There should be a workable strategy put in place that can scale up the test automation activities in an agile environment. Upon that, the implementation of test automation in agile should streamline and speed up the testing processes, while focusing on quick and productive deliverables. The assigned teams must put in tactical efforts to bring out the best of agile test automation. In this article, you will get to know the steps required to perform automation testing in agile along with the necessity to incorporate test automation in agile methodology.
The relevance of test automation in agile:
Accelerated coding and testing will release the product within the stipulated timeframe. When a product or application is released in the market, it must be fully functional and satisfy user requirements. Each feature and update should be adequately tested to ensure that all the functionalities are working per the expectations. Manual testing will consume a lot of time, and there will be possible errors. Hence, automation testing is considered to be a viable and strategic solution.
QAs can create test cases by implementing a test automation strategy in agile. For a specific application, every time new code is pushed to the code repository; test cases will run automatically. This ensures that new code doesn’t contain any errors before it reaches the production environment.
Following are the five steps required to implement an automation testing strategy in agile:
- The entire process should be properly planned: Proactive communication is a key factor of agile development and hence there should be a proper communication channel set up between the QA and development teams. The initiative should come from both teams only then can they work collaboratively. The testing team should make sure that all frameworks are properly set up along with the right tools.
- Specific test cases should be selected for automation: Due to the code being unstable at times, automation cannot be carried out on all test cases. If wrong tests have been automated, then it can prove to be costly for the team in the long run.
GUI tests, non-functional tests, API tests and regression tests are considered to be ideal for automation.
- Parallel testing should be conducted: Continuous testing is required by Continuous development. Several tests can be executed on different platforms and browsers by performing test automation in agile.
- Incorporate DevOps integration: DevOps is a set of best practices that encourages cross-functional collaboration, which is a key element of agile. DevOps bridges the gap between the development, operations and QA team. DevOps integrations support most of the test automation solutions.
- The right automation solution should be analyzed: The right automation tool needs to be selected, as it plays a crucial role. Every test case cannot be automated but, maximum coverage should be provided. Parallel testing and cross-browser testing should be enabled and a short learning curve should be the objective. The entire process can be streamlined when the right automation solution is used.
Following are four key factors that depict the necessity of conducting test automation in an agile environment:
- Developing a robust product: Test automation in an agile environment ensures that robust software is developed. A higher bounce rate can be expected if any unidentified bug does not get fixed. Agile automation testing is carried out right from the initial stages of the Software Development Life Cycle process and hence software glitches can be identified and fixed as the testing process continues.
To a large extent, bugs will not be identified in the later stages of the development and hence a robust software product is built. Upon that, early identification of bugs saves effort, time and cost.
- Enhanced accuracy: When a specific test case is tested over and over again, it can become a monotonous task for testers and eventually mistakes by testers are bound to happen. There may be a time when the exact steps may have been forgotten by them or they might even skip them. For solving these specific reasons, a proper automation suite is designed and executed. This will in turn improve the quality of the product.
The results can be recorded by the agile team so that they can review those results and make adjustments accordingly. Code factoring is allowed by automated tests, which means the performance can be enhanced by modifying the code.
- The cost factor: Setting up automation testing in an agile environment will incur a certain amount of cost because of the requirement for infrastructure, specific training and expertise. But, eventually, in the long run, the ROI will be more than the investment and thus the test automation activity will be considered to be a reliable and rewarding platform.
Test automation process can be carried out at the different phases of the Software Development Life Cycle process, which will in turn prove to be beneficial for the testing team as optimal results can be expected.
- Execution is carried out at a faster pace: The efficiency of the software development process is improved by the automation process. As automation testing is carried out at each and every stage of the software development process, bugs can be quickly identified and fixed in the early stages of the development process. This process is also referred to as “fail fast.”
In this manner, even systems that are intricate and complex can be tested much faster. The time-to-market for software is reduced by continuous testing. This will in turn help developers and testers to focus their efforts on other important testing activities.
The strategic value of agile tester skills:
A wide variety of tools are used and a team-oriented approach is followed by an agile tester. An agile tester must have a test-oriented outlook and should have the expertise to use tools and technologies in the testing activities tactfully. Right from the design to delivery and deployment, an agile tester’s role plays a key part.
The domain and features under development should be clearly known so that tests that are being developed should ultimately be able to provide meaningful feedback. There may be many features that a tester needs to work on at a single point in time and should also be good at juggling and organizing multiple testing activities.
Conclusion: If you are looking forward for software test automation services in agile development, then do get connected with a world-class software testing services company that will provide you with a feasible testing strategy and professional advice in line with your project specific requirements.
