I’ve been thinking to write about this for a while – just got a chance to do – which is, Software Testing Life Cycle. Really, have you not heard about it? It has been doing its rounds for quite a while now. It sounds interesting, but I think it’s taking Software Testing process to a bit extreme.
While we all work in Software Development Life Cycle, I think a bunch of people decided that the Software Testing should have a cycle of its own and invented this phrase. From the diagrams that I have seen in the web, it looks like they have designed this cycle to be something like after software design is complete, and you start setting up the test bed, infrastructure, and other things needed for testing. From that point it starts, is what they claim, while ending with product getting released to the customer. As you know, this sounds archaic, because we have continuous deployments happening to the customers these days. The phrase also makes me uncomfortable about why there should be a separate cycle for Software Testing, and why is the testing process not integrated with the development process (fast feedback, better communication, quick resolutions), and why the testing activities not part of Software Development Life Cycle.
If this is one extreme of things, the other extreme is of course when someone comes to me and says, ‘Hey, there is nothing called Software Testing. It’s all Quality, it’s called Quality Engineering’. Again, that, is another extreme. The real value, to me, is in between, to work alongside with the development while considering the budget and importance for a Software Testing team in mind always, and the Software Testing team led by someone who is well-versed with Software Testing. Certainly, I don’t see a need for a separate ‘Software Testing Life Cycle’.
For consulting your organisation on setting up the Software Testing process, feel free to speak to me. Happy Testing!