Top 10 Best Practices for Software Testing in 2024

Testing is a crucial part of delivering high quality software, but it requires careful planning and execution. When done effectively, testing saves money by catching issues early and provides confidence in product readiness through comprehensive validation. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the top 10 best practices for succeeding with software testing in 2024.

1. Create a Documented Test Strategy

All testing efforts should start with a well-defined test plan that acts as a blueprint for QA activities across the development lifecycle. Studies show that teams that invest in test planning realize a return on investment of over 300% through more efficient processes.

An effective test plan includes:

• Precise scope definition – Outline exact features, integrations, and use cases to be tested.

• Testing data needs – Identify required test data sets, scenarios, and scripts.

• Environment/infrastructure requirements – Define necessary SUT configuration, tools, and access.

• Testing roles and responsibilities – Specify activities and owners across testing types.

• Target test metrics – Define KPIs to track progress like feature coverage, defect removal efficiency, etc.

• Reporting processes – Establish tools and workflows for tracking test executions and defects.

Taking time to align on testing processes pays dividends when execution begins. Teams spend 42% less time debugging with clear plans.

2. Shift Testing Left

Traditional testing happens later in development, leading to costly late-stage bugs. Shift left testing integrates QA earlier via techniques like:

• Unit testing – Developers test individual functions automatically during coding.

• Smoke testing – Lightweight validation ensuring major functions work as development progresses.

• Integration testing – Confirm seamless operation between new code and existing systems.

Leading companies like Netflix perform thousands of localized integration tests daily to catch issues early. This prevents costly defects by catching them quickly at the component level.

Automate Testing

Automating repetitive test cases is key to enabling continuous shift left testing. Scripts can execute validation 24/7, increasing coverage exponentially.

Popular open source tools like Selenium and Cypress, along with commercial solutions like Tricentis Tosca make test automation highly scalable. Teams can realize a 10-50x return on test automation investment through reduced testing time and defect costs.

See our detailed guides on test automation and top test automation tools to further level up automated testing.

3. Adopt Test-Driven Development Practices

Test-driven development (TDD) techniques build quality in from the start by tightly integrating testing activities into coding:

Pair programming has two developers work together – one codes while the other reviews. This catches issues early, spreads knowledge, and results in code up to 15% faster with half the bugs.

Test driven development means writing specific test cases first which fail, then adding functional code to pass the tests, like:

//Test case  
test("Returns employee name", () => {

  const employee = new Employee("John");

  expect(employee.getName()).toBe("John");

});

// Code
class Employee {

  constructor(name) {
    this.name = name;
  }

  getName() {
    return this.name;
  }

}

Studies show teams using TDD can achieve 60-90% better code quality and spend 35% less time debugging.

4. Report on Testing Thoroughly

Detailed test reporting is crucial for tracking execution progress and results. Using a centralized test management tool provides structured logging for:

• Manual test steps and results
• Automated test runs
• Defects including priority level, severity, reproducible steps
• Test metrics like pass %, coverage, open defects

Standard defect report templates ensure consistent logging like:

Field	Description
Summary	Short defect description
Steps to Reproduce	Specific end-user steps to trigger defect, using test data
Expected Result	How the function should work per the requirements
Actual Result	The incorrect behavior observed
Severity	Priority level – low, medium, high
Attachments	Screenshots, logs, or videos showing defect

Comprehensive reporting reduces mean time to resolution by 40% across projects.

5. Maximize Testing Coverage

Expanding test coverage beyond basic happy path scenarios is crucial for comprehensive validation. Teams should analyze coverage across:

• User flows – Every workflow step a user may take

• Interfaces – Application front-end, APIs, database schemas

• Devices – Phones, tablets, browsers, operating systems

• Data – Invalid inputs, field formats, special characters

• Usability – Accessibility, localizations, visual styling

• Security – OWASP top 10 vulnerabilities like XSS, injections

• Performance – Load, stress, endurance, recovery testing

Track coverage metrics like statement coverage to meet targets like 80%+. This “test everything” philosophy prevents undiscovered defects.

6. Leverage Real Devices for Testing

Simulators cannot fully replicate real-world environments. Issues like:

• Slow network connectivity causing latency

• Push notification interruptions

• Inconsistent GPS accuracy

• Unoptimized mobile styling

• Battery drain bugs

Only arise on actual user devices. Having a device lab for in-house testing uncovers flaws missed in simulation. Popular cloud device labs like BrowserStack and SauceLabs provide access to thousands of configurations for comprehensive testing.

Cross browser tools like CrossBrowserTesting reduce device testing time by automating parallel testing across browsers, versions, and OS.

7. Use Data to Guide Testing

Analyzing test metrics identifies opportunities for better efficiency:

Metric	Benchmark	How to Use
Test Coverage	80%+	Add tests targeting low coverage areas
Automated Test %	70%+	Automate repetitive manual cases
Defect Escape Rate	<5%	Improve test case design
Mean Time to Repair	<1 day	Re-evaluate defect handoff processes

Teams should set target KPIs, track them in dashboards, review regularly, and improve processes to hit goals.

Source: ScienceSoft

8. Optimize Testing Team Skills

Balancing testing workload across specialized skill sets prevents bottlenecks:

• Automation engineers – Write reliable test scripts leveraging Selenium, Cypress, etc.

• Performance testers – Model and simulate real-world user loads with tools like JMeter.

• Security testers – Execute penetration testing, audit code, and remediate vulnerabilities.

• Accessibility experts – Validate compliance with disability access standards.

• Dashboard designers – Track KPIs and visualize test reporting data.

While good collaboration remains essential, dividing and conquering activities based on strengths boosts throughput.

9. Modular, Independent Test Cases

Well-designed test cases validate one specific function or component in isolation:

Good test case: Confirm checkout form preserves input values when submission fails.

Poor test case: Test ecommerce checkout process end-to-end.

The isolated case above can validate checkout form behavior across any workflow. This modular design enables reuse across test suites for efficient validation.

Specialized test case management tools like PractiTest help create libraries of reusable test cases.

10. Support API Versioning

APIs tend to iterate quickly, with breaking changes that can cripple consumer applications.

API versioning lets clients specify the specific API release they want to use. New changes deploy alongside old versions, allowing gradual client upgrades.

https://api.acme.com/v1/users
https://api.acme.com/v2/users 

Documenting changes clearly and giving ample deprecation notices helps ensure a smooth developer experience.

Versioning takes coordination between dev and product teams but dramatically reduces integration risks.

In today’s rapid development environment, applying software testing best practices is essential for reducing risk and delivering high quality digital experiences.

What strategies have you found most effective for improving software QA? Share your experiences in the comments below!