Exploratory testing: flexible, agile and indispensable
Exploratory testing is one of the oldest test methods in software development. The name comes from the Latin ‘explorare’ and means ‘to explore’.
Exploratory testing is like a treasure hunt. The plan? Roughly mapped out. The details? Developed along the way. A so-called test charter sets the direction: What do we want to achieve? Which area do we take a closer look at?
Imagine you are exploring an unknown island. One team is looking for food in the south, another for treasure in the north. When testing software, this corresponds to the ‘treasures’ that need to be found - functional and non-functional aspects.
What is being searched for?
- Functional errors: They prevent the user from achieving their goal. Examples are miscalculations or crashes.
- Non-functional errors: They affect the way in which the goal is achieved. Examples are poor performance or unsatisfactory usability.
Exploratory testing covers both. If there is a suspicion, a closer look is taken. Why is a process taking longer than expected? Such questions often arise spontaneously and can be investigated directly.
Black box testing with a look behind the scenes
Exploratory testing is a classic black box method: The testers use the results of previous runs as a basis for the next steps. However, white-box aspects can also be incorporated. Background knowledge - for example about complex decision-making processes, recently changed code or test coverage - makes testing even more efficient.
Man or machine?
Can humans be replaced by computers? Or can the effort for further tests be reduced through an explorative approach? That depends heavily on the project.
- For high quality standards: Large brands rely on a combination of unit, integration, UI and performance tests, supplemented by an explorative final or smoke test before the release.
- If the budget is tight, e.g. in start-ups: If there is not enough money for complex tests (infrastructure set-up, licence costs, training costs, maintenance, etc.), exploratory testing can be an alternative. It fills gaps when expensive test types are not required.
Conclusion
A major advantage of exploratory testing is its adaptability. Test charters can be quickly adapted when plans change. Experienced testers use tools such as test data generators to save time and use AI methods to indicate where exploratory testing should be started. The decisive advantage of this test method therefore lies in its flexibility. The objective, time frame and even the group of people can be adapted in an agile manner.
Despite automated test runs with unit, integration and UI tests - often overnight - manual testing remains important.
With exploratory testing, experienced testers often find valuable feedback or previously undiscovered errors.
This method is flexible, agile and a valuable part of the test strategy.
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