Exploratory Testing

Exploratory testing is a series of tests carried out to thoroughly review a product or application. As the name suggests, exploratory testing means there is no set scope for the testing process. A fixed mindset, or writing test cases to look for specific bugs defeats the purpose. Testers are encouraged to dig deep into each aspect of the product that they are testing, to check for unexpected bugs that might have escaped automated testing.
 
However, with no set scope, there are chances that testing spans across a long time period, without any specific focus. And hence it’s important to have a method in the way a team approaches exploratory testing.

At Srijan, here’s how our QA team approaches exploratory testing:

• We start exploratory testing once the product development is complete. The QA team identifies the key functionalities of the product and prioritizes them for testing.
• A test charter is prepared, that defines the test coverage, and testers are given specific functionalities, or other aspects like UI, or performance to test.
• The tests are time-boxed i.e. each tester is given a set time period within which to test their assigned functionality, as thoroughly as possible. Each test performed is determined by the outcome of the previous test, ensuring that testing is focussed and does not branch-off into time-consuming activities.

• Who is the user of this functionality?
• What is the objective of a particular function or interaction?
• How do we want a particular interaction to work?
• What happens when a user enters the wrong information or performs the wrong interaction?

Our rigorous approach, and experienced QA professionals are well equipped to define and perform intelligent test cases. While our QA Automation services help ensure faster time-to-market by automating regression testing and other repeated tasks, exploratory testing helps ensure we can fix any unanticipated bugs and errors. 

While you are here, you can take a look at our webinar that talks about the importance of manual vs. automated testing.