One day suddenly the whole world locked down to prevent the pandemic from being spread uncontrollably. When machines and factories were all stopped &#8211; your social media, mobile applications, and all the digital world was still operating at the same pace as before. 



Even if you did not notice, millions of developers and testers worked from their homes to keep you online and help you share your thoughts, purchase essential supplies and view live news.



What started as a necessity has now become a new normal in the information technology industry. <a href="https://kissflow.com/digital-workplace/remote-work/shocking-work-from-home-statistics/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">More than 55% of industries have now been permitted</a> to work from home even when the pandemic is over. 



Maintaining the same efficiency as the in-office setup is not possible if you are indulged in a complicated connection of multiple tool &#8211; you would need a good tool that not only supports but facilitates the work no matter what location you are working from. 



In this post, we will discuss one such tool along with a few points that make our remote life easy. How the tool manages in these situations, is the crux of our post.



For simplicity, I have divided this post into two different sections &#8211; technical and management &#8211; how <a href="https://testsigma.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">Testsigma, a completely cloud-based test automation tool</a>, supports team members in both these domains while they work from home. Both of these sections focus on their respective expert areas with respect to Testsigma.



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#Technical_capabilities">1 Technical capabilities</a><ul><li><a href="#Cloud-based_infrastructure">1.1 Cloud-based infrastructure</a></li><li><a href="#Scalable">1.2 Scalable</a></li><li><a href="#English_based_scripting_using_NLP">1.3 English based scripting using NLP</a></li><li><a href="#Integration_with_tools">1.4 Integration with tools</a></li><li><a href="#Support_for_multiple_testing_methods">1.5 Support for multiple testing methods</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Management_capabilities">2 Management capabilities</a><ul><li><a href="#242157_Support">2.1 24&#215;7 Support</a></li><li><a href="#Collaborative_editing">2.2 Collaborative editing</a></li><li><a href="#Role-based_responsibilities">2.3 Role-based responsibilities</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Conclusion">3 Conclusion</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="technical-capabilities">Technical capabilities</h2>



This section describes the technical capabilities of the tool Testsigma, for software <a href="https://testsigma.com/automated-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">test automation</a>, that help the team execute tests smoothly.



<h3 id="cloud-based-infrastructure">Cloud-based infrastructure</h3>



The first requirement for working from home efficiently is to use a tool that is available over the cloud network. Testsigma checked this point even before the pandemic arrived. 



Cloud-based systems provide a two-fold advantage to the team. Firstly, it is available anywhere and everywhere you want it. You can sit in India or the United States or use my PC or your friend’s, you just have to log in and all your work will be visible to you right away.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/vc0NmnGBM9HWbF18KEfCDEVDhbAF9PIbYCWMDWFH7Ve6p-y9NwdADs9YqYipY4SIHZxdnAzXzfsUmGTV7Bb2qh5HeNjIBgFdpxKfA6URuPSX_25JgXd9J9pzv0knLB31qHZTRnHr" alt="Cloud-based infrastructure" width="600"/></figure></div>



Secondly, cloud-based systems do not eat up your personal resources that can have a huge impact on test execution. Consider you are running test scripts on one application while writing test scripts in another framework on a 4GB system. 



This can slow down the process and delay the test results. Since you are working from home, there is no other system to share the load also &#8211; Testsigma, a completely cloud-based test automation tool, lets you use your own resources for other works while providing their own powerful infrastructure to assign machines and run tests on them. As far as your personal system is concerned, an internet connection and a browser are all you want.



<h3 id="scalable">Scalable</h3>



A project, no matter how much potential it has, always start small, slow, and then eventually scales up with time. But even if you have a small team working remotely, scalability is always kept in mind for the future. 



If you are at a point where you are scaling constantly but the tools you are using have given up on you, the whole project can face a downtime which is bad for business and reputation.



Testsigma comes with scalability features for all types of teams &#8211; an individual, a team, or a complete organization. Testsigma works on the cloud infrastructure and therefore if you have a requirement to scale up your testing, you can do that just by clicking a couple of buttons with the comfort of sitting at home. 



This way you not only save a lot of time but you pay only for the number of resources you use and hence speed up the delivery.



<h3 id="english-based-scripting-using-nlp">English based scripting using NLP</h3>



Your legacy test code may be written in a programming language that your testers may or may not know. The same situation comes for frameworks that support only a couple of languages.&nbsp; To make changes to that code and write test scripts of their own the testers have to learn that supported programming language and then understand the legacy code. 



This problem can be faced either remotely or in-office. But what happens in such a scenario is that when people try to understand the code, they face a lot of problems in either understanding the logic or the flow of the execution. 



Resolving this issue in the office is easy. You just have to go to the tester/developer’s desk or someone who has already worked on it and get a bit of knowledge transfer or support from them. The work is done.



In a remote office setup, the only option is to either call or chat through your preferred application. This can be a lot of pain as people are busy and as a result, the process can extend to multiple days. 



Testsigma offers a straightforward and simple solution to this. The tool comes equipped with <a href="https://testsigma.com/ai-driven-test-automation" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">artificial intelligence</a> and <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/smart-test-automation-using-nlp-what-you-should-know/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">natural language processing</a> capabilities. In simple words, it lets you do the simple work and perform the harder job by itself by asking you to write the scripts in plain English language.



The following image demonstrates a test script written to navigate to a particular website:



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/8UJPNCOb5xo8UNY87ZPUP0MKu-EurmSyxjQRHMOtBEZyzlGIAp0aXsuHUDMQ7Hi2iVbkslqH7ggyCtzhTv40UezT0xVDaZH0BRQZMSrEhTeldx3fAbfOxmX3q4ovIDvxi44iJIdx" alt="Testsigma NLP based test" width="800"/></figure></div>



So when a new person looks at your legacy code, it is just like reading English sentences (refer to the above image). The process of completing the testing then becomes faster even while sitting at home.



<h3 id="integration-with-tools">Integration with tools</h3>



Software integrations need no introduction to the people working in the software industry. There is no perfect tool that has everything in-built into it. We have an awesome bug tracking software while another awesome cross-browser testing device lab etc. A good tool is one that can join all the integrations and provide you with convenience on a single screen.&nbsp;



Testsigma takes care of all the necessary integrations that the testers can use from the platform and make use of it as required.&nbsp;



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img loading="lazy" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/5a63PBbKVxB1I8hirP3yNbPTSEWwG3kHeN4vH-TDdYRrGQeBJYeg54gR3pbKnJxQFChWSLD9C86hPr3AsVmecvRitLs0HnAwSlzk38gmC1hsaDicWbuwzVhTgHBULqELPe-CbshA" alt="Integration with tools" width="800" height="448"/></figure></div>



You can also find the most important aspect of testing &#8211; integration with CI/CD tools for smooth build and test phases on each version. You can visit the integrations page to know more about the integrations that you may require.



<h3 id="support-for-multiple-testing-methods">Support for multiple testing methods</h3>



Software testing is a big umbrella that contains a lot of sub-testing processes that ensure that the released software is of top quality. These may include <a href="https://testsigma.com/regression-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">regression testing</a>, <a href="https://testsigma.com/automated-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">automation testing</a>, mobile app testing, cross-browser testing, etc. 



For all these things to work remotely, you might have to go for one framework that can do data-driven testing, another for automation, etc.&nbsp;



Testsigma brings every sub-testing process onto a single platform giving the freedom to the tester of choosing anyone or using all of them as per the requirements. With Testsigma, you don’t have to switch to various frameworks and learn each of them. 



The tool provides robust data-driven testing, regression testing, cross-browser testing, automation testing, and much more for the teams. While working remotely, if you are learning just a single software for all your needs, you can speed up the cycles.



<h2 id="management-capabilities">Management capabilities</h2>



This section describes the management capabilities of the tool that play an equal role in increasing efficiency and productivity while working remotely.



<h3 id="24x7-support">24&#215;7 Support</h3>



The most important part of working remotely as described in the NLP section above is the need to understand the framework or tool you are working on. 



If you are stuck anywhere, you just have two options &#8211; either google it, find the solution and try if it works or you can ask anyone from your team who has already worked on the framework before. While working remotely, both of these options have a high probability of failure as you are not physically present to ask anyone.



Testsigma understands that while working remotely, you may face a problem that needs to be solved urgently whether it is day or night. Therefore, the tool comes with 24-hour support every day so that your work never suffers at any time and you have someone to clear your queries from.



<h3 id="collaborative-editing">Collaborative editing</h3>



Collaborative editing is a process combining two terms &#8211; collaboration and editing. Collaboration means you have a platform that can facilitate sharing the documents, progress, reports etc. 



If I am done with a testing process, maybe I can send my reports from the same platform or it gets shared automatically to the team etc. In simple words, even if we are remote, the team gets an organized set of documents at their disposal. Collaborative editing is however a bit different than just collaboration.&nbsp;



For example, Google docs allows collaborative editing in which instead of sharing a copy of the document, we share the link to the same document with another person. The receiver can then edit the same document and I can see the changes. 



This is an important feature to look for while working remotely because it can get really messy if we start sharing multiple documents to the complete team and then look at the changes by each of them. It can become a small GitHub of our own but more complicated than that.



<a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/" target="_blank">Testsigma, a completely cloud-based test automation tool</a>, provides collaborative editing to its testers for not only sharing the test cases with the team but they can also provide their suggestions on the same test case while working from the comforts of their homes. 



