must evaluate them to see if they are sufficiently agile or not!

We provide agile software testing services. If you would like to hire software testing engineer for your software projects, please contact us at Mindfire Solutions.