Test Strategy vs Test Plan: Key Differences

In the software testing lifecycle, you’d come across two of the most common terms: test cases and test scenarios. After all, these are the building blocks of testing. Getting them right is critical to product success.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img loading="lazy" src="https://images.storychief.com/account_36412/inarticle-40_c812c2a74e4bf00d24a14d0fadb48de3_800.jpg" alt="Test Case vs Test Scenario" width="367" height="215"/></figure></div>



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#Test_Case_vs_Test_Scenario_8211_Overview">1 Test Case vs Test Scenario &#8211; Overview</a><ul><li><a href="#What_is_a_Test_casenbsp">1.1 What is a Test case?&nbsp;</a></li><li><a href="#What_is_a_Test_Scenario">1.2 What is a Test Scenario?</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Key_Differences_Between_Test_Case_and_Test_Scenario">2 Key Differences Between Test Case and Test Scenario</a></li><li><a href="#Test_Case_vs_Test_Scenario_8211_Key_Components">3 Test Case vs Test Scenario &#8211; Key Components</a></li><li><a href="#Test_Scenario_vs_Test_Case_-Best_Practises_for_Creating">4 Test Scenario vs Test Case -Best Practises for Creating:</a></li><li><a href="#Test_Case_and_Test_Scenario_8211_Role_in_Test_Automationnbsp">5 Test Case and Test Scenario &#8211; Role in Test Automation&nbsp;</a></li><li><a href="#Conclusion">6 Conclusion:</a></li><li><a href="#Frequently_Asked_Questions">7 Frequently Asked Questions</a><ul><li><a href="#What_comes_first_test_case_or_scenario">7.1 What comes first: test case or scenario?</a></li></ul></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="test-case-vs-test-scenario-overview">Test Case vs Test Scenario &#8211; Overview</h2>



<h3 id="what-is-a-test-case"><a href="https://testsigma.com/guides/what-is-test-case/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">What is a Test case?&nbsp;</a></h3>



A test case is a document that describes the steps, conditions, and expected results for verifying the functionality of a certain feature or component in a software application. It basically acts as a blueprint for how testing should be carried out to ensure that the software meets the specified requirements.



Example of <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/test-cases-for-login-page/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Test cases for Login</a>



Test Cases:



<ul><li>Test Case 1: Enter valid username and password. Click &#8220;Login.&#8221; Verify successful login.</li><li>Test Case 2: Enter invalid username and password. Verify error message.</li><li>Test Case 3: Enter valid username and invalid password. Verify error message.</li><li>Test Case 4: Enter invalid username and valid password. Verify error message.</li><li>Test Case 5: Check &#8220;Remember me&#8221; option. Log in. Verify persistent login.</li></ul>



<h3 id="what-is-a-test-scenario"><a href="https://testsigma.com/guides/test-scenario/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">What is a Test Scenario?</a></h3>



Test scenarios are high-level descriptions of use cases for the software, or real-world situations. They describe—in general terms how the software will be used and help to identify the functions under test.



Example of a Test Scenario



Test Scenario 1: Successful Login



<ul><li>Description: Verify that a user can successfully log in to the system using valid credentials.</li></ul>



Test Scenario 2: Invalid Login



<ul><li>Description: Verify that the system handles invalid login attempts appropriately.</li></ul>



Test Scenario 3: Persistent Login



<ul><li>Description: Verify that the &#8220;Keep me signed in&#8221; feature functions correctly.</li></ul>



<h2 id="key-differences-between-test-case-and-test-scenario">Key Differences Between Test Case and Test Scenario</h2>



Here is a table that explains you simple:



