Software Testing — is, ultimately, a switch testing

If you are good at an electricity switch testing, then you can test anything. Because everything in Software Testing — is a “switch”: something either enabled or disabled (on web, in database, etc.)

That’s why the question about to test an electricity switch — is so common at Quality Assurance job interviews.

You can play a short game with your QA colleagues: how many test cases for electricity switch you can write during 10 minutes? And then compare your results.

And the results will be the following:

• Everyone will cover smoke tests
• Some will cover some non-functional tests
• The more QA engineers involved in a game — the more unique non-functional tests you’ll get

Then continue the game: give QA Engineers FURPS+ table of test domains and ask to think 5 minutes more. And the result:

• You’ll get tens of unique non-functional, important tests!

For example, you’ll get a test on a smell of a switch during its operation and health care issues related to that and electricity isolation test for a high voltage and current, and even a test that a manual of how to use a switch exists! A lot of tests!

That’s why it is so important for QA Engineers to 1) use FURPS+ model at their work and 2) to review test cases of each other. This is the same as code review for Software Developers.

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