This way, the whole team can see the changes on a single document and there is no complications or confusion to address.



<h3 id="role-based-responsibilities">Role-based responsibilities</h3>



In-office setups often work in different environments and are controlled by either credentials or access roles assigned in the backend that can restrict unauthorized access. When we are working remotely using a tool, this becomes a problem as now you are connecting to the tool’s server rather than using your own. 



Consider a scenario where you are two team members working on the same project and hence share all the files. But, since your teammate is in a senior position, he has access to deleting a file that you don’t. He can also create a new task for you or himself. If in any way, you can also do the same action as he does, it becomes a security loophole especially when contract employees are on board.&nbsp;



Testsigma comes with the user access levels to predefine who has access to what in the tool. You can also create custom roles and define access to them as per your requirements. While working from home, this becomes very helpful as you don’t have to create another layer through yourself when the tool covers everything for you.



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



&nbsp;Working from home has become a new normal in the IT industry. Not only it has become convenient but <a href="https://kissflow.com/digital-workplace/remote-work/shocking-work-from-home-statistics/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">more than 75% of employees find it more productive</a> than in-office work. It seems like working from home will continue for some time now and for IT, it is not easy.&nbsp;



The remote setup leaves us with the only option of using chat or calls to connect with someone and resolve our queries. Using multiple tools for multiple purposes just increases the query count a lot more which then results in the delay of work, projects, and fewer test cycles as before. 



The need of the hour is a tool that is complete in itself and can provide you with the functionalities of all the individual tools in a single place. Testsigma fits perfectly in such a scenario providing the tester with a platform that can help in automation, cross-browser testing, regression testing, and many more types.



Testsigma is a completely cloud-based test automation tool built on a robust infrastructure providing a clean interface and centralized testing experience to the organization, meanwhile, enhancing the work from home experience too.



Testsigma presents a unique style of writing the tests in the English language that helps in easy test creation. All these features help testers in work from home setup as learning becomes very easy and with 24-hour support, one dedicated person is always there for you. With Testsigma, you just have to focus on testing and the rest is taken care of by the tool.



We tried our best to highlight how the test automation tool Testsigma can smoothen out your work from home. However, if you would like to query anything else about the tool, feel free to contact our support. Also, we would love to know your thoughts in the comments below.

Simplify your work from home challenges with test automation tool Testsigma

Simplify your Work from Home Challenges with Test Automation Tool Testsigma

25 Top Software Testing Trends to Look Out for this Year

Communication is the key to managing the stakeholders. Many times, not enough efforts are made to communicate clear details, status, risks on the ongoing projects. On the other hand, not everyone can detail every important aspect or gauge what’s important to communicate without being subjective and setting aside all emotions during communication.&nbsp;



Usually, Engineering teams are focused on their work and do not put a lot of emphasis on communication and highlighting the risks with all the data. Even when they do, the usual sentences will be ‘should be able to complete on time’, ‘too many bugs’, ‘not ready’, &#8216;looks good’ which are all subjective in nature and do not really convey the information that helps in making a decision. Often there are assumptions that communication happened or that everyone knows all the details. This leads to management being in the dark on important aspects.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" src="https://testsigma.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Untitled-1.png" alt="George Bernard Shaw Quote" class="wp-image-16688" width="329" height="242"/></figure></div>



One way of ensuring <a href="https://www.chanty.com/blog/guide-on-effective-communication/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">smooth communication</a> is to have proper data to represent the status and risks.



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#Metrics_in_SDLC">1 Metrics in SDLC</a></li><li><a href="#When_and_when_not_to_use_Metrics_in_SDLC">2 When and when not to use Metrics in SDLC</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="metrics-in-sdlc">Metrics in SDLC</h2>



Metrics are pure data. They show you numbers without emotions which is the most important factor in analyzing the data. The real problem, in SDLC, starts when these metrics are considered as a single source of truth or when they are taken up as absolute measures or when used inappropriately.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="358" src="https://testsigma.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/imgonline-com-ua-twotoone-XPcvwEhd3Kcm.jpg" alt="Goodhart's law" class="wp-image-16693"/></figure>



A few notable points on metrics:



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>Metrics are indicators of current or past conditions&#8211;they are not THE truth. The proper initial response to any metric anomaly is to investigate, not act.</li><li>The more a quantitative metric is visible and used to make important decisions, the more it will be gamed.</li><li>Be careful what you measure because that is what you are going to get. You should measure things, but understand when to make them as targets.&nbsp;</li><li>Vanity metrics makes you feel good, they cannot be used for decision making.</li></ul>



Also Know: <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/v-model-in-software-development-life-cycle/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">V model in SDLC</a>



<h2 id="when-and-when-not-to-use-metrics-in-sdlc">When and when not to use Metrics in SDLC</h2>



There are some metrics that are absolutely useful while there are others that are mostly misleading or distracting, more of a Vanity metrics or that can be easily gamed. In other words, not well thought of. Every Manager, every leader at some point goes through the process of picking a wrong metric, getting carried away with the same.&nbsp;



Always ask questions before you pick a metric:



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>Will they be gamed?</li><li>Are we choosing Vanity metrics?</li><li>Do we need to use this metric as a measure?</li><li>Do we need to publish this metric?</li></ul>



Learn More: <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/entry-and-exit-criteria/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Entry and Exit In SDLC</a>



Take for example &#8211; ‘Zero technical debt’ as a Metric &#8211; this means all bugs identified, during the SDLC, should be fixed and cannot be left in the backlog. If we start measuring teams on this metric, the whole focus will be on fixing every bug even if it’s from a feature that no customer has been using,&nbsp; even in cases when it’s impacting the new features and so the customer adoption.&nbsp;



There are a few metrics that we should watch silently, during the SDLC, to understand how the team is doing, to understand what needs to be improved in our process. If you upfront publish these metrics as measures, they will eventually be gamed.&nbsp;

Metrics in SDLC: Let the Truth Prevail

COVID-19 has changed our lives in so many ways. There is not a single aspect of our life that is untouched by it. The way organizations operate their work has also changed drastically. Before 2020 no one would have guessed that work from home will become such an internationally accepted phenomenon.



However, working from home has been a new experience for most of us, and there are times that we find ourselves struggling too. So, we thought of sharing some tips and tricks with the testing community that is working from home, aiming to improve their working experience overall.&nbsp;



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#Maintain_continuous_team_collaboration">1 Maintain continuous team collaboration</a></li><li><a href="#Robust_and_secure_infrastructure_saves_the_day">2 Robust and secure infrastructure saves the day</a></li><li><a href="#Meeting_tools_to_have_effective_global_meetings">3 Meeting tools to have effective global meetings</a></li><li><a href="#Keep_distraction_away_from_the_work_area">4 Keep distraction away from the work area</a></li><li><a href="#Tracking_the_processes_to_plan_better">5 Tracking the processes to plan better</a></li><li><a href="#Maintain_professionalism_at_all_cost">6 Maintain professionalism at all cost</a></li><li><a href="#Set_clear_boundaries_and_expectations_for_others_and_yourself">7 Set clear boundaries and expectations for others and yourself</a></li><li><a href="#Take_breaks_and_do_exercise_to_keep_the_spirit_high">8 Take breaks and do exercise to keep the spirit high</a></li><li><a href="#Conclusion">9 Conclusion</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="maintain-continuous-team-collaboration">Maintain continuous team collaboration</h2>



During regular office setup, any doubt clearance or communication can happen right away. However, in a remote working setup, smooth communication becomes challenging.



In teamwork, silence isn’t golden, it’s deadly &#8211; Mark Sanborn. This quote is absolutely true, when working in a team communication and collaboration is the key to success. Relying on text messages to communicate is not productive at all. Today, teams are relying on <a href="https://www.cloudtalk.io/phone-solution-for-remote-teams/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">communication tools</a> like Zoom, Skype, and Slack, etc. to keep team collaboration handy.&nbsp;



Also, the integrations with tools such as JIRA, Microsoft Teams, Sharepoint etc. keep the teams on the same page. This is critical since even if a small detail is missed the results can be catastrophic from a testing perspective.



A daily stand-up, even for 10-15 mins, is essential for smooth communication among the team members. You can have a daily stand-up at the beginning of the workday to resolve any roadblocks and define tasks for the day. A daily standup in the evening can help to communicate how much has been achieved for the day and plan the day ahead better.



<h2 id="robust-and-secure-infrastructure-saves-the-day">Robust and secure infrastructure saves the day</h2>



Today, when people are working from home, they are using personal or company-provided laptops to connect to the office network. In such a case, the infrastructure is required to be robust and stable to provide 24*7 available testing environments for automation testing.



Mostly we are using a virtual desktop to stay connected to the organization’s network. Any technical glitch such as a network bandwidth issue can impact the output of the whole organization. This can cause a huge negative impact on the employees and the clients as well especially in an agile environment. 



We cannot even afford a single day of downtime when working in sprints. Hence, it is imperative for organizations to have proper backup and plan to tackle such unforeseen issues.



From employees perspective, there are infrastructure issues that can impact the productivity for the day, they are:



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>Unstable internet connection</li><li>Video recording not working</li><li>Screen sharing lags in voice and screen</li></ul>



The most common and annoying is internet connectivity issues. Even a few packet drops in the internet connection can disconnect you from the virtual network. Hence, it is very important to choose a service provider which provides the best network and customer support in your area.