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td>Feature</td><td>Test Case</td><td>Test Scenario</td></tr><tr><td>Focus</td><td>Verifies specific features or functions</td><td>Defines the overall testing objectives</td></tr><tr><td>Needed for</td><td>detailed testing of individual functionalities.</td><td>Overall testing to ensure the main functions work as intended.</td></tr><tr><td>Reusability</td><td>Often reusable for different features or similar conditions</td><td>Generally not reusable due to its high-level nature</td></tr><tr><td>Relationship</td><td>Derived from test scenarios</td><td>Serves as a basis for creating test cases</td></tr><tr><td>Scope</td><td>Narrow scope, focusing on a single aspect of functionality</td><td>Broader scope, covering multiple aspects or a flow of events</td></tr><tr><td>Examples</td><td>Check if the login button is workingValidate the &#8216;Forgot Password&#8217; link functionality</td><td>User login process with invalid credentialsUser login process with valid credentials and persistent login</td></tr><tr><td>Execution</td><td>Executed to validate a specific condition or feature</td><td>Provides context for multiple test cases and their execution</td></tr><tr><td>Documentation</td><td>Detailed documentation including preconditions, test steps, and expected results.</td><td>Describes the general testing scenario and its objectives.</td></tr><tr><td>When to Use</td><td>Automation, verifying specific behaviors.</td><td>Understanding the end-to-end functionality.</td></tr><tr><td>Level of Detail</td><td>Detailed steps and expected outcomes.</td><td>Written from a broader perspective of what a feature is supposed to do.</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>








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<h2 id="test-case-vs-test-scenario-key-components">Test Case vs Test Scenario &#8211; Key Components</h2>



Key components of a test case



Test Case ID: A unique identifier of the test case.



Test Case Title: It should be small and give a good description of the test case.



Preconditions: The conditions due to which this very test case can be executed.



<a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/test-steps/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Test Steps</a>: List of actions that will be done during the test, in a sequence.



Expected Results: What should happen after the test steps are implemented?



Actual Results: What really happened after implementing the test steps?



Pass/Fail: Tells if the test case has passed or failed.



<a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/test-data/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Test Data</a>: Any kind of input data for the test.



Key characteristics of a test scenario&nbsp;



Scenario ID: A unique test scenario identifier.



Scenario Description: What this scenario does in a few words?



Goals: What this scenario is supposed to accomplish?



Actors: The roles (or users) associated with the scenario.



Preconditions: What has to be true before this scenario can be run?



Postconditions: What the state of the system is expected to be after the scenario is completed?



<h2 id="test-scenario-vs-test-case-best-practises-for-creating">Test Scenario vs Test Case -Best Practises for Creating:</h2>



<ol><li>Test cases</li></ol>



<ul><li>Define Clear Objectives: Specify the functionality to be tested.</li><li>Use a Consistent Format: Maintain uniformity in format.</li><li>Write Clear Steps: Steps should be easy to understand.</li><li>Include Expected Results: Mention the expected outcome.</li><li>Review and Update Regularly: Review test cases at regular intervals and update them as and when changes occur.</li></ul>



<ol start="2"><li>Test Scenarios</li></ol>



<ul><li>Understand the Requirements: Ensure scenarios are based on the requirements.</li><li>Define Scope Clearly: Define clearly what the specific workflow or functionality being tested is.</li><li>Include Realistic User Journeys: Include only realistic user journeys.</li><li>Document Preconditions: Document what setup or conditions are to be provided before execution.</li><li>Review and Refine: Review and refine on a regular basis based on feedback or changes.</li></ul>



<h2 id="test-case-and-test-scenario-role-in-test-automation">Test Case and Test Scenario &#8211; Role in Test Automation&nbsp;</h2>



Though distinct, Test Case and Test Scenario are very closely interrelated in their role with test automation:



Test Scenario: In <a href="https://testsigma.com/automated-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">test automation</a>, a test scenario is defined as a high-level testing goal or user flow.&nbsp;



For example, &#8220;Verify that a user can complete the checkout process.&#8221; It outlines what needs to be tested. Scenarios help identify what high-level functionalities or business processes are in need of automation. They drive the overall strategy and planning of automated tests by focusing on end-to-end functionality.&nbsp;



They guide the overall strategy and planning of automated tests by focusing on end-to-end functionality. Their main goal is to ensure that all the requirements for a specific real-time application have been fulfilled.



Test Case: A test case is a detailed, specific set of steps with their inputs and expected results when executing automated tests.&nbsp;



For example, in the checkout process scenario, a test case could be &#8220;Add items to the cart,&#8221; &#8220;Proceed to checkout,&#8221; &#8220;Enter payment details,&#8221; and &#8220;Confirm purchase.&#8221; Test cases are what actual automation scripts are made of, executing these detailed steps. They validate (or ensure) that everything works within a feature.



