Automated Continuous Testing: 9 Key Factors & Best Practices
Consistency plays a crucial role in today's software development. Yet, upholding this consistency requires an efficient strategy for quality engineering that can enhance efficient, precise, and long-lasting development.
As it is crucial to achieve accuracy in quality assurance (QA) in order to receive valuable feedback, automated continuous testing was implemented as a way to improve software development lifecycles (SDLC). Continuous testing enables testers and developers to share feedback regarding quality and ensures that any modifications made to the current code or functionalities are automatically assessed for quality using automation.
Additionally, implementing automated continuous testing enables swift deployment of high-quality products and prompt identification of bugs throughout the development cycle. Moreover, this method prioritizes improvement, enabling the timely identification and resolution of potential obstacles through the execution of test cases.
However, engaging in continuous testing through automation can be quite time-consuming and requires a dedicated effort towards planning test cases, choosing suitable tools, strategizing execution, and deploying them.
In this blog post, we will delve into the intricacies of ongoing testing, uncovering how it works alongside automated testing to enable a flexible upgrade of the testing process in the digital era. Additionally, we will highlight the important factors to consider and the essential strategies that can enhance a smooth continuous testing approach.
Revamped Approach To Continuous Testing
Looking back in history, the companies that were in the process of developing and the businesses that were embracing digitalization had a main focus on creating software technologies that could make their operations more efficient. However, as users started to demand scalability and sustainable solutions, there was a need for a change in focus towards quality engineering.
Continuous testing not only accelerates the development process but also expands the opportunities for organizations. It enables early and efficient testing through automation, resulting in cost savings and the production of excellent final products. Therefore, it is safe to conclude that continuous testing has become a groundbreaking method for quality assurance.
Continuous testing is an advanced method that addresses the limitations of traditional testing, providing benefits such as enhanced monitoring and a focus on data analysis. It is a modern approach that supports future customer experiences and meets the evolving demands of businesses.
Related: 7 Key Elements of Design in a Video Game.
Keys To Successful Continuous Testing
Testing & Automating Without Interruption
Many companies that want to move forward with their digital strategies usually depend heavily on continuous testing to find and fix bugs. But achieving accuracy in continuous testing is difficult without using automation.
Continuous testing provides a continual assessment of the software being developed, while automation enables testers to schedule and execute testing in advance by inputting test data into automated testing tools. Moreover, utilizing these tools facilitates immediate updates when requirements change, thus enabling speedy testing.
Therefore, companies that aim to maintain a long-term approach to ongoing testing necessitate a successful choice of resources and a well-defined test plan formulated in advance to align with the objectives of agile testing.
As we have previously talked about, achieving the highest level of effectiveness from ongoing testing efforts necessitates the use of automation. However, there are certain factors and recommended methods that can facilitate a seamless process. These typically involve prioritizing communication and addressing specifics such as managing test data.
Let's delve into the specifics and examine the various factors and essential techniques that contribute to a seamless integration of automation with continuous testing.
While manual testing allows for ongoing testing, automation testing enhances error coverage through its ability to operate quickly. However, the only obstacle to implementing test automation in a continuous testing strategy is the testers' incapacity to formulate efficient automation plans.
Keep in mind that while automating the testing process as much as possible can lead to faster releases, successful automation requires a thorough examination of the test cycle to determine which tasks are the most essential to automate. Additionally, when transitioning from manual testing to automation, it is important to recognize that creating a flawless automation plan requires a significant investment of time.
Also check out: The Comprehensive Handbook on Developing Mobile Applications.
When preparing for a continuous testing plan using automation, it is crucial to take into account the selection of tools based on the project goals. A successful automation testing plan prioritizes the seamless integration of tools utilized by developers and testers. Additionally, it is important to reevaluate tools and strategies that do not contribute to enhancing the testing process.
