Beta Testing: The Most Important Software Testing Decision

The launch of any software product is a tense time for the company that has developed it. At this point in the software development life cycle it is probably the most important. There are critical questions that need to be answered, for example; How many tests have been done ?, what is the impact of something going wrong?

To answer the question; The amount of testing that has been done can be fairly straightforward to answer by reviewing the test documentation and talking with the appropriate stakeholders. However, too often, testing can focus heavily on an environment that, although designed to replicate a customer’s environment, typically falls short of expectations. This can result in a software product being released with a high risk of failure in the end-user environment, despite extensive testing. Companies developing software need to go the extra mile and make sure enough beta testing is done before the actual product launch. Often times, a company will simply ship a beta version of its application to one or two customers in the hope that it will suffice. It is almost certainly not enough, and careful planning must be done to choose the right people to conduct Beta Testing. If there are no suitable clients, then the developer company should consider a professional beta testing company to do it for them. A good beta testing company should be able to replicate any type of environment needed and perform the tests that will eliminate issues that may have been overlooked earlier in the software development lifecycle.

A good example of this type of situation can be found in the “new wave” of software that exists today, which is, of course, iPhone applications. Many potentially good iPhone apps are released without beta testing. Developers / owners look at your poor ratings and declining sales figures and wonder why this is happening as your app is great and offers something unique. While the latter may be true, just looking at the iPhone app reviews you will see many users complaining that the app crashes when using even the most basic functionality. If the app developers took the time to hire an iPhone app beta tester, they could have easily avoided the problems and started the life of the app with positive reviews and consequent high sales figures.

Beta Testers are not a specific type of software tester, but simply a chosen group of people assigned with the task of finding defects. The hardest task is choosing the right people to beta test. Careful consideration should be given to what kind of flaws we are trying to find. It may be that there is a risk that the server systems will fail if there is a heavy load on them. In this case, some kind of public beta test would be necessary. If some sort of sanity testing is required before product launch, then it could be as simple as hiring a professional Beta Tester to do the testing.

The more thought and planning put into a beta test, the chances of its effectiveness increase significantly. Consider hiring professionals whenever possible, and many will provide a free estimate, quick response, and effective beta testing service. If you can’t afford a professional Beta Tester, simply select the right staff within your organization. If targeted individuals are given the correct information on what to look for, this will often produce surprisingly effective and profitable exercise in the long run.