<h2 id="conclusion">Conclusion:</h2>



A comprehension of test cases and test scenarios, both as individual concepts and the differences between them, is necessary for <a href="https://www.upwork.com/resources/what-can-a-quality-assurance-qa-team-do-for-you" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">QA teams</a> to initiate and structure tests for maximum effectiveness. Consider this article the very first step in discovering all the many types and structures of test scenarios and test cases applicable to your test projects.



<h2 id="frequently-asked-questions">Frequently Asked Questions</h2>



<h3 id="what-comes-first-test-case-or-scenario">What comes first: test case or scenario?</h3>



The test scenario comes first. It details what features and user conditions should be tested. Based on this, you can create test cases that describe the steps required to test each module, feature, sub-feature, and user action derived from the test scenario.

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Data is the new asset for any business use case for drawing insights. Similarly, Automation Testing is the new standard that tech companies set for testing their software products.



XPath plays a vital role in any of the uses above, in scraping data from multiple websites or testing products and functionality. XPath allows testers like us to navigate around various locators of the web page with the help of numerous properties such as ID, Tag Name, Group Index, and Predicates.



This blog post walks you through various examples of XPath locators and their definitions.



We have shown the Java implementation of the XPath locator in our cheat sheet for Selenium locators. Let&#8217;s begin with this comprehensive XPath cheat sheet, which will be quite helpful while performing <a href="https://testsigma.com/automated-testing">automated testing</a> or scraping data through Selenium.



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#What_is_XPath">1 What is XPath?</a></li><li><a href="#The_XPath_Syntax">2 The XPath Syntax</a></li><li><a href="#Different_types_of_XPath_in_Selenium">3 Different types of XPath in Selenium</a><ul><li><a href="#Absolute_XPath">3.1 Absolute XPath</a></li><li><a href="#Relative_XPath">3.2 Relative XPath</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#XPath_Expressions_in_Selenium">4 XPath Expressions in Selenium</a></li><li><a href="#XPath_Selectors_in_Selenium">5 XPath Selectors in Selenium</a><ul><li><a href="#Descendant_Selectors">5.1 Descendant Selectors</a></li><li><a href="#Attribute_selectors">5.2 Attribute selectors</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Axes_in_XPath">6 Axes in XPath</a></li><li><a href="#Functions_in_XPath">7 Functions in XPath</a></li><li><a href="#Operators_in_XPath">8 Operators in XPath</a></li><li><a href="#Browser_console_to_locate_XPath">9 Browser console to locate XPath</a></li><li><a href="#Wrapping_Up">10 Wrapping Up</a></li><li><a href="#Frequently_Asked_Questions">11 Frequently Asked Questions:</a><ul><li><a href="#What_is_the_easiest_way_to_find_XPath">11.1 What is the easiest way to find XPath?</a></li><li><a href="#Which_XPath_is_faster_in_Selenium">11.2 Which XPath is faster in Selenium?</a></li><li><a href="#Which_XPath_is_best">11.3 Which XPath is best?</a></li></ul></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="a9l6r">What is XPath?</h2>



XPath is the path of elements on the HTML tree. XPath allows us to use different selectors on the HTML page.



We represent the current webpage in XPath by using(.) and (/) to represent child elements to navigate through different elements in HTML and XML documents.



<h2 id="an6t2">The XPath Syntax</h2>



Since we’ve discussed XPath, let’s check how we can generate XPath. The example below shows XPath syntax with single and multiple attributes.



XPath Syntax for Single Attribute



<pre class="wp-block-preformatted">//tag[@AttributeName = ‘Attribute Value’]</pre>



XPath Syntax for Multiple Attributes



<pre class="wp-block-preformatted">//tag[@AttributeName1=’Attribute Value’ and @AttributeName2=’AttributeValue2’]</pre>



<pre class="wp-block-preformatted">//tag[@AttributeName1=’Attribute Value’ or @AttributeName2=’AttributeValue2’]</pre>



<h2 id="5jra6">Different types of XPath in Selenium</h2>



XPath allows us to navigate through the webpage in two different types:



<ol type="1"><li>Absolute XPath</li><li>Relative XPath</li></ol>



<h3 id="ah60n">Absolute XPath</h3>



This locator uses the whole expression from the parent tag and starts with a single tag representing child elements.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://images.storychief.com/account_36412/image21_f18e3ccf352df315c83ba66d2d308d79_800.jpeg" alt="Testsigma - XPath"/></figure>



Below attached is one more example of using a selector with multiple divisions. In such cases, we can use the index in the path. We define the array index inside the bracket according to the node position.



