Software Testing – Test Review

Software Testing aims to make sure the software is free of bugs. In order to make sure the software is out of bugs, every detail of the testing report should be presented to all. 

What is Test Review?

A Test Review is a formal process where an examination of software is carried out to keep an eye on the results of the changes made. In a Test Review, a person is made to review whether the changes satisfy the goals to be achieved. Generally, an analysis is conducted among people for better results. Test Review is important from a client perspective as well.

Necessities of Test Review:

1. Sometimes the test cases might have missed certain specifications or accuracies which can loop the rest of the cases.
2. Chances of having human errors and correcting them.
3. To check maximum test coverages. 

Classes of Test Review

There are various classes of review, they are:

• Formal Review: These types of review are scheduled earlier and consists of a lot of reviewers. They are all present with different knowledge and skillset. Here each reviewer is handed his/her own documents before the review, so they can discuss the software corrections. Having different reviewers is an added advantage as we are able to cover up all necessities with respect to the software. They discuss the flaws and how things can be corrected.  These types of reviews generally occur after about 75% or greater of the product is completed. These kinds of reviews are not very often and are generally done twice or thrice during the entire cycle of the product.
• Semi-Formal Review: These reviews are where the person who makes up gives presentations. These reviews are taken very often and keep occurring a lot of times during the cycle, The mistakes are noted and the corrections are asked to be done. These reviews are taken only among a few groups of people.
• Informal Review: These are reviews that are mostly taken without any formal invitation. The speaker presents it orally/verbally. There is no particular agenda and can be sometimes just a process of checking the progress done. 

Types of Test Review

Test Review is of three types, they are:

• In-Process Review: This review takes place during the process when the product is being developed. Having an In-Process Review also gives you an added advantage as you can keep your progress in check with your flaws, correcting them immediately would be better than after finishing the cycle.
• Milestone Review: This type of review takes place after the product is finished.
• Post-Implementation Review: Once all the stages of the product are finished and the necessary changes have been made, this review takes place.
• Pair Programming: It is a type of code review involving two people. The two people involved developing a code together at the same workstation.
• Walkthrough: This type of method is generally useful for people who are not from the software field or people who don’t understand the software cycle. Generally, this is an informal review. Deals with documentation. 
• Technical Review: These reviews are mostly from technical backgrounds that check whether the fault is in design and architecture. functionality etc. 
• Inspection: This is a formal review where a separate preparation is carried out during which the product is examined and the defects are found. This is also called a Specialized review. As the name suggests it’s a casual review. 
• Casual Review: This review is just to make sure the process is in place. 
• Examinations: Examinations are a review to find small hidden bugs which might be overlooked when the rest reviews happen. The review is especially for small mistakes.
• Peer Review: These reviews are done by your colleagues. This is an informal review.

Things That Are Tested in Test Review

• Deviation from standards: Most companies have their own standard procedure to follow. They follow those cycles for every product/software that is developed. Following company norms and their standards is a must for an employee.
• Non-maintainable code:  There are ways in which we can write different codes to get similar results, but we do follow complexities.  Complexities are something that will become difficult to handle for bigger data queries. Code to be maintained and run on hardware support should be encouraged.
• Design defects: These bugs are important to be removed from the code, as they might not produce great results. Client satisfaction will be decreased. Design defects can be checked with static testing and completely removed for better outputs.
• Missing requirements: The developer when developing can miss a few things required. So when testing we need to check if all the requirements are satisfied, for better outputs. If the requirements aren’t completely satisfied, that may cause a lot of bugs in the code section, and the application might not work properly.
• Inconsistent interface specifications: In this, the reviewer should check if there are any additional changes required which will make the app better. Some parts of the app cause the app to slow down, degrading other specifications as well. That can be checked and rectified.
• Test cases: Sometimes the test cases might be too light weighted. The test cases can define how strong or weak the product is. Having strong test cases describes the functionality of an application. 
• Test Data: The test data helps us know the complexities it can handle. The data should be from very weak to very strong to check the accuracy of the template designed.
• Test plan: The test plan is reviewed at the very beginning of the cycle. The reviewers check whether the time allocated for each process is required or not. The plan of the cycle is checked and decisions are made accordingly.

The test review is important and adds an added advantage as everyone is well aware of the cycle and progress. Mistakes can be corrected. The end product can be delivered well.