Software Testing in Agile Teams

Automation-testing-for-agile-team

Agile methodology has been widely applied in product teams. In the software development lifecycle, software testing is a crucial stage that can be an objective of this methodology – agile testing. Agile testing is a continuous software testing process that begins at the start of the (agile) project and goes on during integration between testing and development. It is a software testing methodology that follows all the principles of agile software development. Some of the fundamental principles of agile testing are:

  • Regular testing: Agile testing requires continuous testing to ensure software progress
  • Team: Unlike the normal software development life cycle that involves only the test team, each iteration in agile testing requires developers, QA practitioners, and business analysts’ attention.
  • Constant feedback: In agile testing, feedback is usually ongoing, so the software will meet the business requirement. This principle decreases the timeframe of feedback response as the whole team works together during the process.
  • Documentation: In agile testing, the team uses a reusable checklist, which leads to less documentation. This principle helps the team focus on the test and its result.
  • Simplified code: The agile team fixes every defect within the same iteration to keep the code clean and less complicated.

The adoption of these principles enables the team to carry out testing at early stages and keep going during integration for better functionality and performance of the project for high product quality. This is to ensure that the development meets the client’s requirements and expected outcomes.

Why do Agile Teams need Automation Testing?

Challenges of agile teams in software testing

Although Agile methodology helps modern product teams speed up their process, and has proved to have other benefits, the approach has its own disadvantages such as:

  • Ever-changing code due to frequent builds and updates

Testing is an ongoing activity, before and during the development phase. Thus, in agile testing, the frequency of code changes in development is even more common. This frequency rate leads to breakage in those codes during integration. Also, the constant need for integration and deployment is ever demanding for a continuous testing approach.

  • Large test coverage needed

Due to agile testing’s continuous integration and requirements, some of the essential requirements might be left unattended. Therefore, it would be wise for testers to adopt automated regression testing for better software functionality and quality assurance.

  • Pressure on software performance

The software’s complexity increases with its maturity (as it involves a high volume of code), which affects its performance and slows down the development process.
Automated load testing tools can help identify the slow areas and track performance over time for better software delivery.

  • Complicated API testing

Developers usually have to test APIs manually in the development phase. This part requires strong coding skills, which generally leads to API testing being constantly overlooked because of its complexity. However, testers with limited coding skills can always rely on validation tools for API testing. Such tools will guarantee through API testing.

If you’ve just started to learn about Automation Testing, this article is for you: Introduction to Automation Testing

How automation testing helps agile teams overcome them

  • Regression testing made possible

As stated earlier, regression testing is needed to ensure better coverage in agile methodology. With automation, this can be done as testing will be repeated as many times as possible to guarantee complete examination of bugs’ code and detection for an early fix. This will also ensure that the newly added functionality does not affect the previous ones.

  • Extend test coverage

Automation testing allows the team to execute tests across multiple browsers and platforms. That way, no area will be untouched during the testing process.

  • Better communication and collaboration

Implementing a suitable automation tool for agile testing can enhance coordination during the process. However, not all automation tools can do that. Hence, the team should only go for tools with robust integration (like CI/CD integration). This type of tool will help teams to build better collaboration by allowing members to seamlessly share ideas and testing processes.

How to Implement Automation Testing Effectively in Agile Teams

How-to-Implement-Automation-Testing-Effectively-in-Agile-Team

Using the right approach to automation testing will help agile teams in the software development and implementation processes. Below are ways to implement effective automation testing in agile teams:

  • Know what to automate in agile testing

It is crucial to keep in mind that not all test cases can be automated. However, automation should be considered an essential part of agile development for efficiency in the testing process.
It should be used in cases such as reflecting changes that occur after a new feature is added, tests that require repeated execution, etc.. A better understanding of the need for automation in specific areas such as non-functional tests will help the team focus on getting quality results.

  • Conduct parallel testing

The QA team needs to run a frequent regression testing sprint as agile development is all about continuous delivery with several iterations. Thus, parallel testing is essential to reduce the testing period. With parallel testing, teams can improve the automation process, enhance their productivity, and respond faster to requirements. It also allows testers to invest more time in exploratory testing (which requires manual efforts) and eliminates any issues.

  • Adapt DevOps integration

DevOps is the principle of combining development, testing, and operation roles. It is an important aspect of the agile development team. It offers cross-functional collaboration in the same team, enhancing the speed and continuous delivery of the software development process.
It is also beneficial in providing a shared working environment for integration and automation testing, which happens in real-time and promotes the entire agile development life cycle’s efficiency.

  • Select the right automation tool

To select the right tool, there is a need to invest in evaluating tool capabilities. This is to ensure that the tool meets specific criteria laid out for the success of the automation cycle.
Some of the criteria/features a testing tool must possess are:

  1. The tool must be able to run through multiple browsers for an easy test of cross-browser compatibility of the application within the targeted browsers.
  2. The tool must support many operating systems that can be used by end-users in accessing the application.
  3. The tool must be capable of meeting requirements laid down for the testing and performing regression tests with ease.
  4. The tool should be easy to understand for easy access to users with limited knowledge of automation.
  5. The tool should offer integrated support with cross-functional tools like continuous delivery, a bug tracking tool, and a test management tool.
  6. The tool should be budget-friendly and offer features according to the price.

Read more on how to select the right automation tool here.

Best Practices when Implementing Automation for Agile Testing

Common and essential practices to adopt for a seamless implementation of automation for agile testing are :

  • Testing is an evolving process; therefore, automation should not be fully ignited, but it should be gradual.
  • Limited time should be spent on evaluating that new tool – this can be achieved by creating a list of basic requirements the tool must possess and how it should be evaluated. If the result is not visible within a period, another tool can then be considered.
  • Building automation backlog; this ranges from implementing a new feature to enhancing the already existing features.
  • Creating acceptance criteria for automation stories like the integration of test suite with CI, moving the suite to a centralized location, sending results through email, provision of sending error log files if the test fails, etc.
  • Automation should not be done just for automation’s sake but must have a good judgment attached to it.
  • A proper development environment must be available to avoid keeping the code local. There should be adequate storage for codes, and it should be checked daily.
  • Test execution should be executed from a centralized location – any team member can activate the scripts from their system, and results would be obtained through email.

Top Suggested Automation Tools for Agile Testing

There are several tools in the market for agile testing. Some of the automation tools to test various functionality in agile testing are:

  • Katalon Studio
  • Selenium
  • SoapUI
  • JMeter
  • PractiTest

Conclusion

The agile methodology involves testing at an early stage for a better and advanced testing environment in the software development lifecycle. To be able to proffer resources that work hand in hand with the ever-changing strategy, agile testing’s primary requirement is automation.

Following the above-listed steps would help understand the necessity of automation testing in agile methodology and implement automation successfully in agile teams.