Understanding the Agile Testing Methodology

Agile testing is a software testing technique that follows the principles of agile software development. The methodology is iterative, i.e., the software is continuously tested after every iteration, and the cycle is repeated until the project requirements are matched or desired software has been developed. In other words, the agile testing methodology is continuous and not sequential, unlike the traditional waterfall method testing.

Honestly speaking, agile testing is nothing but the testing followed in the agile development cycle. Since it is a part of agile development methodology where the requirements by the customer or the client are continuously put forward and worked upon until they are fulfilled, hence the term is referred to as ‘agile’ testing. Moreover, this is done by the entire team (agile teams) involved in the project, unlike the conventional software testing where certain QA engineers or testing experts are assigned for that role. This can include coding experts, business analysts, database experts, etc.

Agile testing follows a test-first approach rather than leaving it for the end. This means it can be implemented at the beginning of a project with continuous integration between development and testing.

Agile Testing: Plan and Strategy

An agile test plan includes (but is not limited to) test data requirements, infrastructure, test environments, and test results. In agile testing, a test plan is written and updated for every release. It is usually a 4-stage life cycle that comprises iteration 0, construction iterations, release or end game, and production.

1. Iteration 0

The first stage is called iteration 0 where initial setup tasks are performed. This encompasses determining people for testing, installing testing tools, setting up the usability testing lab, etc. A few points that the team looks to achieve are preparing a business case for the project, outlining the key requirements, identifying risks, and the cost estimation.

2. Construction Iterations

Most part of the testing in the agile testing methodology takes place during this stage. Here, the requirements are prioritized and implemented on each iteration. This is basically segmented into confirmatory testing and investigative testing. The former focuses on verifying that the system fulfills the requirements as presented by the stakeholders till that date whereas the latter is about detecting issues that are overlooked during confirmatory testing.

3. Release or End game

Also called the transition phase, this stage is about deploying your system into production successfully. It comprises several activities such as training of the end-users and the people involved in support and operation, marketing of the product release, back-up and restoration, and user documentation.

4. Production

Post the release stage, the product or software enters the production stage where the team ensures that it is functioning smoothly and accurately.

Advantages of Agile Testing

What does Agile testing bring to the table? Why it is being followed by the software development teams? Let’s find out.

1. Saves time and money

Agile testing allows identifying and eliminating software defects earlier rather than waiting for the product to get developed and then test it. This ultimately saves project teams a lot of time and money as the later adjustments can be costly and time-consuming.

2. Reduces documentation

The agile teams reuse their test checklist instead of creating a new one in every iteration. Having a reusable checklist allows the team to focus on tests rather than incidental details.

3. Flexible and Adaptable

Agile testing possesses flexibility and high adaptability. The changes can be adjusted several times during the software development process without causing any trouble to the software functionality.

4. Daily Meetings

The meeting takes place on a daily basis for agile testing that helps the team to identify the issues and keep a track of the process and improvements over time.

5. Regular Feedback from end-users

Agile testing provides a way to receive regular feedback from the end-users, thereby making it easier to solve the user problems and meet their expectations.

Principles of Agile Testing

The agile testing methodology has the following principles-

Testing is Continuous

The agile team tests the software continuously to make it as bug-free as possible. This also helps ensure the continuous progress of the project.

Continuous Feedback

The feedback is received and implemented constantly to be in check with business needs and the client’s requirements.

Tests are performed by the whole team

As we mentioned earlier as well, everyone in the agile team including testers and developers performs tests unlike in the traditional software development cycle where only the QA people are responsible for this part.

Decreased feedback response time

Continuous feedback reduces the time of feedback response. The business team is involved in each iteration of the agile testing process and ensures that the feedback is timely delivered, which quickens the feedback response time.

Simplified code

All the defects raised by the agile team are fixed in the same iteration, thereby making the code clean and simplified.

Less documentation

The team has a reusable checklist to perform tests in every iteration.

Test-driven

Testing is performed at the time of implementation, and not after.

Agile Testing Methods

The three most followed agile testing methods are-

1. Behavior Driven Development

Behavior Driven Development or BDD focuses on improving communication between stakeholders involved in the project. This method ensures that everyone has a clear understanding of the features that need to be implemented before the development process initiates. There is constant example-based communication between business analysts, developers, and testers, which is also called scenarios. These are written in a specific format, popularly known as Gherkin Given/When/Then syntax, and indicate how every feature must behave in different circumstances given the different input parameters.

2. Acceptance Test-Driven Development (ATDD)

This agile testing method involves different members such as developers, testers, and customers to accumulate different perspectives. Acceptance tests are created and each member is assigned a point of focus, for example, for the customers, the focus remains on the problems that must be solved, the developers focus on finding how the problems will be solved, and the testers keep their focus on what could go wrong. The acceptance test-driven development method is all about looking at the system from the user’s point of view, checking how it functions, and ensuring that the system functions as it was intended.

3. Exploratory testing

In this testing method, test design and execution work in tandem. Exploratory testing gives more importance to working software rather than detailed documentation. Here, the individuals and interactions are given priority over tools and the process. This type of testing allows the testers to understand the system’s functionality by exploring the application. They try to learn the application and based on their findings, design the execute their test plans.

Agile Testing Quadrants

The entire agile testing process, which encompasses various types of testing such as unit testing, functional testing, performance testing, etc., is divided into four quadrants-

Quadrant 1

Here, the primary focus remains on code quality. It comprises technology-driven test cases and includes unit tests, API tests, and component tests. These tests are often associated with automated testing and continuous integration.

Quadrant 2

This consists of test cases that are business-driven, and the focus remains on the project requirements. It includes testing of workflows, prototypes, and pair testing as well. These are associated with both manual and automated testing.

Quadrant 3

This provides collective feedback to quadrant 1 and quadrant 2.  In this quadrant, several rounds of iterations are carried out and the testing performed is usability testing, exploratory testing, collaborative testing, and user acceptance testing. Tests in quadrant 3 are generally associated with manual testing.

Quadrant 4

Here, the focus remains on meeting the quality standards and the expected value. It basically involves non-functional areas such as product performance, stability, and security. Testing performed is performance testing, security testing, scalability testing, data migration testing, etc. Tests are often automated.

Final Word

Agile testing paves the way for a high-quality and error-free product. Although it is very helpful, there are a few drawbacks associated with it, such as compressed test execution cycles, less time to create a test plan, and more. Also, QA people have to kind of play a semi-developer role. But overall, the positives and the benefits are more than the downsides, which makes agile testing a successful approach.