What is Conventional Testing?

Conventional testing refers to the traditional approach of software testing that has been widely used for several decades. This approach involves a series of activities that aim to identify defects or errors in a software product and ensure that the software meets the specified requirements and performs as expected.

Stages in Conventional testing

The conventional testing process typically follows a structured and sequential approach that consists of several stages, starting with the planning phase and ending with the release of the software. The following are the key stages involved in conventional testing:

1. Planning: This stage involves defining the testing objectives, creating test plans, and identifying the testing resources needed to carry out the testing activities.
2. Requirements analysis: In this stage, the software requirements are analysed to determine the scope of testing, identify potential risks, and develop test cases.
3. Design: In this stage, the test cases are designed to validate the software functionality and ensure that the software meets the specified requirements.
4. Execution: This stage involves running the test cases and reporting defects or errors found in the software.
5. Reporting: This stage involves documenting the test results, including the defects or errors found, and presenting them to the development team for fixing.
6. Retesting: This stage involves rerunning the test cases to ensure that the defects or errors found have been fixed and that the software now meets the specified requirements.
7. Release: In this stage, the software is released for use by the end-users after ensuring that it meets the specified quality standards.

The above stages are typically carried out by a dedicated team of software testers who are responsible for ensuring the quality of the software product. Conventional testing typically focuses on functional testing, which involves testing the software's behaviour against the specified requirements.

Types of Conventional Testing

There are various types of conventional testing techniques that can be used during the testing process. Some of the commonly used techniques include:

1. Unit testing: This involves testing individual modules or components of the software to ensure that they perform as expected.
2. Integration testing: This involves testing the software modules in combination to ensure that they work together correctly.
3. System testing: System testing is a type of testing that verifies a software product's integration and completion. A system test's objective is to gauge how well the system requirements are met from beginning to end. In most cases, a bigger computer-based system merely consists of a small portion of the software.
4. Acceptance testing: This involves testing the software from the end-user's perspective to ensure that it meets their needs and requirements.
5. Regression testing: This involves rerunning previously executed test cases to ensure that the changes made to the software have not introduced new defects or errors.

Advantages of Conventional Testing

Conventional testing, also known as manual testing, involves testing software applications by human testers without the use of automated tools. Some advantages of conventional testing include:

1. Flexibility: Manual testing allows for greater flexibility in terms of the types of tests that can be conducted, as testers can easily adapt to changes in requirements and adjust their test cases accordingly.
2. Human intuition: Humans possess an intuition that allows them to detect issues that automated testing tools may miss. Manual testers can use their experience and instincts to uncover defects that would otherwise go unnoticed.
3. Cost-effective: Manual testing can be less expensive than automated testing, especially for smaller projects or organizations that may not have the resources to invest in automated testing tools.
4. Better understanding of user experience: Manual testers can better simulate the user experience by testing the application in a more real-world setting, which can lead to a better understanding of how users will interact with the application.
5. Testing of non-functional requirements: Manual testing can also be used to test non-functional requirements, such as usability, accessibility, and performance, which may be difficult to automate.
6. Better communication: Manual testing can promote better communication between testers, developers, and other stakeholders as they work together to identify and resolve issues.

Disadvantages of Conventional Testing

While conventional testing or manual testing has its advantages, it also has some drawbacks. Some of the disadvantages of conventional testing are:

1. Time-consuming: Manual testing can be time-consuming, especially for larger applications. Testing each functionality manually can take a lot of time, which can delay the overall project delivery.
2. Limited coverage: Manual testing may not cover all possible test scenarios or paths. Testers may miss some test cases due to human error, leading to defects that go unnoticed.
3. Subjective: Manual testing can be subjective as testers may have their own opinions and biases, which can affect the quality of the testing. This can lead to inconsistencies in the testing process and make it difficult to reproduce issues.
4. Costly in the long run: Although manual testing can be cost-effective in the short run, it can become expensive in the long run as the project grows. The cost of hiring and training testers, as well as the cost of manual testing tools, can add up over time.
5. Repetitive: Testing the same functionality repeatedly can be tedious and monotonous for testers, leading to boredom and reduced productivity. This can result in a lower quality of testing.
6. Error-prone: Manual testing can be error-prone as it relies on the accuracy and consistency of human testers. Testers may miss some defects or make errors in the testing process, which can lead to quality issues.

In conclusion, conventional testing is a well-established approach that has been widely used in software development for several decades. It provides a structured and systematic approach to testing that ensures that the software meets the specified requirements and performs as expected. However, it also has some limitations, and software development teams should carefully consider their testing. Hope you understood this topic.