Gap Analysis in QA

Let’s first understand what Test Gap Analysis is and what it means before we begin discussing what causes the development and testing gaps. It’s a very old belief that is still going strong; developers and testers are like apples and oranges (which means, very different, and they don’t easily gel with each other). The developers feel that testers are irresponsible and cause problems in any organization (big or small), and the testers feel the same.

Things are always intense between them. The times are altering, and so are the circumstances. A more aligned and collaborative relationship between the two is sought by companies. In any organization, this kind of fud is unavoidable but risky. Furthermore, it could result in silos in communication that ultimately harm its reputation due to faulty software.

By using Gap Analysis, we can bridge the gap between these two different personas and push them toward the same goal of ‘Quality.’

But, Why do we require any collaboration between a developer and a tester? How does it affect you as a tester or developer? What does it signify to you as an organization? Let’s glance into it.

What Is Test Gap Analysis In Testing Process? Why Is It Important?

To be very specific, Gap Analysis is a fantastic tool to improve performance levels. The way it functions is simple; it helps organizations comprehend where they want to be (in terms of goals) And review the gap between where they are now and where they desire to be and what steps can be taken to cease that gap. It’s a very known tool meaning it can be employed at various levels and granularities. For instance, it can be utilized at an organizational level in project management, strategy development, and more.

Now in testing, when you develop software, you are probably to be too sure of testing the complete system. The testers take these code specifications and then use detailed combinations of preplanned exploratory testing to ensure everything ounce of the codebase is being tested. Even so, the complete system is not stable or static. Often companies either create long-live uniform releases or employ Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment. And in both of those methods, one thing is common the changing codebase. Here not all the test cases are not up-to-date and again not at the same rate. At times even the testers are unaware of the code modifications. And at other times, the changes in the code are simply caused after certain tests are performed. Moreover, these tests may appear to pass but would have broken the code.

Definition Of Test Gap Analysis

Test Gap Analysis is a process of identifying all these gaps in which the new code is deployed but not tested yet. Notably, it requires a blend of static analysis of code change and dynamic analysis of clear testing. A team can quickly see the gaps after analyzing and comparing both analyses, which suggests that the new code is properly tested.

The process is generally run by outlining the code by employing a tree diagram where the code is divided into functional blocks. Just under these blocks are the constituent classes, and right beneath those classes are the real procedures and functions. Extending this tree that displays the code changes would be super easy to catch the fields where there’s a shortage of test coverage.

Why Does Test Gap Analysis Matter?

Yeah, why does Test Gap analysis in Software Testing matter? Here’s a perfect explanation as to why it is necessary.

A study was performed by the Munich Technical University researchers on the relationship between new, untested, and future software bugs. (which is certainly an interesting one!) The study was conducted on one of Munich Re’s (an insurance company) IT systems in 2 releases for a long time and discovered some fascinating learnings. Here comes the 1st, around the 3rd of the complete code was passed and released without being tested. The 2nd one is that out of all bugs they tracked, around 70% – 80% are in the untested code.

Now let’s break this down for you people; the new code (Tested) had about 22 to 30 percent bugs. On the other hand, the remaining bugs were equally split between the new and old untested code. This implies that new, untested code is supposed to have an exponentially increased no. of bugs.

And that’s where arrives the role of the Gap Analysis in Testing. It is mechanized to catch untested code. Moreover, it assists in so many other ways as well. For example, it allows you to find outdated areas in the apparent code. It concentrates on the areas where you require to pay more attention and invest your testing resources on. Finally, using this technique can help your managers and team enhance their test planning, enhancing new code and test coverage.

Who Will Profit From The Test Gap Analysis?

Test Gap Analysis is a fantastic tool for software development and testing. However, its benefits may vary from organization to organization. For example, the teams with a long-lived codebase manage to enjoy and benefit more, whereas with a short-lived codebase, given that most of their code is untested at the beginning. Plus, teams approaching CI/CD can, without a doubt, profit from the Test Gap Analysis. It can help the testers discover what is being altered in a code and concentrate more on those areas.

Also Read: Testing In Production: What’s The Best Technique?

Conclusion

As mentioned above, the Test Gap Analysis is a wonderful tool and would help you bridge the gaps mentioned in the blog. And this can go in vain without solid communication among the team. It is really difficult to pull out any sort of method, impacting the product, releases, quality, and even the organization’s reputation.

When it comes to QA, nothing is better than having the correct people in charge. That’s why we make sure that everyone in 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 for yourself why TestUnity’s QA approach is the best choice for your software.

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