<h2 id="meeting-tools-to-have-effective-global-meetings">Meeting tools to have effective global meetings</h2>



This is an era of distributed teams across the world where their team members are sitting across continents, where businesses are renting virtual business and <a href="https://www.alliancevirtualoffices.com/virtual-office-blog/virtual-mailing-address/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">virtual mailing addresses</a> for their remote working environment.



Obviously, the teams need to work in such a timing where the time zones coincide and overlap. The usual 9-5 office timings will not work, in a globally distributed team set up.&nbsp;



<a href="https://attrock.com/blog/slack-alternatives/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tools such as Slack</a>, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Skype, etc. help teams to share screens so that the whole team can view the same screen and provide inputs. This is really required when the testing team is demonstrating a defect during a defect triage call.



These tools help to keep the communication game up without any compromise on the quality of work.



<h2 id="keep-distraction-away-from-the-work-area">Keep distraction away from the work area</h2>



In an organization’s office setup, employees are focused on their work only. However, when we are working from home there are all sorts of distractions around. This is normal because it is home, not an office, but as an employee, this may impact our productivity.



&nbsp;Distractions like other family members working from home and having meetings or children having online classes are daily events. There may be guests visiting or your cat needs your attention. 



The list is endless, but there has to be a way to keep the distractions away and stay focused on work. Because you will not want to miss a defect anyway.



A solution is to have a separate corner in the home where you can set up your workstation away from these distractions. Choose a corner that is comparatively quiet and has a well-defined work routine. Create a to-do list daily, this plan will help you to achieve short-term goals and maintain mental peace.



<h2 id="tracking-the-processes-to-plan-better">Tracking the processes to plan better</h2>



During a testing process, you need to track and plan the testing activities such as:



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>Test planning</li><li>Test scripts writing</li><li>Test data creation and management</li><li>Test versioning, review, and approvals</li><li>Test case scheduling</li><li>Test reporting</li></ul>



Thankfully, we have many testing tools that are great for managing the above-mentioned testing activities. These testing tools are available on the cloud and can be accessed from anywhere, hence they promote work from home. Thus, out of all the tips we discussed above, the most important for the testing community is the adoption of testing tools during work from home &#8211; for managed and quality software testing.



One such <a aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">test automation tool is Testsigma</a>, which is cloud-based, AI, and NLP-driven. It helps you to write your test cases in plain English and accelerates the test case writing by up to 5x speed. 



You can perform automated end-to-end testing of web, mobile, and APIs at ease. There is no need to write cumbersome code and framework any further.



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In a DevOps and Agile environment, teams are working on the cloud and the same version of artifacts are accessible to everyone. Without metrics, parameters, and tracking we can not have a successful scrum. 



Data such as how many test cases are executed, the number of unit/regression tests failed, which defects are new or fixed, etc. helps in having a clear picture of the testing process. 



This helps in tracking tasks such as who is writing test scripts for which module. This in turn enables proper planning of tasks for the whole team. The <a aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/ebook/in-sprint-test-automation-simplified" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">in-sprint test automation</a> helps to achieve quick results with continuous testing and integration of code.



If there are any resource bandwidth issues, the testing activities can be quickly redistributed to the whole team to have minimum impact on the delivery date. This tracking and continuous status sharing to the higher management helps in making decisions and coordinating release management.



You can also use <a aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/blog/what-are-the-kpis-of-software-testing-and-qa-testsigma/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">KPIs</a> to track the effectiveness of your software testing and <a aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/automated-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">test automation</a> process, it can be as primitive as colour-coding. For example, you may keep this colour coding to determine how much the team has achieved out of the expected output. 



This can be applied on a daily/weekly basis to keep the team motivated to achieve their short-term goals. Green may mean awesome work, yellow may mean great work, etc.



<h2 id="maintain-professionalism-at-all-cost">Maintain professionalism at all cost</h2>



Although it may seem comfortable to work from bed, it is not a good idea to do so. You will agree that a proper work routine and ethics certainly help to achieve a better outcome. Maintain a proper workstation desk with all the technical essentials available right there.&nbsp;



There are steps that you can take to maintain professionalism during working from home:



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>Dress professionally: Working in a comfortable t-shirt and pyjamas is an advantage of working from home. However, when you have important meetings wearing a formal dress instils a sense of professionalism. </li><li>Video meetings: Make sure that you attend video meetings on a desk setup and not from anywhere. Also, try to keep background noise as minimum as possible, as we understand in a home we cannot totally avoid it.</li></ul>



<h2 id="set-clear-boundaries-and-expectations-for-others-and-yourself">Set clear boundaries and expectations for others and yourself</h2>



An issue which most people face during work-from-home is that the boundaries between working and non-working hours blur. People find themselves attending late-night work meetings. They complain about working longer than when they used to work at the office. Why is it so? The reason is a lack of proper boundaries and unclear expectations.



It is advisable to be firm and assertive about the office timings, mention clearly how many hours per day you can invest. Do not accept more work than you can execute in designated working hours. The reason is that blurring these boundaries is toxic for your family. Losing on family time can negatively impact your mental peace and work eventually.



It not only applies to you, but it also applies to others as well. When you are defining daily tasks or other assignments, meetings, etc. for your team members, stay empathetic about their family life. If you&#8217;re struggling with working overtime, use a <a href="https://www.timecamp.com/blog/2023/02/best-weekly-schedule-templates/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">weekly schedule template</a> or simply use <a href="https://apploye.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">time tracking software</a> to keep track of the overtime and plan your work ahead.



<h2 id="take-breaks-and-do-exercise-to-keep-the-spirit-high">Take breaks and do exercise to keep the spirit high</h2>



Due to COVID-19, people are already feeling low globally, because everyone is missing the life they had pre-Covid. The monotonous life with no fun may become outright boring. To come out of negativity it is really important you take mini-steps to elevate your mood and feel refreshed.&nbsp;



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>Do not sit for long hours at a stretch, take mini breaks in between to divert your mind from stress and work pressure.</li><li>Play with kids or pets, it is the easiest mood refresher.</li><li>Exercise or take small walks, releases endorphins in the body and makes you feel happy and good.</li><li>If you love playing games, you can&nbsp;<a href="https://im-a-puzzle.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">play jigsaw puzzles</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="https://www.solitairebliss.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Solitaire games</a>. It will help you refresh your mind as well help you improve cognitive and learning skills. Taking breaks and staying active during the day is essential, Working late into the night can disrupt your sleep, leaving you tired the next day. Remember, taking a break at night is just as important as daytime breaks. So, invest in a peaceful night&#8217;s rest on a <a href="https://eachnight.com/mattress-guides/best-mattress/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cozy mattress</a> to boost your spirits and energy for the next working day.</li></ul>



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



“I discovered that a fresh start is a process. A fresh start is a journey – a journey that requires a plan.” – Vivian Jokotade



So, for the testing community and also in general &#8211; consider work from home as a new beginning which has its perks such as work-life balance, the flexibility of work timings, and no need to travel for work, etc. However, it has its share of limitations as well. Technical and personal aspects of work from home need to be sorted out for a seamless work experience by proper planning and vision ane we hope that this tips will help.




PC: <a href="https://www.freepik.com/vectors/people" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">People vector created by goonerua &#8211; www.freepik.com</a>

Working from home - tips and tricks for the testing community

Working from home – tips and tricks for the testing community

What to gift your software tester friend if you were the secret Santa?

What to gift your software tester friend if you are the secret Santa?

George Ukkuru is a seasoned technocrat and AVP of quality engineering, DevOps, and SRE @Marlabs Inc. Over the course of two decades, he has helped Fortune 500 companies implement Agile testing practices. He has also authored a number of books on quality engineering and test automation. 



In this QnA, Ukkuru lays out the scope and depth of his experience without even trying. He makes the points that non-functional testing should be higher up in your priority, that manual test data provisioning keeps you from truly reaping the rewards of automation, and that you must never miss an opportunity to celebrate good work. 



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#Q1_What_changes_have_you_seen_in_SDLC_and_QAs_role_in_it_over_the_course_of_two_decades">1 Q1: What changes have you seen in SDLC and QA’s role in it over the course of two decades?</a></li><li><a href="#Q2_Whats_your_battle-tested_process_for_finding_and_resolving_bugs_in_Productionnbsp">2 Q2: What’s your battle-tested process for finding and resolving bugs in Production?&nbsp;</a></li><li><a href="#Q3_What_are_some_testing_anti-patterns_you_wish_never_existed">3 Q3: What are some testing anti-patterns you wish never existed?</a></li><li><a href="#Q4_If_you_had_to_restart_your_career_today_what_key_lessons_would_you_take_from_the_past">4 Q4: If you had to restart your career today, what key lessons would you take from the past?</a></li><li><a href="#Q5_To_aspiring_leaders_what_is_your_advice_on_how_to_be_a_good_manager">5 Q5: To aspiring leaders, what is your advice on how to be a good manager?</a></li></ul></div>
<h3 id="q1-what-changes-have-you-seen-in-sdlc-and-qa-s-role-in-it-over-the-course-of-two-decades">Q1: What changes have you seen in SDLC and QA’s role in it over the course of two decades?</h3>



In the last two decades, I have seen:



1. The emergence and dismantlement of the TCOE model, aka Independent Verification and Validation. It started in the early 2000s. Today, TCOEs have been converted to a hybrid model as teams adopt Agile &amp; DevOps. 2. Automation used to be a nice-to-have skill. When I started my career, automation was used for automating UI-based regression testing. Today, automation is a must-have skill, and the focus has moved from regression testing to complete test lifecycle automation.



