World Quality Day
World Quality Day provides an opportunity to take a look at the development of software quality and the changes in software testing over the last 20...
Integrating quality into the software development process should be a priority from the outset. The experience gained in testing can be a valuable foundation for other roles in software development, especially for business analysts. The shift from checking if something is right to defining what should be right emphasizes the close connection between these roles. The targeted handling of test data also plays a decisive role, especially in the complex data warehouse environment. Business analysts can significantly improve their view of quality by putting themselves in the shoes of other roles and thus gaining a more comprehensive view of the development process.
In this episode of Software Testing, I welcome Philipp Huber, a business analyst who used to work as a tester. We talk about how his testing experiences influence his current role and the importance of building quality into the software development process from the beginning. Philipp shares that as a tester he always checked if something was right, whereas now as a business analyst he defines what should be right. We also discuss the importance of test data and challenges in the data warehouse environment. Finally, Philipp gives valuable tips on how business analysts can improve their quality view by taking the perspective of other roles.
“I really try to teach the testers what it’s all about. The testers should also challenge me, because even business analysts make mistakes.” - Phillip Huber
Philipp Huber looks back on 15 years of experience in the field of data warehousing. Starting with test automation and testing, he later took on tasks in all areas of the data warehouse lifecycle. He has specialized in business analysis for several years. He works for an international financial services provider in Vienna as an IT business analyst.
Moving from a tester role to that of a business analyst offers an exciting development opportunity within software development. While testers ensure the quality of applications, the business analyst’s job is to define what should be right, rather than just checking if something is right. This perspective makes it possible to not only look at functional aspects, but also to analyze borderline and special cases at an early stage - a skill that is often carried over from the testing phase.
In modern software development, it is essential to be flexible and to understand the roles that other team members play. A holistic view of the software development process is essential to ensure the quality of the final application. Business analysts should take particular care to ensure that requirements and specifications are formulated precisely enough from the outset to withstand subsequent testing. A solid quality of requirements analysis forms the basis for the success of the entire development process.
One of the biggest challenges in requirements management is to formulate requirements in a way that is understandable for everyone involved. The importance of direct communication between developers, testers and business analysts cannot be underestimated. Clear written documentation of the most important points is also crucial. When working with complex data structures, for example in the data warehouse environment, it is important to actively involve testers in the requirements process and encourage them to critically scrutinize specifications.
Another important aspect in the data warehouse environment is test data management. One approach to creating test data constellations is to use Excel macros. Although Excel may seem unprofessional at first glance, this approach has proven to be effective and has been well received by the specialist departments. In this way, both synthetic and production-related test data can be created to ensure high data quality.
Job rotation is a recommended method for prospective business analysts to expand their own expertise. Temporarily taking on a different role, be it as a tester or someone from the specialist area, helps to gain a better understanding of the different perspectives within a project. This understanding helps to significantly improve the quality of your own work and promote a better exchange with other project participants.
The difference between business analysis and software testing lies in their respective goals and tasks. Business analysis focuses on gathering and defining requirements to ensure that the software meets the business objectives. Software testing, on the other hand, is used to check the quality and functionality of the developed software in order to identify and correct errors.
Business analysts and software testers work closely together to ensure software quality. The business analyst provides the requirements and explains them to the testers, while the testers ensure that the developed software meets these requirements. This collaboration helps to avoid misunderstandings and deliver quality-assured results.
A good requirements analysis is crucial for software testing, as clear and precise requirements serve as the basis for the test cases. Only if the requirements are unambiguous can the testers check whether the software implements them correctly. An inadequate requirements analysis often leads to misunderstandings and errors in the software.
The business analyst plays an important role in the testing process by ensuring that the requirements are correctly understood and implemented. They support the testers by clarifying ambiguities and ensuring that the tests cover the business requirements. In this way, the business analyst helps to ensure the quality of the software.
Testers can benefit from business analysis skills as they gain a better understanding of the business requirements and objectives. This understanding helps them to perform more targeted testing and ensure that the software developed meets user expectations. Business analysis skills improve the ability to identify critical test cases and mitigate risks.
One of the biggest challenges in the collaboration between business analysts and testers is communication. Different technical terms and misunderstandings can lead to problems. Close collaboration and regular coordination help to overcome these challenges and ensure that everyone involved understands the requirements and tests.
Business analysts can use various techniques to create quality-assured requirements. These include interviews with stakeholders, workshops, use case models and user stories. These techniques help to understand stakeholder expectations and document requirements clearly and comprehensibly, which is helpful later in the testing process.
Agile methods offer many advantages for business analysis and software testing. Through iterative development cycles, requirements and tests can be continuously adapted, which enables better adaptation to changing requirements. Agile methods also promote close collaboration between analysts, developers and testers, which improves software quality.
To ensure that requirements are testable, business analysts should formulate requirements as concretely and precisely as possible. Testers can provide early feedback on whether requirements are clear and testable. Requirements should contain measurable criteria that testers can use to check whether the requirements have been fulfilled.
Various tools are used in business analysis and software testing to support the process. For business analysis, tools such as Jira, Confluence and Balsamiq are often used to document and visualize requirements. In software testing, tools such as Selenium, JUnit or TestRail are popular for creating, executing and managing test cases.
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