Working & Techniques of Smoke Testing with Advantages

Smoke testing helps in identifying major flaws in the application in the initial stages of the software development process, without delving deep into the finer details. 

It is focused on ensuring that the software build is stable and hence it is also known as "Build verification testing." 

The team should have a well-defined plan to carry out smoke testing effectively. In this article, you will get to know the techniques and advantages of smoke testing.

What is smoke testing?

It is a specific testing method that verifies whether the deployed software build is stable or not. It ascertains whether the new software build can be passed on to the next testing phase or not. This testing method ascertains whether the program's crucial functions work as expected or not. 

Crucial and basic issues are found by the smoke testing method before more in-depth testing is conducted.

Simple, but crucial failures are discovered by the smoke test method using test cases that cover the important software functionalities. QA teams perform smoke tests by using a minimal set of tests on each build.

The working of smoke testing:

Smoke tests are performed by QA testers after a new build of an application is delivered by developers. Previously written scripts are used by smoke tests to conduct testing either manually or automatically.

If the smoke test passes, the existing build is used to integrate the software in the staging and QA environment. More rigorous tests such as unit tests or integration tests are performed on the software build. If the smoke test fails then it means a major flaw or flaws have been identified by the tester. Developers have to fix the build and send it to the QA team.

Smoke test ensures that software code is improved. The viewpoint of the user experience is also taken into consideration by the smoke testing method. Key functionalities such as the login mechanism and user interface are functioning correctly or not, or if the build is accessible or not is tested.

Smoke testing techniques:

1. Manual smoke testing: Key functionalities of the software application are being tested to know whether they are working as expected or not. Bugs and quality related issues are identified in the early stages of the software development process. A limited number of test cases are executed manually to know the application's stability and thus ascertain if it can move forward to exhaustive testing or not.

2. Automated smoke testing: The test cases are automated by testers before the testing team receives the released build. Various automation frameworks can be used to automate the test cases. The manual testing team efforts are reduced by automating test cases, as the manual team need not carry out the testing process each time a new build is released.

Benefits of smoke testing:

· The efforts and time of the testing team are saved to a considerable extent

· There is an overall improvement in the software application's quality

· The execution of a limited number of test cases takes place as mostly positive scenarios are covered

· The conformation of the requirements is also worked out by the smoke testing method as stated in the software requirement specifications (SRS) document

· The risks of failure are reduced as the defects are found early on in the software development process

· The risks that come with adding up code to existing build integrations are minimized

· As smoke testing is a simple process and low resource requirements are needed, it can run often.

Conclusion: If you are looking forward to implementing smoke testing for your specific project, then do get connected with a competent software testing services company that will provide you with exclusive testing solutions that are in line with your project specific requirements.

About the author: I am a technical content writer focused on writing technology specific articles. I strive to provide well-researched information on the leading market savvy technologies.