The scope of software testing and the role of testers in the process of development is rapidly evolving. Enterprises today focus on delivering quality and releasing products faster. Making the right choice between traditional testing vs. agile testing is essential to accomplishing this.Let’s explore the traditional and modern testing principles in more detail in terms of their features, advantages, disadvantages, along with the benefits of modern testing over the traditional method.

<img src="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/494ece0f_traditional_testing_dd7059aa66.png" alt="494ece0f-traditional-testing.png" srcset="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/thumbnail_494ece0f_traditional_testing_dd7059aa66.png 182w,https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/small_494ece0f_traditional_testing_dd7059aa66.png 500w,https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/medium_494ece0f_traditional_testing_dd7059aa66.png 750w," sizes="100vw">Traditional testing methodologies have been in existence since the inception of software development. They are primarily based on pre-organized phases/stages of the software testing life cycle. In this case, the testing flow is unidirectional, from testing to maintenance. With time, IT practices have evolved and so have testing approaches, as traditional testing usually fails to address the product’s continuous testing needs.<h3>Features Of Traditional Testing</h3><ul><li>Performed incrementally.</li><li>The result is only released after all the defects in the software are either resolved or rectified.</li><li>Entirely managed by the project manager.</li><li>Follows a top-down approach where the next phase of testing begins only after completion of the previous stage.</li><li>Predefined steps to execute the process.</li><li>The client’s involvement is required only in the initial phase of testing.</li></ul><h3>Advantages Of Traditional Testing</h3><ul><li>It helps in the identification of the maximum number of defects.</li><li>It ensures a quality product.&nbsp;</li></ul><h3>Disadvantages of Traditional Testing</h3><ul><li>It is a long-running and taxing process.</li><li>Since the changes are implemented only at the end of testing, product delivery speed is affected.</li><li>The complete set of requirements must be communicated in the initial phase without any chance of modification after the project development has started.</li><li>The approach has minimal to no interactions between different software testers.</li><li>Documentation becomes a high priority in traditional methodology and becomes expensive to create.</li><li>There are minimal chances to implement reusable components.</li></ul>Traditional testing methodologies are suitable only when the requirements are precise. Although the process is quite useful in identifying defects with the product under test, with the advent of modern or agile testing practices, traditional testing practices have become incompatible.


What is Traditional Testing?


With rapid technological developments and an increasing number of organizations entering into the software testing space, software testers are capable of different testing processes and optimizing these processes at multiple levels of testing by following the modern ways of testing.<img src="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/a40bb54f_modern_agile_testing_e4d5f75d6f.png" alt="a40bb54f-modern-agile-testing.png" srcset="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/thumbnail_a40bb54f_modern_agile_testing_e4d5f75d6f.png 245w,https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/small_a40bb54f_modern_agile_testing_e4d5f75d6f.png 500w,https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/medium_a40bb54f_modern_agile_testing_e4d5f75d6f.png 750w," sizes="100vw">This modern or agile software testing practice is an iterative and incremental approach. It typically covers all layers and all types of testing. The entire testing team collaborates to find defects in the software while validating its quality, performance, and effectiveness.In agile testing methodology, both the development and testing tasks are performed collaboratively while ensuring an exclusive tester for testing purposes.

What is Modern/Agile Testing?

<h3>Continuous interaction with developers</h3>The agile or modern testing approach ensures that the testing and the development processes are closely linked. Testers work as a part of the development team and report on quality issues that can affect end-users, and suggest solutions.<h3>Robust communication with product owners</h3>In this testing methodology, testers continuously interact with product owners to establish project expectations to help software developers align with the overall product roadmap and fulfill customer needs.<h3>Team collaboration in quality assurance</h3>Agile testing promotes team collaboration in maintaining QA. Developers are an equal part of building unit test cases for a superior testing process and enhancing audits’ overall quality. Further, developers also follow the recommendations of software testers for various test requirements and code improvements.<h3>Features Of Modern Testing</h3><ul><li>Less time-consuming and requires minimum documentation</li><li>Follows an iterative model that is flexible to changes in requirements</li><li>Can be performed using automated tools</li><li>The approach ensures collaboration with end-users</li></ul><h3>Advantages Of Modern Testing</h3><ul><li>Modern or agile testing offers efficient risk management</li><li>Promotes feature driven development and face-to-face interactions</li><li>Includes rigorous planning, analysis, and testing</li><li>Ensures rapid product delivery while ensuring optimum quality</li></ul><h3>Disadvantages Of Modern Testing</h3><ul><li>Difficult to assess the amount of effort required for a particular test</li><li>With limited documentation, it makes it difficult sometimes to specify and communicate individual testing components of large projects</li></ul>

Vital Attributes Of Agile Testing

<img src="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/5edf7b26_traditional_vs_agile_ea050af82e.png" alt="5edf7b26-traditional-vs-agile.png" srcset="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/thumbnail_5edf7b26_traditional_vs_agile_ea050af82e.png 245w,https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/small_5edf7b26_traditional_vs_agile_ea050af82e.png 500w,https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/medium_5edf7b26_traditional_vs_agile_ea050af82e.png 750w," sizes="100vw">Here are some of the parameters that distinguish traditional testing vs. modern testing approach –<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; 1. Philosophy</h3>While traditional testing practices are based on the philosophy of fixed/ concrete requirements and resolution of defects first and then release the product, the modern testing approach follows test-first philosophy where flaws are fixed in each sprint before release.&nbsp;Further, in agile testing projects, the requirements are not fixed, i.e., changes can be introduced healthily, indicating that the test case is open to exploring more considerations and customizations.<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp;2. Approach</h3>The traditional method follows a predictive model with a phased approach. It involves a top-down approach, wherein testing is executed step-by-step.Agile, on the other hand, follows a more iterative and adaptive model with stages such as project planning, risk management, design and development, and testing.<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp;3. Function</h3>The primary function of the traditional testing approach is to certify the quality of the products. In comparison, the modern testing principles ensure the product’s quality and fast delivery with minimal functionalities.<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp;4. User feedback</h3>In traditional testing, there is no user feedback taken until testing is done. The agile approach follows short ongoing feedback cycles at the end of every sprint.<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp;5. Automation</h3>When it comes to the testing approach, automation is hardly used and is a more routine practice for developers. Agile testing, on the other hand, encourages the process of automation aggressively in a testing scenario.<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp;6. Continual improvement</h3>In the traditional approach, required modifications are only done in the next release. In contrast, the modern process follows a continual improvement in software testing, where changes required are done in the next sprint of the testing cycle. The modern method looks at <a href="https://marutitech.com/software-testing-improvement-ideas/">software testing as a continuous improvement process</a>.<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp;7. Communication</h3>Traditional testing approaches rely heavily on documentation with all the use cases and test case preparations involved.&nbsp;Whereas, in agile testing, documentation isn’t an essential part of a QA. QA testers, in this case, assimilate the facts that they need in any form, without much documentation, and carry off with the process.<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp;8. Risk management</h3>While the traditional methodology is risk-averse, agile follows the timely and efficient risk-prevention approach.

Key Differences Between Traditional And Modern Testing Principles

Today, customers expect as well as demand faster implementation and update on their software products. Software companies across the board are continually trying to improve their products or applications by fixing bugs and identifying errors to release new versions with better features and functionality.To keep pace with these disruptive trends and cater to both old and new versions of applications, an increasing number of organizations are adopting software testing in an agile environment.Unlike the traditional software testing approach where there is a lack of connection between developers and the testers due to multiple factors such as communication gaps, incorrect test strategies, and unrealistic schedules, agile software testing is much more focused and fast. It also helps to save time and streamlines the overall software development process by reducing the cost of fixing bugs in the initial development stages.Here are some of the other reasons why software testing done in an Agile environment is preferred over testing in a traditional setting –<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; 1. Transparency and continuous testing</h3>Agile testing teams perform tests regularly to make sure that the product is continuously progressing. Further, in this case, testing is done in conjunction with development to bring in greater transparency in the process.<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; 2. Faster time to market and quick product releases</h3>The incremental and iterative models used in the agile or modern testing approach minimizes the overall time taken between specifying test requirements and validating results. It leads to faster product releases without any delay.<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; 3. Scope for feedback</h3>In the Agile testing approach, the business team participates in each iteration. This kind of ongoing feedback helps to reduce the time taken to get feedback on software development work.<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; 4. Accountability and tighter alignment</h3>Agile testing is well-known for fixing defects instantly due to the teams of software testers and developers working collaboratively with each other, enabling them to share immediate feedback. It helps to bring in both accountability and tighter alignment, which further facilitates the fixing of errors and defects in the early testing phase.<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; 5. Better collaboration</h3>With a strong team of developers, testers, architects, and coders working closely in the agile testing methodology, there is more face to face communication throughout the entire software testing life cycle. It eliminates the need for lengthy documentation processes leading to faster and quicker test results.<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp;6. High-level software quality</h3>The Agile testing approach ensures that the teams test the software so that the code is clean and tight. Additionally, the software’s regular testing allows for all the issues and vulnerabilities to be detected quickly and fixed in the same iteration as they are being developed.

Why Is Agile Preferred Over Traditional Software Testing Approach?

While automated or agile testing has obvious benefits, including improved quality, accelerated delivery, and reduced costs, making the transition from manual to automated testing isn’t an easy task.Among the main challenges in transitioning from traditional to modern testing principles include –<ul><li>How to build an automation strategy from the bottom up?</li><li>Is there a plan of action in place when things go wrong?</li><li>How to introduce an automated testing strategy in line with your organization’s specific needs?</li><li>What is the most effective way to measure success?</li><li>What are the different tools required to make the transition smooth?</li></ul><h3>Key Points To Consider While Transitioning from Traditional to Modern Testing Practices</h3><ul><li>Identify the factors that made the transition from traditional to agile testing necessary</li><li>All the stakeholders, including the user, should be clear about the reasons which lead to the transition</li><li>Identify the size of the project- whether it is small or big</li><li>Make sure the entire team has a good understanding of the new testing approach and have adapted to their respective roles depending on the new approach</li></ul>

Challenges While Transitioning From Traditional To Modern Testing Practices

Implementing a robust software testing strategy is the foundation of continuous delivery in any organization. While there is no one-size-fits-all approach, it is safe to say that modern testing methodology is considered more appropriate at handling various testing challenges than traditional testing principles. It is, in fact, a robust investment into the future reliability of your software product. If you can find a way to implement modern or agile testing practices early on, your company can save significant stress and costs in the future.To successfully implement modern testing practices, you need <a href="https://marutitech.com/guide-to-outsourcing-software-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">QA experts</a> who help you work with digital as well as legacy systems for unmatched performance. We, at Maruti Techlabs, provide a full cycle of <a href="https://marutitech.com/quality-engineering-services/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Quality Engineering services</a> that enables quicker bug detection and closure, seamless coordination, and lesser turnaround time for product release. For flawless performance at every stage, get in touch with us <a href="https://marutitech.com/contact-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

Wrapping Up

Learn the traditional & modern testing principles in more detail in terms of their features and benefits.

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Traditional Testing Vs. Agile Testing - Which Way To Go?

What is SDET? What is the difference between SDET and QA? Do you really need a software development engineer in testing? Let’s discuss and find the answers to these questions.<img src="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/c913cc86-sdet-vs-qa.png" alt="SDET vs QA" srcset="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/c913cc86-sdet-vs-qa.png 1000w, https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/c913cc86-sdet-vs-qa-768x768.png 768w, https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/c913cc86-sdet-vs-qa-36x36.png 36w, https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/c913cc86-sdet-vs-qa-180x180.png 180w, https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/c913cc86-sdet-vs-qa-705x705.png 705w, https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/c913cc86-sdet-vs-qa-120x120.png 120w, https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/c913cc86-sdet-vs-qa-450x450.png 450w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" width="1000">“Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of intelligent effort.” – John Ruskin. And testers contribute largely to this effort in ensuring quality in the software development space.From putting it last in priority list to making it a key component of software development, people have realized that software testing is a crucial and decisive stage in the software development life cycle. Resultantly, testing methodologies have undergone changes over time.The changing testing methodologies have also led to a change in the role of testers. A Quality Assurance Engineer or QA Engineer is a traditional testing role. A new addition to the testing roles is Software Development Engineer in Test or SDET. It is a relatively new role that still leaves many confused and wondering.Here we discuss the need and rise of SDET in testing, what is SDET and how it is different from QA.

An Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) is an amalgamation of a developer and a test engineer. An SDET is someone who is involved in the project right from its planning stage and can help automate the testing process. A software development engineer in test is essentially a developer.Whereas, a QA Engineer is someone who has complete knowledge of various testing processes and methodologies. They should also be well-versed in data management, bug reporting, troubleshooting and test environments.

What is SDET?

The definition of the roles should have given you an insight into the differences between an SDET vs QA. However, the definitions are just a brief introduction into how these two roles differ. Here are some more points of differentiation that will help you gain a better understanding of the roles.<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; 1. Roles &amp; Responsibilities</h3>The responsibilities of a QA engineer are as follows:<ul><li>Planing the testing process</li><li>Allocating tests to various testers</li><li>Deciding the testing schedule and the test budget</li><li>Interacting with the development team to ensure that the testing is on track</li><li>Creating reports that summarise the test results for the development team</li><li>Creating test cases and test scenarios</li><li>Reviewing the test to ensure that all the customer requirements are being met</li></ul>The roles and responsibilities of an SDET involve the following:<ul><li>Reviewing the product code throughout the development lifecycle</li><li>Taking part in the planning and design processes</li><li>Being an advocate for the customer by ensuring that the product meets customer expectations</li><li>Writing scalable and robust frameworks that can be used to automate tests</li><li>Developing test tools that help testers</li><li>Performing performance, functional, and regression testing</li><li>Ensuring that the product is robust, reliable and scalable</li><li>Preparing extensive test reports</li></ul>As you can see, the SDET is mainly responsible for automating tests and delivering a high-quality, reliable and scalable product by engaging in the development process from the beginning. In comparison, the QA is purely responsible for the testing and does not take part in the planning and design phases.&nbsp;<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;2. Skills Needed For The Job – SDET vs QA</h3>The difference in the roles and responsibilities of both positions translates into a difference in the skills needed for the job as well. A QA should be well-versed in the use of test tools such as Selenium, developing and running test cases and creating and tracking bugs. A QA engineer only needs basic programming knowledge.In contrast, a software development engineer in test should be well-versed in various programming languages and should be able to understand the development process. They should also be able to translate customer requirements into test scenarios.Since SDETs have to work with developers, testers and clients, communication and leadership skills are equally important for the job. SDETs need to have excellent people skills to effectively collaborate with various teams.<img src="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/b291597d-sdet-vs-qa-1.png" alt="Parameters of Core Differences - SDET vs QA" srcset="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/b291597d-sdet-vs-qa-1.png 1000w, https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/b291597d-sdet-vs-qa-1-768x872.png 768w, https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/b291597d-sdet-vs-qa-1-621x705.png 621w, https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/b291597d-sdet-vs-qa-1-450x511.png 450w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" width="1000"><h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; 3. Testing Methodology Used</h3>The QA engineer performs black-box testing. They are only concerned about the functionality of each component. The internal code is not of concern. However, an SDET needs to perform white box testing. They need to ensure that not only is the component functioning as per specifications, its code is also reliable and robust.The responsibilities of an SDET are greater than those of a QA engineer. In addition to this, a software engineer in test should have knowledge of various programming languages as well as testing tools. Given these conditions, it is understandable that the average income of an SDET is higher than that of a QA engineer.<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; 4. Future Of The Role</h3>With the advent of automation in testing, manual testing has become redundant and is on its way out. The top software companies, such as Google and Facebook, have already done away with the role of QA engineers. Going by the trend of these industry leaders, SDETs are the future.If you are a QA engineer right now, then this is the time to upskill yourself. Learn new languages and try your hand at automating tests. The need for a QA engineer may not die down completely, but it will reduce, and SDETs will be the ones replacing the QA engineers.&nbsp;

SDET vs QA – Core Differences

This is the era of automation. SDETs take the testing to the next level by improving the code quality along with making the product bug free. The software industry is moving towards automated testing for functionality, security and performance of the product.SDETs play a crucial role in this process. With their superior skill set and knowledge of various testing tools and programming languages, test development engineers are key to ensuring that the client gets a high-quality, bug-free, reliable, scalable and robust product.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Need For SDET

The software development engineer in test has various responsibilities that impact the final product. It is a complex role that requires dedication. Wondering how to be the best SDET there is? Here are a few tips to guide you.<ul><li>You should always strive to improve your programming skills. After all, a test development engineer is as much a programmer as a tester.</li><li>You should be thorough with your testing. You need to look at minute details of the requirement and ensure that the test is successful only when it meets all the requirements.</li><li>Your role needs you to collaborate with various teams. Therefore, you need to be empathetic and think through all viewpoints.</li><li>It is always better to update your knowledge of various test tools. When you have to decide which tool to use for a test, this knowledge will guide you in making the right choice.</li><li>Another common pitfall for many SDETs is automating for the sake of automating. Evaluate every scenario on its merits and decide whether automation will truly be beneficial before you proceed.</li></ul>

How Does One Become A Highly Effective SDET?

The <a href="https://marutitech.com/software-testing-improvement-ideas/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">software development process</a> has changed drastically over the last decade, and these changes reflect on the testing as well. SDETs are an outcome of this change. By incorporating the testing into the development process, SDETs have the power to make the product exceptional.Our proficient SDETs are well-versed with the latest tools and technologies. We, at Maruti Techlabs, have helped many companies ensure unmatched performance with our <a href="https://marutitech.com/quality-engineering-services/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">all-rounding testing services</a>.For accurate and exceptional testing services, Maruti Techlabs is your one-stop solution. Get in touch with us <a href="https://marutitech.com/contact-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

In Conclusion

Explore the need and rise of SDET in testing and how it differs from QA.

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SDET vs QA - Addressing The Latest Debate

Software testing is undergoing a paradigm shift with an increasing number of companies outsourcing testing to third-party vendors. Outsourcing software testing is becoming common now as it allows the in-house team to focus on development and also results in a better quality of testing.In our previous article, we had addressed the reasons <a href="https://marutitech.com/11-reasons-why-outsource-mobile-app-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">why companies today are outsourcing software and mobile app testing</a>. And in this post, we will walk you through important factors that should be kept in mind while QA outsourcing, steps to follow while choosing a software testing partner, and software testing outsourcing guidelines.

Software testing outsourcing allows organizations to focus on their core functions and drive innovation. It gives you the advantage of an expert testing service provider working efficiently to ensure a positive business outcome and better product quality.Further, outsourcing software testing to QA professionals helps you save time and money, irrespective of the scope of the project and the frequency of your testing needs. Some of the compelling reasons why you should <a href="https://marutitech.com/quality-engineering-services/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">outsource software testing</a> are –<div class="raw-html-embed">
 
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When To Outsource Software Testing To A Specialist And Why

Below are some QA outsourcing guidelines and best practices that you need to take care of when outsourcing the testing function –<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; 1. Define Your Objectives And Goals</h3>Clearly laid out objectives and measurable goals allow you to chart out a robust outsourcing strategy. These objectives will help you make important decisions regarding the key aspects such as a project’s business value, outsourcing models, vendor, projects to outsource, and various possible risks to assume.Goals, on the other hand, are the events and functional metrics that help the management to monitor progress, take corrective action, and project future performance.<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp;2.Pick Your Way To Outsource</h3>QA outsourcing is available in many different forms. When you begin your search, you will come across the following three types of QA outsourcing vendors –&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; a) Expert/Specialist QA ProvidersEither based in your own country or overseas, they specialize purely in testing and other forms of QA service, such as consulting.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; b) IT GeneralistsIT generalists are generally the service providers that offer QA in combination with other outsourced IT services. You can hire them for testing services only if you also contract them with development.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;c) Crowdsourcing ProvidersThese are typically the enterprises that give out your testing activity to individual freelance testers. This model gives you the advantage of many different people conducting your tests under real-world conditions.It’s important to consider your individual requirement of the type of QA solution that will best fit your project.<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp;3. Strike A Balance Between Cost And Quality</h3>For successful QA outsourcing, it is very important to avoid the race to the bottom because a reduced price does not necessarily mean the same thing as a reduced cost.&nbsp;What is important to remember here is your <a href="https://marutitech.com/quality-engineering-services/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">software testing company</a> can deliver value in multiple ways, but if you are only prepared to pay less for an outsourced service, the benefits you can achieve with the process are very limited.Instead of making the lowest cost as the selection criteria, base it on your project specifics, and make sure that the chosen QA outsourcing vendor can –&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;a) Perform testing tasks quicker as compared to your internal resources&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;b) Make your overall QA process more smooth and efficient&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;c) Identify more defects, faster than your in-house resources<h3>&nbsp; 4. Be flexible and adaptable</h3>Different software testing vendors have their own processes and workflow. As a third-party service provider, outsourcing companies usually follow clients’ QA processes, which require flexible teams to offer excellent service for them.&nbsp;Further, the outsourced QA vendor should have the ability to quickly learn and adapt to new workflows when working with a new client.<h3>&nbsp; 5. Prioritize communication</h3>Communication remains a key enabler in defining the success of any software testing partner. However, what is important here is to communicate with a purpose instead of just inundating the customer with useless information.&nbsp;Outsourced vendors need to make sure that only the right information and analysis goes to the right person in the organization you are dealing with.

Software Testing Outsourcing – Best Practices & Tips

Here we are discussing the important things you need to consider while choosing your software testing partner –<h3>&nbsp; 1. Past Experience</h3>A reputed software testing vendor must have an impressive portfolio highlighting their experience. A company with experience in similar kinds of projects or similar industries indicates their comprehensive knowledge and ability to comprehend your requirements easily.&nbsp;Further, robust past experience will also allow them to find quick and easy solutions if they run into any kind of issue during the process of testing.<h3>&nbsp;2. Background Checking</h3>The market today is full of software testing vendors who would promise great rates, best tools, finest quality, quick turnaround time, and more. But, many of these are just gimmicks, making it important to do thorough scrutiny of the vendor, their clientele, reviews, returning clients, etc.Another important thing to check is whether your chosen partner is doing the work themselves or subcontracting it to another vendor.<h3>&nbsp;3. Well-defined Service-level Agreement (SLA)</h3>A detailed and well-defined SLA acts as a blueprint that sees the project from start to end. It ideally would include the timelines, milestones, summary of the project, communication pattern, and other important aspects.&nbsp;SLA acts as a legally binding document to safeguard the interest of both parties and will also have a guideline for the processes to be followed in different situations.It is also important to make sure that your SLA should have the following items –<ul><li>Process compliance</li><li>Entire reporting and project management timelines</li><li>Knowledge transfer</li><li>Core business know-how</li><li>Various <a href="https://marutitech.com/software-testing-in-product-development/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">product quality measures</a>, such as defect reporting, test case efficiency, traceability, and more</li></ul><h3>&nbsp;4. Domain Expertise</h3>Picking a software testing partner with resources, but limited expertise in your domain could be a disaster for your overall service delivery timeline. This will also slow down the execution and end quality of the product. It is, therefore, recommended to hire an expert in your domain who can offer faster results in testing along with suggesting improvements in the process flow and design.When selecting a QA software testing company, it is also important to ask various questions to be able to identify the right service provider. Some of these questions include –<ul><li>Does the software testing vendor hold relevant experience?</li><li>Are your requirements matching up with the proficiency of QA outsourcing vendors?</li><li>Does your software testing partner have all the client-communication procedures in place?</li><li>Does your test automation partner have all the resources readily available to meet your needs?</li></ul><img src="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/19dca586_guide_to_software_testing_outsourcing_7af22859e3.png" alt="Choosing the best software testing partner" srcset="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/thumbnail_19dca586_guide_to_software_testing_outsourcing_7af22859e3.png 214w,https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/small_19dca586_guide_to_software_testing_outsourcing_7af22859e3.png 500w,https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/medium_19dca586_guide_to_software_testing_outsourcing_7af22859e3.png 750w," sizes="100vw"><h3>&nbsp;5. Robust Communication</h3>There are times when communication barriers between a client and outsourced software testing partner create a complete roadblock in the work to be done. A proper communication strategy is, therefore, another critical factor to consider when choosing a vendor for software testing.It is very important to establish a proper communication channel between the involved parties, along with a list of items to be exchanged between the two for each area of work. Also, make sure to set clear communication goals with your outsourced partner so that there aren’t any issues between you and the vendor at a later stage.Put simply, an effective communication model generally incorporates the following factors:<ul><li>Escalation</li><li>Reporting</li><li>Issue Resolution</li></ul><h3>&nbsp;6. Data/Intellectual Property Security</h3>Data holds critical importance when it comes to a software product. While hiring your outsourced software testing vendor, you need to make sure that robust measures are taken so that the data, design, and personal information is not compromised.IPR protection is, in fact, one of the critical aspects to consider while outsourcing software testing services. The vendor you pick for the job needs to protect the Personally Identifiable Information (PII) provided by you and make sure that it is not used for any other purpose apart from the intended business.So, when you outsource to a QA partner, make sure that the following outsourcing standards have been addressed:<ul><li>Confidentiality contracts for employees</li><li>IP protection</li><li>Nondisclosure agreements</li></ul>There might be other factors to consider based on the specific needs of your QA and testing project, such as a configuration management system or maintaining a comprehensive change.<h3>&nbsp;7. Robust Engagement Model</h3>Picking and establishing a robust engagement model is another important consideration while hiring an outsourced partner for testing. It’s always recommended to get this covered early during the planning phase, as you will have to consider multiple factors such as language barriers, international business strategy, and timezones.At this point, make sure to make a decision on whether you’re going to implement a complete outsourcing model or an incremental outsourcing model.&nbsp;&nbsp;If you are outsourcing for the first time, it is best to outsource smaller modules to first assess the vendors on parameters such as the quality of testing, delivery timelines, quality of the bugs found, proper communication, etc.