Staying Ahead With Analytics
Because data forms the basis of quality, it is essential to ensure that any activities you incorporate into your continuous testing strategy are thoroughly examined. Conducting an evaluation of all the data regarding both successful and unsuccessful outcomes can enable testers to attain tangible achievements and constantly justify the information.
Initially, you can start by capturing the flaws and malfunctions in the test data that you possess. In addition, you can strive for a periodic assessment every three months to adapt and refine your development and testing approaches, thereby designing test tactics that have the potential to yield superior products.
Automated Containerization Done Right
If you want to make the most of your continuous testing strategy, focusing on containerization is always beneficial for maximizing the effectiveness of automation. Essentially, containerization involves grouping various parts of an application into an operating system.
By doing this, you can make the testing process easier as you can test out configuration files, libraries, and dependencies in a specified environment. In addition, containerization streamlines the testing of complex code and functionalities by providing a specific test environment for quickly deploying the code to production. Furthermore, if any container fails the test suites, it can be discarded immediately without concern for any data corruption that may be hard to locate within the entire code.
Clear Communication Matters
Communication and cooperation are crucial elements in determining the effectiveness of your continuous testing plans. To ensure seamless teamwork, it is essential to uphold transparency in your operations consistently.
The blog post needs to discuss the efficient distribution of tasks among testers who have to handle the establishment of the test environment, creating test cases, implementing automation, or possibly overseeing data tracking.
One possible approach that testers can utilize to enhance their testing strategy is by effectively integrating headless execution. In simple terms, headless execution refers to automating user interface tests that can be executed without the need for a browser graphical user interface.
Headless execution provides testers with the ability to enhance execution speed by bypassing irrelevant cache, cookies, or resources, all the while ensuring that the product functions optimally in accordance with predefined expectations.
Furthermore, once you have completed headless execution, be sure to run a portion of your tests on browsers to guarantee that your end users do not encounter any difficulties while running the web application in a regular environment. Nonetheless, this approach allows you to conduct more comprehensive tests in a shorter timeframe.
A Better Testing Strategy
Implementing a diverse strategy improves efficiency in the testing process throughout all stages of software development. By conducting tests at different levels, such as unit testing and API testing, testing teams can automate multiple aspects of the product. This approach is especially useful for testers who work with microservices applications or intricate products.
Sync Testing & Delivery For Optimal Performance
Typically, the evaluation of a software or application's performance is seen as a secondary concern compared to functionality and exploratory testing. However, recognizing the significance of ensuring optimal performance even under heavy usage, incorporating performance testing into the delivery process allows for efficiency and agility.
Moreover, incorporating performance testing during the delivery cycle assists in assessing how the system being tested responds to specific commands, which is a crucial aspect of ongoing testing. Additionally, implementing automation in this process provides better access to data with heightened precision, ultimately leading to improved overall outcomes.
Related: The most popular and up-to-date trends in UI design patterns that you should take notice of.
In today's world of software development, it is crucial to have effective continuous testing in order to produce top-notch applications. However, the demand for speedy releases without sacrificing user satisfaction highlights the importance of incorporating automation into the planning process.
In simpler terms, automation is crucial in making sure different parts work well together, making things faster, more efficient, and precise during continuous testing. However, having automation for continuous testing requires teams from different areas to work together, as their combined effort is needed to make continuous testing happen quickly.
In summary, consistently conducting tests on an application allows for immediate detection of possible failure situations whenever there are updates to the code. Therefore, this improved effectiveness can not only assist future organizations in creating software without any delays, but also enhance sustainable quality engineering.
Best of luck! Enjoy your testing!
This blog post was authored by Kanika Vatsyayan. Kanika holds the position of Vice-President of Delivery and Operations at BugRaptors, where she is responsible for managing the quality control and assurance tactics for client projects. She has a passion for imparting her knowledge to others through blog writing. With a penchant for blogging, she has produced numerous insightful articles to enlighten readers about automation and manual testing. You can stay updated with her by following her on Twitter and LinkedIn.