Google Testing Blog: How Much Testing is Enough?

A familiar question every software developer and team grapples with is, “How much testing is enough to qualify a software release?” A lot depends on the type of software, its purpose, and its target audience. One would expect a far more rigorous approach to testing commercial search engne than a simple smartphone flashlight application. Yet no matter what the application, the question of how much testing is sufficient can be hard to answer in definitive terms. A better approach is to provide considerations or rules of thumb that can be used to define a qualification process and testing strategy best suited for the case at hand. The following tips provide a helpful rubric:

A familiar question every software developer and team grapples with is, “How much testing is enough to qualify a software release?” A lot depends on the type of software, its purpose, and its target audience. One would expect a far more rigorous approach to testing commercial search engne than a simple smartphone flashlight application. Yet no matter what the application, the question of how much testing is sufficient can be hard to answer in definitive terms. A better approach is to provide considerations or rules of thumb that can be used to define a qualification process and testing strategy best suited for the case at hand. The following tips provide a helpful rubric:

Document your process or strategy.Have a solid base of unit tests.Don’t skimp on integration testing.Perform end-to-end testing for Critical User Journeys.Understand and implement the other tiers of testing.Understand your coverage of code and functionality.Use feedback from the field to improve your process.

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