Quality assurance professionals were once kept in their own silo, without much interaction from other groups until projects were sent their way to complete testing. Agile testing methodologies have considerably changed this scene by bringing QA, developers and stakeholders together to actively collaborate on projects and deliver the best result possible. As part of this effort, it's essential for QA to understand design architecture. Let's take a look at why understanding design architecture is so important for QA teams:
1. Base their test cases on objects or company
Each project has a specific goal to it, and it will be up to the entire team to ensure that the end result lives up to expectations. This all begins with listening to user requirements and specifications. From here, QA can use a first-hand account of information to generate tests without having to see any line of code. TechTarget contributor Baiju M noted that this will help appreciate the business need and overcome communication barriers. Design architecture is integral here because testers are creating scripts from their own frameworks without any initial influence other than the stated necessities. It will also be much easier for teams to identify the correlation between functional modules, ensuring they work according to plan.
2. Improve defect identification and quality
With testers involved from the very beginning of a project, they can head off some issues and create better scripts to detect errors and improve defect management. TechTarget contributor Gerie Owen noted that with an understanding of design architecture, QA can identify when a design is becoming too complex. This will keep developers in check to create a framework that's simpler, making it easier to test, plan out scripts and find hidden defects. If a tester wasn't involved, they would simply have to make due with their capabilities, potentially missing critical problems or receiving false testing reports. With knowledge of design architecture, QA will minimize technical debt and ensure that the proper processes are being followed through.
"Because design is something that grows with the application in Agile, testers can always look at what the developers are doing," Owen wrote. "If the team starts letting the design get complex or difficult to test, it's time to have a talk with the developers about making the design more straightforward. It may require a hardening sprint or two, but it will keep the debt down."
3. Understand how design will affect testing
Design architecture determines how easy it will be for teams to test the project, but it can also establish how to approach software QA testing. The Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University contributor Paul Clements noted that testability profiles will give QA an idea of how design will impact testing practices. This entails looking at architecture styles and patterns, as well as fault modeling to find possible failures in the architectural approach and which failures this method avoids. These findings will help determine if a specific fault exists in the system, enabling teams to rework their testing strategies and create new scripts to address new concerns.
"As a result of our research, testers will be able to determine the most important things to test for by illuminating new failure models that might not have been known before," Clements wrote. "Conversely, testers will also be able to determine failure models that they can safely assume will not occur."
An understanding of design architecture will help QA teams improve their capabilities in numerous ways, and quality testing tools can help extend these benefits to every project. These assets can bolster testing and ensure that the product meets user standards.