What is a key objective of software testing?

A key objective of software testing is to verify that software works as intended. This involves assessing the software to determine if it meets the specified requirements and behaves correctly in different scenarios. By executing various test cases, testers can identify defects and ensure that the software functions as expected, ultimately leading to higher quality and reliability in the final product.

Testing also encompasses several aspects, such as checking for functional correctness, usability, performance under load, and security vulnerabilities. Ensuring that the software meets user needs and business objectives is critical, as this verification process helps to minimize the risk of failures in production environments.

While improving team collaboration and ensuring team satisfaction are important for an efficient development process, they are not the primary objectives of testing itself. Similarly, minimizing costs is an important consideration in software development, but it doesn't directly relate to the fundamental goal of verifying that the software operates correctly. Thus, verifying that the software works as intended is the central aim of software testing.