What is System Testing?

Anushree Chatterjee

If you’ve been part of software development, it could be in any capacity, then you’ll know that testing the application is a huge part of it. Think of it like buying a shirt. Some might look at the fabric to check if it’s high-quality cotton, while some might not bother too much about it. Someone else might assess the brightness of the blue color, while others might not. In essence, we’re looking at different aspects of the product and testing it.

The above example also shows us that there isn’t a single, written-in-stone way of testing. You can verify different aspects of the product. Similarly, system testing is another effective way of testing software.

Read on to find out more about system testing.

What is System Testing?

System testing is like the final checkup for a car before it hits the road. After all the parts of the car (or in this case, the software) have been put together, system testing makes sure everything works properly as a whole.

During system testing, testers look at the big picture — they check whether the software does what it’s supposed to do, if it runs smoothly, and if it meets all the requirements. It’s not just about fixing small bugs, but making sure everything works together without issues. For example, it checks if the software runs on different devices or browsers, if it’s fast enough, and if it’s secure.

System testing is usually a form of black-box testing as the tester does not have to bother themselves with the internal workings of the system. All they are concerned with is whether the system is living up to expectations.

When is System Testing Performed?

System testing is performed after the software’s various parts have been built and integrated together but before it is released to users.

Here’s the usual order:

• Before System Testing:
  • Unit Testing: Individual pieces of code are tested on their own.
  • Integration Testing: Different parts of the system (like modules or components) are tested to see how they work together.
• During System Testing:
  • After unit and integration tests are complete, system testing begins. At this point, the entire system — with all its parts integrated — is tested as a whole. The goal is to make sure everything works together smoothly and meets the requirements.
• After System Testing:
  • Once system testing is complete and everything is working as expected, the software is handed over for User Acceptance Testing (UAT). This is where users check if the system meets their needs.

Benefits of System Testing

System testing can be quite beneficial to enforce quality in your application.

• Ensures Everything Works Together: Just like checking if all parts of a car are working properly together before driving it, system testing ensures that all the different parts of the software function well when combined.
• Catches Problems Early: By testing the entire system at once, issues that could affect users later are found and fixed before the software is released. This prevents bugs from sneaking through to the final product. Read about the Defect Lifecycle.
• Reduces Risk: When the system is thoroughly tested as a whole, there’s less chance that serious problems will arise after the software is released. This reduces risks for both developers and users.

System Testing Types

It can get confusing trying to understand the different types of testing. System testing might seem a lot like end-to-end testing due to its intent to test the whole system. But then system testing also tries to verify integrations, making it quite similar to integration testing. But here’s the thing – most of the tests that happen after integration tests on a whole system fall under the system testing umbrella. When we say “system testing”, we’re talking about testing the entire system’s functionality, performance, and interactions, that is both functional and non-functional areas.

Here are some common types of system testing:

• Functional Testing: This testing checks if the software does what it is supposed to do based on its requirements. For example, in a login feature, functional testing would check if users can log in with the correct credentials and are denied access with incorrect ones.
• Non-functional Testing: This type of testing focuses on how well the system performs, rather than what it does. It checks aspects like speed, security, and usability, which are also critical for a smooth user experience. Examples of this could look like checking how fast a website loads (performance), ensuring data is secure (security), or testing how easy the software is to use (usability).
• Regression Testing: This testing checks that new changes or updates to the software haven’t broken anything that was already working. For example, after adding a new feature to an app, regression testing would make sure that the old features, like login or search, still work properly.
• Compatibility Testing: This type of testing ensures that the software works well across different environments like operating systems, browsers, or devices. It guarantees that users have a consistent experience no matter where or how they access the software. For example, testing a website on different browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari) or making sure a mobile app works on both iOS and Android phones.

Read more about the different types of testing over here:

• Functional Testing and Non-functional Testing – What’s the Difference?
• Functional Testing Types: An In-Depth Look
• What is Regression Testing?
• Automating Usability Testing: Approaches and Tools
• Security Testing

Difference Between Different Types of Testing

So, how should one decide what type of testing to use?

