Metrics to enrich your QA testing
The key to achieving the greatest outcomes with QA metrics is consistency, repetition of the same actions, and process improvement. In essence, you just need to track, track, and track some more. Once you begin capturing QA data, don’t stop. However, acquiring data can be automated in order to save time and ensure that metrics are always helpful for ongoing improvement, thus monitoring metrics doesn’t have to be a time-consuming human effort. The work of a testing team can also be evaluated based on a number of criteria by linking a metric to a QA KPI. Greater transparency into performance metrics is provided, which can be leveraged to enhance team cohesiveness, advancement, skill, and workflow effectiveness.
When a metric gives a team a target, it also inspires them to think critically about their design, testing procedures, and other factors. Finding the correct metrics to meet your unique demands involves taking into account the fact that various teams have varying quality criteria. Check out the online QA certification course to learn about the most often used QA metrics. Here are a few measures to keep an eye out for.
1.Test Reliability.
Testers frequently concentrate on the simple gratification of finishing all the tests, but this does not imply that they are trustworthy. Running a Test Reliability measure refers to the proportion of test cases that are deemed unreliable since they are not delivering valuable feedback. Unreliable unit tests are not deterministic; they can succeed or fail for no apparent reason. In a perfect world, every failed test contains a genuine bug, and tests would only pass if there was no fault. Analyse the frequency with which tests fail in the absence of actual defects to gauge the reliability of your test suite. If that happens frequently, the test itself can be at fault. Failures in the test environment, poorly written tests (for whatever cause), or another problem that helps in recognizing patterns and identifying where changes are required.
2.Quality of Test Documentation.
Test documentation keeps track of the artefacts created before or during software testing. Testing requirements, test coverage, resource tracking, execution, and production progress may all be predicted by the testing team. According to a comprehensive set of papers, the QA services always comprise describing and documenting test techniques, test designs, and test results that are the consequence of testing operations. So how do you evaluate the test documentation’s level of quality? First, evaluate a test case’s ability to find defects in order to see if QA engineers are performing fruitful and valuable test cases. Examine the disparity between the total number of defects discovered in the app or website and the number of bugs identified by one test. A high percentage denotes a more effective test and fewer maintenance efforts required on the test cases.
Quality of Test Case = Number of bugs detected in AB Test / Total bugs in all tests + after release) X 100
3.Defect Distribution.
The number of flaws in a sprint or specific functional area is known as the defect distribution. This statistic can give a clearer picture of the distribution of defects and draws attention to how well different teams and features wrote their code overall. A high number of bugs, especially those with a high priority, maybe a sign that more code and peer reviews are required. It may also highlight the areas of the software that need to be redesigned or given more testing. The proportion or quantity of defects dispersed by priority, module, testing team, etc. is some examples of metrics for defect distribution. This statistic can be run after each build or testing cycle to see whether there have been any improvements after making the necessary modifications in the product’s weakest areas.
4.Time to Fix.
The speed and thoroughness with which teams are addressing problems can be measured and tracked using a variety of process metrics. Count backwards from the bug’s opening date until it is fixed (and passed QA). Add the amount of time it takes from the moment the bug is reported until it is put into production to the metric; this will allow you to gauge how long users must wait for a patch. You may sort the defects by severity, and these process metrics help you understand how effectively the various phases of development are working. Track the number of bugs that have been active for more than 24, 48, or 72 hours as an alternative. Furthermore, thanks should be observed, and the speed at which bugs are fixed in relation to their priority should be examined. It can also figure out how many bugs have remained in the program over time.
5.Defect Leakage.
Defect Leakage is a metric that can assess how effectively manual software testing and automation are being done, as well as how many issues are being missed during testing. When flaws are discovered in the production process, there may be serious repercussions. The traits of reliable and successful software development include having an approach for removing bugs that work and keeping track of the problems that are discovered and fixed before a release. It’s crucial to keep track of faults found after a release and notify DevOps so that problems can be quickly repaired, test cases can be updated, and processes can be examined. Software fault disclosure is just as crucial as its detection and remedy.
Defect Leakage = Number of defects in UAT / Number of defects found in QA Testing
Conclusion
Lack of expertise in creating an effective QA process leads to unstable releases, missed deadlines, and problems that grow with each release. Metrics are not a cure-all, but they are a crucial component of the development activities and QA’s good planning. Regardless of the methodology you use, metrics are crucial. Some people think Agile doesn’t need any tracking or documentation. It is untrue, though, as Agile merely limits the number of papers and criteria to those that improve the process and, as a result, result in higher-quality products.
You can enroll at an online QA training platform to learn more about QA testing metrics.