The type of applications that are being tested has changed as well, from (now) legacy client server-based applications to microservice-based or cloud-based architectures. This changes how teams test for quality. 



The focus has shifted to non-functional testing, including running security tests, API &amp; workflow-based performance testing, Chaos Engineering, compatibility testing, etc. As technology advancement continues, we’ll see newer, more nuanced types of testing.



<h3 id="q2-what-s-your-battle-tested-process-for-finding-and-resolving-bugs-in-production">Q2: What’s your battle-tested process for finding and resolving bugs in Production?&nbsp;</h3>



Once a bug&#8217;s been found on production, I have several practices to fast-track its resolution:&nbsp;



1. Continuously review production tickets and identify defect trends, in collaboration with the Operations Team.2. Use an algorithm that identifies the best developers for determining the root cause and fixing the defect.3. Organize regression packs based on the type of fixes going into production and define when to use them.4. Monitor social media feedback, application logs, Mobil App Store feedback to identify the issues faced by the end users and take proactive actions to identify patterns.



<h3 id="q3-what-are-some-testing-anti-patterns-you-wish-never-existed">Q3: What are some testing anti-patterns you wish never existed?</h3>



I see several anti-patterns in software testing. But the ones that peeve me the most are:



1. Heavy focus on UI Automation. The effort and cost to maintain UI automation is disproportionately higher than the rewards, I think. UI changes frequently as the products evolve. Teams need to strike a fine balance between UI and API-based tests. API Tests are faster to design, execute and maintain.



2. Manual test data provisioning. The test data is ported to test environments after manually masking data from obfuscation. That is slow. You can&#8217;t truly automate for DevOps using this approach. Instead, teams should use synthetic data provisioning and self-service mechanisms to accelerate and automate data provisioning.



3. Late Identification of Non-Functional Defects. This is usually a result of a lack of clarity around non-functional testing requirements. Performance or security tests are seen as a part of &#8216;hardening&#8217; or release-level sprints. Unfortunately, performance and security bugs often need architectural changes to fix, and keeping non-functional testing for the end of the cycle can cause schedule and cost overruns.



I advise teams to look at behavior-driven testing techniques to document security and performance requirements. Engineers should also integrate and execute API-based performance tests and SAST/DAST scans to the DevOps pipeline.



<h3 id="q4-if-you-had-to-restart-your-career-today-what-key-lessons-would-you-take-from-the-past">Q4: If you had to restart your career today, what key lessons would you take from the past?</h3>



Master at least one programming language, preferably Java, Python, or C#, so that you can design and create scripted tests.



Focus on taking up courses around test automation, either with open source or commercial tools.&nbsp;Or both.



Spend time learning about practices and concepts in software testing. ISTQB Foundation syllabus should be a good starting point.&nbsp;



Learn about Cloud, Agile, and DevOps principles and practices. Learn the basics of tools like Jira, Azure DevOps, Jenkins, etc.



Your communication skills matter more than you think.&nbsp;Work towards improving them. 



<h3 id="q5-to-aspiring-leaders-what-is-your-advice-on-how-to-be-a-good-manager">Q5: To aspiring leaders, what is your advice on how to be a good manager?</h3>



Take up formal courses on Agile or Project Management. Refresh your skills regularly to stay relevant.



This is my style, but I advise new managers to get actively involved in the project. Remember that you are not a people manager. Understand what the project objectives are and how it is going to impact a business or end-user. Work from there.



Understand the technologies involved so you can grasp the nuances of the project. This will help you make decisions and manage risks.



Learn the art of remote management. Here are some practices that work for me:-



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>Have frequent meetings with your direct reports, preferably over video.</li><li>Do NOT micro-manage and follow-up every hour. Trust your team. Move away from a task-based and adopt a Goal-based approach while assigning work.</li><li>Spend time with your team to understand their strengths, passions, and weaknesses. Assign work based on their strengths and provide training and mentoring to help employees overcome their weaknesses.</li><li>Keep your team in the loop about the happenings in your department and the larger organization. This will help take care of rumors and avoid perceptions.</li><li>Provide feedback on the work assigned without delays. Don&#8217;t be a bottleneck.</li><li>Never miss an opportunity to appreciate and celebrate good work.</li></ul>



For more experience-led insights from George Ukkuru, check his book on software testing estimation on Kindle.

Quality Engineering Discussions 5 Questions with George Ukkuru

Quality Engineering Discussions: 5 Questions with George Ukkuru

Rahul Parwal is a software engineer, speaker, mentor, and writer out of Jaipur, Rajasthan. He has dabbled in software development, testing, and automation, and often shares his learnings in <a href="https://testingtitbits.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">his blog</a>.



In this QnA, Rahul makes the point that a randomly failing test is always worth investigating and that assumptions are dangerous in testing.



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#Q1_What_are_your_most_and_least_favorite_things_about_test_automationnbsp">1 Q1: What are your most and least favorite things about test automation?&nbsp;</a></li><li><a href="#Q2_It_sounds_great_on_paper_but_what_would_it_really_take_for_a_mid-sized_org_to_incorporate_continuous_testing_in_their_release_cyclenbspnbsp">2 Q2: It sounds great on paper, but what would it really take for a mid-sized org to incorporate continuous testing in their release cycle?&nbsp;&nbsp;</a></li><li><a href="#Q3_What_are_some_Severity_1_bugs_that_ALMOST_slipped_past_you_and_how_did_you_make_sure_they_never_did_so_again">3 Q3: What are some Severity 1 bugs that ALMOST slipped past you — and how did you make sure they never did so again?</a></li><li><a href="#Q4_How_do_you_manage_failed_tests_and_tests_that_fail_randomly">4 Q4: How do you manage failed tests and tests that fail randomly?</a></li><li><a href="#Q5_Whats_your_most_memorable_deployment_andor_release_day_Good_OR_bad_just_as_long_as_no_one_dies_at_the_end8230">5 Q5: What’s your most memorable deployment and/or release day? (Good OR bad, just as long as no one dies at the end&#8230;)</a></li><li><a href="#Bonus_If_you_could_give_just_ONE_piece_of_advice_to_fledgling_software_testers_what_would_it_be">6 Bonus: If you could give just ONE piece of advice to fledgling software testers, what would it be?</a></li></ul></div>
<h3 id="q1-what-are-your-most-and-least-favorite-things-about-test-automation">Q1: What are your most and least favorite things about test automation?&nbsp;</h3>



One of the things I like about test automation is that it can be scaled over multiple platforms, devices, interfaces, environments, etc. quickly and reliably. Test automation, if planned and executed correctly, can be a great service to testing and QA.



There is, however, The Silver Bullet Syndrome, where everyone wants to ascribe the responsibility of succeeding with test automation success to a tool. “Let’s find the one tool to solve all of our problems.” It doesn&#8217;t work.



<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/ghN79ATI0DLYh5CNL3-LxlBUzyTg_fCE011vqAikrZkvyJqUZWPufXB3-U_BQNUtUCnw_qjdmjD0g4OSQGM_kurFoNBWGnPFVwH-dpYhyrWL36RWBwbVm4P-ILV8z8KCIp6Q_--H" alt="Definition" width="600"/></figure>



The concept of automation extends well beyond a tool. Teams attempting test automation should consider a tool’s capabilities and limitations. But first, they should establish realistic expectations, sort out people constraints, and have the support of management. Without all three, adopting test automation will just be an uphill battle.



<h3 id="q2-it-sounds-great-on-paper-but-what-would-it-really-take-for-a-mid-sized-org-to-incorporate-continuous-testing-in-their-release-cycle">Q2: It sounds great on paper, but what would it really take for a mid-sized org to incorporate continuous testing in their release cycle?&nbsp;&nbsp;</h3>



The best way to start is by evaluating and understanding your context, team, and environment.



&#8220;No matter how they phrase it, it&#8217;s always a people problem,&#8221; as Sherbie&#8217;s Law says.&nbsp;CI/CD and consequently, continuous testing, needs a shift in the team&#8217;s mindset. If you push a whole bunch of processes and tools on people without getting them on board, you are setting them all up for failure.&nbsp;



In practice, my advice is to start with small experiments and do one thing at a time. Don&#8217;t expect overnight results, and <ul class="list_style_disc"><li>Make it a team sport. Establish channels of collaboration. Hold knowledge-sharing sessions. Try Pair and mob testing to reduce knowledge silos within the team.</li><li>Plan before you execute. At each stage of the product life cycle, plan what and how you&#8217;ll test.</li></ul> 





<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/k81_BbjtH20lB1vpqnVsN9Sij_GDLcaZa6KtTE9P6hAF17sur2tq9Xj81j2CmxqWgPDEiMy3hrjeHj6x0ftLAlMia_XmvetYDw_WDirOJ3O5WbQPBHdPgkzVj4R9MG9rsfFRSw-M" alt="Plan before you execute" width="600"/></figure></div>



<h3 id="q3-what-are-some-severity-1-bugs-that-almost-slipped-past-you-and-how-did-you-make-sure-they-never-did-so-again">Q3: What are some Severity 1 bugs that ALMOST slipped past you — and how did you make sure they never did so again?</h3>



I have had two such incidents. I’ll share both, along with the lessons I learned from them:



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>Software loading was failing if a specific application is running in parallel. Lesson: Test your software in real user conditions. Remember to test how your app works with shared resources such as memory, space, network resources, etc.</li> <li>The application gave a timeout if the form submission exceeded 15 minutes. Lesson: Actual users are not as fast as an automation bot/script. Users will take will never perform a form submission as quickly as a script, so use waits judiciously.</li></ul>



<h3 id="q4-how-do-you-manage-failed-tests-and-tests-that-fail-randomly">Q4: How do you manage failed tests and tests that fail randomly?</h3>



A failing test establishes my confidence in a test I’ve designed. The amazing Angie Jones once tweeted something which sums up my feelings on failed tests.



