Top Five Testing Mistakes Made By Startup Companies

When the time comes to conduct quality assurance, many startup companies consider the idea of testing in-house. Why? Often because it seems like an ideal way to save time and money. And while this may be true when looking at short-term savings, the bugs and errors missed during in-house quality assurance testing can prove detrimental in the long run.

Here are five of the top testing mistakes made by startups:

Table of Contents

• Making Assumptions
• Missing the Big Picture
• Talking More Than Listening
• Ignoring a Small Bug or Design Flaw
• Not Having a “Bug-Aware” Culture

Making Assumptions

After the months and months of work that is put into designing a piece of software, it can seem obvious to assume that the product you built is working correctly. It worked for you a few weeks ago, so why wouldn’t it work now? When in-house testing is performed, assumptions can be made and shortcuts taken (completely by accident) due to the team’s in-depth knowledge of the software they are reviewing.

Missing the Big Picture

Software that functions at peak performance is much more than just a combination of different puzzle pieces. All the pieces of your software puzzle must work in sync with each other to create a well-rounded product that performs all of its duties correctly. It is common for new testers to get caught up in the details of the projects, not taking the time to step back and look at the performance and usability as a whole.

Talking More Than Listening

Many start-ups are led by energetic and ambitious leaders. These are great qualities to have, especially for a start-up. But sometimes these types of leaders can get ahead of themselves. They talk about their vision, but they don’t listen to their testing teams about what’s truly possible. As excited as you may be about your start-up, don’t forget that there will be experts on your team who know more than you do.

Ignoring a Small Bug or Design Flaw

Just because something looks like a small problem doesn’t mean it isn’t connected to a much larger issue. Proper quality assurance testing takes note of all bugs and design flaws found, continuing to scan and review the software to ensure they are not a piece of a bigger problem.

Not Having a “Bug-Aware” Culture

Quality assurance testing is very different from building software, and it isn’t a job for everyone! QA is a very detail-oriented profession and it can be a difficult job upon which to switch. And if your team doesn’t have the resources, knowledge and “bug awareness” necessary to find potential problems, bugs that would otherwise be found will be missed. When it comes to quality assurance testing, Beta Breakers can provide a stable testing environment and an experienced team of testers to uncover bugs and perform usability testing before your software’s release.

Not only does outsourcing quality assurance testing increase objectivity, it also ensures that testers have the experience and in-depth knowledge of testing protocol and methodologies. To learn more about our quality assurance testing services and to help ensure the success of your software release, give us a call at 415-878-2990.