Factors To Consider While Choosing Software Testing Partner

Here are the steps you need to take to select the best-outsourced service provider –<h3>&nbsp;1. Thoroughly think over what to outsource</h3>The process of QA outsourcing can be very overwhelming, making it essential to first know what exactly you want to outsource. Begin with deciding the areas of testing, type of testing required, the overall scope of the work, and the test coverage you are expecting from the software testing vendor.Primarily the outsourced testing services can be categorized into four main types including –<ul><li>Web application testing</li><li>Desktop application testing</li><li>Enterprise Application testing</li><li>Mobile application testing</li></ul>Apart from this, it is also important to make a list of the target devices and platforms over which you want the process of testing to be done.<h3>2. Shortlist software testing vendor</h3>Once you have clarity on what testing services you need to outsource, the next logical question is – whom to outsource these services? To answer this, you need to make a list of software testing vendors in the market who are capable of serving your needs.Make sure to assess the service model and processes of the shortlisted companies to find out if it will work with your in-house team or not. This will also allow you to narrow down your list of shortlisted vendors out of the big pool.<h3>3. Do a thorough check</h3>The next step in the process is to investigate the shortlisted vendors in terms of their reputation and the services they offer. To do this, you can either research on the web, compare their offerings with companies using similar services, talk to ex-employees, or check the reviews on social media.The idea here is to cross-check the information provided by vendors themselves and do a thorough analysis of the software testing partner you choose for outsourcing.<h3>4. Interact and ask questions</h3>Before making your pick of the vendor, ensure that your own in-house experts interact with these vendors to collect more information about them.&nbsp;Ask questions about the team, past work experience, and their capabilities. It is critical for the testing process that the outsourced testing partner fully understands your products and your clients.<h3>5. Assess and take your pick</h3>After making a final assessment of the shortlisted vendors, outsource the work to the vendor who checks all the assessment criteria.

Steps To Choose The Best Software Testing Partner

When you’re running a business, there is an irresistible itch of wanting to do everything yourself. But this often ends up requiring more time, cost, and resources. The easiest way to go about it is to outsource your software testing to a qualified <a href="https://marutitech.com/quality-engineering-services/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">QA software testing partner</a>.Software testing outsourcing does not need to be tricky if you set clear expectations from the beginning and know how to navigate the process.To outsource your software testing to a QA testing partner who has flexible engagement models and ensures robust communication Maruti Techlabs is your one-stop solution for end-to-end QA services. Simply drop us a note <a href="https://marutitech.com/contact-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a> and we’ll take it from there.

Final Takeaway

Explore the essential factors to consider while outsourcing QA and software testing partners.  

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A Comprehensive Guide To Choosing The Best Software Testing Partner
 

“A stitch in time saves nine”, goes the old adage. The same holds true in the case of software development life cycle. The earlier you detect and fix bugs, the more you save on costs and time. And continuous process improvement in software testing is exactly that stitch.The best way to ensure high-quality software is to implement effective and timely QA testing best practices that offer robust tools and methodologies to build flawless products.

Software life cycle testing essentially means that testing occurs parallelly with the development cycle and is a continuous process. It is important to start the software testing process early in the application lifecycle, and it should be integrated into application development itself.&nbsp;To be able to do the same, there needs to be continuous effort and commitment on the part of the development organization, along with consistent communication with the quality assurance team.<img src="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/56a1bdf8-continuous-process-improvement3.jpg" alt="pdca cycle for software testing">One of the top approaches in software testing best practices is PDCA – plan, do, check, and act – an effective control mechanism used to control, govern, supervise, regulate, and restrain a system.Here is how the PDCA approach works in the context of continuous process improvement in software testing –<h3>Plan</h3>In this step of the software testing improvement process, test objectives are defined clearly, including what is to be accomplished as a result of testing. While the testing criteria ensure that the software performs as per the specifications, objectives help to ensure that all stakeholders contribute to the definition of the test criteria in order to maximize quality.<h3>Do</h3>This stage in continuous process improvement in software testing describes how to design and execute the tests that are included in the test plan. The test design typically includes test procedures and scripts, test cases, expected results, test logs, and more. The more comprehensive a test plan is, the simpler the test design will be.<h3>Check</h3>The Check step of the continuous improvement process primarily includes a thorough evaluation of how the testing process is progressing. At this stage, it is important to base decisions on accurate and timely data such as the workload effort, number and types of defects, and the schedule status.<h3>Act</h3>The Act step of the continuous improvement process includes outlining clear measures for appropriate actions related to work that was not performed as per the plan. Once done, this analysis is used back into the plan by updating the test cases, test scripts, and reevaluating the overall process and tech details of testing.

Software Testing As A Continuous Improvement Process

Similar to any other business investment, quality assurance, or QA improvement ideas must bring value to the enterprise. This value expected from the quality assurance process is to make the software processes much more efficient while ensuring that the end-product meets customers’ needs.&nbsp;When translated into measurable objectives such as flawless design and coding, elimination of defects early on, and ensuring efficient discovery, it can lead to better software processes and a value-driven final product.To achieve this objective, businesses need to improve their processes to install quality assurance activities at every stage of the software life cycle.<img src="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/e912027b-continuous-process-improvement.jpg" alt="Software testing lifecycle">Here are some of the <a href="https://marutitech.com/quality-engineering-services/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">software testing</a> best practices that can help you achieve your goal of smarter and effective testing-<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;1.Devising A Plan And Defining Strategy</h3>Effective planning entails the creation of quality management and test plans for a project. Before you start investing time, resources, and money into the project, it’s recommended to check whether the plan has covered all the basics and is feasible in terms of timeline and resources.Quality management plan – defines a clear and acceptable level of product quality and describes how the project will achieve the said level. The main components of a quality management plan are –<ul><li>Key project deliverables and processes for satisfactory quality levels</li><li>Quality standards and tools</li><li>Quality control and assurance activities</li><li>Quality roles and responsibilities</li><li>Planning for quality control reporting and assurance problems</li></ul>Test strategy – The outline of a good strategy includes a detailed introduction, the overall plan, and testing requirements.&nbsp;The main components of a test strategy include –<ul><li>Test objectives and scope of testing</li><li>Industry standards</li><li>Budget limitations</li><li>Different testing measurement and metrics</li><li>Configuration management</li><li>Deadlines and test execution schedule</li><li>Risk identification requirements</li></ul><h3>&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;2.Scenario Analysis</h3>Irrespective of how comprehensive a test plan is, problems are inevitable, which would escape from one test phase to the next. Post-project &amp; in-process escape analysis, therefore, is critical for driving the test improvements.&nbsp;While there can be instances where the testing team is required to directly start test execution, it is always better to create a high-level scenario during the early stages of requirement study and ensure that it is reviewed on a consistent basis.&nbsp;There are multiple benefits that this kind of reviews can bring including –<ul><li>Providing indications on the understanding of the tester</li><li>Conformance on coverage</li></ul><h3>&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;3.Test Data Identification</h3>When we design test scenarios or test cases, we create various types of tests, including negative and positive cases. To be able to execute the planned tests, we require different types of data that need testing using simple parameters. But, there are several instances where the same data needs to be generated from a different source and requires transformation before it reaches the destination system or flows into multiple systems.&nbsp;It is, therefore, always a great practice to start with identifying the data sets early on during the test design phase instead of waiting until the test execution phase starts.At this stage, you need to look for the answers to some of the important questions such as –<ul><li>Which test phase should have removed the defect in a logical way?</li><li>Is there any multi threaded test that is missing from the system verification plan?</li><li>Is there any performance problem missed?</li><li>Have you overlooked any simple function verification test?</li></ul><h3>&nbsp;</h3><h3>&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 4.Automated Testing</h3>Continuous testing and process improvement typically follows the test early and test often approach. Automated testing is a great idea to get quick feedback on application quality.It is, however, important to keep in mind that identifying the scope of <a href="https://marutitech.com/test-automation-frameworks/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">test automation</a> doesn’t always have to be a different exercise and can easily be identified during the manual test execution cycle by identifying the most painful areas and determining how those can be automated.Some of the points to take care of during automated testing include –<ul><li>Clearly knowing when to automate tests and when to not</li><li>Automating new functionality during the development process</li><li><a href="https://marutitech.com/automation-testing-quality-assurance/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Test automation</a> should include inputs from both developers and testers</li></ul><h3>&nbsp;</h3><h3>&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 5.Pick the Right QA Tools</h3>It is important for testers to pick the right testing tools based on the testing requirement and purpose. Some of the most widely used tools are <a href="https://www.jenkins.io/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jenkins</a>, <a href="https://www.selenium.dev/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Selenium</a>, <a href="https://github.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GitHub</a>, <a href="https://newrelic.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New Relic</a>, etc.Best QA improvement ideas mainly include planning the entire procedure for QA automated testing, picking up the right tools, integrating QA with other functions, creating a robust testing work environment, and performing continuous testing.<h3>&nbsp;</h3><h3>&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;6.Robust Communication Between Test Teams</h3>Continuous improvement is always a byproduct of continuous communication. In software testing best practices particularly, it is a great strategy to consider frequent communication between teams whose activities overlap during an active product development cycle. This helps to ensure that they are actively communicating observations, concerns, &amp; solutions to one another.