<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/0SG95qwUYRPHWIFFupruMFOcQE4y1wgMeyTfDrUNOwAO7sHAERCa3PC7e_SEGVzhCbnRKyOxrHyizTYGGGv3cd5OpLg8LYL0E3yTlkVrTb5mQuJLLrXEWSrwhfRaC0ckYHeCUAy8" alt="How do you manage failed tests and tests that fail randomly" width="600"/></figure>



Randomly failing tests are interesting. They give me a reason to go sleuthing, to find and uncover variables that might be affecting my product and its functionality. My bug analysis and exploration skills have greatly improved as a result of investigating such bugs. Whenever I see a randomly failing test, I triangulate failure conditions by varying:



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>Data</li><li>Behavior</li><li>Options &amp; Settings</li><li>Software &amp; Hardware Environment</li><li>Configuration &amp; Dependencies, etc.</li></ul>



A randomly failing test is usually a symptom of a much larger problem. Sometimes, developers refer to such cases as corner cases, but I&#8217;ve learned to never ignore a random failure without investigating it. It might just be the tip of the iceberg of a whole load of flaky tests.



<h3 id="q5-what-s-your-most-memorable-deployment-and-or-release-day-good-or-bad-just-as-long-as-no-one-dies-at-the-end">Q5: What’s your most memorable deployment and/or release day? (Good OR bad, just as long as no one dies at the end&#8230;)</h3>



In my first project as a software tester, I was testing for a product release of a large enterprise financial application. The stakes were very high since this product was developed to sunset a legacy system that had been in place for decades.



During testing, we were going through all the flows on a mocked simulated data set that was providing data as per our testing layer. After months of rigorous testing, on the release day, we started getting errors from the monitoring system.&nbsp;



There were gaps in the mocked simulated data and the actual production data. We hadn’t questioned the authenticity of the test data during the testing cycle. We ended up with a release rollback.



Some lessons that I learned that day:



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>Never assume anything &#8211; What if the data is wrong?</li><li>Learn how to create your own testing data. This way, you understand the sources, flows, and formats of the data.</li><li>If you use mock/simulated data for testing, be sure to run a significant number of tests using real data as well.</li></ul>



<h3 id="bonus-if-you-could-give-just-one-piece-of-advice-to-fledgling-software-testers-what-would-it-be">Bonus: If you could give just ONE piece of advice to fledgling software testers, what would it be?</h3>



Like Paul Muad’Dib of Dune, “Learn how to learn.” Testing is a continuous search for information: Both about your product and the tests that you run it through. None of us are born with knowledge. Trust that you can learn new ways to test. Be a continuous learner.

Quality Engineering Discussions: 5 Questions with Rahul Parwal

In this series, real (and really good) QA practitioners use their experience to support—or debunk what you might know about software quality.



James Espie is a test specialist, a quality engineering proponent, and a continuous learner from Auckland, New Zealand. He shares his insights and sporadic bursts of inspiration in a hilarious newsletter called Pie-mail. If you haven’t seen it, <a href="https://jpie.nz/newsletter/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">you should check it out</a>.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/vrj-e9P8NUEQgfsq9LUdxmQ8ewzOaZ-ulDqcGjCq1n3YY6ZFTKlHCdoiDoFQ5mIBfDti4pDJkt8dKeg9_PheRwVMUTYlap00qW4kWixVFozXgywTSOAvrqU0jTeagyaiZjSAMiCb=s1600" alt="Postman pie-mail" width="600"/><figcaption>&nbsp;Postman jokes. Do we need to say more?</figcaption></figure></div>



In this quick QnA, Espie makes the point that software quality begins with people, that more testing doesn’t necessarily mean better quality, and that context matters in metrics.



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#Q1_What8217s_the_most_common_organizational_bug_that_you8217ve_seen">1 Q1: What&#8217;s the most common organizational bug that you&#8217;ve seen?</a></li><li><a href="#Q2_What_are_some_testing_anti-patterns_you_wish_never_existed">2 Q2: What are some testing anti-patterns you wish never existed?</a></li><li><a href="#Q3_Metrics_question_What_are_some_QA_or_testing_metrics_that_you_ALWAYS_want_to_track_Why">3 Q3: Metrics question. What are some QA or testing metrics that you ALWAYS want to track? Why?</a></li><li><a href="#Q4_What_are_some_Severity_1_bugs_that_ALMOST_slipped_past_you_and_how_did_you_make_sure_they_never_did_so_again">4 Q4: What are some Severity 1 bugs that ALMOST slipped past you — and how did you make sure they never did so again?</a></li><li><a href="#Q5_Whats_your_most_memorable_release_day_Good_OR_bad_just_as_long_as_no_one_dies_at_the_end8230">5 Q5: What’s your most memorable release day? (Good OR bad, just as long as no one dies at the end&#8230;)</a></li></ul></div>
<h3 id="q1-what-s-the-most-common-organizational-bug-that-you-ve-seen">Q1: What&#8217;s the most common organizational bug that you&#8217;ve seen?</h3>



An &#8220;organizational bug&#8221; I see often is teams that are ‘agile’ until it comes to testing.



Design, product, development functions are all collaborating and working together. But when it’s time to test, the team switches to ‘waterfall mode’. They pass the ticket to the tester and move on to something else.



Often agile teams don’t have a clear picture of where a test specialist should engage. The fix is to encourage teams to <a href="https://testsigma.com/automated-continuous-testing-platform">include testing at every stage of the development process</a>. But this is easier said than done.



One thing that’s worked for me is encouraging developers and testers to test together.



When a developer has a change ready to merge, they pair up with a tester. The developer demonstrates to the tester that it “works on my machine”. We call this process “WOMMing”. I’ve also called it “show and tell”.



(The term WOMMing was coined by one of my former colleagues at <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/pushpay-ltd/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Pushpay</a> &#8211; I don’t know who exactly to attribute it to though.)



During WOMMing, the role of the tester is to tease out edge cases, ask questions, and be critical of the change. It’s useful because it helps find bugs early. Additionally, it encourages the developer to learn some testing skills.



Of course, it’s not a silver bullet. Testers need to be pulled into other phases of the development life cycle. But if a team is at a point where testers aren’t included at all, pairing with developers could be a great way to start.



<h3 id="q2-what-are-some-testing-anti-patterns-you-wish-never-existed">Q2: What are some testing anti-patterns you wish never existed?</h3>



I wish massive end-to-end UI testing suites did not exist.



I see this often. Organizations use automation to test every screen, function, and feature in their product. In my experience, you only need a few E2E UI tests. As a test suite starts to get bigger, the value from each extra test starts to diminish.



Some things that have stood out to me include:



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>Tests that check the same screen over and over, with only slight variations in data.</li><li>Tests that check things that are already covered by tests at other layers; Unit or API tests, for example.</li><li>Tests that check features that are of little to no business value.</li></ul>



These don’t seem like a good use of time. Also, each extra test will make the test suite take longer &#8211; and, potentially, more brittle.



A lot of organizations fall into the trap that you need to automate everything. Testers become test automation engineers and end up building more and more automated tests. I’m not convinced; I think a tester&#8217;s time could be better spent elsewhere.



<h3 id="q3-metrics-question-what-are-some-qa-or-testing-metrics-that-you-always-want-to-track-why">Q3: Metrics question. What are some QA or testing metrics that you ALWAYS want to track? Why?</h3>



First I’ll say, I am really careful with metrics.



If care is not taken, and teams don’t understand why metrics are important, they can be tempted to ‘game the system’. <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/ng-interactive/2015/sep/23/volkswagen-emissions-scandal-explained-diesel-cars" target="_blank">There’s a really interesting (and shocking) example from Volkswagen from a few years back, where they ‘cheat’ to achieve emissions targets</a>.



That isn’t to say metrics aren’t important, but they do need to be treated with respect. Personally, I like <a href="https://www.cloudbees.com/blog/dora-devops-metrics-bandwagon" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">DORA metrics</a>:



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>Deployment Frequency (how often does a deploy happen)</li><li>Mean Lead Time for changes (how long it takes to get a change to production)</li><li>Mean Time To Recovery (how long it takes to recover from an incident)</li><li>Change Failure Rate (how many changes fail in production)</li></ul>



My approach to metrics like these is simple: find out what the numbers are and then work to improve them. For example, it is useful to know the Mean Time To Recovery. If it’s half a day, then that’s a useful and interesting piece of information. Once we know that, then we can look at ways to improve that time and measure it again.



