Static Testing

Static Testing also known as Verification testing or Non-execution testing is a type of Software Testing method that is performed to check the defects in software without actually executing the code of the software application.

1. Static testing is performed in the early stage of development to avoid errors as it is easier to find sources of failures and it can be fixed easily.
2. Static testing is performed in the white box testing phase of the software development where the programmer checks every line of the code before handing it over to the Test Engineer.
3. The errors that can’t not be found using Dynamic Testing, can be easily found by Static Testing.
4. It involves assessing the program code and documentation.
5. It involves manual and automatic assessment of the software documents.

Documents that are assessed in Static Testing are:

1. Test Cases
2. Test Scripts.
3. Requirement Specification.
4. Test Plans.
5. Design Document.
6. Source Code.

Static Testing Techniques

Below are some of the static testing techniques:

1. Informal Reviews: In informal review, all the documents are presented to every team member, they just review the document and give informal comments on the documents. No specific process is followed in this technique to find the errors in the document. It leads to detecting defects in the early stages.
2. Walkthroughs: Skilled people or the author of the product explains the product to the team and the scribe makes note of the review of comments.
3. Technical Reviews: Technical specifications of the software product are reviewed by the team of your peers to check whether the specifications are correct for the project. They try to find discrepancies in the specifications and standards. Technical specifications documents like Test Plan, Test Strategy, and requirements specification documents are considered in technical reviews.
4. Code Reviews: Code reviews also known as Static code reviews are a systematic review of the source code of the project without executing the code. It checks the syntax of the code, coding standards, code optimization, etc.
5. Inspection: Inspection is a formal review process that follows a strict procedure to find defects. Reviewers have a checklist to review the work products. They record the defects and inform the participants to rectify the errors.

Benefits of Static Testing

Below are some of the benefits of static testing:

1. Early detection of defects: Static testing helps in the early detection of defects by reviewing the documents and artifacts before execution, issues can be detected and resolved at an early stage, thus saving time and effort later in the development process.
2. Cost-effective: Static testing is more cost-effective than dynamic testing techniques. Defects found during static testing are much cheaper to find and fix for the organization than in dynamic testing. It reduces the development, testing, and overall organization cost.
3. Easy to find defects: Static testing easily finds defects that dynamic testing does not detect easily.
4. Increase development productivity: Static testing increases development productivity due to quality and understandable documentation, and improved design.
5. Identifies coding errors: Static testing helps to identify coding errors and syntax issues resulting in cleaner and more maintainable code.

Limitations of Static Testing

Below are some of the limitations of static testing:

1. Detect some issues: Static testing may not uncover all issues that could arise during runtime. Some defects may appear only during dynamic testing when the software runs.
2. Depends on the reviewer’s skills: The effectiveness of static testing depends on the reviewer’s skills, experience, and knowledge.
3. Time-consuming: Static testing can be time-consuming when working on large and complex projects.

Testing is the most important stage in the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC). It helps to deliver high-quality products to the end-user and also provides an opportunity for the developer to improve the product. Testing is of many types and is chosen based on the product that is being developed. Static Testing and Dynamic Testing are the two testing techniques that will be discussed in this article.