The Fundamental Software Testing Metrics:
Software testing metrics, which are also known as software test measurement, indicate the extent, amount, dimension, and capacity, as well as the rise of various attributes of a software process and try to improve its Effectiveness and efficiency imminently. Software testing metrics are the best way of measuring and monitoring the various testing activities performed by the team of testers during the software testing life cycle. Moreover, it helps convey the result of a prediction related to a combination of data. Hence, the various software testing metrics used by software engineers around the world are:
Derivative Metrics: Derivative metrics help identify the various areas that have issues in the software testing process and allow the team to take effective steps that increase the accuracy of testing.
Defect Density: Another important software testing metric, defect density, helps the team determine the total number of defects found in software during a specific period of time- operation or development. The results are then divided by the size of that particular module, which allows the team to decide whether the software is ready for release or whether it requires more testing. The defect density of software is counted per thousand lines of code, which is also known as KLOC. The formula used for this is:
Defect Density = Defect Count/Size of the Release/Module
Defect Leakage: An important metric that needs to be measured by the team of testers is defect leakage. Defect leakage is used by software testers to review the efficiency of the testing process before the product's user acceptance testing (UAT). If any defects are left undetected by the team and are found by the user, it is known as defect leakage or bug leakage.
Defect Leakage = (Total Number of Defects Found in UAT/ Total Number of Defects Found Before UAT) x 100
Defect Removal Efficiency: Defect removal efficiency (DRE) provides a measure of the development team's ability to remove various defects from the software prior to its release or implementation. Calculated during and across test phases, DRE is measured per test type and indicates the efficiency of the numerous defect removal methods adopted by the test team. Also, it is an indirect measurement of the quality as well as the performance of the software. Therefore, the formula for calculating Defect Removal Efficiency is:
DRE = number of defects resolved by the development team/ (Total number of defects at the moment of measurement)
Defect Category: This is a crucial type of metric evaluated during the process of the software development life cycle (SDLC). The defect category metric offers insight into the different quality attributes of the software, such as its usability, performance, functionality, stability, reliability, and more. In short, the defect category is an attribute of the defects in relation to the quality attributes of the software product and is measured with the assistance of the following formula:
Defect Category = Defects belonging to a particular category/ Total number of defects.
Defect Severity Index: It is the degree of impact a defect has on the development of an operation or a component of a software application being tested. The defect severity index (DSI) offers insight into the quality of the product under test and helps gauge the quality of the test team's efforts. Additionally, with the assistance of this metric, the team can evaluate the degree of negative impact on the quality as well as the performance of the software. The following formula is used to measure the defect severity index.
Defect Severity Index (DSI) = Sum of (Defect * Severity Level) / Total number of defects
Review Efficiency: Review efficiency is a metric used to reduce the pre-delivery defects in the software. Review defects can be found in documents as well as in documents. By implementing this metric, one reduces the cost as well as efforts utilized in the process of rectifying or resolving errors. Moreover, it helps to decrease the probability of defect leakage in subsequent stages of testing and validates the test case's Effectiveness. The formula for calculating review efficiency is:
Review Efficiency (RE) = Total Number of review defects / (Total number of review defects + Total number of testing defects) x 100
Test Case Effectiveness: The objective of this metric is to know the efficiency of test cases that are executed by the team of testers during every testing phase. It helps in determining the quality of the test cases.
Test Case Effectiveness = (Number of defects detected / number of test cases run) x 100
Test Case Productivity: This metric is used to measure and calculate the number of test cases prepared by the team of testers and the efforts invested by them in the process. It is used to determine the test case design productivity and is used as an input for future measurement and estimation. This is usually measured with the assistance of the following formula:
Test Case Productivity = (Number of Test Cases / Efforts Spent for Test Case Preparation)
Test Coverage: Test coverage is another important metric that defines the extent to which the software product's complete functionality is covered. It indicates the completion of testing activities and can be used as a criterion for concluding testing. It can be measured by implementing the following formula:
Test Coverage = Number of detected faults/numbers of predicted defects.
Another important formula that is used while calculating this metric is:
Requirement Coverage = (Number of requirements covered / Total Number of requirements) x 100
Test Design Coverage: Similar to test coverage, test design coverage measures the percentage of test case coverage against the number of requirements. This metric helps evaluate the functional Coverage of the test case designed and improves the test coverage. This is mainly calculated by the team during the stage of test design and is measured in percentage. The formula used for test design coverage is:
Test Design Coverage = (Total number of requirements mapped to test cases / Total Number of requirements) x 100
Test Execution Coverage: It helps us get an idea about the total number of test cases executed as well as the number of test cases left pending. This metric determines the Coverage of testing and is measured during test execution with the assistance of the following formula:
Test Execution Coverage = (Total Number of executed test cases or scripts / Total Number of test cases or scripts planned to be executed) x 100
Test Tracking & Efficiency: Test efficiency is an important component that needs to be evaluated thoroughly. It is a quality attribute of the testing team that is measured to ensure all testing activities are carried out in an efficient manner. The various metrics that assist in test tracking and efficiency are as follows:
Passed Test Cases Coverage: It measures the percentage of passed test cases.