My suggestion with metrics though is:



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>Be clear what action is being taken to improve a certain metric, and that it makes sense.</li><li>Measure, and measure again after improvements have been made. But, don’t set arbitrary values as targets. “Make our time to recovery faster” is far better than “make our time to recovery less than ten minutes”</li><li>Make sure everyone has an understanding of why you want to measure a specific thing. Context matters!</li></ul>



Hopefully, these suggestions will help to avoid becoming like the team at Volkswagen 🙂



<h3 id="q4-what-are-some-severity-1-bugs-that-almost-slipped-past-you-and-how-did-you-make-sure-they-never-did-so-again">Q4: What are some Severity 1 bugs that ALMOST slipped past you — and how did you make sure they never did so again?</h3>



This is a story about one that did slip past us. But, we got away with it.



My team worked on a billing product for a SaaS company. We had a seemingly simple task, replacing a couple of our products with new ones. The products also had new prices.



Now, the data structure was overcomplicated. There were two tables, product, and price. Each product had a start and an end date. It was related to a price, which also had its own start and end date. (You might see a problem here already!)



To make matters worse, the product dates were stored in NZT. But the price dates were stored in the local timezone for that region. We missed this in testing.



When we went to production, we ended up with a product that ‘ended’ at midnight NZT. Its associated price didn’t ‘start’ until midnight GMT. So, for a window of twelve hours, nobody in the UK could buy our product. Yikes!



We got lucky. Our product was a B2B product, and the 12 hour period fell on a Sunday. So it was very unlikely anyone was trying to make a purchase. After the fact, we checked the usage statistics &#8211; zero hits. Pretty thankful we made the call to change the price over a weekend!



We ran a post-mortem to figure out what could prevent this from happening again. We decided that the fix for it was to refactor our database so that everything used the same time zone. But, this was going to be a hefty piece of work &#8211; that one change had significant downstream effects.



There was other information to take into account:



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>Price changes are a rare occurrence for this organization.</li><li>Product changes are even rarer.</li><li>There was an ongoing piece of work to replace this billing system &#8211; in a couple of years, we expected it to be gone.</li></ul>



We opted to do no mitigations. That’s kind of counter-cultural, but it was the right thing to do. I guess my point is, sometimes, doing nothing is entirely reasonable!



<h3 id="q5-what-s-your-most-memorable-release-day-good-or-bad-just-as-long-as-no-one-dies-at-the-end">Q5: What’s your most memorable release day? (Good OR bad, just as long as no one dies at the end&#8230;)</h3>



The world of CI/CD highlights the difference between deploying and releasing. We deploy software all the time. Silently behind feature flags or otherwise inaccessible by customers. Then, when it’s ready for customers, all we need to do is flip a switch. Then, it’s released.



My team did this recently for a new integration feature. All our code was sitting in production, behind a feature flag. Once we were confident everything was in place, all we had to do was switch it on. Very unglamorous, and no ceremony.



We returned to the office the next day. Our lead engineer went to check the logs first thing that morning,&nbsp; to see if anyone had used the newly ‘released’ feature. And sure enough, one person had!



Now I know, it doesn’t sound like much. But, for us, it was incredible. After months of work over that feature, we had our first real live user!



The joy comes not from releasing the feature but seeing people use it and get value from it.



This is one reason why having good monitoring and logging is so important. You can see what your users are doing, and celebrate the success!



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



For more test insights by James Espie, check out <a href="https://jpie.nz/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">JPie.nz</a>

Quality Engineering Discussions: 5 Questions with James Espie

Today, there are 1.88 billion websites on the internet and the number is rapidly increasing. There are 3.8 billion people in the world that <a href="https://www.bankmycell.com/blog/how-many-phones-are-in-the-world" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">own smartphones today</a> &#8211; which amounts to 48.16% of the world population.



The internet traffic from mobile (as compared to that from desktops) has also been increasing, and <a href="https://www.broadbandsearch.net/blog/mobile-desktop-internet-usage-statistics" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">now stands at 56%</a>.&nbsp;



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/A-nFpHbCMBvXRzXAuKPiTKgcB-r5kukZifePaGTODRcIx0S3nVs0rYZWYrO1yDru6_uEprn65MHo4D-ImanLs4RR-1b_P9cj7Nlwz_gD9MHGW_Z6uMLVFKLf7vYpMjNmil5dFO9h=s0" alt="internet traffic percent" width="600" /></figure></div>



The point I am trying to make is that if you have a website &#8211; it can be accessed from a web browser or a mobile browser. Or if you have a mobile application &#8211; it could be installed and used on a wide variety of mobile devices. 



Thus, you also need to ensure that your customers get the same experience &#8211; albeit a good one &#8211; anyway they decide to access your website or mobile application. How do you do it? You test your application on multiple browsers and mobile devices &#8211; including the various versions and operating systems that your users might be on.



Thus, <a href="https://testsigma.com/cross-browser-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">cross-browser testing</a> is crucial, and seeing the number of browsers/devices you will have to execute it on &#8211; no easy feat.&nbsp;



But, there are <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/blog/cross-browser-testing-manual-vs-automated-browser-testing/" target="_blank">multiple ways that cross-browser testing</a> can be done:



i. via chrome developer tools



ii. via emulators/simulators



iii. via own device lab&nbsp;



iv. via device lab on the cloud



The approach that we would talk about in this article is automated cross-browser testing via device lab the cloud because that is what Testsigma supports. If you’d like to read more about cross-browser testing on the cloud and if you want to know if it is for you &#8211; then here is an article for you: <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/cross-browser-testing-on-the-cloud-advantages-and-disadvantages/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">Cross-browser testing on the cloud: advantages and disadvantages</a>



There are multiple tools available for cross-browser testing on the cloud, but in this blog, we will talk about the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/automated-cross-browser-testing-tool" target="_blank">automated cross-browser testing tool Testsigma</a> and answer “Why is Testsigma a perfect solution for automating your cross-browser testing on the cloud?”



Let’s dive in.



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#17_Reasons_Why_Testsigma_a_Perfect_Solution_for_Automating_Your_Cross_Browser_Testing_on_the_Cloud">1 17 Reasons Why Testsigma a Perfect Solution for Automating Your Cross Browser Testing on the Cloud</a><ul><li><a href="#1_Saves_cost_at_so_many_places_because_of_being_on_the_cloudnbsp">1.1 1. Saves cost at so many places because of being on the cloud&nbsp;</a></li><li><a href="#2_Option_to_choose_multiple_labs_for_test_automation">1.2 2. Option to choose multiple labs for test automation. </a></li><li><a href="#3_Built-in_additional_features_to_provide_you_ROI_as_soon_as_possible">1.3 3. Built-in additional features to provide you ROI as soon as possible</a></li><li><a href="#4_Test_cases_can_be_easily_created_in_minutes_by_anyone_in_the_team_You_dont_need_to_hire_additional_resources_for_that">1.4 4. Test cases can be easily created in minutes by anyone in the team. You don’t need to hire additional resources for that.</a></li><li><a href="#5_Test_case_maintenance_is_easier_with_added_features">1.5 5. Test case maintenance is easier with added features</a></li><li><a href="#6_Simple_or_complex_test_scenarios_8211_create_your_tests_in_simple_English">1.6 6. Simple or complex test scenarios &#8211; create your tests in simple English</a></li><li><a href="#7_Also_get_your_custom_features_tested_easily_with_the_option_to_add_custom_code_when_needed">1.7 7. Also, get your custom features tested easily with the option to add custom code when needed.</a></li><li><a href="#8_242157_support_that_does_not_let_you_suffer">1.8 8. 24&#215;7 support that does not let you suffer</a></li><li><a href="#9_No_extra_setups_required">1.9 9. No extra setups required</a></li><li><a href="#10_Execute_your_cross-browser_tests_in_parallel">1.10 10. Execute your cross-browser tests in parallel</a></li><li><a href="#11_Automate_all_your_cross-browser_cross-device_tests_in_the_same_placenbsp">1.11 11. Automate all your cross-browser, cross-device tests in the same place.&nbsp;</a></li><li><a href="#12_Extend_your_tests_for_APIs_when_needed">1.12 12. Extend your tests for APIs, when needed</a></li><li><a href="#13_Very_intuitive_features_made_for_you_to_speed_up">1.13 13. Very intuitive features made for you to speed up</a></li><li><a href="#14_Easily_integrates_into_your_CICD_pipeline">1.14 14. Easily integrates into your CI/CD pipeline</a></li><li><a href="#15_Customize_the_reports_according_to_your_needs">1.15 15. Customize the reports according to your needs</a></li><li><a href="#16_Easily_manage_your_tests_in_the_form_of_test_suites_test_plans_requirements_priorities_8211_all_on_the_cloud">1.16 16. Easily manage your tests in the form of test suites, test plans, requirements, priorities &#8211; all on the cloud.</a></li><li><a href="#17_Built-in_workflows_such_that_all_your_team_members_can_contribute_to_the_test_automation_process_8211_review_collaboration">1.17 17. Built-in workflows such that all your team members can contribute to the test automation process &#8211; review, collaboration</a></li></ul></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="h-17-reasons-why-testsigma-a-perfect-solution-for-automating-your-cross-browser-testing-on-the-cloud">17 Reasons Why Testsigma a Perfect Solution for Automating Your Cross Browser Testing on the Cloud</h2>



