Regression Testing vs Retesting: Understanding the Differences and Importance

Testing plays a pivotal role in the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) as it serves the crucial purposes of defect identification, functionality verification, and ensuring compliance with client requirements. Among the significant testing methodologies are regression testing and retesting, which are regularly employed to validate software at different stages of development.?

Understanding the differences between regression testing and retesting is crucial in assessing the overall test coverage of a product, contributing to its quality, reliability, and successful delivery to clients. Here are the key differences between regression testing and retesting:

Purpose:

The primary purpose of regression testing is to ensure that recent changes, enhancements, or bug fixes in the software do not negatively impact the existing functionalities. It aims to validate that the new code changes have not introduced new bugs or issues and that the software remains stable and functional after modifications.

Retesting, on the other hand, is focused on verifying that specific defects or issues that were identified and fixed in the software have been successfully resolved. It ensures that the functionality related to the reported bug now works correctly.

Scope:

Regression testing typically involves testing the entire system or a significant part of it after making changes to the software. It covers not only the areas directly affected by the recent changes but also other related functionalities to detect any unintended side effects caused by the modifications.

Retesting concentrates solely on the areas or test cases that previously failed due to identified defects. It confirms that the specific fixes made for the reported issues have addressed the problems adequately.

Objective:

The main objective of regression testing is to safeguard against the introduction of new defects or errors while introducing changes to the software. It aims to provide confidence that the existing functionalities remain intact and functional.

The objective of retesting is to confirm that the specific defects or issues have been adequately addressed and rectified. It ensures that the software now performs as expected after the necessary fixes have been implemented.

When to Perform:

Regression testing is executed whenever there are new code changes or modifications introduced in the software. It is an ongoing process throughout the development lifecycle to maintain the overall quality and stability of the product.

Retesting occurs after the development team has made necessary fixes for reported defects during earlier testing phases. Once the fixes are implemented, the test cases related to those defects are rerun to ensure the issues have been resolved successfully.

Retesting and regression testing complement each other in addressing software defects. Retesting verifies the successful resolution of bugs, while regression testing ensures the absence of new unintended defects in the application.

To achieve the most precise and reliable results, conducting tests on actual devices in real-life scenarios that mimic the experiences of real users is critical. Our team at QAonCloud are specialized in comprehensive retesting and regression testing, delivering exceptional outcomes.

Feel free to reach out to us now to see you can get the best of both Regression Testing and Retesting to achieve complete test coverage of your product.