Techniques and Best Practices of Agile Automation Testing

In recent years, the incorporation of Agile software development and Agile testing methods has transformed the domain of software development. Integrating automation in Agile testing simplifies the pursuit of delivering quality software within the stipulated timelines.?

Agile Testing Approach

The process is characterized by iterative and incremental processes that are often used to plan and implement regular iterative cycles or “sprints”. The focus of Agile testing is to release seamlessly functional software. To achieve this successfully, testers and developers work in tandem.?

Traditional Testing vs. Agile Testing Techniques

The primary responsibility of testers is to attempt to break the product, to have it fixed later. The traditional ‘waterfall’ method of development follows the sequence below:

Requirement - Designing the System - Implementation - Integration and Testing - System Development - System Maintenance.

The waterfall approach poses significant challenges wherein the subsequent steps in the process can’t be initiated before the prior one is finalized. The testers encounter several hurdles as the bugs identified at later stages become hard to remove from the system. With insufficient feedback from the other developers, it becomes difficult for the testers to perform their tasks adequately.?

However, the agile testing methodology has a comprehensive plan throughout its flow. With every new update, the testers get access, sharing feedback directly with the developers. The sprints feature automated processes and small groups of end users during sprints.????

Best Practices in Agile Test Automation

Many organizations opt for Scriptless Test Automation to assist the QA teams in accelerating their time-to-market strategy. The best practices of Agile test automation have to be incorporated into the processes to derive maximum value:

Implementing TDD and ATDD

QA teams use test-driven development (TDD) for developing test scripts before initiating product development. Similarly, acceptance test-driven development (ATDD) can be incorporated for developing acceptance tests in collaboration with diverse team members.

Selecting the Appropriate Test Automation Tool

The proactiveness and productivity of the Agile testing team members determine the ROI from the selected tool. Choosing a tool that expedites the process is crucial. A tool should not only align with the project's needs but also provide additional features.

Focus on System Level Automation

The web product UI will change only after receiving feedback from the team members and product end users. If the tests are developed at the UI stage, the maintenance efforts become stiffer.

Automation tests in an Agile setup are executed at the middleware and systems level to enhance productivity.

Regression Test Automation

Regression testing within the CI/CD pipeline involves re-running the test scenarios that had been tested on previous products. These tests ensure that the new updates don’t disrupt any existing functionality.

Simultaneous Testing and Development

The Agile testing framework lets the QA engineers write automation tests that serve as the initial base for development activities. Progress in the product development stage demands collaboration between developers and testers to ensure appropriate performance of the implemented features.??????

Role of Automation in Agile

Agile automated testing methods have numerous advantages, including-

• Better quality of products through ‘continuous feedback’
• Faster delivery with compressed development cycles and constant customer inputs
• Higher productivity from close collaboration among teams

Speed and adaptability are the cornerstones of Agile methodologies. Additionally, risk mitigation and improving performance are also included. The QA team at United Techno implements Agile automation methods, covering new and existing features.?

An effective way of implementation is to execute testing at the unit, services, and UI layers. Adequate preparation and a holistic testing roadmap are crucial to achieve success. Prior preparation helps in facing challenges that can come along the way, some of which are - maintaining test scripts, testing failures, and more.