ystem testing is a big deal in software development – it’s your last line of defense to make sure everything works together perfectly. It might feel overwhelming with all the test cases piling up, but this phase is all about seeing the big picture (and making sure that you stay organised with those test cases). Think of it as the moment when all the puzzle pieces come together, making sure that your software is ready to handle whatever users throw at it.

What is system testing?

System testing in software testing is, quite simply, checking if your entire product works as a whole in the way it should. It isn’t any more complicated than that – even though some tools and testing resources make it feel more complex with lots of jargon and complicated explanations.

You can think of it as the stage when everything comes together. Once you’ve tested the individual parts of your product or software individually, system testing makes sure that they all work together as they were designed to do.

For example, if you have an e-commerce site, you might have tested that the login screen, payment system and shopping cart functionalities all work properly – but you then need to do system testing to make sure that they all work smoothly together.

So your system testing would look at how it all works together, which might include things like:

• Checking everything works when there are lots of users on the site at the same time.
• Making sure that the inventory updates properly after items are sold.
• Checking that confirmation and shipping emails are sent after a purchase is made.

What is system testing not?

While the premise of system testing isn’t complex, it can sometimes be helpful to know what something doesn’t do, in order to better understand what it does do. So, with that in mind, here’s what system testing doesn’t cover:

• Unit testing: System testing doesn’t focus on testing individual units in isolation. That’s the job of unit testing, which ensures that the smallest testable parts of the application (called the units) work properly on their own.
• Component testing: This is essentially the next level up from unit testing, testing a module or feature that’s made up of multiple units.
• Integration testing: Testing how specific parts work together, making sure that multiple components talk to each other in the way they’re supposed to.

When it comes to system testing vs unit testing, then, the main difference is the level of focus: unit testing (and component testing) checks individual parts of the software to make sure each function or component works on its own, while system testing looks at the whole software system to ensure all parts work together properly. Unit, component and integration testing are all typically done by developers as part of the software development process.

All of these types of testing, as well as system testing, are done before user acceptance testing. This comes after the internal testing done by your team, when the QA team thinks the product or software is ready for your client or end user.

System testing also shouldn’t be confused with software testing, which is a more general term for the entire process of testing software, while system testing is one of the component parts, along with unit testing and component testing.

Why is system testing important?

System testing plays a crucial role in any test plan, because it makes sure that all the parts of your system work together as expected. When you do system testing, you can check that the entire system behaves as intended as a whole. It helps you to identify any potential problems that might not have been found during earlier phases of testing like unit or integration testing, reducing the risk of bugs or failures after you deploy.

Benefits and limitations of system testing

The benefits of system testing include the following:

• Comprehensive: System testing verifies that the entire system works as a whole, and that it meets all specified requirements.
• Identifies bugs pre-launch: It’s common for things to get missed during earlier rounds of testing, so system testing will help you to catch anything before you launch.
• Quality checking: It ensures that your product is stable, reliable and ready for deployment, leading to fewer post-launch issues, and increased customer satisfaction.
• Real-world testing: System testing should be carried out in conditions as close as possible to the real world, meaning that it’s more accurate than simulated test environments. This also means it helps you to prepare for user acceptance testing.

But there are also some potential challenges you might face with system testing:

• Time-consuming: Comprehensive system testing can take time, especially if your system is large or complex.
• Complex test case design: Because you’re testing the entire system, there are many test cases needed – which means you need to stay organised for it to be effective.
• Risk of incomplete coverage: Again, because the scope for system testing is wide, there’s the risk of missing edge cases.
• Dependence on earlier stages: If there were any gaps in your previous testing phases, these may be carried over into your system testing.

Types of system testing

System testing is a broad umbrella term – there are various different types of tests that can be categorized as system testing. These can be broken down into functional and non-functional testing.

Functional testing checks if the system works according to the requirements, for example, checking whether the login feature works. It also includes regression testing. This checks that new features haven’t broken existing functionality, catching bugs that may have been unintentionally introduced. It’s often automated but can also be manual, and some teams consider it to be part of their system testing – but it can also be thought of as standalone testing.