Example:



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://images.storychief.com/account_36412/image41_683ed70a11a138af40f1613fc6159b9e_800.png" alt="Testsigma - XPath"/></figure>



<h3 id="cgcr0">Relative XPath</h3>



Relative XPath can start from anywhere from the HTML structure. We use Relative XPath when we don’t want to write the complete XPath expression from the root node.



The Relative XPath starts from a double forward slash, whereas the Absolute XPath starts from a single slash.



Example:



In the below example, we are choosing the image selector. Unlike Absolute XPath, we need not start from HTML.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://images.storychief.com/account_36412/image51_a4abbc3843692c896c7e258429f40666_800.jpeg" alt="Testsigma - XPath"/></figure>



<h2 id="3v3qt">XPath Expressions in Selenium</h2>



XPath expressions navigate and select appropriate elements in HTML and XML documents.



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table style="border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse;"><tbody><tr style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;
 border-collapse: collapse;"><td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;
 border-collapse: collapse;">Symbol</td><td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;
 border-collapse: collapse;">Definition</td></tr><tr style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;
 border-collapse: collapse;"><td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;
 border-collapse: collapse;">/</td><td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;
 border-collapse: collapse;">The single forward slash is used for selecting the child element,to create absolute XPath, to select elements from the root node, and to traverse through child elements from the parent node.</td></tr><tr style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;
 border-collapse: collapse;"><td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;
 border-collapse: collapse;">//</td><td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;
 border-collapse: collapse;">The double forward slash symbol is used for the descendant child(child,grandchild,etc.)in relative paths to select any elements present in the document.</td></tr><tr style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;
 border-collapse: collapse;"><td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;
 border-collapse: collapse;">.</td><td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;
 border-collapse: collapse;">The single dot selects the current node.</td></tr><tr style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;
 border-collapse: collapse;"><td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;
 border-collapse: collapse;">@</td><td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;
 border-collapse: collapse;">Select attributes</td></tr><tr style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;
 border-collapse: collapse;"><td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;
 border-collapse: collapse;">//a/..</td><td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;
 border-collapse: collapse;">Backward traversing is where we use (.) dot notations to go up the tree or reach the parent node.The expression attached will get the parent element of the anchor tag.</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<h2 id="2uro4">XPath Selectors in Selenium</h2>



XPath selectors allow us to select a specific part of HTML documents.



<h3 id="geni">Descendant Selectors</h3>



To select child elements of the current parent node, Descendant selectors are used. We use a double forward slash or single forward slash to select the child or grand-child elements in the HTML.



The Syntax for Descendant selectors:



<pre class="wp-block-preformatted">/tag or //tag</pre>



<h3 id="61apm">Attribute selectors</h3>



Attribute selectors are used for elements based on the attribute present in a single HTML node.



The Syntax for Attribute selectors:



<pre class="wp-block-preformatted">//tag[@AttibuteName= ‘Attribute Value”]</pre>



XPath by Group Index



XPath by Group Index is used to match a single element. We write the index inside the bracket and the elements outside the block element.



It executes the XPath inside the brackets and stores the matching elements in the XPath array. Then, it will identify the elements based on the index from the elements mentioned outside the bracket.



Example: If we follow the XPath by Group index, we can get a single result of our Choice.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://images.storychief.com/account_36412/image11_371c5e1a0c201202c5190835f8a81db5_800.jpg" alt="Testsigma - XPath"/></figure>



<h2 id="3tsg7">Axes in XPath</h2>



Axes represent the relationship between the current element and its relative element. It could be anything, such as a child or sibling, parent nodes etc.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://images.storychief.com/account_36412/AttributeSelectors_e6a2e96fcf9ba933ef65e84902ea3668_800.png" alt="Testsigma - XPath"/></figure>



<h2 id="cnc5">Functions in XPath</h2>



A set of operations can be used for making Functions in XPath. It could be adding two HTML or getting the count of images present in a webpage.



