What All You Need to Know About Alpha Testing?

Well, it’s no doubt that everyone out there loves to surf on software that is reliable and smooth. So, your software must be usable, feature-rich, and bugs free. Moreover, to stay competitive, ensure that your software is tested thoroughly. Any identified bugs or issues can affect your customers and your market. 

Typically, a formal testing strategy is planned and performed before releasing software. It is recommended not to skip additional tests like Alpha testing. The purpose of conducting additional testing is to ensure the quality of the product before it is made available to the general public. 

Want to know more about it? In this blog, you will find everything you need to know about offshore testing services, including testing phases, testing process, advantages, and disadvantages. 

Let’s begin!

What is Alpha Testing?

Alpha testing is the first end-to-end testing of the product to ensure that your software meets the desired requirements and functions. During the development process, individual and features unit testing is conducted. Later, this testing refines the software by finding and fixing bugs not discovered through previous tests.

It is performed by internal employees using both the ‘white box’ and ‘black box’ methods. In a white box method, testers look inside the product to see what is happening during testing. It also helps to spot problems and troubleshoot bugs uncovered earlier. Whereas a black box test provides the inputs and confirms the outputs returned as expected. 

Phases of Alpha Testing

It is performed before the beta testing, in the final stage of the development process. The objective of the test is to verify the input and output functionality of the software. It is further divided into three phases which are listed below.  

• Pre-alpha Testing

The pre-alpha test is an initial step to alpha testing. It involves a quick, high-level testing cycle of the software. In this phase, in-house developers aim to catch plenty of bugs quickly in one go. 

• Alpha Testing

The next phase is considered a lengthy and rigorous testing phase. This process is followed by a full cycle of thorough feature testing, including black-box and white-box testing. As a result, other additional defects and bugs are discovered in this phase.

• Post-alpha Testing

In the final stage, the developers fix bugs found while other testers continue to search for new bugs. 

Behavior and user experience are determined throughout the testing so that issues found can be ironed out before releasing the software. 

Step-by-Step Alpha Testing Process

Here is the detailed process followed by testers to get the enhanced software.

• Step 1: Reviewing the Requirements

The first step is to define the objective and the designs of the specification of the software. Then, look into its functional requirements and integrate results into evolving project plans. 

• Step 2: Planning and Preparing Test Case

The next step is to prepare the test plan as the outcome of the software requirements. A good alpha process must have a well-defined plan with comprehensive test cases.

• Step 3: Execution of Plan and Logging Defects

In the third step, testing is performed as discussed in the above-listed three phases of tests. All the defects, issues, and bugs are administered, and the evaluation sheet is prepared. 

• Step 4: Evaluation and Bug Fixing

Once the sheet is prepared by the testers. The bugs found are evaluated and discussed by the development team. Accordingly, bug fixing takes place. The QA team must work on gathering usability feedback.  

• Step 5: Report Preparation

In the end, the follow-up report is prepared. The resolved issues are retested to make the software bug-free, secure, and reliable.  

Advantages of Alpha Testing

Software QA teams perform it to ensure the quality and usability of their software. Here are the listed advantages. 

• Adequate

It offers adequate and thorough input and output testing. It uses both black as well as white box testing. The black box tests the system’s output and functionality, while the white box tests the design and internal structure. 

• Improved Quality

The system is tested in a simulated environment similar to the environment in which it will be used. It creates a realistic testing condition and focuses on end usability. However, it helps in enhanced quality. 

• Reliable

It ensures that the software is usable and reliable for its end users. The QA software measures the system performance to obtain an idea of its usage in advance to make the right decisions on future improvements. 

• Short-delivery Time

This test allows the testing team to identify production issues in advance and fix them before the software goes to launch. However, it reduces development re-work and time to resolve issues later after release. 

Disadvantages of Alpha Testing

With many advantages, it also has a couple of drawbacks. Being aware of these will help in minimizing the impact. Here are the listed disadvantages.

• Longer Execution Time

The software goes in-depth testing using both white and black box methods. This means the execution takes a longer duration to complete. Also, it depends on the number of features and uncovered defects that will drag on the duration. 

• Limitation for non-functional Testing

It takes place in a virtual environment. It’s no doubt that it is successful for the software’s usability and performance, but it lacks aspects like in-depth security and maintainability. 

Key Takeaways

Every business must offer highly efficient and usable software to stay ahead of the competition. Good software will not only increase the number of users but also retain them for a very long time. It offers high-value and quality software. Here are a few key pointers. 

• The objective and one of the reasons to do alpha testing is to ensure the success of the product. 
• It helps to improve the quality, functionality, and effectiveness of the software. 
• It’s crucial to make a well-defined plan and execute it afterward. Good the plan the best would be the testing results. 
• Though it offers multiple advantages but also has lacked in nonfunctional requirements. 

However, you can minimize the impact after understanding the software requirement. If you looking for top-class testing, you can reach out to QASource’s offshore testing services. We have a dedicated team of alpha testers that can boost the overall quality of your software. Feel free to get in touch with our experts to know more about our testing services.