Remote Test Lab Management: Best Practices for Remote Testing

Our present generation has completely changed and advanced in software and digital connectivity. In such a generation, software testing is essential to ensure the reliability and quality of apps on which the daily lives of the end users massively depend. Unlike a remote test lab, the developers must have on-site testing environments and collaborations while using traditional testing practices.

Remote test lab management is one of the most efficient solutions to improve the modern testing process’s scalability, flexibility, and efficiency. This article will explain the best practices for initiating modern remote testing. We will also understand some of the best ways of maintaining effective remote test lab management.

Understanding Remote Testing

We can define remote testing as the unique process of conducting software test cases from a location different from where the software or the testing team is physically located. The testers must use cloud testing technologies, virtualization, and remote access tools to perform this process.

This is because, with these integrations, the developers can access all the required tools, dependencies, and libraries through multiple online servers. Let us now understand some of the significant advantages of remote testing for verifying the functioning of modern applications:

• With remote testing, app companies can eliminate the need for physical testing infrastructure. It also means that the testers do not have to physically travel to the location of the test bench to execute the test cases.

• The testers can access the testing environment from anywhere in the world at any time. This approach helps improve global collaboration and implements round-the-clock testing. This statement clearly states that a remote testing environment is crucial in elevating testing efficiency.

• Since the developers do not have to configure a physical testing environment, they can quickly scale the testing infrastructure up or down depending on the project requirements. It also means that developing app companies can seamlessly accommodate all future updates into a remote test lab.

• Many experts believe that a remote testing lab is crucial in streamlining all the testing processes and helps gain a faster feedback cycle. Using this feedback cycle allows app developers and testers to quickly resolve errors before releasing them to end users.

Understanding the Need for a Remote Test Lab

In the earlier years, the app testers only had to worry about compatibility on the desktop as it was the only platform for accessing multiple applications. However, with the evolution of technology, users can access apps and the Internet on mobile devices, tablets, and even IoTs.

The developers must create and maintain an in-house test lab for all these devices. It will not only become hectic but also be expensive to purchase and maintain all these devices. Moreover, app testemust also to go through the hassle of updating test benches as thousands of new devices enter the market annually.

However, the app developing companies can completely eliminate this process by using a remote testing setup. So, a remote test lab helps save millions of company dollars but also helps save a lot of time that can be further invested in other crucial areas of the app development project.

Best Practices for Remote Test Lab Management

Let us now go through some of the best practices that can help modern testers efficiently manage a remote testing lab while elevating its efficiency and productivity:

1. Establishing Clear Communications

It is essential to have clear communication for successful remote testing. So, the testers must establish clear communication channels, including video conferencing tools, chat platforms, and project management software. This implementation will also help them to initiate smooth collaboration among the remote team members.

During this process, the app developers and testers should also know the time zone differences that can impact the communication channels. So, it is essential to plan the communications accordingly to avoid interruptions or bottlenecks.

2. Defining the Roles and Responsibilities

The app testers must clearly define the responsibilities and roles of each team member involved in the remote testing and project. In this list, it is essential to include the testers, developers, test leads, and system administrators. Using a well-defined structure, the app-developing companies can avoid confusion and ensure accountability during the process.

While defining the roles and responsibilities, the app-developing company should also correctly represent the debugging and troubleshooting team members. This is because this team will be responsible for efficiently solving the application errors and quickly forwarding it to the deployment phase.

3. Implementing Robust Security Measures

Security is one of the most critical parameters of a remote testing infrastructure. This is because, using a remote testing environment, the app developing companies can also test sensitive applications, including banking and health apps, which will have a lot of crucial customer data.

So, app testers must implement robust security measures, including multi-factor authentication, encryption, and access control mechanisms. All these approaches will help safeguard the data and infrastructure against any breaches or unwanted access.

4. Utilize Cloud-Based Testing Platforms

Modern cloud-based testing platforms provide on-demand access to multiple testing environments and resources. With these platforms, app testers can massively expand their target audience by increasing their application compatibility with old devices and outdated browser versions that are no longer available.