Node Functions



XPath has several node functions such as name(), text(), position(), last(), comment() and name(). This Function provides the name of the HTML node.



<pre class="wp-block-preformatted">Xpath=//[starts-with(name(), ‘h’)]</pre>



text()



This function is used to locate the HTML elements based on the text of the web element.



<pre class="wp-block-preformatted">Xpath=//td[text()='login']</pre>



comment()



This function selects the elements with comments.



<pre class="wp-block-preformatted">/span/comment()</pre>



last()



This function selects the last element in the current Node.



<pre class="wp-block-preformatted">/span/img[last()]</pre>



position()



This function provides the position of the element.



<pre class="wp-block-preformatted">Ex: (//a)[position() ≤= n]</pre>



<h2 id="cuhf3">Operators in XPath</h2>



We can use operators combined with XPath to check certain conditions and verify requirements. It behaves like the if-else condition. XPath predicates come in square brackets after the parent elements are tested. With the following attached XML below, we’ve provided different examples for the operator:



<ul><li>Greater than(&gt;)</li><li>Less than(&lt;)</li><li>OR operator ( OR )</li><li>AND operator ( AND )</li><li>Not Equal to ( != )</li><li>Equal to ( = )</li></ul>



<pre class="wp-block-preformatted">&lt;eCommerce&gt; &lt;mobile&gt; &lt;Iphone supplier="mother" id="1"&gt; &lt;year&gt;2020&lt;/year&gt; &lt;amount&gt;1000&lt;/amount&gt; &lt;store&gt;ABC&lt;/store&gt; &lt;/Iphone&gt; &lt;Samsung supplier="store" id="2"&gt; &lt;year&gt;2018&lt;/year&gt; &lt;amount&gt;700&lt;/amount&gt; &lt;amount&gt;700&lt;/amount&gt; &lt;store&gt;XYZ&lt;/store&gt; &lt;/Samsung&gt; &lt;/mobile&gt; &lt;/eCommerce&gt;</pre>



Less than operator ( &lt; )



We can use this operator with XPath to check if the result is less than the number



Example:



<pre class="wp-block-preformatted">eCommerce/mobile/iphone[year &lt; 2019]</pre>



Result: In this expression, all the phones are listed with a year Lesser than 2019.



Greater than operator ( &gt; )



We can use this operator with XPath to check if the result is greater than a number.



Example:



<pre class="wp-block-preformatted">eCommerce/mobile/iphone[year &gt; 2019]</pre>



Result: In this expression, all the phones are listed with a year greater than 2019.



Equal to operator ( = )



We can use this operator for comparing or checking if the value is equal to the expected value.



Example:



<pre class="wp-block-preformatted">eCommerce//[@store=’ABC’]</pre>



Result: In this expression, all the stores with the name ABC are listed. Thus, the result will be an iPhone.



Not Equal to operator ( != )



We can use this operator to check if the operator is not equal to the expected value



Example:



<pre class="wp-block-preformatted">eCommerce//[@store!=’ABC’]</pre>



Result: In this, we will have all stores not named ABC. The result will be Samsung.



AND operator ( and )



We use this operator in cases where we want both conditions to be true.



<pre class="wp-block-preformatted">eCommerce//[@store=’ABC and @store=’XYZ’’]</pre>



OR operator ( or )



We use this operator in cases where we want any one of the conditions to be true.



<pre class="wp-block-preformatted">eCommerce//[@store=’ABC or @store=’XYZ’’]</pre>



<pre class="wp-block-preformatted">//input[@value=’A’ or @value=’B’]</pre>



<h2 id="eamk2">Browser console to locate XPath</h2>



We can test our XPath in browsers before checking it programmatically. With the help of debugging tools such as a console, we can test our XPath in the console.



We can write our XPath or with help of an inspector, we can get the XPath of any element on the webpage.



