Software Testing - Actual Outcome

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Software testing is conducted with the help of some artifacts like test scenarios, test cases etc. Each test case consists of multiple parts consisting of the test description, steps, expected, actual outcomes etc.

What is an Actual Outcome?

The actual outcome also called the actual result is the output that the testers get after executing a test step. It is written along with the test case. For all the tests, the expected outcome is examined with actual outcome, and any deviation is referred to as a bug. The test case consisting of the expected and actual outcomes along with any bugs are documented together.

Components of Actual Outcome

The actual outcome consists of the actual results generated by following the steps in the test cases. The below image shows the example of a sample test case on the payment modules of an application. The highlighted columns show the Test Steps and Actual Results/outcomes.

Process of Determining Actual Outcomes

The process of determining actual outcomes are listed below −

• Read through the requirements.
• Come up with all possible scenarios.
• Convert those scenarios into test cases with the expected results as per requirements.
• Execute the test case on the software and record the actual outcomes that are generated on it.
• Compare the expected and actual outcomes.

What to do if the Actual Outcome does not Match the Expected Outcome?

In an ideal case if the actual outcome does not match with the expected outcome, then it points to a defect in the software.

Flow of an Actual Outcome

The flow of an actual outcome is described in the below diagram −

In the above example, a test case is written on verifying the logo of a software. While executing the test steps on it which tell the user to launch the application and verify the logo at the top left. The expected result of the test case is that the logo should be at the upper left corner of the page. However, the actual result/outcome, for example, can be that the logo is unavailable at that position.

On comparing the expected and actual results, if both of them match, the test case is marked as passed, else it is considered as failed.

Conclusion

This concludes our comprehensive take on the tutorial on Software Testing Actual Outcome. We’ve started with describing what is an actual outcome, components of actual outcome, process of determining actual outcomes, what to do if the actual outcome does not match the expected outcome, and flow of an actual outcome.

This equips you with in-depth knowledge of Software Testing Actual Outcome. It is wise to keep practicing what you’ve learned and exploring others relevant to Software Testing to deepen your understanding and expand your horizons.