The software development industry is rapidly evolving, presenting increasingly complex challenges for testers. Manual testing, while an essential part of the development cycle, comes with several difficulties. Therefore, professionals must recognize these challenges and manage them effectively.
This article highlights some common pitfalls you may encounter as a manual tester. If you want to identify and avoid these challenges in time, keep reading!
1. Time and resource-intensive testing
One of the major drawbacks of manual testing is the significant time and resources it consumes. Every test case must be executed manually, which can be especially difficult when tests need to be repeated frequently.
As the complexity of a project grows, it demands even more resources from the team. Therefore, testers need to prioritize effective time management and task organization.
For instance, consider an e-commerce application. Manually testing the payment module involves verifying dozens of payment options after each update. When a new feature or payment method is introduced, all previous tests must be rerun to ensure system compatibility. This process can quickly become a time- and resource-consuming effort if the team is not properly automated or efficiently managed.
2. Human errors and mistakes during testing
Like any other workflow, human errors are inevitable in software testing. A small oversight can lead to significant mistakes that affect the software’s quality.
Testers often repeat the same steps multiple times, and the monotony of the process increases the likelihood that some aspects of the code may be overlooked. As a tester, it is necessary to stay focused on the details and not let monotony affect vigilance.
3. Challenges in test environments
Creating realistic or near-real test environments can be a considerable challenge. With the increasing variety of devices, operating systems, and browsers, it becomes difficult to ensure that every possible scenario is tested.
Manually testing all potential combinations is almost impossible and highly time-consuming. If test environments are inadequate, it can distort results and leave bugs undetected, which may cause user issues later.
4. Keeping up with changes
Tracking changes throughout the development process is critical. In agile methodologies, software is frequently updated and expanded with new features. Manual testing, however, often struggles to keep pace with this rapid development.
Testing every change manually increases the risk of missing bugs. Testers must remain vigilant in ensuring that both new features and existing ones function correctly after updates.
5. Delayed testing after development
A common issue is that testing often begins only after development is completed, leading to significant delays. This postponement can disrupt continuous delivery, as bugs are discovered late, and the time required to fix them increases.
Therefore, even in manual testing, starting the testing process as early as possible is essential, ideally during the project's initial stages.
6. Increasing costs
The costs associated with manual testing tend to grow over time, particularly as the project expands. The more testers involved in the process, the greater the demand for time and resources, leading to a significant increase in costs.
For companies, optimizing the testing process is crucial to reduce costs and improve efficiency.
Summary
The challenges of manual testing are both real and multifaceted. As a software tester, you will inevitably face these obstacles. To overcome them, it's important to continually educate yourself and stay open to adopting new techniques and methodologies. Software testing is an exciting and ever-evolving field where there is always something new to learn. Moreover, continuously rethinking manual testing not only boosts efficiency but also helps minimize critical errors and risks, particularly in complex systems.