To validate XPath programmatically, follow these steps:



<ol type="1"><li>Visit any website (for example, Testsigma) and press F12 on the keyboard.</li><li>Click on the console as shown in the image below.</li><li>$x(&#8220;//img[@class=&#8217;img-responsive&#8217;]/@src&#8221;)</li><li>Entering the above XPath, we can select the Testsigma logo element on the left top corner as shown in the below image.</li></ol>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://images.storychief.com/account_36412/Testigma_72645294d8e4483227a806635149da97_800.png" alt="Testsigma - XPath"/></figure>



Validating XPath with help of inspector XPath:



<ol type="1"><li>Visit any website and press F12 on the keyboard.</li><li>Click on Elements and right click element of your choice</li><li>Hover the cursor over Copy and select Copy full XPath.</li></ol>



Once done we can place the copied XPath inside the $x(`place your XPath copied from elements`) and check your results.



<h2 id="bfbuv">Wrapping Up</h2>



XPath is used to select or find elements on a webpage. We can use XPath in combination with other programming languages as well.



XPath allows us to navigate through the webpage in two different types:



<ol type="1"><li>Absolute XPath.</li><li>Relative XPath.</li></ol>



Relative XPath is more reliable and efficient while testing or scrapping a webpage. Since it supports dynamic operations, we can continue to extract data or automate tasks using the same code, even if the website is updated.



<h2 id="ffu0t">Frequently Asked Questions:</h2>



<h3 id="64mh2">What is the easiest way to find XPath?</h3>



The easiest way to find XPath is by using browser developer tools. Follow the below steps to generate XPath quickly.



<ol type="1"><li>Right-click on the element of your choice and select inspect; this will launch the inspector tool for elements HTML code.</li><li>Copy the XPath by right-clicking the HTML element.</li><li>Test the copied XPath to locate the same element in Chrome.</li></ol>



<h3 id="6bbqu">Which XPath is faster in Selenium?</h3>



The Relative XPath is faster in Selenium than the Absolute XPath. Absolute XPath is slow because it starts from the root node. Relative XPath is faster and most preferred because it starts from the middle of the HTML structure.



<h3 id="dek6t">Which XPath is best?</h3>



Relative XPath is best in major scenarios as there&#8217;s minimum code maintenance required if there&#8217;s any update on the website.



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Quick XPath Locators Cheat Sheet

When it comes to software development, we are often swamped with varied quality assurance terms that seem to have the same meaning. For instance, we confuse <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/the-different-software-testing-types-explained/">software testing types</a> with software inspection.



To give you a brief background: developed by IBM in the early 1970s, the term software inspection came into the picture when it was noticed that software testing wasn’t enough to attain high-quality software.



So, what’s the difference between inspection and testing? Don’t these processes involve bug or defect detection to ensure software quality?



Software inspection and software testing refer to two different stages in a broader software quality assurance strategy. Through this post, let&#8217;s explore the difference between these two terms.



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#What_is_Software_Inspection">1 What is Software Inspection?</a><ul><li><a href="#What_is_the_purpose_of_software_inspection">1.1 What is the purpose of software inspection?</a><ul><li><a href="#Who_are_the_key_parties_involved">1.1.1 Who are the key parties involved?</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#What_is_the_software_inspection_process">1.2 What is the software inspection process?</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#What_is_Software_Testing">2 What is Software Testing?</a><ul><li><a href="#What_is_the_purpose_of_software_testing">2.1 What is the purpose of software testing?</a></li><li><a href="#What_is_the_software_testing_process">2.2 What is the software testing process?</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#SDLC_without_Inspection">3 SDLC without Inspection</a></li><li><a href="#SDLC_with_Inspection">4 SDLC with Inspection</a></li><li><a href="#Key_differences_between_Software_inspection_and_Software_testing">5 Key differences between Software inspection and Software testing</a></li><li><a href="#Conclusion">6 Conclusion</a></li><li><a href="#Frequently_Asked_Questions">7 Frequently Asked Questions</a><ul><li><a href="#What_are_the_similarities_between_software_testing_and_inspection">7.1 What are the similarities between software testing and inspection?</a></li><li><a href="#What_is_SDLC_software_testing">7.2 What is SDLC software testing?</a></li><li><a href="#Why_is_software_inspection_more_important_than_testing">7.3 Why is software inspection more important than testing?</a></li></ul></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="4tbo6">What is Software Inspection?</h2>



Software inspection refers to a peer review of software to identify bugs or defects at the early stages of SDLC. It is a formal review that ensures the documentation produced during a given stage is consistent with previous stages and conforms to preestablished rules and standards.