You can make use of a cloud-based platform like LambdaTest. LambdaTest is an AI-powered test orchestration and execution platform that lets you run manual and automated tests at scale with over 3000+ browsers and OS combinations, including real device cloud. With this platform, developers can integrate advanced and unique technologies like artificial intelligence to organize and test instances properly.

It also provides elevated test reporting and debugging with comprehensive test reports and real-time test activity logs that can be monitored by all the members of the remote testing team.

5. Automate Test Processes

Modern application test cycles have thousands of different test instances that the developers need to conduct correctly to guarantee the proper functioning of the application infrastructure. If the developers try to execute these processes manually, it will take them several weeks and even months to complete.

Alternatively, the application testers can integrate automation testing to automatically execute these test cases on their target devices and other software combinations. By combining automation testing with a remote test lab, the app testers can streamline repetitive tasks, including report analysis, test execution, and report generation.

This process also helps the app developers and testers save a lot of time, which they can use to invest in other complex areas or create unique features for future application iterations.

6. Standardize the Testing Environments

We advise the application testers to maintain consistency across the testing environments using modern approaches like standardized configurations to convert dependencies and infrastructure components. Using this process, the app testers can also ensure proper reproductivity of test cases and minimize the test discrepancies in different testing environments.

Moreover, by implementing and maintaining a standard testing environment, app-developing companies can also ensure that non-technical members like the business and production teams can follow the development process and possess basic knowledge about the current application development status.

7. Monitoring and Analyzing the Reports

We advise the testers to continuously monitor the performance of the remote testing environments and infrastructure. This approach will help them identify the potential bottlenecks or issues that might be present in the application development and testing process. The testers can also utilize monitoring tools and analytics dashboards during this stage.

These additions will allow the testers to track key metrics, including resource utilization, execution time, and the overall test coverage. Based on these reports, the app testers can customize the test cases and test execution processes to streamline the testing efforts while elevating the productivity of the overall process.

8. Providing Training and Support

App-developing companies need to properly train their members to use and handle a remote testing environment. This process will also help them efficiently utilize all the resources of a remote testing environment. For instance, the app companies can offer training sessions, rich documentation, and online tutorials.

All these additions will help familiarize the testers with best practices and troubleshooting techniques crucial to maintaining the stability of the testing infrastructure. We also advise the application developers to join various communities and forums, which consist of open-source developers and testers.

This is because app developers and testers can refer to these community members whenever they are stuck with any features of a remote testing environment.

9. Encouraging Knowledge Sharing and Collaboration

App companies should foster a culture of collaboration and knowledge sharing among the remote testing team members. The app companies can encourage regular meetings, peer reviews, and brainstorming sessions to implement this process. This inclusion will also help exchange ideas and insights and improve the testing processes collectively.

Other than improving the efficiency of a remote testing process, proper collaboration exercises also help to create new features that the developers and testers can integrate within the app infrastructure to boost its functioning and appeal.

10. Adapting and Iterating the Test Instances

Finally, the application testers must develop a mindset of continuous improvement and adaptation while working with a remote test lab setup. Such a mindset will help app-developing companies solicit feedback from team members and stakeholders and use this feedback to identify areas of improvement.

The collective goal of this process is to refine the testing strategies iteratively. During this process, the application-developing companies should also closely monitor their target industry and understand all the emerging trends and practices. Based on these additions, the testers can review their application to ensure compliance with the changing standards.

The Bottom Line  

Based on this article, a remote test lab offers multiple advantages, including scalability, flexibility, and efficiency for modern software testing projects. By implementing all the best practices we discussed in this article, testers can efficiently manage remote testing environments to maximize the quality of the software products.

Moreover, remote testing can become the main focus of a successful software development and testing initiative using the right tools, collaborative mindset, and processes. Finally, the proper implementation, configuration, and utilization of remote test labs will be crucial in improving the quality of the developed application.