Proactive Testing Prevents Costly Rework
Detect critical errors early in product development
With great care and creativity, the Corscience testing team was able to identify several safety-related errors before a home ventilation device was launched on the market. Our thorough, exploratory testing is instrumental in minimizing the risk to companies, users and patients and avoiding costly product recalls.
For this customer order, extensive, independent testing just before the market launch was meant to uncover any remaining bugs and prove that the device worked reliably. Our colleagues in system testing had two weeks to put the device under test (DUT). Exploratory testing is primarily concerned with discovering errors caused, for example, by unusual user actions. In addition, specifications are tested extensively and beyond the required acceptance criteria. The result: Corscience found several discrepancies between system requirements and reality. Specifically, the team generated about 60 errors, including 15 of the highest priority.
Some examples of safety related errors found include
- Incorrect ventilation or no ventilation at all
- Missing or incorrect alarm output, e.g. due to a speaker failure
- Startup in password protected mode, allowing unauthorized persons to make critical changes
- Problems opening the password protected mode
- Sporadic reboots or freezing of the unit
Finding the gap between specification and reality
“From countless knob turns to hundreds of different key combinations: Our job is to find the gaps between specification and reality”, says Marlene Meyer, team leader for system testing at Corscience. “Or to put it another way: With childlike curiosity and extensive expertise, we experiment until something breaks. We have the right creative minds on board.” In this case, too, our test team thought carefully and imaginatively about possible sources of error and developed specific tests for them. The focus was on
- user interface (HMI / GUI),
- parameter meshing,
- alarms and the
- power supply.
Preventive error identification saves time and costs
Although the surprisingly high number of errors was sobering for the customer and its development team, the device manufacturer was more than satisfied: Instead of spending a lot of time and money on post-launch improvements and risking a product recall, the medical device manufacturer now had ample time to correct errors in advance.
System testing as an integral part of our portfolio
In addition to the review of requirements documents, verification planning and test case design, the implementation of system tests is an essential part of the Corscience consulting portfolio. A team dedicated to testing, which has not been involved in the development of the product, tests the DUT (device under test) for all eventualities. The goal is to develop and run as many failure scenarios as possible. Our services include
- functional and non-functional testing,
- preliminary and standardized tests and
- exploratory tests.
The detected errors and results are documented, including video, and prioritized in consultation with the customer. The report is then forwarded to our development team or to our customer. Thanks to our experience and expertise in the development of life-critical systems, we are always in a position to support our customers in troubleshooting or to solve problems independently. We always see ourselves as a development partner with the goal of bringing the safest and best possible product to the market.