6 Key Tips for Continuous Improvement in Software Testing

An increasing number of organizations are realizing the fact that improving the test process is critical for ensuring the quality of the software and overall business processes and multiple other benefits it offers. Some of these are listed below –<img src="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/a7667372-continuous-process-improvement2.jpg" alt="Benefits of software testing process improvements"><h3>Early and accurate feedback to stakeholders</h3>Deployment of continuous testing ensures early feedback to the development team about various types of issues the code may cause to existing features.&nbsp;Further test process improvement provides frequent, actionable feedback at multiple development stages to expedite the release of software applications into production with a much lesser number of defects. Another benefit of this early feedback is in analyzing business risk coverage to achieve a faster time to market.<h3>Reduces the cost of defects</h3>The process of test process improvement plays a crucial role in ensuring error-free outputs. Continuous testing ensures a quicker turnaround time when it comes to the identification and elimination of the expected code errors early in the development lifecycle. The result is a substantial reduction in the overall cost of resolving defects.<h3>Speeds up release cycles</h3>Test process improvement and automated testing equip organizations to better respond to frequent market changes. With continuous testing and test automation, organizations also get the advantage of quickly developed and frequently released updates.&nbsp;Automated testing allows testing of the developed code (existing &amp; new) rigorously and constantly. It also focuses on rapid error resolution to ensure clean code delivery and better integrations to speed up the launch of the application on a regular basis.Among some of the other advantages of test process improvement include –<ul><li>Improved overall software quality</li><li>Increased efficiency and effectiveness of test activities</li><li>Reduced downtime</li><li>Testing aligned with main organizational priorities</li><li>Leads to more efficient and effective business operations</li><li>Long-term cost reduction in testing</li><li>Reduced errors and enhanced compliance</li></ul>

Benefits Of Test Process Improvement

The continuous process improvement in software testing not only ensures higher product quality but also optimizes business processes. However, in practice, it is often quite challenging to define the steps needed to implement QA improvement ideas.Organizations need to thoroughly review their testing process, and be proactive and forward-thinking in their approach. The need is to have a well-defined standard for testing or a continuous improvement program that is constantly evolving to meet both the customers’ and the organization’s business needs.<a href="https://marutitech.com/contact-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Get in touch</a> with our QA experts to implement <a href="https://marutitech.com/quality-engineering-services/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">software testing best practices</a>. Our collaborative and methodical approach can help you reduce testing time, run timely test cycles, elevate your product quality, and save resources.Having a robust quality assurance process in place for all stages of the software life cycle is the key to efficient systems, significant savings, and a much higher ROI.

Bottom Line

Explore the continuous process of improving software testing and optimizing business processes.  

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6 Ideas for Continuous Improvement in Software Testing 

Developing a test automation frameworks is on the minds of many software testers these days. Even executive-level clients in software development domain have fostered extensive understanding of how implementing an automation framework benefits their business &amp; many in this space have started uttering the term ‘framework’ quite often, knowing how it can become key to the success of software automation project. But still, to many, the question remains – what exactly is a test automation framework and automation script? How does it work and what advantages can the framework bring to the testing process?

In any industry, automation is generally interpreted as automatic handling of processes through intelligent algorithms that involve little or no human intervention. In the software industry, testing automation means performing various tests on software applications using automation tools that are either licensed versions or open-source. In technical terms, the test automation framework is a customized set of interactive components that facilitate the execution of scripted tests and the comprehensive reporting of test results.To successfully build an automation framework, it is imperative to consider the recommendations by software QA experts who help control and monitor the entire testing process and enhance the precision of the results. A carefully mended automation framework allows testers to perform the automated tests in a practical, simplified fashion.

Defining Test Automation

Depending on how you want to approach the creation of a framework and target automation requirements, there are various possible variables you can think of such as:<h3>Tool-centered frameworks</h3>Both commercial and open-source automation tools have their own system infrastructure that helps with report generation, test suits, distributed test execution in its testing environment. One example is the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selenium_(software)" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Selenium automation framework</a> which has the main component WebDriver that functions as a plugin for the web-based browser to control and operate the DOM model of the application within the web browser. The Selenium test automation framework also additionally has useful coding libraries and a record-playback tool.Another significant tool-specific framework example is <a href="http://www.thucydides.info/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Serenity</a> that is built around Selenium Web driver and is an accelerator. In this, to possibly speed up the test automation implementation process, specific components are put together within a common substance by the community.When it comes to tool-specific frameworks like TestComplete, Ranorex HP QTP and more, it is difficult to make the firm decision since they all are prebuilt with a deployed infrastructure with actions emulators, reporting and scripting IDE.<h3>Project-oriented frameworks</h3>Frameworks of this class are customized to enable implementation of automation for specific application projects. Project-specific frameworks support certain target app test automation requirements and are driven by components built from open-source libraries. It creates a test-friendly environment around SUT to run some of the essential functions. These include the deployment of the developed application, running the app, test cases execution, direct test results reporting, and wrapper control for ease of coding. The frameworks focused on specific projects should also have a component to support the test run across various cloud environments on different OS and browsers.<h3>Keyword driven frameworks</h3>Keyword-driven frameworks are those designed to appeal to developers and testers with less coding experience. They might be tool-specific or project-focused frameworks and enable the underskilled staff to write and comprehend automation script. The keywords set (such as Login, NavigateToPage, Click, TypeText) for coding are installed as a keyword repository within a codebase. The spreadsheet where testers write scripts based on provided keyword references are passed onto the keyword interpreter, and the test is executed.<h3>Major components of ideal test automation frameworks</h3>If you desire to implement a highly functional and superior test automation framework, be it open-source or commercial, you must think of including certain ingredients that form its core. It is not necessary that you include all the components mentioned below in every framework. While some frameworks might have all of them, some will have only a couple.There is always space, however, to include those not listed here. The major components of ideal test automation frameworks based on various tests are:Testing librariesa) Unit testingUnit testing libraries can be used to shape an essential part of any test automation framework. You need it for:<ul><li>Defining test methods in use via specific formal annotations like @Test or [Test]</li><li>Performing assertions that affect the end results of automated tests</li><li>Running straightforward and simplified tests</li></ul>Whether you run the tests from the command line, IDE, a dedicated tool or CI (continuous integration) system – to make sure that the unit tests run straightforward manner, the unit testing libraries offer test runner.Usually, unit testing libraries support almost every programming language. A few great examples of unit testing libraries are:<ul><li>JUnit and TestNG for Java</li><li>NUnit and MSTest for .NET</li><li>unittest (formerly PyUnit) for Python.</li></ul>b) Integration and end-to-end testingWhile performing integration and end-to-end testing automation, practicing the features provided by existing test libraries is healthy and often recommended. API-level tests that are driven by the UI of an application require components that make interactions with applications under test quite easier as it eliminates the unnecessary burden of coding. Thus, you will not focus on coding efforts for:<ul><li>Connecting to the application</li><li>Sending requests</li><li>Receiving resultant responses</li></ul>Several important testing libraries of this ilk are:<ul><li>Selenium (Available for major languages)</li><li>Protractor (Specific to JavaScript)</li><li><a href="https://github.com/intuit/karate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Karate DSL</a> (Java-specific API-level integration tests)</li></ul>c) Behavior-driven development (BDD)Libraries dedicated to BDD target behavioral specifics, creating executable specifications in the form of executable code. Here you can convert different features and scenarios of expected behavior into code though they don’t work like test tools directly interacting with the application under test. They function as a support to BDD process to create living documentation that aligns with scope and intent of automated tests. A set of typical examples of BDD libraries would be:<ul><li>Cucumber (supports major languages)</li><li>Jasmine (JavaScript)</li><li>SpecFlow (for .NET)</li></ul>Test data managementThe biggest struggle experienced during the software testing automation and tests creation process is harnessing the system of test data management. As the number of automation tests intensify, there’s always the problem of ensuring that certain test data required to perform a specific test is available or created when the tests are carried out. The challenge is that there is no surefire solution to this, which demands to adopt a solid approach for test data management to make automation efforts a success.This is why, the automation framework you use, should be equipped enough to offer an essential remedy to enter or create and scavenge through the test data to be executed. One way to resolve this is having a proper simulation tool to make data more simplified, lucid and digestible.Mocks, Stubs, and Virtual AssetsWhile exploring and working on many ideas of automated tests, you are likely to come across one the situations where:<ol><li>You want to isolate modules from connected components that are generally experienced in unit testing</li><li>You need to deal with cumbersome and critical dependencies as commonly found in integration or end-to-end tests for modern applications</li></ol>In such cases, you might feel it is essential to create mocks, stubs and virtual assets that mirror the behavioral pattern of connected components. You might find <a href="https://www.infoq.com/articles/stubbing-mocking-service-virtualization-differences" target="_blank" rel="noopener">handling mocks and stubs</a> being a big-scope, giant task; however, you will realize how crucial it is to opt for useful virtualization tools during the development of automated testing frameworks.Common Mechanisms for Implementation PatternsAside from the automation framework components discussed above, there are a couple of useful mechanisms that help with the creation, use, and maintenance of automated tests such as:<ul><li>Wrapper methods: When you use Selenium WebDriver component, creating custom wrappers makes error handling more comfortable. As custom wrappers for Selenium API calls are created, you can better handle timeouts, exception handling and fault reporting. It can then be reused by those who create automated tests so that they can steer clear from the concerns of complicated process and focus on making valuable tests.</li><li>Abstraction methods: The abstraction mechanism stands for increasing readability and obscuring redundant implementation details. For instance, using Page Objects while creating Selenium WebDriver tests aims to expose user input actions on a web page including entering credential or clicking somewhere on a page. The goal is to accomplish high-level test methods by transcending or bypassing the need to explore specific elements of the page. This method applies to many similar applications and automation tests.</li></ul>Test results reportingWhen it comes to selecting a library or mechanism for reporting of the test results into the automation framework, you should focus primarily on the target audience that will be reading or reviewing the generated reports. In this area, we can present several considerations:<ul><li>Unit testing frameworks such as Junit and TestNG generate reports that primarily target receptive systems such as CI (continuous integration) servers that ultimately interpret it and present it in XML format consumable by other software.</li><li>As we seek tools that have reporting capabilities in a language most understood by humans, you may need to consider using commercial tools that are compatible with Unit testing frameworks such as UFT Pro for Junit, NUnit and TestNG.</li><li>Another option is making use of third-party libraries such as ExtentReports that create test result reports in formats well interpreted by humans, including visual explanations through pie charts, graphics or images.</li></ul>CI platformFor a faster and consistent approach towards application testing, Continuous Integration platform can help build software and run various tests for the new build on a periodical basis. This approach gives developers and stakeholders an opportunity to draw regular feedback and faster responses regarding app quality as and when new features are developed and deployed and existing ones are updated. A few prominent examples of current CI platform could be TeamCity, CircleCI, Jenkins, Atlassian Bamboo, etc.Source code managementLike manual testing, <a href="https://marutitech.com/automation-testing-quality-assurance/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">automation testing</a> also involves writing and storing source code version. Every development company has a curated source and version control system to save and protect source code. Automated tests require a sound source code management system that comes handy when working on production code. Some typical examples of source code management, as any developer would give are Git, Mercurial, Subversion and TFS.Create dependency managersThe primary intent of dependency managers is to assist in the process of gathering and managing existing dependencies and libraries used in the functioning of automation software solutions. Certain tools like Maven and Gradle simultaneously act as dependency managers and help in building tools. Build tools are meant to help you develop the automation software from source code and supporting libraries and run tests. Other dependency tools include Ant, NPM and NuGet.

