How do you balance the speed and accuracy of sanity testing in agile?

1 Define your sanity test scope

The first step to balance the speed and accuracy of sanity testing is to define your sanity test scope clearly and realistically. Your sanity test scope should cover the most important features and functionalities of your software, as well as the areas that are most likely to be affected by the recent changes. You should also prioritize the high-risk and high-impact scenarios, and avoid testing the low-priority or low-value features that are unlikely to break or cause major issues. By defining your sanity test scope, you can focus on the essential tests that will give you the most confidence and value.

3 Review and update your sanity tests

The third step to balance the speed and accuracy of sanity testing is to review and update your sanity tests regularly. As your software evolves and changes, your sanity tests may become outdated, irrelevant, or redundant. You should review your sanity tests periodically and check if they are still valid, accurate, and aligned with your requirements and expectations. You should also update your sanity tests to reflect the new features, functionalities, or changes in your software. By reviewing and updating your sanity tests, you can ensure that they are always relevant, accurate, and effective.

5 Use a checklist

The fifth step to balance the speed and accuracy of sanity testing is to use a checklist. A checklist is a simple but powerful tool that can help you organize, track, and verify your sanity testing activities and outcomes. You can create a checklist that lists the key steps, criteria, and expectations of your sanity testing process, such as the test scope, test cases, test data, test environment, test execution, test results, test reporting, and test feedback. You can use your checklist as a guide and a reminder to ensure that you don't miss any important details or steps in your sanity testing.

6 Monitor and measure your sanity testing performance

The sixth and final step to balance the speed and accuracy of sanity testing is to monitor and measure your sanity testing performance. You should collect and analyze data and metrics that can help you evaluate the effectiveness, efficiency, and quality of your sanity testing process and results. Some of the common metrics that you can use are test coverage, test execution time, test pass rate, defect rate, defect severity, defect resolution time, and customer satisfaction. You should use these metrics to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your sanity testing, and to make adjustments and improvements as needed.