Understand the objective or focus of each type of testing. Here’s a table to briefly differentiate between system testing and other similar testing types.

Best Practices for System Testing

Here are some tips to help you make the most of system testing, irrespective of the type of system testing you choose.

• Create a fluid test plan: While it is important to have a test plan, remember that in dynamic environments, hurdles and changes are going to keep coming. You may not be able to stick to your plan in such situations. Hence, you need to have a detailed plan which is flexible enough to accommodate such demands.
• Test early and often: Even though system testing comes after unit and integration testing, you can always start early. What this means is that if a feature is ready for testing but the entire system isn’t yet, then start testing the feature.
• Don’t shy away from experimenting: Decide the types of system testing best suited for your project and use them in a way that they complement one another.
• Think like a user: At the system testing level, you need to think more globally. Your product should be helpful to the user rather than a hindrance. Test as though you are the user!
• Use automation wherever possible: Find the right balance between manual and automation testing. Doing this will help you test faster and gain the most out of automated testing.
• Pick good tools: Throughout the testing process, you will need tools. They could be for test automation, bug tracking, or report generation. Be prudent when finding options for your project.
• Prioritize critical features first: By prioritizing critical features, you make sure the most essential parts of the system work perfectly, even if time is limited.
• Collaborate with developers and stakeholders: Collaboration is the key. Maintain open communication with developers and other team members during testing to catch issues early and ensure everyone is aligned.
• Track and manage defects: Record and prioritize any defects (bugs or issues) found during testing and track their resolution.
• Use metrics to determine effectiveness: Think of metrics as a good yardstick to measure how helpful certain test strategies are. It is also important to remember that these metrics should not drive the show. They should just be used for analysis.

Automated System Testing Tools

Automation can be a useful ally in QA. You can cover large grounds quickly and get reliable results. Where’s the catch, you might wonder? Well, the catch is – For automated system testing to be a success, you need to find tools that are helpful. Tools that reduce your work rather than increase it are the ones we want.

Here’s a cheat sheet to help you decide whether the tool is right for you:

Consider doing a trial period or using the free version of a paid tool before committing to it. To make an informed decision, it is a good idea to conduct a proof-of-concept with a small set of test cases for each shortlisted tool.

Automated System Testing with testRigor

Intelligent tools like testRigor are your best bet for effective system testing. This tool uses generative AI to make system testing easy and quick. Here’s how this cloud-based tool simplifies your testing endeavors:

• Simple test creation: Test automation has never been this easy. testRigor uses generative AI to let you write test cases in plain English language. You can also use the AI feature to create fully functional tests with merely a description. Here are more ways for you to create test cases in testRigor – create/generate/record test cases with testRigor. These simplistic ways make it easy for all stakeholders to participate in the quality assurance process.
• Negligible test maintenance: Another great capability of this tool is that it handles interactions with UI elements smartly. You don’t need to dig into the page structure and locate the UI elements. Just write how you see them on the screen, and testRigor will do the rest. For example, if you want to click on the login button, just write click “Login”. This also helps when there are small changes, like the movement of the element to a different location on the page or changes to the tags and attributes of that element. Your test case will be safe since testRigor doesn’t depend on those fragile values.
• Integration with other tools: testRigor smoothly integrates with other tools like CI/CD pipelines, databases, and more.
• Powerful commands: With testRigor, you can test across platforms and browsers easily and perform different types of system tests. You can easily automate the testing of 2FA, CAPTCHA resolution, QR codes, email, phone calls, and SMS.

Here’s a full list of testRigor’s features.

Conclusion

System testing is a versatile type of testing. You can pick different aspects of the system you want to test and then see if it satisfies expectations. In short, system testing helps make sure the entire product is ready and reliable before it’s released to users. Don’t forget to use effective testing tools to automate your system testing so that you can perform better quality checks in shorter time spans.

“We spent so much time on maintenance when using Selenium, and we spend nearly zero time with maintenance using testRigor.”

Keith Powe VP Of Engineering - IDT