Different types of frameworks

There are a few ways to plan an approach for implementing an automation test solution.<ul><li>Explore the practical suitability of automation from a customer’s Check if it looks good from all angles and test it on technology under use. It may seem a little unfeasible if, when compared, automation development endeavors outweigh expected advantages by a considerable margin.</li><li>It is crucial to keep an eye on the technology of the system under test to settle for the most appropriate test automation tool that perfectly emulates user actions.</li><li>It is advisable to go for a stage-based implementation approach where each stage has the priority of delivering an automated test script while adding framework features to achieve the expected execution of scripts.</li><li>Before initiating software test automation, to ensure the decision of automation is executed correctly, it is essential to first calculate and estimate the post-implementation ROI, concept proof, time to run the manual regression or smoke test and the number of run cycles per release.</li></ul>The inevitable need for test automation frameworksDescribing and illustrating how software test automation framework and scripts complement your testing process does not always mean it will work successfully work for everyone who aims for automation. However, there is no denial in saying that test automation frameworks, if planned and executed diligently do bring the following perks for a software development and testing company:<ul><li>Minimum time – maximum gains: Any viable test automation framework and automation script is built to minimize the time taken to write and run tests, which gives maximum output in a short With an excellent automation framework in place, you feel free from the usual concerns such as synchronization, error management, local configuration, report generation, and interpretation and many other challenges.</li><li>Reusable and readable automation code: As you use the code mentioned in existing libraries of components, you can rest assured that it remains readable and reusable for times to come and that all related tasks such as reporting, synchronization, and troubleshooting will become more accessible to achieve.</li><li>Resource optimization: Some companies do not benefit as much from automation implementation as they thought before starting the process. The efficiency you gain from creating automated tests depends on the flexibility of its adoption. If the automation system is flexible and compatible with different teams working on various components, it can provide enormous benefits when it comes to resource optimization and knowledge sharing.</li></ul>

The process of building and implementing the framework

In today’s fast-paced, brutal software development ecosystem, automated tests and scripts play an integral part in maintaining the speed, efficiency, and lucidity of the software testing cycle. With AI being inculcated in software testing, organizations that thinks of adopting a test automation framework must delve deeper in creating the ultimate framework design before they ever dive into this field. A well-nurtured strategy of framework design and components to be used will prepare the fundamental backbone of the final test automation frameworks.The best way to shape the mature, sophisticated and resilient architecture of test automation framework is to start small, test and review frequently, and gradually go higher to build an expansive version. You may also find it convenient to prepare the enormous set of automated tests from early on to see the working framework in place sooner and avoid a conflicting or compromised situation later during the test automation phase.The guidelines explained above is intended to help software testers, and companies immensely benefit from their successful execution of test automation projects.

Conclusion

Check out what excatly is a testing automation framework and automation script. 

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Everything You Need to Know about Test Automation Frameworks

With time, software development processes have changed and become more agile. Practices like Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Delivery (CD) have become crucial parts of the modern software development process. As CI/CD pipeline requires frequent code changes, the role of QA in CI/CD pipeline becomes indispensable.Let us understand the importance of CI/CD pipeline automation testing and get to know some actionable tips from our QA team on how to implement QA in the CI/CD pipeline. So without further ado, let’s get started!<h3>Continuous Integration (CI)</h3>In the modern-day application development approach, projects are broken down into simpler bits, and after division, they are all merged together into the main body, also known as the trunk. CI is the application development methodology wherein the code is integrated within the data repository several times in a day.Typically, the CI/CD pipeline automation testing is seen at this stage as it helps with early bug detection and makes the project cost-effective.<h3>Continuous Delivery (CD)</h3>Continuous Delivery is an extension of Continuous Integration that helps in releasing all the changes at the production-end of development. It includes changes such as the introduction of new features, bug fixes, configurational changes, etc. The primary purpose of Continuous Deployment is to ensure predictability in scheduled maintenance.

QA accelerates delivery and deployment while fixing any recently introduced bugs. Continuous QA fits perfectly in the continuous-everything model and makes everything cheaper and faster.Most importantly, CI/CD pipeline QA acts as a safety net, which allows the developers to focus primarily on the code, its changes, and the shipping updates, rather than worrying about testing!<h3>Challenges of Manual Testing in CI/CD Pipeline</h3>Even though the CI/CD pipeline pushes for continuous development, testing, and deployment, it is often plagued with manual testing. One of the greatest issues with manual testing is the delay per iteration, which starts accruing and pushing the deployment back. Slow feedback, slower changes, and painfully slow releases defeat the very purpose of CI/CD as manual testing is unable to keep up with the dynamic requirements.At the same time, there is a need to run multiple tests depending on the objective of test suites. To conduct these tests, one needs to first identify the test cases and then run them one at a time. Hence, manual testing makes the process sluggish by many folds.Finally, the test cycles call for separate test environments that teams will have to build manually, upgrade, and tear down. The effort that goes into mimicking the end-user environment may require multiple permutations and combinations that the team will have to identify, build, and update.<h3>Need for Automation Testing in CI/CD Pipeline</h3>Even though manual testing is prevalent, it is evident that it is a failing battle. Following are the clear advantages of CI/CD pipeline automation testing:<ul><li>It allows for quicker, more responsive feedback loops that continuously test the codes and share feedback within a span of a few minutes. Resultantly, the CI/CD pipeline witnesses rapid acceleration.</li><li>Automation helps in the detection of test procedures and has room for parallel testing capabilities. Teams can run automated cross-browser concurrent tests that will reduce the testing time and improve test coverage.</li><li>Through automated testing, teams can enjoy automatic provisioning that helps in setting up test environments in just a few clicks! Test automation tools come equipped with the latest versions of operating systems and browsers. Hence, teams do not have to spend valuable time manually recreating the various environments.</li><li>Continuous testing and QA allows the development team to meet the quality and security requirements consistently. Furthermore, it offers greater scalability than manual testing.</li></ul>While manual testing can be reserved for specific testing types and modules, such as exploratory testing, it is best to automate testing for seamless integration of QA in the CI/CD pipeline.

Importance of QA in CI/CD Pipeline

To modify the CI/CD pipeline, QA professionals can introduce the following actionable measures:<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;1. Use <a href="https://www.selenium.dev/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Selenium</a> for Automated Cross-Browser Testing&nbsp;</h3>Different browsers (and sometimes the different versions of the same browser) operate on different protocols and engines. Regardless, the performance of the website should remain consistent throughout. Hence, it is crucial to perform cross-browser testing through Selenium.<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;2. Select the Right Set of CI/CD Tools</h3>Given the diverse range of CI/CD tools, it can be confusing to identify the ones that you require. Typically, it should match your overall requirements and support the platforms, frameworks, and technologies that you require.<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;3. Align the Testers with the Developers</h3>Naturally, for the perfect CI/CD pipeline <a href="https://marutitech.com/automation-testing-quality-assurance/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">automation testing</a>, the developers and testers must work hand-in-hand to achieve the desired results. Through early-stage incorporation, the overall quality of the project will improve rather than posing it as an afterthought. Further, it will decrease the time-to-market, and you will deliver high-quality, tested applications frequently.<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;4. Closely Monitor Load Clashes</h3>With an automated pipeline, one can expect a stable, bug-free build that is ready for deployment. And while it is deployed, developers must gain access to test reports, especially those containing any issues or failures. These reports will shed light on the reasons why it failed the test and the user behavior that led to the load clash. As a result, developers can make changes according to these findings.&nbsp;<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;5. Document Every Aspect of CI/CD Pipeline</h3>Documentation helps maintain the testing quality during automated unit testing, which also improves the quality of solutions. Automated unit tests contribute to self-documentation, where code maintenance plays a crucial role in software development. As a result, developers can benefit from a testing model that develops through self-learning. At the same time, the main documentation helps mitigate any software risk and takes care of maintenance.<figure class="image"><a href="https://marutitech.com/case-study/workflow-orchestration-using-airflow/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/airflow_implementation_3babb9f1c4.png"></a></figure>

Tips on How to Implement QA in CI/CD Pipeline?

Developers use common CI/CD tools to introduce automation in the development, testing, and deployment stages. Some tools are designed specifically for CI, and some are better at managing CD.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/e9bc8234-qa-in-cicd-2.png" alt="CI/CD Tools" srcset="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/e9bc8234-qa-in-cicd-2.png 1000w, https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/e9bc8234-qa-in-cicd-2-768x434.png 768w, https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/e9bc8234-qa-in-cicd-2-705x398.png 705w, https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/e9bc8234-qa-in-cicd-2-450x254.png 450w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" width="1000"></figure>Some of the most common CI/CD automation tools used by development teams include:<ul><li><a href="https://www.jenkins.io/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jenkins</a> for end-to-end CI/CD framework implementation and execution</li><li><a href="https://github.com/tektoncd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tekton</a> Pipelines for CI/CD automation over the Kubernetes platform</li><li><a href="https://about.gitlab.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gitlab</a> for version control and cloud-based CI techniques</li><li><a href="https://www.atlassian.com/software/bamboo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bamboo</a> for CI when operating on Jira</li><li><a href="https://spinnaker.io/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spinnaker</a> for continuous delivery over multi-cloud platforms</li><li><a href="https://www.gocd.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GoCD</a>, which is a server for CI/CD that rests heavily on visualization and modelling</li><li><a href="https://concourse-ci.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Concourse</a> for CI/CD management</li><li><a href="https://screwdriver.cd/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Screwdriver</a> for CD</li></ul>Teams may even find managed CI/CD test automation tools offered by a wide range of vendors.

Common CI/CD Tools

You can get the best out of the automation testing in CI/CD pipeline through the following measures:<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;1. Introduce incremental changes</h3>Introducing QA in CI/CD cannot be an overnight change. Hence, make use of a feature-by-feature approach to start with the larger features that need to be broken down into smaller test features. In doing so, development teams can also manage their commits.<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;2. Locate parts that call for automation</h3>On seeing the clear advantages of CI/CD pipeline automation testing, one may want to dive right in and automate everything. However, it is best to first automate those stages and test cases that genuinely ask for it. It is better to assign priorities and work your way through them.<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; 3. Set up parallel testing features</h3>Parallel and automated cross-browser tests increase coverage and reduce test times. Hence, run the tests in parallel and scale the server size to accelerate them.<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;4. Program automatic triggers</h3>For perfect and smooth hand-offs, developers must define automatic triggers to deploy the services to the development environment after the code and builds pass all the tests.<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 5. Enable Smoke Tests</h3>Every deployment should be followed by an automatic smoke test. This smoke test will ensure that the code retains its original and core functionality despite the changes. In case the smoke test is positive, the CI/CD pipeline QA must initiate automatic deployment.<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 6. Remove duplication</h3>Test duplication slows down the regression and automation in the CI/CD pipeline. Therefore, monitor all the test suites to identify similar test scenarios and eliminate all but one.

Setting Up Automation Testing in CI/CD Pipeline – Best Practices

With continuous QA in CI/CD, the project development cycle can enjoy the following benefits:<img src="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/2708616f-qa-in-cicd-1.png" alt="Benefits of QA in CI/CD" srcset="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/2708616f-qa-in-cicd-1.png 1000w, https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/2708616f-qa-in-cicd-1-768x434.png 768w, https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/2708616f-qa-in-cicd-1-705x398.png 705w, https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/2708616f-qa-in-cicd-1-450x254.png 450w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" width="1000"><ul><li>Faster assessment of minor changes as the automated pipeline can easily and effectively integrate these and deliver continuous changes after it has been tested thoroughly.</li><li>Automation allows for faster speed and minimal delays. Thus, the results of regression tests generate feedback quickly, which decreases the execution time.</li><li>In addition to running faster tests and getting quicker feedback, automated QA allows parallel testing with cross-browser capabilities.</li><li>The CI/CD pipeline and QA automation therein deliver quick and reliable results with almost no room for variations or anomalies. These consistent results make them more dependable than manual testing.</li><li>In the dynamic CI/CD pipeline world, agility is the name of the game. With an automated pipeline, adjusting frameworks, tools, and configurations becomes highly agile and adapts to the change in requirements.</li><li>Since most of the reconfiguration in the CI/CD pipeline can be automated, there is a wide scope for scalability, especially in the long run.</li></ul>

Advantages of Test Automation for CI/CD Pipeline

Automation testing improves the ability of the CI/CD pipeline to deliver error-free codes without compromising on the quality. And while the automated pipeline is linear, the feedback loop becomes an area of interest as all the crucial metrics will be readily available at this stage. These analytics can help with performance monitoring and enhancement, which will boost the quality of the project.The close-knit construction of the CI/CD pipeline also highlights the role and importance of every contributor. Further, it demonstrates the effectiveness of their deliverables in maintaining code and project quality. Thus, QA managers should follow a hands-on approach and involve all stakeholders in the test development and environment provisioning strategies. In this manner, businesses can deliver high quality and include continuous testing through the processes.In a nutshell, the formula is simple, Continuous Integration + Continuous Delivery + Continuous Testing + Continuous Deployment + Continuous Feedback = Continuous Improvement!Maruti Techlabs offers hassle-free <a href="https://marutitech.com/quality-engineering-services/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">continuous testing services</a>. We incorporate testing services seamlessly in your CI/CD pipeline to streamline and get the most out of your development cycles. For end-to-end QA services, simply drop us a note <a href="https://marutitech.com/contact-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a> and we’ll take it from there.