<h3 id="1-saves-cost-at-so-many-places-because-of-being-on-the-cloud">1. Saves cost at so many places because of being on the cloud&nbsp;</h3>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/fqN9ZKr2A5exe0RfcgCsGOFeLko6-X7fW75W-wDuP_4LdU75YRprbloETjwJBRzfGbVlCZtUipOFkrDjbRYm2ShXh7lKyqLYa6Iw6SuFxUhl0W82N_anZp9lQ-LYGsC9Qyl1qBk6=s0" alt="benefits of cloud" width="400" /></figure></div>



Testsigma is a completely cloud-based test automation solution that gives you access to all the test automation needs and device labs on the cloud. In terms of automated cross-browser testing, the benefits of being on the cloud are:



 i. No need to invest in infrastructure



ii. No need to invest in maintaining the infrastructure



iii. The cloud-based services can be accessed any time, from anywhere



iv. You only need to pay according to your usage



v. What you use can be scaled up or down according to your requirements



<h3 id="2-option-to-choose-multiple-labs-for-test-automation">2. Option to choose multiple labs for test automation. </h3>



When on the cloud, one thing you may worry about is the dependency on one cloud lab &#8211; what if there were some issues in some of their devices and that created bottlenecks for your testing? With Testsigma, you get the option to connect to the test lab of your choice at any moment.



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<h3 id="3-built-in-additional-features-to-provide-you-roi-as-soon-as-possible">3. Built-in additional features to provide you ROI as soon as possible</h3>



Being on the cloud provides you many benefits, but Testsigma’s benefits don’t end there, rather they begin there.&nbsp;



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/z2-9oNMvphCMianPj7281ZOVOTqQL_fL2LKY5OBUOvC_DyslX2A6vl5yfZu1GZS1YEwWmF6zzbmk0qttcrvuXdlmZkD6aypX4aSzypdLkGeHttUIdKRuaKmdefDg5LFeNKILoaJn=s0" alt="Testsigma features" width="600" /></figure></div>



Testsigma has multiple features related to test creation, test maintenance that are designed to save your precious time and resources and thus enable you to achieve that return on your investment that much sooner.



We will discuss these features in the next points.



<h3 id="4-test-cases-can-be-easily-created-in-minutes-by-anyone-in-the-team-you-don-t-need-to-hire-additional-resources-for-that">4. Test cases can be easily created in minutes by anyone in the team. You don’t need to hire additional resources for that.</h3>



Testsigma is built with an NLP-enabled approach where test cases are created in simple English. Not only the approach makes test creation very easy to learn and get started with, it also makes it very easy to edit test cases for any needed maintenance work in the future.



Another feature that helps in easy test creation is automatic object recognition.



<h3 id="5-test-case-maintenance-is-easier-with-added-features">5. Test case maintenance is easier with added features</h3>



A few of the features that help in easy test maintenance are &#8211; self-heal, automatic identification of automatic resources, support for reuse via step-groups.



<h3 id="6-simple-or-complex-test-scenarios-create-your-tests-in-simple-english">6. Simple or complex test scenarios &#8211; create your tests in simple English</h3>



There could be some codeless test creation approaches that might not support test creation for complex scenarios but that is not the case with Testsigma. 



Testsigma, with its simple English approach and support for looping, structures, different types of waits &#8211; lets you even automate complex test scenarios easily.&nbsp;



<h3 id="7-also-get-your-custom-features-tested-easily-with-the-option-to-add-custom-code-when-needed">7. Also, get your custom features tested easily with the option to add custom code when needed.</h3>



Even though complex test cases can be automated in Testsigma, it does not limit you. Testsigma also gives you the option to add custom code to your test cases in JAVA and Selenium.



<h3 id="8-24x7-support-that-does-not-let-you-suffer">8. 24&#215;7 support that does not let you suffer</h3>



While you are using any service, it is natural that things might not work sometimes. What you need at that time is not to get blocked, or suffer but to have a support team that can understand the issues you are facing and unblocks you as soon as possible. That is how you can keep the processes working for you. When you start using Testsigma, you get access to a support team that is available 24&#215;7 and tries to keep your processes up and running as soon as possible.



<h3 id="9-no-extra-setups-required">9. No extra setups required</h3>



Testsigma is completely cloud-based and that means, we don’t even ask you to install a minor file to your system to get your test creation started. 



<h3 id="10-execute-your-cross-browser-tests-in-parallel">10. Execute your cross-browser tests in parallel</h3>



When you are executing your <a href="https://testsigma.com/cross-browser-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cross-browser tests</a> on thousands of devices and browsers &#8211; it can take a long time, if done sequentially. But with Testsigma, you can schedule your test cases in parallel and drastically reduce the time to complete your test case execution.



<h3 id="11-automate-all-your-cross-browser-cross-device-tests-in-the-same-place">11. Automate all your cross-browser, cross-device tests in the same place.&nbsp;</h3>



Another aspect of test case creation with Testsigma, that will benefit you is that you can automate all your cross-browser tests for web and mobile from the same place. Yes and then execute them from the same place as well. This eliminates your need to include yet another test automation tool for mobile or web into your tools ecosystem and saves your time, effort and money.



<h3 id="12-extend-your-tests-for-apis-when-needed">12. Extend your tests for APIs, when needed</h3>



In addition to the above benefit, when needed &#8211; you can expand your test suite to also include API test cases easily.



<h3 id="13-very-intuitive-features-made-for-you-to-speed-up">13. Very intuitive features made for you to speed up</h3>



The main motive behind test case creation has been to make test automation easy and approachable for one and all. Another feature that helps Testsigma achieve it is the intuitive UI that is integrated to all its features. The intuitiveness of the UI helps you to speed up your tasks and complete them easily.



<h3 id="14-easily-integrates-into-your-ci-cd-pipeline">14. Easily integrates into your CI/CD pipeline</h3>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/XRR1xDYGNi7yhnKF09yT35sFIRlGp0DydlHL-IFy6YVTWrRcPX-dsb20gxjl3ELikcJK8I3FWIHFq4_0oL8dlV9t4mDEJHAWVfeSwK6W9sFceq2cLGBoUcYZM_bWRc-YJlBVvEvh=s0" alt="Devops" width="600" /></figure></div>



Another important feature that helps is that Testsigma supports seamless integration into the CI/CD pipeline. Also, it supports most of the popular CI/CD tools so integrating into your current CI/CD processes should be easy.



<h3 id="15-customize-the-reports-according-to-your-needs">15. Customize the reports according to your needs</h3>



One important aspect of test automation that is often overlooked is reporting. What use will the test execution be if the reporting is not up to the mark? Inefficient reporting can delay action on issues and can eat up on crucial time. Testsigma has highly customizable reporting that can be customized according to your needs because you know what information will help you the best.



<h3 id="16-easily-manage-your-tests-in-the-form-of-test-suites-test-plans-requirements-priorities-all-on-the-cloud">16. Easily manage your tests in the form of test suites, test plans, requirements, priorities &#8211; all on the cloud.</h3>



And then &#8211; even when you are starting or you have an already large suite of automated test cases in Testsigma &#8211; it will be an easy task to manage them because you can manage them in multiple ways &#8211; test suites, test plans, requirements or priorities.



<h3 id="17-built-in-workflows-such-that-all-your-team-members-can-contribute-to-the-test-automation-process-review-collaboration">17. Built-in workflows such that all your team members can contribute to the test automation process &#8211; review, collaboration</h3>



If you are short on testing resources then Testsigma is an ideal solution for you, because with Testsigma &#8211; manual testers can get acquainted with the tool easily and start test creation in minutes.



Your other team members would also be able to pitch in as it would be easier for them to review the test cases and add their inputs to them. This is because Testsigma also supports review workflow for test cases.



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Why is Testsigma a perfect solution for automating your cross-browser testing on the cloud?

The Ideal Solution for Cloud Based Cross Browser Testing : Testsigma

Let’s start this post with a situation. An organization working in the logistic business has started to gather positive reviews and millions of users are now opting for their services through their mobile app. In other words, the organization is scaling very fast. 



Even though they were managing quite well with manual testers and in-house test automation setup, they know this arrangement cannot work for long. They are smart people. 



They also know that automation testing is gaining popularity and it is one of the strategies to get hold of ROI faster. Hence, they start searching for a tool that can act as a bridge between efficient mobile testing and ROI.



This post is for all those people in the shoes of that company. While I know that there are other tools in the sea, today, &nbsp;I will defend <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/" target="_blank">the complete cloud-based test automation tool Testsigma</a> and how it can play a protagonist in your mobile testing movie.



You, being the judge, may ultimately swing in my direction or against it. It is completely your choice. But I hope till the end of this post, some solid arguments have been made &#8211; the evidence presented and witnesses quoted &#8211; that can help you understand it better.