(Number of passed tests / Total number of tests executed) x 100
Failed Test Case Coverage: It measures the percentage of all the failed test cases.
(Number of failed tests / Total number of test cases failed) x 100
Test Cases Blocked: Determines the percentage of test cases blocked during the software testing process.
(Number of blocked tests / Total number of tests executed) x 100
Fixed Defects Percentage: With the assistance of this metric, the team is able to identify the percentage of defects fixed.
(Defect fixed / Total Number of defects reported) x 100
Accepted Defects Percentage: The focus here is to define the total number of defects accepted by the development team. These are also measured in percentage.
(Defects accepted as valid / Total defect reported) x 100
Defects Rejected Percentage: Another important metric considered under test track and efficiency is the percentage of defects rejected by the development team.
(Number of defects rejected by the development team / total defects reported) x 100
Defects Deferred Percentage: It determines the percentage of defects deferred by the team for future releases.
(Defects deferred for future releases / Total defects reported) x 100
Critical Defects Percentage: Measures the percentage of critical defects in the software.
(Critical defects / Total defects reported) x 100
Average Time Taken to Rectify Defects: With the assistance of this formula, the team members are able to determine the average time taken by the development and testing team to rectify the defects.
(Total time taken for bug fixes / Number of bugs)
Test Effort Percentage: An important testing metric, test efforts percentage offers an evaluation of what was estimated before the commencement of the testing process vs the actual efforts invested by the team of testers. It helps in understanding any variances in the testing and is extremely helpful in estimating similar projects in the future. Similar to test efficiency, test efforts are also evaluated with the assistance of various metrics:
The Number of Test Run Per Time Period: Here, the team measures the number of tests executed in a particular time frame.
(Number of test runs / Total time)
Test Design Efficiency: The objective of this metric is to evaluate the design efficiency of the executed test.
(Number of test runs / Total time)
Bug Find Rate: One of the most important metrics used during the test effort percentage is the bug find rate. It measures the number of defects/bugs found by the team during the process of testing.
(Total number of defects / Total number of test hours) Number of Bugs Per Test: As suggested by the name, the focus here is to measure the number of defects found during every testing stage.
(Total number of defects / Total number of tests)
Average Time to Test a Bug Fix: After evaluating the above metrics, the team finally identifies the time taken to test a bug fix. (Total time between defect fix & retest for all defects / Total Number of defects)
Test Effectiveness: A contrast to test efficiency, test effectiveness measures and evaluates the bugs and defect ability as well as the quality of a test set. It finds defects and isolates them from the software product and its deliverables. Moreover, the test effectiveness metrics offer the percentage of the difference between the total number of defects found by the software testing and the number of defects found in the software. This is mainly calculated with the assistance of the following formula:
Test Effectiveness (TEF) = (Total Number of defects injected + Total number of defects found / Total Number of defects escaped) x 100
Test Economic Metrics: While testing the software product, various components contribute to the cost of testing, like people involved, resources, tools, and infrastructure. Hence, it is vital for the team to evaluate the estimated amount of testing with the actual expenditure of money during the process of testing. This is achieved by evaluating the following aspects:
Total allocated the cost of testing.
The actual cost of testing.
Variance from the estimated budget.
Variance from the schedule.
Cost per bug fix.
The cost of not testing.
Test Team Metrics: Finally, the test team metrics are defined by the team. This metric is used to understand if the work allocated to various test team members is distributed uniformly and to verify if any team member requires more information or clarification about the test process or the project. This metric is immensely helpful as it promotes knowledge transfer among team members and allows them to share necessary details regarding the project without pointing out or blaming an individual for certain irregularities and defects. Represented in the form of graphs and charts, this is fulfilled with the assistance of the following aspects:
Returned defects are distributed team member-wise, along with other important details, like defects reported, accepted, and rejected.
The open defects are distributed to retest per test team member.
Test case allocated to each test team member.
The number of test cases executed by each test team member.
Software Testing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):
A type of performance measurement, Key Performance Indicators or KPIs, are used by organizations as well as testers to get data that can be measured. KPIs are the detailed specifications that are measured and analyzed by the software testing team to ensure the compliance of the process with the objectives of the business. Moreover, they help the team take any necessary steps in case the performance of the product does not meet the defined objectives.
