It is always useful to develop an understanding of how the best companies operate, especially when replicating those operations might lead to the achievement of a similar level of success such as speed of releases, quality or revenue generated from software sales. Whatever the goal, testing documentation is often one of the key areas that might be mistakenly overlooked or undervalued, but it is an absolutely critical task that the best software companies rightly focus upon. As it pertains to software changes and updates commonly occurring throughout the developmental process, testing documentation is especially important and is often required by stakeholders.
The reality is, documentation is a necessary requirement for software development and is often one of the principal reasons companies ask that their software development teams endure the tedium of documentation. But, the best-in-class software companies are aware of the many tools and strategies available that can successfully streamline the documentation creation and management process. Tools and strategies help eliminate the tedious task of documentation and helps ensure the company has access to all of the associated benefits of documenting software changes and updates.
Automated Systems Designed to Record and Document Test Sessions
Documentation that occurs during the testing process of software development can be incredibly time-consuming without access to the right tools. Instead of the tedious process associated with the manual screen grabs necessary for documentation purposes, the best-in-class software development organizations focus on making this process more efficient through the use of qa testing tools like qTest eXplorer, which is part of QASymphony’s comprehensive testing platform.
Companies that use qTest eXplorer are naturally more efficient when it comes to creating test documentation since the entire process is automated and eliminates the need for testers to use screen grabs while manually documenting each defect or coding change made to the software. With an automated system, documentation is done automatically, allowing the development team to work at a rapid pace.
Efficient Communication and Collaboration Tools
Software changes and updates are often completed after replicating any issues or defects discovered through testing, underscoring the importance of a robust documentation system. Changes and updates have to be readily available to the entire development team, which is why it is so critical to employ the use of a centralized system in which documentation is easily accessible to all team members. This ensures team members are able to communicate and collaborate with a greater degree of ease, which also enhances the overall efficiency of the development team.
The documentation of software changes and updates is a task unlikely to excite any member of a software testing or development team, but the best development organizations understand just how important that task is when it comes to quickly producing high-quality software. When the task of creating documentation can be automated through the use of a comprehensive testing tool like QASymphony’s qTest eXplorer, developers and testers are able to devote additional time savings to what was once a needlessly tedious task to other higher priority tasks during the development lifecycle.