Software inspection involves people examining the software product to discover defects and inconsistencies. Since it doesn’t require system execution, inspection is usually done before implementation.



<h3 id="f2b5v">What is the purpose of software inspection?</h3>



Software inspection aims to identify software defects and deviations, ensuring the product meets customer requirements, wants, and needs. In a broader context, the objective of the inspection is to inhibit defective software from flowing down the subsequent operations, thereby preventing loss to the company.



Software inspection is designed to unravel defects or bugs, unlike testing, which is done to make corrections. It is divided into two types:



<ul><li>Document inspection: Here, the documents produced for a given phase are inspected, further focusing on their quality, correctness, and relevance.</li><li>Code inspection: The code, program source files, and test scenarios are inspected and reviewed.</li></ul>



<h4 id="84k44">Who are the key parties involved?</h4>



<ul><li>Moderator: A facilitator who organizes and reports on inspection.</li><li>Author: A person who produces the report.</li><li>Reader: A person who guides the examination of software; more of a paraphraser.</li><li>Recorder: An inspector who logs all the defects on the defect list.</li><li>Inspector: The inspection team member responsible for identifying the defects.</li></ul>



<h3 id="9o8uk">What is the software inspection process?</h3>



Software inspection involves six steps – Planning, Overview, Preparation, Meeting, Rework, and Follow-up.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://images.storychief.com/account_36412/in-article-33_ca5b036bf79da572a00db450c247de72_800.jpg" alt="What is the software inspection process?"/></figure>



Planning



The planning phase starts with the selection of a group review team. A moderator plans the activities performed during the inspection and verifies that the software entry criteria are met.



Overview



The overview phase intends to disseminate information regarding the background of the product under review. Here, a presentation is given to the inspector with some background information needed to review the software product properly.



Preparation



In the individual preparation phase, the inspector collects all the materials needed for inspection. Each reviewer studies the project individually and notes the issues they encounter.



Meeting



The moderator conducts the meeting to collect and review defects. Here, the reader reads through the product line by line while the inspector points out the flaws. All issues are raised, and suggestions may be recorded.



Rework



Based on meeting notes, the author changes the work product.



Follow-up



In the last phase, the moderator verifies if necessary changes are made to the software product, compiling a defect summary report.



<h2 id="f62kk">What is Software Testing?</h2>



Software testing refers to verifying and <a href="https://recruitcrm.io/blogs/questions-to-ask-while-evaluating-applicant-tracking-system/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">evaluating</a> that software does what it is expected to do. It is done to discover bugs, <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/software-testing-errors-to-look-out-for-with-examples/">errors</a> or defects before the software is used.



When you test a software product or application, you execute a program using artificial data and verify the results of the test run for errors, variations, or information about the program&#8217;s non-functional attributes.



Software Testing enables teams to identify and resolve potential problems before they affect actual users. The QA professionals must test the software with a proper <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/software-testing-strategy/">Software Testing strategy</a> to ensure the software’s performance, efficiency, and reliability.



Software Testing is part of a more general verification and validation process. It reveals the presence of errors, not their absence.



<h3 id="3ltqd">What is the purpose of software testing?</h3>



The purpose of software testing is to identify errors, disparities, or missing requirements contrary to actual requirements.



Software testing identifies bugs and defects in the development process so they&#8217;re repaired before the launch. This is done to ensure that only quality products reach consumers, ensuring customer satisfaction.



<h3 id="9utl6">What is the software testing process?</h3>



Software testing is a process rather than a single activity. Let’s look at the components that make up the whole.



Requirements Analysis



The first step requires the QA team to comprehend the software requirements. They meet different organizations, stakeholders, teams, etc. Once the requirements are understood, the next step is identifying the components or parts of software that ought to be tested.



Test Planning



This stage involves the team planning the strategy and approach. Typically, the test manager carries out this activity to look after certain factors such as how much effort testing requires how much testing costs, and which types of testing to do.



Test Case Designing



The team develops the test case based on specific criteria and scope. Once the test planning is done, the development of test cases begins. Here, the testing team designs the test cases for execution, which are then delivered to the QA team for an examination.



Test Environment Setup



This means setting up all software and hardware resources for the testing team to execute all the test cases. Simply put, this stage decides the conditions on which the software is tested.