In short, Key performance indicators are the important metrics that are calculated by the software testing teams to ensure the project is moving in the right direction and is achieving the target effectively, which was defined during the planning, strategic, and/or budget sessions. The various important KPIs for software testers are:
Active Defects: A simple yet important KPI, active defects help identify the status of a defect- new, open, or fixed -and allow the team to take the necessary steps to rectify it. These are measured based on the threshold set by the team and are tagged for immediate action if they are above the threshold.
Automated Tests: While monitoring and analyzing the key performance indicators, it is important for the test manager to identify the automated tests. Through tricky, it allows the team to track the number of automated tests, which can help catch/detect the critical and high-priority defects introduced in the software delivery stream.
Covered Requirements: With the assistance of this key performance indicator, the team can track the percentage of requirements covered by at least one test. The test manager monitors these KPIs every day to ensure 100% test and requirements coverage.
Authored Tests: Another important key performance indicator, authored tests are analyzed by the test manager, as it helps them analyze the test design activity of their business analysts and testing engineers.
Passed Tests: The percentage of passed tests is evaluated/measured by the team by monitoring the execution of every last configuration within a test. This helps the team understand how effective the test configurations are in detecting and trapping defects during the process of testing.
Test Instances Executed: This key performance indicator is related to the velocity of the test execution plan and is used by the team to highlight the percentage of the total instances available in a test set. However, this KPI does not offer insight into the quality of the build.
Test Executed: Once the test instances are determined, the team moves ahead and monitors the different types of test execution, such as manual, automated, etc. Just like test instances executed, this is also a velocity KPI.
Defects Fixed Per Day: By evaluating this KPI, the test manager is able to keep track of the number of defects fixed on a daily basis as well as the efforts invested by the team to rectify these defects and issues. Moreover, it allows them to see the progress of the project as well as the testing activities.
Direct Coverage: This KPI helps to perform a manual or automated coverage of a feature or component and ensures that all features and their functions are completely and thoroughly tested. If a component is not tested during a particular sprint, it will be considered incomplete and will not be moved until it is tested.
Percentage of Critical & Escaped Defects: The percentage of critical and escaped defects is an important KPI that needs the attention of software testers. It ensures that the team and their testing efforts are focused on rectifying the critical issues and defects in the product, which in turn helps them ensure the quality of the entire testing process as well as the product.
Time to Test: The focus of this key performance indicator is to help the software testing team measure the time that a feature takes to move from the stage of "testing" to "done". It offers assistance in calculating the Effectiveness as well as the efficiency of the testers and understanding the complexity of the feature under test.
Defect Resolution Time: Defect resolution time is used to measure the time it takes for the team to find the bugs in the software and to verify and validate the fix. Apart from this, it also keeps track of the resolution time while measuring and qualifying the tester's responsibility and ownership for their bugs. In short, from tracking the bugs and making sure the bugs are fixed the way they were supposed to, to closing out the issue in a reasonable time, this KPI ensures it all.
Successful Sprint Count Ratio: Though a software testing metric, this is also used by software testers as a KPI, once all the successful sprint statistics are collected. It helps them calculate the percentage of successful sprints with the assistance of the following formula:
Successful Sprint Count Ratio: (Successful Sprint / Total Number of Sprints) x 100
Quality Ratio: Based on the passed or failed rates of all the tests executed by the software testers, the quality ratio is used as both a software testing metric as well as a KPI. The formula used for this is:
Quality Ratio: (Successful Tests Cases / Total Number of Test Cases) x 100
Test Case Quality: A software testing metric and a KPI, test case quality, helps evaluate and score the written test cases according to the defined criteria. It ensures that all the test cases are examined either by producing quality test case scenarios or with the assistance of sampling. Moreover, to ensure the quality of the test cases, certain factors should be considered by the team, such as:
They should be written to find faults and defects.
Test & requirements coverage should be fully established.
The areas affected by the defects should be identified and mentioned clearly.
Test data should be provided accurately and should cover all possible situations.
It should also cover success and failure scenarios.
Expected results should be written in a correct and clear format.
Defect Resolution Success Ratio: By calculating this KPI, the team of software testers can find out the number of defects resolved and reopened. If none of the defects is reopened, then 100% success is achieved in terms of resolution. The defect resolution success ratio is evaluated with the assistance of the following formula:
Defect Resolution Success Ratio = [ (Total Number of Resolved Defects) – (Total Number of Reopened Defects) / (Total Number of Resolved Defects)] x 100
Process Adherence & Improvement: This KPI can be used for the software testing team to reward them and their efforts if they come up with any ideas or solutions that simplify the process of testing and make it agile as well as more accurate.
Conclusion:
Software testing metrics and key performance indicators are improving the process of software testing exceptionally. From ensuring the accuracy of the numerous tests performed by the testers to validating the quality of the product, these play a crucial role in the software development lifecycle. Hence, by implementing and executing these software testing metrics and performance indicators, you can increase the Effectiveness as well as the accuracy of your testing efforts and get exceptional quality.
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