A Guide to Testing Unreleased Software

Any development team may find it challenging to test unreleased software products. Since these products have not yet been released to the public, they have not been tested in the real world.

Throughout this article, we will outline some of the key challenges teams may face when testing unreleased products and provide strategies for overcoming them.

Objectives

When testing this type of product, the process has 3 main objectives:

1. Verify that the algorithm meets all functional and non-functional requirements.

2. Identify and fix any bugs or issues before publishing.

3. Guarantees that the product is safe and free from flaws.

Types of Testing

A test strategy must first be developed to determine what to test. Developing a test strategy for an unreleased product is a critical process that requires careful planning and execution to ensure the product meets the required quality and reliability standards.

Advanced testing strategies include the following methods, depending on what stage of product delivery you are in:

• Functional Testing: Verification that the product performs as intended and meets all functional requirements.
• Performance Testing: Ensures the product can handle expected workload and stress in real-world scenarios.
• Alpha testing: Testing performed by internal staff or a small group of beta testers.
• Beta testing: Testing performed by a large number of external users.
• User Acceptance Testing (UAT): Testing performed by end users to ensure that the product meets their needs.
• Security Testing: Testing to identify vulnerabilities and ensure product security.

Using automation to support the types of testing described above can improve the work of quality teams and help scale teams.

Testing Challenges

The biggest challenge in testing new software products is the lack of real data. For example, with an unannounced fintech product based on a statistical arbitrage algorithm – there is no way of knowing how it will perform in the field or how users will interact with it. This makes it difficult to identify and fix any bugs or issues arising after the product is released.

To overcome this challenge, teams can use simulated test environments that are as close to real-world scenarios as possible. This may include using actual test data and simulating the conditions and environments the product will encounter in the field.

Statistical arbitrage algorithms rely on the accuracy and reliability of market data, so any errors or deviations in the data can significantly affect the results of the algorithm. Another challenge is the selection of the models. The success of these algorithms depends on the choice of the mathematical models and the statistical techniques used, these models must therefore be carefully selected and validated.

• Backtesting: It involves testing algorithms against historical data that may be limited by the fact that past market conditions may not be representative of future market conditions.
• Market Dynamics: Statistical arbitrage algorithms are designed to take advantage of price differences between related financial instruments; however, markets can change quickly and unpredictably, making it difficult to predict and react to those changes.
• Complexity: Statistical arbitrage algorithms can be very complex, involving multiple steps such as data collection, pre-processing, modeling, and execution, each of which can introduce potential errors and limitations.

Test Deliverables

• Test Plan: Describes test objectives, test types, and schedule.
• Test cases: A breakdown of steps and expected results for each test.
• Test Results: Details of each test result and issues found.
• Bug Reports: A breakdown of any bugs or issues found during testing and their status (Fixed, In Progress)

If you are in a leadership role and responsible for building the team, you have the additional responsibility of determining the main score. In addition to resource planning, a roadmap is needed to get your workforce approved by senior management.

Also Read: A 7-Step QA Checklist For Testing Websites

Conclusion

Testing is an important part of bringing a novel product to market and different strategies and challenges must be considered to ensure the product is ready for launch.

When it comes to QA, nothing is better than having the correct people in charge. That’s why we make sure that everyone on our team is qualified and accredited on some of the industry’s best practices. 

At TestUnity we have an expert team of QA Engineers. This enables us to give our clients the support they require to make sure that their software hits the market in the right circumstances. Contact us for a free consultation and see why TestUnity’s QA approach is the best choice for your software.

TestUnity

Testunity is a SaaS-based technology platform driven by a vast community of testers & QAs spread around the world, powered by technology & testing experts to create the dedicated testing hub. Which is capable of providing almost all kind of testing services for almost all the platforms exists in software word.