Test Execution



The testing team now executes tests based on test planning and marks the test report. If the test case is successfully completed, it is marked as passed. If the test case is failed, it is marked as failed, and the corresponding defect or error is reported to the development team. If the test case is blocked due to a mistake, it is marked as blocked.



Test Closure



This phase ensures the completion of test execution. Several activities are undertaken, such as test completion reporting, collection of test completion matrices, and test results. Once this cycle is completed, the test cycle closure report is prepared.



<h2 id="ec0dg">SDLC without Inspection</h2>



Imagine a software development life cycle without inspection. What possibly could go wrong? Aren’t we testing our software to detect defects?



Usually, we assume that defects or bugs are related to code only, which can be identified by testing! Does that mean there are no other defects? Well, that’s not true.



Defects can occur before coding even starts. Such defects can originate in all stages due to inaccurate specifications, insufficient requirements, or incorrect feature implementation.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://images.storychief.com/account_36412/In-article-35_48d6f05fa91f7cdbd2c5aaca3c75dc21_800.jpg" alt="SDLC without Inspection"/></figure>



As shown above, defects in the previous stages of SDLC get identified in the maintenance stage, which adds stress to the maintenance stage.



This increases costs and time to repair or resolve defects, leading to late delivery, low production, and longer release cycles.



<h2 id="35d0c">SDLC with Inspection</h2>



Imagine where defects found in each stage get removed or fixed before moving on to the next phase. Great, isn’t it? That’s what inspection helps you with.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://images.storychief.com/account_36412/In-article-34_9699058c243c2cb6134d27d984e17d5a_800.jpg" alt="SDLC with Inspection"/></figure>



When inspections are incorporated and applied, they save us from chaos zone and minimize the cost of solving defects. This leads to increased production and shorter release cycles, ensuring software quality.



<h2 id="6ak5b">Key differences between Software inspection and Software testing</h2>



Software inspection involves examining a product to ensure it complies with the end user’s requirements and specifications. In contrast, software testing tests the product to ensure it does what it is supposed to do and is ready to be used by consumers.



To understand the underlying difference between the two, we have listed the types of errors identified by both processes:



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table style="border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse"><tbody><tr style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse"><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Types of Bugs/Errors</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Software Inspection</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Software Testing</td></tr><tr style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse"><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Checks the complexity of Code</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Yes</td><td style="padding: 10px">No</td></tr><tr style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse"><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Reviews Code Structure</td><td style="padding: 10px">Yes</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">No</td></tr><tr style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse"><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Identifies interface defects at module level</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Yes</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">No</td></tr><tr style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse"><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Checks if new features are to be added</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Yes</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">No</td></tr><tr style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse"><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Identifies and resolves boundary level defects</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Yes</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Yes</td></tr><tr style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse"><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Resolve performance errors</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Yes</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Yes</td></tr><tr style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse"><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Checks if any features are implemented incorrectly</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Yes</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Yes</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



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<h2 id="9grd2">Conclusion</h2>



In software engineering, quality is the primary focus of any project. As evident, software testing and inspection are two different steps that are carried out when ensuring the overall quality of a product.



However, these processes are not mutually exclusive. Instead, they complement each other, so you shouldn’t ignore one in favor of the other.



<h2 id="b8b3o">Frequently Asked Questions</h2>



<h3 id="9kvlg">What are the similarities between software testing and inspection?</h3>



Both testing and inspection are integral in ensuring that not only is your software of the highest quality, but it also meets customer requirements. Simply put, both processes help detect and prevent quality issues and defects before the product is released to the consumer market.



<h3 id="braa7">What is SDLC software testing?</h3>



In SDLC, software testing is a method of verifying whether the actual software product meets the standard requirements. Testing checks the software’s quality, reliability, and adherence to requirements, ensuring the product is free of defects.



<h3 id="388do">Why is software inspection more important than testing?</h3>



Software inspection is more involved than testing as it covers a broader context regarding ensuring software quality.



Software testing is the process of evaluating the product and whether it works appropriately per specifications/requirements. Software inspection is testing plus code review to ensure that it is correct, optimized, and maintainable. Simply put, the goal of the inspection is to remove errors and reduce the cost of rework.



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