Final Thoughts

Here are some actionable tips from our QA team on implementing QA testing into your CI/CD pipeline.

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Implementing QA in a CI/CD Pipeline - Best Practices & Tips
 

The term ‘quality analysis’ is not new to us. Software product testing has always been a crucial part of the product development life cycle. But even with its highlighted importance, the discipline of QA&nbsp; in product development is often pushed to the backseat as other aspects cloud the mind of the team.Regardless, it is impossible to ignore the importance of quality analysis. If the product development team designs the product and directly sends it to production, they will eventually come across bugs and glitches, which they could have otherwise caught during the QA cycle.It is not a difficult task to gauge the significance that software product testing holds. In this article, we will discuss details of software testing and QA in product development.

Product testing is not only essential to identify and correct the errors and glitches but it also ensures that the development process follows a pre-planned and efficient approach.Conducting software product testing efficiently is the only way one can spot the bugs and errors beforehand and make sure a successful and reliable product is launched in the market. In the following sections, we discuss how you can achieve that. Let’s first understand the role of QA in product development.A brief overview of the role of QA:<ul><li>It ensures that the software product is predictable and reliable.</li><li>It handles any bugs that are in the product by upgrading packages to remove bugs and glitches in the system.</li><li>Quality analysis technically enforces documentation protocols and testing in the product development environment. This helps in system-level testing, environmental testing, functional testing, and other testing requirements of any software product.</li><li>QA offers preventive measures to reduce the chances of errors and bugs. This is paired with corrective actions of the errors.</li><li>Along with all of the other tasks, quality analysis helps in creating quality processes that integrate with the core measures of the company. These measures lead to a quality product and a delighted customer.</li></ul>

Role of QA in Product Development

An array of models is utilized for QA in product development. Discussed below are 4 such software product testing models and their features: &nbsp;<img src="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/Methods_Used_for_Software_Product_Testing_a39f35a569.png" alt="Methods Used for Software Product Testing" srcset="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/thumbnail_Methods_Used_for_Software_Product_Testing_a39f35a569.png 245w,https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/small_Methods_Used_for_Software_Product_Testing_a39f35a569.png 500w,https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/medium_Methods_Used_for_Software_Product_Testing_a39f35a569.png 750w," sizes="100vw"><h3>1. Waterfall Model</h3>One of the fundamental models utilized for software development quality analysis is the waterfall model. The product developers create a downward flow containing processes that help them reach the final outcome.&nbsp;Of course, this is a feasible and easy model to execute, but it is not efficient. You don’t have the flexibility to update requirements or start the testing phase alongside software design. These drawbacks have reduced the popularity of this model.Features:<ul><li>It offers more control and departmentalization. Every team is working in phases and has set deadlines.</li><li>Due to its rigid nature, this model is easy to handle and execute. The phases are simple for the team to understand.</li><li>This model is great for small assignments where requirements are defined and understood. Here, the structured approach of the waterfall model helps. &nbsp;</li></ul><h3>2.Agile Test Framework</h3>The agile model is a widely utilized QA model now. Here, every cross-functional team collaborates and works on an incremental and iterative model. This model exhibits adaptability and transparency, which leads to better delivery and customer satisfaction.Due to continuous development in an agile framework, it is possible to continuously find errors and remove bugs.&nbsp;Features:<ul><li>It has enhanced communication and collaboration between cross-functional teams such as DevOps, QA, or the operations team.</li><li>It harbors a test-driven environment. This means that the QA team continuously checks if the implementation is right or not. It ensures right behavior implementation early in the software development lifecycle.</li><li>In this model, a broad view of the entire application is received, which further aids the testing team to test certain behaviors of the product.</li><li>The agile test framework is the best for continuous integration and continuous delivery, <a href="https://marutitech.com/software-testing-improvement-ideas/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">continuous testing</a>, and improvement.</li></ul><h3>3.Rapid Action Model</h3>The rapid action model collects the requirements from user focus groups. In this scenario, rapid prototyping is important, which is followed by iterative delivery. It is basically a sub-category of agile development.&nbsp;Any product developed with this method is inherently adaptable and efficient.&nbsp;Features:<ul><li>There are rapid prototyping and iterations, which help in measuring the progress of the product easily.</li><li>The elements are compartmentalized due to OOP-like execution. This helps in making modifications easily.</li><li>Consistent feedback received from users can enable the team to improve the quality and functionality of the software in the right manner.</li><li>In other waterfall-based implementations, integrations are achieved in the end. However, in the <a href="https://marutitech.com/rapid-application-development/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RAD model</a>, integration is almost instant due to immediate resolutions.</li></ul><figure class="image"><a href="https://marutitech.com/case-study/media-management-saas-product-development/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/qa_testing_f221f97841.png"></a></figure><h3>4.V-Model</h3>The V model is better than the waterfall model because testing and development are achieved alongside. Further, unit testing is the starting point that spreads to the whole system.This model has higher chances of success, and the time spent too is less than the waterfall model.&nbsp;Features:<ul><li>It is a structured model, where every requirement is picked and completed one by one.</li><li>It is simple for the development and quality assurance teams to understand, which improves the feasibility of working.</li><li>Due to a specific set of requirements, a structure can be formed, which can be easily understood and executed by the entire team.</li><li>This type of model is best for smaller projects, where you know the exact requirements and needs of the end-user.</li></ul>

Methods Used for Software Product Testing

<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/1_f5534dd577.png" alt="6 ways QA Ensures Successful Product Launch"></figure>Customer satisfaction is directly proportional to quality of the product. Below, we have explained the benefits and importance of QA in software product development.<h3>Enhanced User Satisfaction</h3>The best type of marketing is offering quality to your users. For any user, a smooth experience guarantees satisfaction. They want the entire tech implementation to be seamless and valuable in the end.&nbsp;With rapid tech improvements, the concept of brand loyalty is diminishing, and patience-level is thinning. This indicates that if you fail to offer an intuitive, quality product to the user, you may fail to retain the user. They won’t think twice before shifting to another provider for an improved experience.&nbsp;Hence, if you are successful in ensuring quality execution to users, you can seamlessly improve their satisfaction related to a brand. It includes finding mistakes in the software product without customers pinpointing the issues. Being proactive is the key here, and that comes with continuous quality assurance and software testing. So, the better and glitch-free execution you offer, the better satisfaction you deliver.&nbsp;Through QA, you can build reliable and accessible software applications. Your team should pay the necessary attention to UX-related problems and glitches to improve the manner in which a user traverses your applications. With improved UX and product delivery, revenues and brand reputation increase, and as a byproduct, user satisfaction increases.<h3>Better Efficiency</h3>It is possible for software development teams to avoid software failure by integrating QA cycles within the development cycles.&nbsp;Creating a strategy to ensure software quality ascertains that the development team is consistently keeping track of user requirements and making innovative additions to the product. When the team deviates from this plan and avoids QA cycles or software testing, the end product is faulty and full of bugs. This translates to a lot of rework and crossed deadlines, and that decreases product efficiency.When you are working on the same product over and over again and still failing to reduce the total occurrences of bugs, your final product is not efficient. With QA, your product glitches are solved regularly at every stage. This helps in improving the final efficiency and outcome.<h3>Preventive Approach</h3>Software quality is a consistent effort that the entire team needs to make, which means that even the QA team should be a part of the execution from the beginning.With traditional methodologies, software testing was constricted to finding bugs at the end of the development. At this stage, there’s no option left other than reducing the bugs that are already in the system.With evolving methods, software testing can take a preventive route. This means implementing QA a little too early in the software development cycle to find and address bugs that might arise in the future, including issues of performance, functionality, and security.Having a proactive QA strategy helps in detecting errors that might lead to future failures. This is possible because quality assurance processes are designed to remove features that are not in-line with standards or are not offering value to the product. This helps create an intuitive, high-performing, and stable application.<h3>Product Stability</h3>Every user wants to receive or download an application that runs without interruption or crashing. Thorough QA processes ensure that the software application meets the unique performance, functional, and security requirements of the user. Every browser, device, and working environment should integrate well with this application to provide optimum quality and user satisfaction.&nbsp;It is noteworthy that QA processes ensure a smooth continuous flow of functions, eliminating defects, and improving end-result for the user. This doubly ensures the stability of the system and offers valuable functionality to the user.&nbsp;<h3>Client Demand Fulfillment</h3>The QA team can help you meet the requirements of the user. It helps in ensuring that the final application is aligned with user requests and development needs. In this respect, the application should be scalable, reliable, robust, and fully functional.<h3>Reduced Time To Market</h3>Finding defects and software issues early in the software development life cycle reduces the time to market. When your team is revealing bugs continuously and improving software efficiency and performance, they are reducing the time it takes to develop the software project.&nbsp;You don’t have to wait till the end to ensure QA and then deal with extended deadlines because there’s never enough time. Incorporating quality assurance processes and test automation early in <a href="https://marutitech.com/software-prototyping-services/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">product development</a> keeps your timelines in line with the requirements.

Importance of QA In Successful Product Launch

With cutthroat competition and no dearth of options for the customers, the importance of software product testing cannot be underestimated. As a fast-growing company, including software product testing at the end of the complete product development is a time-consuming and resource-intensive approach.&nbsp;It would be wise to use automated unit testing tools, and involve your QA team in the product development life cycle from the beginning of the project. You can also consult our skilled QA engineers who have helped many companies ensure unmatched performance with streamlined product testing.For top-notch <a href="https://marutitech.com/quality-engineering-services/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">quality assurance services</a>, drop us a note <a href="https://marutitech.com/contact-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a> and we’ll take it from there.

The term quality analysis is not new to us. Discuss details of software testing & QA in product development.

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QA‌ ‌in‌ ‌Product‌ ‌Development‌ ‌-‌ ‌Here’s‌ ‌What‌ ‌You‌ ‌Need‌ ‌To‌ ‌Know‌ 

The success of your mobile app, or any software for that matter, primarily depends on its performance, functionality, usability, and security. The process of testing these factors can decide the fate of your app. Outsourcing mobile app testing to experts ensures quality, and at the same time, saves you time and cost.Previously, mobile app testing outsourcing was primarily done to cut costs, but now it has become an efficient way to achieve better business outcomes. Here we’re going to discuss the reasons why you should outsource app testing against using an in-house testing team or using the same team that developed the app.

