Testing is a vital part of any project. Whether you’re building a website, creating a new product, or devising a new process, testing is essential. This is especially true of software development. Testing helps pull out bugs, gives insight into user experience, and overall makes sure that you end up with a smooth, slick product that’s good to use.
For such an important process, there are a lot of myths about software testing. If you believe any of these myths, you run the risk of sabotaging not just your software tests but the software itself. So, to help you out, we’re going to go through seven of the most frequently repeated software testing myths and explain the truth behind them.
7 often-repeated software testing myths
1. Anyone can test software
Software testing is easy, right? It’s just a case of running through each program and making sure it does what it should.
Wrong. Software testers (especially QA engineers) have to study the product they’re testing in detail. They need to know absolutely everything there is to know about it so that they can conduct the kind of deep, exhaustive testing that’s needed for proper QA.
Let’s say, for example, that you are testing some telecommunications software. You find a bug in the automated call routing system.
If you are a good software tester, you won’t just make a note and move on.
You’ll understand that this system is connected to things like call queues, the virtual receptionist, and more. It’s not enough just to find bugs. You also need to understand why those bugs may have occurred and how they may affect the product’s function at every level.

2. Software testing is perfectionist
As we said above, software testing is a rigorous and detailed process. However, excessive perfectionism is the enemy of good testing.
Too much focus on tiny details is a big hindrance to testing. A good software tester will know when to stop testing each little thing and start looking at the bigger picture.
Knowing where to draw the line between granular, perfectionistic testing and a slapdash sweep-through is quite an art, which is another reason why software testing is something that should be done by professionals.
3. You don’t need to inspect the architecture when testing software
People often think that software testing is a purely ‘front-end’ job. Actually, it’s important that software testers are able to understand what’s going on ‘under the hood’ of your software, right down to the basic code level.
If you want a good, rigorous software tester, it’s a good idea to hire Python developers or developers working in your specific code language, if not Python. These people will be able to look into the mechanics of your software and understand exactly why any issues are cropping up.
Additionally, UI design plays a crucial role in software testing. Testers should also have an eye for user interface design to ensure that the software not only functions correctly but also provides a positive user experience.
4. Software testing is a one-time thing
One of the most common software testing myths is that software testing is something you do before software release and then never again, except possibly when upgrading your software.
In fact, you should be regularly testing your software, even if it’s very familiar to you and you haven’t made changes.
For example, cloud call center provider Vonage regularly tests its systems, even though VoIP software is well-established, well-understood, and very reliable. Regular testing makes sure that software and systems stay in good condition and don’t degrade over time. It can also pinpoint areas for upgrading and innovation.
5. Testing slows down development
You’re working to a deadline, and you’re confident in your software; the customers are clamoring for release – why bother with testing? It will just slow you down!
Well, apart from the fact that releasing untested software is asking for trouble, software testing doesn’t have to slow development. If you’re well organized and have a good testing team, you can run rigorous and detailed tests in a surprisingly short timeframe.
As with everything, how long testing takes depends a lot on the scope and nature of your project. It’s also worth noting that if lots of bugs are found, development will slow. But, in general, if you have a good development team and are well-organized, you can get through tests quite speedily.
6. Automation will eradicate the need for manual testing
You can achieve a lot with automation testing. Automation is great, and it can run scheduled tests very efficiently. But it should never be considered a substitute for human testers.
One reason for this is that automation will test purely for functionality. It can’t understand the experience of using the software in the same way that a human tester can.
Automation can pick out bugs. A human tester can pick out bugs and give insight into how that bug affects the UX of your program.
7. You can test software from anywhere
Software testing seems like an obvious candidate for remote work. And, most of the time, it is. But it’s worth noting that you can’t be as global with software testing as you may think.
Sure, an American software company could feasibly employ a software tester elsewhere in the USA or even Canada and/or Europe. But with some countries, you may struggle with basic incompatibilities.
For example, if a tester from an ae domain tries to test certain programs, they may run up against firewalls, censoring, and other issues, which wouldn’t be a problem in a .com domain.
Similarly, if your software tester is located somewhere with small bandwidth or without your intranet capabilities, they may be unable to put your software through all of its paces.
So, don’t discount remote software testing. But do check that you won’t run into any location-related issues with your remote hire.
Avoid software testing myths and produce perfect software
Software testing doesn’t have to be difficult, and it doesn’t have to delay development. If you do it right, software testing is a fulfilling process that helps you refine your software in useful ways.
By understanding the truth behind these common software testing myths, you will know what to avoid, what to lean into, and how to run productive tests that work for you and your customers.