Imagine you’ve just built a toy car. Before you start playing with it for a long time, what would you do first?
You might check if the wheels are attached properly.
You’d see if the car can move forward and backward.
You’d test whether the remote control works.
Now, think of a computer program like a big toy, and smoke testing is like that quick check!
In QA (quality assurance), this is often one of the first steps to validate the integrity of a new software system. Think of it like running a basic test case to verify that the most critical aspects are functioning.
When developers create a new software system, they start with smoke testing to see if all the important parts are working, much like checking the toy car’s wheels and remote. If something is broken, they stop and fix it. This initial check is called smoke testing.
What is Smoke Testing?
The term "smoke test" originated in the plumbing industry, where plumbers would channel smoke through a piping system to detect leaks. If smoke escaped, it meant there was an issue that needed fixing.
In the software world, smoke testing is a type of software testing performed to verify that the core functionalities of a system are working as expected. The goal is to catch any major issues in the system as quickly as possible.
When Do We Conduct Smoke Testing?
In my experience, smoke testing happens at two critical stages: the initial round in dev and UAT environments and the final round after a production release.
Initial Smoke Testing: When software is deployed in a quality assurance (QA) environment, a quick round of tests based on a smoke test plan is run. These critical test cases help determine if we can proceed to more detailed QA and functional testing. If they fail, testing is paused until issues are fixed.
Post-Deployment Smoke Testing: After deploying to production, we execute a smoke test to ensure stability. This test checks whether the core system is stable enough for release, helping in the decision of whether to move forward or roll back.
Why is Smoke Testing Important?
The primary purpose of smoke testing is to quickly validate core functionalities. Since it doesn't cover the entire system, the goal is to wrap up testing swiftly and address any major issues right away.
In QA practices, smoke testing is quick, cost-effective, and provides early feedback on whether the system is ready for further testing or public release. It allows management to make faster decisions on whether a release should proceed.
In my experience, teams typically create a simple smoke test plan, using a spreadsheet to track the critical test cases. Results are shared with stakeholders to decide whether to continue with the release.
To highlight the importance of smoke testing, let me share a personal experience. I still remember waking up at 4 AM with my team to run smoke tests after a production deployment for one of our projects, making sure the release was smooth. While it felt frustrating and repetitive at the time, it ultimately saved us from releasing an unstable version to the public.
How to Create a Smoke Test Plan?
Creating a smoke test plan involves focusing on the system’s core functionalities. In QA management, it’s important to ensure that the most critical features and platforms are covered.
For example:
Imagine we’re developing a smoke test plan for an online travel company where users can book flights and hotels. The plan would focus on the following key areas:
Ensuring users can book flights and hotels with supported payment methods.
Testing popular routes and hotels for typical user journeys.
Verifying login, logout, and personal detail management functionalities.
This way, the smoke test plan concentrates on what matters most, ensuring a quick and efficient check of the system’s core functions.
Common Mistakes During Smoke Testing
One common mistake in QA that I have noticed is overcomplicating the smoke test plan. Smoke testing should be quick and cover only the most critical test cases. It’s essential to avoid trying to test everything, and instead focus on what matters most.
What Are the Disadvantages of Smoke Testing?
While smoke testing checks the stability of the most critical parts of the system, it doesn’t guarantee that the entire system is error-free. Smoke testing doesn’t cover all functional and non-functional aspects, nor does it account for every possible device and OS combination.
Think of smoke testing as a rapid health check—it tells you if the system is stable enough to proceed with further testing or release, but it’s not exhaustive.
How to Start with Smoke Testing?
If you’re a QA manager or a QA tester thinking about adding smoke testing to your process, here’s how to get started:
Identify Core Functionalities: Have a discussion with stakeholders to agree on the critical functionalities that need testing.
Create a Test Plan: Focus your test plan around the most commonly used workflows and core features of the system.
Platform and OS Selection: Make a list of the platform and OS combinations that are most relevant to your users.
Share Results: Once testing is complete, create a concise report and share it with relevant stakeholders. This will help them make an informed decision about the release.