Continuous testing is becoming more prominent as the software development practices started to lean more towards Agile development and DevOps. And by time, they have become this famous go tos for testers and developers to speed up the delivery process with quality (of course), regardless of changing requirements. And this is why most testers and developers want to whizz through the trends, but the best thing to do is get the basics right. This blog is highly recommended and perhaps a must-read if you are a beginner in the world of software testing and development. Now, let’s drive you into the in-depth details of all the aspects mentioned earlier.
What is Continuous testing?
To stand out from the competition, organizations are accepting customer consciousness and working towards their satisfaction. For which delivering quality is indispensable. DevOps and Agile methods are great, but they are not enough to get there. So, you need the right fuel called Continuous testing.
Continuous testing is a process of testing often and more so frequently throughout the development cycle (be it an app, software, site, or more). It’s a part of the software delivery pipeline so, the team can get quick feedback on the software and the potential business risks of the apparent releases. While executing these automated tests, the prime advantage is to detect and fix defects early in the development process. It is also so monumental in addressing test automation and the convolution of modern-day development and delivery practices overall.
Continuous Testing and Automation
Continuous testing would somehow be incomplete without test automation. However, they are not synonymous. (technically, Continuous is more than test automation) Test automation is very good at test coverage, reduces repetitive tasks, and speeds up the testing with legit accuracy. Well, test automation is not intended to address business risks like that of Continuous testing.
Continuous Testing and modern development practices
To achieve all the benefits of Continuous testing, you would need these three things in place.
1. Continuous Integration:
Continuous integration is an undertaking where the developers frequently introduce their changed code into the shared respiratory. It can happen once a day or even more but ideally multiple times a week.
2. Continuous Deployment:
It’s an engineering approach where the software is produced in short cycles. It primarily seeks to build, test, and release the software with considerable speed.
3. Continuous Delivery:
It’s an extension of continuous integration. It’s when the code is ready to deploy at any given time, perhaps not 100% complete (but vetted, tested, and debugged).
What is Continuous Testing in DevOps?
As discussed above, it’s the same as Continuous testing, testing the code changes as frequently as possible throughout the development process. (in fact, very, very important for every DevOps team). It is essential because it improves the quality and speeds up releases as these things directly impact the business.
And when it comes to Agile development, it is very inexpensive compared to manual testing, which again is a bonus. We made a whole session on DevOps and what’s trending in it. You can watch the video here.
What is the best way to implement Continous Testing?
Now that you understand the need for continuous testing, let’s also learn how to implement it smoothly. Automation unit, integration, and control over the software version are pre-requisites for Continuous testing. For which you may need a tool to accelerate this whole process. And there are so many options available in the market today. (for example, the Jenkins) You can choose anyone that suits your daily testing needs (again, every tool is different and has both advantages and disadvantages, consciousness is key as you are a consumer too)
Drawbacks of Continuous Testing
One of the notable drawbacks of continuous testing is the time and money. (in the system set up process). Testers and Developers find it challenging to install and set up the software due to some complexities. Another drawback is whenever a new update is made; the erstwhile one gets scraped out.
Let’s now take a look at the key points of Continous testing:
Key points of Continuous Testing
- Its most definite goal is to assess the business risks associated with the software (which is in the making).
- It helps to get that quick insight to know if a release is too risky to take in the software delivery pipeline.
- It protects the software’s quality in this rapid development process from many potential failures concerning user experience.
- Continuous Testing is a process that goes merged with the development processes (side by side) means it is not hurried at the end. (that’s how efficient it is!)
- It requires a stable test environment with valid data in every test run.
- It accepts and supports everything from ‘shift left’ to ‘shift right.’
- Continuous testing is all about doing the right tests at the right time without creating additional problems or hampering the development process. (it’s well known to be that way)
- It’s an end to end test that gives actionable feedback to double ensure the user experience from all ends.
- Continuous testing manifests modern test frameworks rather than fragile scripts.
Summary – Need for a shift…
Notably, Agile and DevOps are revolutionary in innovative software testing and development that most companies always eye on. Today several organizations are highly investing in such technology that enhances their quality with speeded delivery. However, that considerably applies to a smaller population.
According to a recent study, about 70% of organizations have opted for Agile, but only 30% consider test automation. And another study found that 88% of the organizations are Agile adopters, of which only 26% do automation tests.
To date, several companies compromise to legacy tools, which are supposedly unfit for modern-day continuous testing—reasons like impeded execution time, high maintenance, test environment instability, and more.
And here comes a need for a shift that is effective, time-saving, and motivating to you and your team at the same time. For all this to happen, adaptation is the key; choose one today. (we are talking about a tool that would help you achieve the best of the best quality without compromising your time)
If you like the blog, feel free to subscribe to our blog and enjoy all new trends in the world of Testing and tech. We also share interesting and entertaining content on our social media (every day!). Do check that out here, and be sure to follow us, so you don’t miss anything going wild on the trending list.