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#I_dont_know_anything_8211_How_much_effort_will_I_have_to_put">1 I don’t know anything &#8211; How much effort will I have to put?</a><ul><li><a href="#Programming_knowledge_8211_not_required">1.1 Programming knowledge &#8211; not required</a></li><li><a href="#Test_creation_8211_Easier_with_a_friend">1.2 Test creation &#8211; Easier with a friend</a></li><li><a href="#Configurational_setup_8211_How_much_time_will_I_have_to_spend">1.3 Configurational setup &#8211; How much time will I have to spend?</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#I_run_close_on_deadlines_8211_How_can_I_save_time_with_Testsigma">2 I run close on deadlines &#8211; How can I save time with Testsigma?</a><ul><li><a href="#Cross-platform_tests_8211_Save_me_from_repetitive_work">2.1 Cross-platform tests &#8211; Save me from repetitive work</a></li><li><a href="#I_dont_want_to_leave_clients_on_slower_networks">2.2 I don’t want to leave clients on slower networks</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#I_run_tight_on_a_budget_8211_But_I_need_real_devices">3 I run tight on a budget &#8211; But I need real devices</a></li><li><a href="#I_am_convinced_But_Can_I_trust_Testsigma">4 I am convinced! But, Can I trust Testsigma?</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="i-don-t-know-anything-how-much-effort-will-i-have-to-put">I don’t know anything &#8211; How much effort will I have to put?</h2>



As a software developer, I have always come across people who are sceptical about new projects in the mobile app which demand technologies that they don’t know. “React Native? I have heard about it, how hard is it?” or “How much effort will it need to get me started?”. 



Considering the shortage of time and the fact that this is an endless cycle, these questions are bound to be raised. So, how hard is it to get started with Testsigma?



<h3 id="programming-knowledge-not-required">Programming knowledge &#8211; not required</h3>



The first that comes to mind while discussing a new mobile automation testing strategy is the programming languages it supports. I mean, learning framework is one thing but if your known languages are not supported, you have another thing coming.&nbsp;



<a aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/blog/codeless-testing-when-is-testsigma-recommended-tool-for-you/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The mobile testing solution, Testsigma does not require any programming language</a> for mobile testing. It is very easy to learn. Thus anyone who is aware of the project can log in and start creating automation tests. How easy it is to create a test is discussed in the next section though.



<h3 id="test-creation-easier-with-a-friend">Test creation &#8211; Easier with a friend</h3>



Testsigma’s mobile test creation is one of the best features that you will get on any cloud-based automation tool. Testsigma’s test creation stands on two pillars &#8211; <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/blog/natural-language-processing-nlp-based-test-automation/" target="_blank">natural language processing</a> and <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/ai-driven-test-automation" target="_blank">artificial intelligence</a>. 



It favours the English language when it comes to creating tests on the cloud. So, instead of writing code for a particular UI identifier, you can directly select it with a single click.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/TgnXGQYrFtfL96Ljzy0jF0sQdo0f3RJDG8zVR8xZuP6I2VQWe72Hd8YDwDVI0Ad5qRuo95zmJCquSTs0X5YNIoTO-9RDn2b5aW0RDfJRbXa1HIorr618ntMD4DB1tZ8J57WOf3gD=s0" alt="Testsigma Tool"/></figure>



The better side of this tool is that it works as a friend to you and helps you out in that way. Natural language processing understands your requirements and recommends the next step while constructing the test cases. 



Also, the AI technology provides self-healing tests that can detect any changes in the source code and adapt or correct itself accordingly. A good example is given in the blog “<a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/blog/self-healing-tests-maintenance-testsigma/" target="_blank">Tests that do not require maintenance</a>” about how the tests adapt when “id” in the source code is changed from “username” to “userid”.



Result of all this &#8211; faster test creation. Which in turn means that the task is accomplished in lesser time and hence in fewer bucks.&nbsp;



<h3 id="configurational-setup-how-much-time-will-i-have-to-spend">Configurational setup &#8211; How much time will I have to spend?</h3>



Configurational setup is one thing that <a href="https://www.itpro.com/cloud-security/34663/cloud-storage-how-secure-are-dropbox-onedrive-google-drive-and-icloud" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">does not favour cloud-based tools</a> in general. The problem is that there are too many things involved that need to be linked to each other and with cloud security in between, sometimes it is a mess. 



Testsigma has a clear and swift configurational setup whether it be managing users, third-party integrations, or enhancing security measures on the account.&nbsp;



Instead of explaining everything here, let me redirect you to the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://support.testsigma.com/support/solutions/32000022078" target="_blank">configurational knowledge base of Testsigma</a>. Here you can understand the step-wise process of configuring the tool according to your requirements.&nbsp;



From an ROI point of view, cloud configurations have always been preferred. In-house tool management is an easy job if there are only two or three members of the team. 



Centralizing everything with on-demand resource allocation is something that is amazingly smooth on the cloud. So you save time and money while starting your cloud setup.



<h2 id="i-run-close-on-deadlines-how-can-i-save-time-with-testsigma">I run close on deadlines &#8211; How can I save time with Testsigma?</h2>



Another aspect of achieving faster returns is to move faster and achieve targets quickly. In the previous section, programming knowledge, test creation, and configurational setup were the main key areas. 



You might have already understood how Testsigma can help you save time in all of those. In addition to that, I would like to highlight a few more areas that can help you push things and conserve precious time.&nbsp;



<h3 id="cross-platform-tests-save-me-from-repetitive-work">Cross-platform tests &#8211; Save me from repetitive work</h3>



Cross-platform tests are an exceptional time saver for the testers. A lot of the testers look for it in a framework and a lot of frameworks have been popular because of their cross-platform powers such as Appium. 



Cross-platform tests, in brief, is the ability to write mobile application tests once and run them for multiple mobile platforms. Since Android and iOS contribute to more than <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/mobile/worldwide" target="_blank">98% of the market</a>, most of the mobile testing tools and testers prefer only these two platforms.&nbsp;



Testsigma is a cross-platform tool. So, repetitive work is eliminated and you can achieve mobile testing on both of the platforms quickly. As part of your ROI, your investments are slashed out too. 



Since cross-platform requires lesser time for testing, you pay for less time to the testers and reduces charges to the cloud service provider. Hence, as I have repeatedly said in this post, a lesser investment would mean you have less to recover.



<h3 id="i-don-t-want-to-leave-clients-on-slower-networks">I don’t want to leave clients on slower networks</h3>



The slower network of a user is always one of the main points of concern especially while dealing with mobile applications that work only with the internet such as Amazon. 



If your mobile application is in such a domain as eCommerce, a user generally keeps two or three applications to compare prices. If any of them works on a slower network while yours doesn’t, you lose a potential customer there. Therefore, it becomes a tester’s responsibility to stamp the application as “network tested”.



Testsigma helps you analyze your mobile application on a slower network by giving you an option to select the network bandwidth as per your choice. While countries such as the USA won’t mind an app that does not work on 3G, if you aim for a global customer base, you cannot ignore it. 



As for the effect on ROI for network testing, apart from time-money relation, a mobile app working on a slower network will bring more revenue to the organization.



<h2 id="i-run-tight-on-a-budget-but-i-need-real-devices">I run tight on a budget &#8211; But I need real devices</h2>



The last section we take in this post is the complex arrangement of gathering all the devices for testing. The thing is, we need mobile devices to test our mobile application and verify they work perfectly in the target devices. 



These devices can either be virtual (non-existent) such as emulators and simulators or real (real physical devices). I will not go into the details of the advantages and disadvantages of each of them as we will get diverted from the main points of interest. Although, if you are keen to know, a post that can guide you is <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/mobile-testing" target="_blank">just a click away</a>.



Coming back, the final conclusion is, real devices are the preferred and most optimum choice for performing mobile testing. But the main problem is purchasing, connecting, and maintaining them. This is where Testsigma comes to your rescue. 



<a aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/test-lab" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Testsigma uses real devices</a> at their end to help you gain the perfect perspective of your mobile application in both operating systems. Being a cloud service, you don’t need to think about purchasing these devices and maintaining them on-premise. Paying as little as <a aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/pricing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">$249 per month</a> can get you started with your automation endeavors.&nbsp;



Again, since you do not need to invest in physical devices, your investments are cut down significantly. Your returns on investments will be visible in a shorter time.



Learn More: <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/simulator-vs-emulator-vs-real-device/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Simulators Vs Emulator Vs Jasmine</a>



<h2 id="i-am-convinced-but-can-i-trust-testsigma">I am convinced! But, Can I trust Testsigma?</h2>



If you have made it to this point in the post, I am quite sure you are convinced with what this tool has in the box for you. Now the question is, should you or can you trust <a aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/automated-mobile-app-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Testsigma as your mobile testing solution</a>?&nbsp;



I will start this with a testimonial from a Testsigma customer, &#8220;While other tools we evaluated required programming skills, high initial time and investment, Testsigma&#8217;s scriptless approach enabled us to start automating from week one and achieve 100% smoke coverage in just a couple of months&#8221; &#8211; Senior Engineering Manager, Freshworks.&nbsp;



This is actually true with Testsigma. When you have a tool that accepts tests in English, runs automated tests with CI/CD integrations, has real devices in hand, can test mobile web and native apps, and execute cross-platform tests, you can rest assured at your seat. In case you are stuck at any crossroads, 24&#215;7 help is just a couple of clicks away.&nbsp;



If you opt for Testsigma, you are cutting down your ROI time and making smart and smaller investments for bigger goals. The tool comes with a free trial for people who follow the “use-first-then-trust” policy. Rest assured, by opting for Testsigma you join a list of 200+ happy customers!



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