Non-functional testing checks important aspects like performance, security and speed. These tests include:

• Usability testing: This checks how user-friendly and intuitive the user interface (UI) is. It can happen as part of product development.
• Stress testing: This tests the system's stability under extreme conditions, such as high traffic or resource depletion.
• Performance testing: This checks how well your software or system works under different conditions, making sure it can handle the demands of real users, heavy traffic, and processing lots of data.
• Security testing: This testing is fairly self explanatory. The aim is to identify vulnerabilities and ensure that a software system is secure from potential threats or attacks.
• Scalability testing: This checks that your application can handle increases in load and traffic.

How does system testing fit in with your wider testing plan?

It’s best to do system testing after you’ve completed unit testing (when all individual units of the system have been tested separately to make sure they work correctly) and integration testing (when you’ve checked that the different components or modules work together as expected).

Once these steps have been taken, you can carry out system testing, to look at the entire system as a whole to make sure that all the parts work together as you expect them to.

System testing should come before user acceptance testing (UAT), which is when your client or real users test the software to ensure it meets the requirements of the real people using it. Which really, it always should – because whenever you’re testing anything, throughout the entire testing process, you should always put yourself in your users’ shoes.

You’ll always want to do functional testing as part of your system tests, but it’s not always necessary to do every type of non-functional testing. The decision as to what types of system testing you do should be based on your system's specific needs. For example, a small website might not require extensive stress testing or scalability testing, but a high-traffic application or an e-commerce platform would. Choose tests that align with the project's scope, user requirements, and potential risks.

How to get started with system testing

Remember, system testing doesn’t need to be complicated. Here are the steps you should take to make sure it’s simple, stress-free, and effective.

1. Make a test plan
In other words, you should outline your overall framework and strategy for testing.

2. Write your test scenarios and test cases
A test scenario is a high-level description of functionality to be tested, while a test case is a more detailed set of criteria for testing a feature or functionality.

3. Create test data
Make sure you have the information you need to validate your tests. This might involve creating sample accounts, transactions, or datasets.

4. Create the test environment
Remember, the test environment should mirror the production environment as closely as possible to ensure realistic testing conditions.

5. Conduct the tests
Run your tests to check if the system performs the intended functions correctly. You might check, for example, test if users can log in or make purchases as expected.

6. Document and report issues
As you test, document any issues or bugs you encounter. Provide detailed steps, screenshots, or logs to help the development team identify and fix the problem. You may want to use a bug tracking tool to log issues.

7. Test again
Once the development team addresses the bugs, retest the system to ensure the issues were fixed and no new problems were introduced.

8. Final testing and sign off
If the issues have been fixed, you can sign off the system for release. But if the issues persist – or if you discover any new issues – you’ll need to keep tweaking and testing until the problems have been resolved.

Keeping on top of your system testing

There are lots of different things you can test during your system testing, which means that you could quickly lose track of both the tests you need to complete and the results of said tests. So you might be considering some software testing software to help you stay on top of things.

We recommend keeping things simple – because there’s really no need to make testing more complicated than it needs to be. Testpad takes a fresh approach to test management. It’s a modern testing tool that takes a checklist-based approach, helping you to stay organized while testing more (and faster). It’s perfect for teams who want to get stuck into testing and move quickly.

Some of the key features include:

• Intuitive interface: The checklist system is really easy to use, even for non-technical users.
• Keyboard-driven editor: This allows you to type hundreds of test prompts in minutes, with free-form test plans so you can test however you like to do it.
• Guest users: Invite guests to run tests without a login, meaning you can get extra help during the time-consuming process of system testing.
• Duplicate and group test case scenarios: Easily duplicate and group tests into test scenarios, which can make things simpler when it comes to organizing and tracking your testing.
• Fast reporting: Instant reports that are easy to read and understand at a glance.

If you want quick and easy system testing, Testpad could be the tool for you. Quickly write and organise your test cases and test scenarios so you can get through more testing, faster, and use our instant reports to check on progress at a glance. If you’re ready to kickstart your system testing, why not try our 30-day free trial today?

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