Below are the top 11 reasons why you should outsource app testing and software testing:<h3>1. Cost-Effectiveness</h3>Outsourcing software testing services can help you save money, resources, and time. It is a very cost-effective alternative to in-house testing teams (hiring, training, and providing resources to a new or developing team). Here are some specific ways outsourcing helps in reducing costs:<ul><li>An experienced outsourced software testing team will help you identify problems early on.</li><li>By mobile app testing outsourcing, you can save a substantial amount on hiring full-time software testers. You also avoid paying for expensive training to in-house testers.</li><li>With testing outsourcing, you would not need to invest anything in additional technology to get testing done as the third-party company will handle all the logistics.</li><li>Outsourcing your software testing function also allows you to get a quicker start on your new product development, translating to more opportunities for business revenue generation.</li></ul><h3>2. Process Efficiency</h3>When you outsource software testing, you get the advantage of qualified testing professionals with core knowledge working on your product. They give you an unbiased and clear view of your software product, along with its various strengths and weaknesses.Dedicated third-party testing professionals are capable of efficiently mapping your specific testing schedule and working on key parameters such as the types of testing required, various test scenarios, and the need for striking a balance between automated and manual testing.<h3>3. Faster Testing Results</h3>By outsourcing mobile app testing, you will essentially be dealing with testing experts who can finish the testing process in a much shorter time.Choosing a <a href="https://marutitech.com/quality-engineering-services/">reliable outsourcing testing provider</a> also allows you to get the advantage of best testing practices, frameworks, and test automation tools to reduce the overall testing time and efficiently address your project requirements and deadlines.<h3>4. QA Automation</h3>Automation in testing is an evolving concept that ensures a seamless multi-device app experience to users. But not everyone can ace at automated testing, and hence, it makes sense to outsource app testing process to an experienced and professional testing service provider with hand-on experience in automated testing.Software and app testing outsourcing providers rely on advanced test management, test automation tools, bug tracking, and new-age technologies to make the testing process faster and more efficient. Some of the most popular test automation tools used by the professional testers include <a href="https://www.ranorex.com/">Ranorex</a>, <a href="https://www.selenium.dev/">Selenium</a>, and Microsoft Coded UI Tests.<h3>5. Improved Business Reputation</h3>Releasing poor-quality products can severely damage your company’s reputation and make it very challenging for future projects to remain viable in the marketplace.Hiring an expert to test your software can uphold your company’s reputation among both customers and competitors. Usually, independent testing is more accurate and impartial as compared to in-house testing.Further, independent testers can provide specialized testing services across various domains, especially in niche areas such as mobile testing, embedded system testing, cloud testing, web testing, digital testing, and Big Data along with full test coverage with the latest testing tools.<img src="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/fa00f489-11-reasons-why-you-too-need-to-outsource-mobile-app-testing.png" alt="Outsource Mobile App Testing" srcset="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/fa00f489-11-reasons-why-you-too-need-to-outsource-mobile-app-testing.png 1000w, https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/fa00f489-11-reasons-why-you-too-need-to-outsource-mobile-app-testing-768x684.png 768w, https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/fa00f489-11-reasons-why-you-too-need-to-outsource-mobile-app-testing-705x627.png 705w, https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/fa00f489-11-reasons-why-you-too-need-to-outsource-mobile-app-testing-450x401.png 450w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" width="1000"><h3>6. Better Understanding Of Latest Trends And Technologies</h3>The rapidly evolving and dynamic market of mobile apps requires companies to stay on top of their game and effectively navigate the tough competition in the market. Outsourcing mobile app testing can help you in accessing the latest tools and technologies without having to invest in these emerging technologies.Outsourced software testing providers are well-versed with the industry’s proven tools, technologies and keep coming up with ideas for <a href="https://marutitech.com/software-testing-improvement-ideas/">continuous improvement in software testing</a> for better outcomes. We can help your company deliver apps with unmatched performance and gain a competitive edge in the market.<h3>7. Keeping Your Code Confidential</h3>Often, companies are worried about the confidentiality of their code or their client’s intellectual property, which stops them from outsourcing their software testing process.But professional outsourcing software testing companies understand that an unauthorized release of your program’s information can be devastating for business and hence take security seriously by having numerous measures in place to protect your company from theft, leaks, and other intellectual property violations. They are compliant in every aspect and meet all the required global regulatory requirements.<h3>8. Scalability</h3>Software testing typically encompasses a wide variety of aspects based on the type of product and the scope of quality assurance goals. Outsourcing <a href="https://marutitech.com/software-testing-in-product-development/">QA in product development</a> to QA testing companies is also a better idea because different apps require a different number of professional testers to work on them, and testing companies can provide required resources and professionals needed to scale your testing.Further, third-party software testing providers usually offer a wide variety of services primarily designed to test all aspects of the product, including functionality, security, performance, user experience, and scalability.<h3>9. Ensure Strict Deadlines For Project Completion</h3>Following strict deadlines is one of the primary requirements of any project. This often leads the internal teams to lose focus on testing and worry about the development, thus compromising the quality of the product. With testing outsourcing, business owners don’t have to worry about the delivery schedule, and the chances of missing the deadlines are reduced to a minimum.It is always a wise decision to outsource app testing when you’re dealing with strict deadlines. The outsourced app testing team can efficiently manage the entire testing part of the project allowing your internal team to focus completely on the development aspect.<h3>10. Focused Operations</h3>Software testing can be a challenging task for in-house staff. Outsourcing this function to a qualified service provider allows your company to focus on the development process and other core business functions.It helps reduce the workload of your in-house IT team, giving them the time, bandwidth, and productivity they need to be able to develop impactful and customer-friendly software products. Additionally, the software testing service provider makes sure to adhere to the defined timelines without putting any stress on your internal staff.<h3>11. Autonomous Testing Results</h3>Software testing is best performed when it is done as an independent activity from an unbiased perspective. Testing done by a third-party specialist vendor would always be impartial as they cannot be influenced by either the development or management team.Also, outsourcing the software testing activity to a competent and qualified vendor would mean that the testing activities will be carried out in a very structured and professional manner. This will then translate to more test coverage, better testing, and better-tested products.Often, businesses express concern regarding the confidentiality of their proprietary code or their clients' intellectual property. These apprehensions serve as a deterrent to outsourcing their software testing procedures. But, &nbsp;partnering with a reliable provider of <a href="https://marutitech.com/mobile-app-development-services/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">app development services</a> can make all the difference in ensuring a seamless and successful app launch.

Top 11 Reasons Why Outsourcing Mobile App Testing Works Best

Software and mobile app testing from a business perspective can be an overwhelming task unless it is supported by the right resources. Since testing is a recurring process, for many companies engaged in software development, maintaining an optimal-sized testing team may not be a viable option always.But by outsourcing mobile app testing, you can improve the quality of your final product and acquire your desired process efficiencies. Outsourcing software testing to the right <a href="https://marutitech.com/quality-engineering-services/">QA service provider</a> is not only cost-effective, but also guarantees you peace of mind.Giving responsibility for your software testing to an expert team is the most efficient way to leverage your resources toward developing better software products much faster.By outsourcing your software testing to Maruti Techlabs, you are equipped to scale production when needed, and unlock the various benefits of Agile development—all with our team of QA experts who work in unison with your own IT team. For cost-effective plus stress-free outsourcing of app testing, get in touch with us <a href="https://marutitech.com/contact-us/">here</a>.

Check out why you should outsource app testing against using an in-house testing team. 

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11  Reasons Why You Too Need To Outsource Mobile App Testing 

With the number of online buyers all set to reach a whopping<a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/251666/number-of-digital-buyers-worldwide/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> 2.14 billion by 2021,</a> the popularity of eCommerce websites has grown exponentially in the last few years. And this means that requirements for eCommerce website testing have become all the more sophisticated to ensure that they correspond to the emerging market changes.Hey there! This blog is almost about&nbsp;2500+ words&nbsp;long and may take&nbsp;~10 mins&nbsp;to go through the whole thing. We understand that you might not have that much time.This is precisely why we made a&nbsp;short video&nbsp;on the topic. It is less than 2 mins, and summarizes&nbsp;what goes behind efficient eCommerce website testing?&nbsp;We hope this helps you learn more and save your time. Cheers!<div class="raw-html-embed"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hYw8mASiArk" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>eCommerce testing is a process that is used to evaluate &amp; assess eCommerce websites and applications for their intended and accurate operational functionality with no performance or security issues.The idea of eCommerce website testing is to consider and target different designs, specifications, traits, functionalities, pages, and features of the website, which are likely to be prone to various risks and issues associated with the performance of the website.

Unlike the popular notion, eCommerce testing is not just about enhancing security features. Effective eCommerce testing is more about making each and every component of the platform functionally robust and secure.An efficient security testing of eCommerce applications can help your business identify and resolve multiple issues in advance, provide your services smoothly, avoid a number of financial risks, and comply with international standards to reduce cyber threats.<h3>Benefits of E-Commerce Testing</h3>E-Commerce businesses are usually based on diverse software applications, mobile applications, and unified integrated systems. Efficient testing and test automation for these eCommerce websites is a critical requirement for retailers who have implemented custom eCommerce solutions.<img src="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/d2ba3c5f-ecommerce-website-testing-1.jpg" alt="types of eCommerce testing" srcset="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/d2ba3c5f-ecommerce-website-testing-1.jpg 750w, https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/d2ba3c5f-ecommerce-website-testing-1-705x656.jpg 705w, https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/d2ba3c5f-ecommerce-website-testing-1-450x419.jpg 450w" sizes="(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px" width="750">While test automation helps in faster time to market, a robust test case makes the entire process more effective. Apart from helping identify the required changes and taking appropriate actions, test management also helps in developing powerful risk management processes and effective applications.Other reasons for eCommerce website testing include –<ul><li>Ensuring all the pages of the website are tested thoroughly, and eCommerce transactions are completely secure and validated.</li><li>Ensuring there is no compromise on any critical factors such as mobile responsiveness, customer data security, user experience, loading time.</li><li>Testing, verifying, and validating the product or application prevents it from intruders and cyber hackers.</li><li>E-commerce testing ensures defect-free and user-friendly applications.</li></ul>If you're planning to launch an e-commerce website, partnering with a reputable <a href="https://marutitech.com/mobile-app-development-services/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mobile app development company</a> can help ensure that your website is fully optimized for mobile users.

What Is The Need For Effective Testing Of E-Commerce Websites?

Before going into the details of test cases and checklist for eCommerce testing, let’s first discuss the different types of eCommerce websites/apps available –Depending on the buyer and seller, eCommerce websites/apps can be divided into 5 different categories –<h3>1. B2B (business to business) Model</h3>The idea here is one business helping another business with the help of an online platform. Some of the examples of this model include <a href="https://www.alibaba.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alibaba.com</a>, Amazon business, and <a href="https://www.3dxtech.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">3DXTech</a>.<h3>2. B2C (business to customer) Model</h3>The primary focus in this type of business model is businesses helping out direct customers via an online store from which people can buy goods.&nbsp;Some of the examples of B2C business models include Facebook, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LinkedIn</a>, Uber, and <a href="https://us.pandora.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pandora</a>.<h3>3. C2B (customer to business) Model</h3>In this model, an individual will be directly selling his product to big companies. Examples of this model include writers, artists, freelancers, web designers, and other similar service providers.<h3>4. C2C (customer to customer) Model</h3>C2C business model involves an individual selling his product directly to the customer. Everything that needs to be done, such as product listing, website maintenance, shipping, etc., has to be done or managed by the person who is running the shop.<h3>5. C2A (consumer to administration) Model</h3>In this case, the business transaction happens between the individual and public administration. An example of this would be using an online portal to book a seat in the theatre.

Types Of E-Commerce Websites/ Applications

Apart from helping you prevent unsatisfied clients, lost revenues and spoilt brand reputation, a high-quality e-commerce solution can also help you uncover and avoid various other risks including –<h3>Unavailability Of Online Store</h3>This is a common problem that may originate from the provider’s side. High-quality software testing can easily prevent this risk, especially for high loads at peak times, for example, during holiday sales.<h3>Weak Search Functionality / Slow Loading Speed</h3>Most of the customers or website visitors prefer to browse through the items on offer before making the actual purchase. Slow loading speed and weak search functionality can certainly disappoint potential customers and result in a low conversion.<h3>Poor Shopping Cart Functionality</h3>There are various instances when a customer can find the goods they are looking for but cannot order because of problems with the shopping cart functionality. For example, customers cannot apply a discount coupon or add/remove options that don’t work.&nbsp;<h3>Misleading Analytics</h3>Website analytics allows you to gain meaningful insights about website traffic, sales conversion rate, average order value, revenue by traffic source, the percentage of returning customers, and more. With poor analytics and testing, a business loses its chance to gain the advantage of a reliable basis for assessing its overall business strategy.

