This testing even known as the ET  approach has gained focus and name in recent years. There are more researches and has received professional attention from the industry too.

Perks of Using Exploratory Testing Approach

With this approach, the tester has the advantage to prove their own skill set, knowledge and even that experience from different perspectives and aid improve the quality of the system under test.

Exploratory testing or ET has been popular as simultaneous learning, test execution, test design, and test analysis — a way to describe this approach.

Over time, the definition of ET has changed from an error-checking technique to a properly defined testing approach. Here are some of the perks of the ET approach and these are related directly or indirectly to testers, teams, and that management.

Tester’s utilization

Empowering a tester along with the QA team is the instrument for achieving high-quality products.  It is because they understand the ground reality and may even suggest actions towards achieving product quality goals.

The tester can easily contribute right from the beginning of development. They get opportunities to use their personal skills, experience, and knowledge. It adds good value to their work and motivates them to make valued contributions toward product quality goals. Testers who are profound and skilled at ET can bring much value to the team.

Simultaneous learning

Automated tests can surely aid to execute checks/tests quickly but humans have the distinct capacity to connect the dots and easily come up with different test scenarios.

Testers can easily gain adequate knowledge from available features or user documentation and learn further about proper system behavior while testing — and try to understand how the system could fail at test or production.

This way tester can easily learn, design, execute, enhance the test scenario, and test at a run time understanding the proper input data and test results. Tester spends more time on testing and pondering or brainstorming about different perspectives along with adequate defect logs.

In case you are running Automated Tests then ET may even provide input to it if those particular exploratory tests can get automated to save testers’ time.

Less test prep

ET demands less documentation and it can be said that testers only need to know the purpose of testing and then he/she can easily begin experimenting with it.

It is convenient to create an ET test charter (which is an outline of the goal or mission for the exploratory session). It classifies fields that add values to testing and even saves time from additional documentation.

Rapid feedback

Comparing with the conventional test case-based approach, the ET approach bridges the overall testers and programmers — and form up a fast feedback communication channel.

Testers can even focus and spend time on main key areas and provides feedback on quality to do swift and necessary reforms in development. This is advantageous for management to get to know product quality status earlier and quicker— and address those areas which demand priority and focus.

In case there are quality risks in architecture or system design then it should be fixed sooner without wasting any sort of time and money. This is perfect in an Agile environment as well.

Effectiveness in finding crucial bugs

There are (though fewer) empirical studies to decide the effectiveness of ET. But in everyday testing, testers understand that besides Automated Tests, testers are exploring and pondering differently to find bugs customers may encounter.

Under a controlled environment, it displays that ET is powerful in finding bugs of diverse severities and reveal crucial defects to detect.

Conclusion

So, since you know much about the exploratory type of testing now and how this approach can be beneficial for your testing procedures, make sure that you do not miss out on it.

___________________________________________________

Some other articles you might find of interest:

Make your business rock with these business plan writing skills:

Startup’s Guide to Write a Business Plan

Would you like to know how investors value a startup?

How Do Investors Value a Startup?