Quality Risks That E-Commerce Testing Can Prevent

Test cases are essentially the scripted or non-scripted scenarios created in order to check the functionalities of an eCommerce website or application. Here we have compiled a detailed checklist and the most important test cases that your e-commerce website testing team needs to focus on –<img src="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/a76db63e-ecommerce-website-testing2.jpg" alt="eCommerce website test case" srcset="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/a76db63e-ecommerce-website-testing2.jpg 750w, https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/a76db63e-ecommerce-website-testing2-621x705.jpg 621w, https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/a76db63e-ecommerce-website-testing2-450x511.jpg 450w" sizes="(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px" width="750"><h3>1. General Test Cases</h3>General test cases for eCommerce websites/applications should be composed thoughtfully and in a detailed manner. Make sure to pay attention to the smallest of things like interaction quality of the homepage, ease of navigation across the product categories, or whether the picture of the product is enlarging upon clicks and many more.Among some of the general tests that you need to perform on your website include –<ul><li>Redirecting of the website links to correct product/category pages</li><li>Clear visibility of the product, price, category name, price, company logo, and product description</li><li>Are all the category pages have a relevant product listed specifically for the category?</li><li>If the count of the total number of products listed on the category pages is correct</li></ul><h3>2. Homepage Test Cases</h3>Homepages in e-commerce websites go far beyond simple design features. Generally seen as a clickable image or slideshow with auto-scroll redirecting your website visitors to the specific pages, it is, in fact, a robust tool for marketing purposes.&nbsp;The homepage acts as a profile space of your eCommerce website, making testing a vital component at this stage. The essential things that QA team needs to focus on with the homepage include –<ul><li>Is the page going to auto-scroll, and at what interval will the images be refreshed?</li><li>When the customer hovers over it, is it going to scroll to the next one?</li><li>When clicked on, is it taking the customer to the right page and right product deal?</li><li>Is the loading speed acceptable?</li><li>Can the rest of the content be viewed effortlessly, including newsletters, banners, social media links in the site footer, etc.?</li><li>Does the homepage appear the same way in different browsers and screen resolutions?</li></ul><h3>3. Search Test Cases</h3>The search feature is one of the most commonly used options in an eCommerce store. Even an extensive and intuitively category design sometimes makes it difficult for customers to find the product they’re looking for. This makes it essential to test search features and make it easier for customers to locate products quickly without much hassle.Important things to test in the search feature include –<ul><li>Is the search available based on the product name, brand name, etc.?</li><li>Are different sort options available based on parameters such as price, brand, reviews/ratings, and more?</li><li>What is the ideal number of results to display per page?</li><li>For multi-page results, are there options available to navigate between them?</li></ul>It is important here to note that the customer can search for a product right on the homepage or from any of the interior pages. So, your website search has to be adapted accordingly.<h3>4. Recommended Products</h3>This is an essential part that is largely neglected in eCommerce testing. After the purchase is made by the client, there is a follow-up session that involves showing customers recommended items which they can purchase further. It is an important section to test because it acts as an anchor to win customer loyalty in the long run. Important things to check here include –<ul><li>Check if the recommendations given to customers are of relevant products that will interest the client</li><li>Are the recommendations showing on the page immediately after the client confirms the order they have made?</li></ul><h3>5. Payments</h3>Unsuccessful or failed transactions are one of the main reasons why most customers exit a website or online store without completing the purchase. This makes payments one of the most crucial test cases for running a successful e-commerce website. Here are some of the important things to test on the payments page –<ul><li>Checking for all the different payment options from start to finish</li><li>Can customers check out as guests to make payments? Or should they register before checking out?</li><li>In the case of returning customers, does the page prompt them to sign in?</li><li>Security testing for the storage of customer credit cards or any other financial information. It is important to take all steps to ensure that user financial information is highly secure</li><li>Once the payment is made, what’s the return page defined?</li><li>Does the customer receive an order confirmation as an email/text message along with the order number once it’s completed?</li></ul><h3>6. Shopping Cart</h3>Shopping carts are one of the key features of an eCommerce website, and this requires thorough testing. It allows the customers to easily select and store multiple items in their shopping cart and purchase them all at once. Among some of the main test cases which should be part of testing a shopping cart include –<ul><li>If all items and their totals are displayed in the cart</li><li>Option to add items to the cart and continue shopping</li><li>Applicable taxes as per location</li><li>Option to add more items to the cart with accurate total reflecting</li><li>Option to remove items from the cart</li><li>Accurate calculation of shipping costs with different shipping options</li><li>Option to apply coupons</li></ul><h3>7. Product Details Page</h3>In eCommerce website testing, testing the product page is as important as shelving the goods available in a brick-and-mortar retail store. Thus testing that these products display correctly on the site is of great importance.Considering the fact that the product page displays a lot of important information, including the product description, image, specification, and pricing, it is critical that all this information is displayed accurately whenever a customer logs in. Important things to check here include –<ul><li>Price of product</li><li>Image or images</li><li>Specifications (size, color or variations options)</li><li>Reviews and check out options</li><li>Shipping information</li><li>Delivery options</li><li>In-stock/out of stock details</li></ul><h3>8. Post-Order Test Cases</h3>When we place an order on an eCommerce website, there are multiple actions that we can do related to the purchase. Testing the post-purchase functionality is, therefore, an important aspect of eCommerce testing. Some of the most important post-purchase test cases include –<ul><li>Checking if the customer is able to cancel the order or change the quantity of the order</li><li>If the customer is able to review the recent order and history of purchased items</li><li>Check if the customer is able to change billing/shipping or other profile information</li></ul>

8 Crucial E-Commerce Website Test Cases

One of the key reasons for eCommerce testing is to check the functionality and usability of the application, its user-friendliness, and to make your website/application bug-free.To make the process smooth, here are some of the important features which need to be tested in an eCommerce website or application –<h3>Website Functionality For Different User Scenarios</h3>An eCommerce website/application works differently for different user profiles such as customers (both authorized and unauthorized), sales representatives, and online shop managers. It is, therefore, important to make sure that your eCommerce website test cases cover the varied operations for all types of users such as filtering of items, adding/removing goods to the shopping cart, and so on.<h3>Compatibility With Web Browsers</h3>One of the critical features to test in eCommerce applications is to check their compatibility with various types of web browsers, including Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Opera, Firefox, Safari, etc. This is important to make sure that the customers are able to use your e-commerce website without experiencing any technical glitches.<h3>Application Workflow</h3>To offer a hassle-free eCommerce experience to customers, it is pivotal to test the complete workflow of your eCommerce web/mobile application that consists of login and signup options, sorting feature, search functionality, add/remove functionality in the shopping cart, check-out process, payment gateway, and payment processing among others.<h3>Mobile Responsiveness</h3>An increasing number of users are now using mobile devices, driving companies to reconsider their eCommerce testing strategy, and take a mobile-first approach in their eCommerce applications. The important aspect here is to test the responsive design of the application in mobile devices of different screen sizes.<h3>Social Media Integration</h3>Irrespective of the type of eCommerce application or website, social media is one of the most important factors in defining its success. But to leverage it fully, you need to make sure that social media integration is completely aligned with website architecture and workflow, and your eCommerce website testing is an ideal way to test social media workflow and functionality.<h3>Security And Vulnerability Assessments</h3>Without a doubt, security testing to check for security and vulnerability issues is one of the most important yardsticks to keep in mind during eCommerce testing. As eCommerce applications involve dealing with valuable information, including customers’ personal and banking data, assessing security issues is non-negotiable. Among the varied testing methods that can be used for this include SQL Injection and ethical hacks on the login.<h3>SEO-Related Aspects</h3>One of the other important features in eCommerce testing is to check the overall performance of your website/application. There are several parameters that you need to conduct performance testing on, including data transfer rate, efficiency, webpage loading speed, uptime, database performance, website traffic load tolerance, and error messages.Further, to win higher rankings in top search engines, it’s important to check whether various SEO strategy components such as the title tags, image alt tags, URL structure, meta descriptions, etc. are implemented accurately and correspond to the requirements.Apart from this, other common features to test in eCommerce applications include website content, the format of webpage, cookies, social buttons, website accessibility, adding/deleting content, removing/adding links, making changes to shipping settings, and analytics.Read to know more about the <a href="https://www.quicksprout.com/best-ecommerce-platforms/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">best e-commerce platforms</a> where you can easily create and manage your own online store.

Top 7 Features To Be Tested In An E-Commerce Application

For any e-commerce business, quick and effective testing translates to exceptional customer experience leading to a profitable business. Quality issues with eCommerce websites can quickly snowball into dissatisfied customers, and lost marketing and sales opportunities.It is, therefore, important for businesses to effectively communicate with your <a href="https://marutitech.com/quality-engineering-services/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">QA team</a> and make sure your eCommerce testing procedures give your website unmatched efficiency and robustness.We provide a full spectrum of <a href="https://marutitech.com/quality-engineering-services/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Quality Assurance and Quality Engineering services</a> for your web and mobile applications. Our team of expert QA engineers ensure that your business processes meet rigorous quality checks and function consistently, in a cost-effective and scalable way.Get in touch with us <a href="https://marutitech.com/contact-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a> for all your QA requirements.

To Sum It Up

Here's an in-depth look at eCommerce website testing with the most popular applications.

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Your Guide to E-Commerce Website Testing - Checklist & Test Cases


Picture this: Your application is working smoothly. You customers are happy and you are excited to launch the new feature in the next sprint. The next sprint comes and with the deployment of the new lines of code, the existing functionality of your application breaks! Not only is the new code not working properly, but the existing coding features have stopped working. You and your team spend extra hours finding and fixing the issue, not to mention the loss of business and the bad reputation.Terrifying? Yes. Uncommon? No.Whenever the developer modifies their software, even a small change can create unexpected consequences. Hence it is necessary to check whether the modification of the software hasn’t broken the existing functionality within the software. That’s where regression testing comes into the picture.Here, we have prepared a detailed guide to help you understand the need and importance of regression testing in software engineering and its strategies, tools, and techniques. Let’s get started by understanding what regression testing is.&nbsp;

Regression testing is a process of testing the software and analyzing whether the change of code, update, or improvements of the application has not affected the software’s existing functionality.Regression testing in software engineering ensures the overall stability and functionality of existing features of the software. Regression testing ensures that the overall system stays sustainable under continuous improvements whenever new features are added to the code to update the software.&nbsp;Regression testing helps target and reduce the risk of code dependencies, defects, and malfunction, so the previously developed and tested code stays operational after the modification.Generally, the software undergoes many tests before the new changes integrate into the main development branch of the code. Still, the regression test is the final test among all as it helps you verify the product behavior as a whole.&nbsp;

What is Regression Testing?

The need for regression testing arises when the requirements of the software change, and you need to analyze whether the modifications in the application have affected the other areas of the software.&nbsp;Below are some of the circumstances when you have to apply regression testing<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">New functionality added to an existing feature</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">For fixing the code to solve defects&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">The source code is optimized to improve the performance of the software</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">When the addition of fix patches is required</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Configuration of the software undergoes changes and modifications.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

When to Apply Regression Testing 

Automated regression testing is considered a critical puzzle piece when it comes to the development of any software. The rapid regression testing process enables you and your product team to receive more informative feedback and respond instantly and effectively.&nbsp;A regression test helps you detect errors in the deployment cycle so that you do not have to invest in cost and maintenance to resolve the built-up defects. As you know, sometimes a slight modification can cause a significant effect on the functionality and performance of the product’s key features. Therefore, developers and testers should not leave any alteration that can go out of their control space.&nbsp;Change is the critical feature of regression testing. Below are four reasons for which changes usually take place:<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">
New functionality: It is one of the common reasons to undergo regression testing. Here, the old and new code should be fully compatible. Hence, when developers introduce new functionality, they don’t concentrate on its compatibility with the existing code. It is dependent on regression testing to find the possible issues.&nbsp;
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">
Integration: Regression testing ensures the software performs flawlessly after integration with another product
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">
Functionality Revision: As developers revise the existing functionality and add or remove any features, regression testing checks whether the features are added/terminated with no harm to the software functionality.
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">
Bug Fixing: Often, developers’ actions to fix the bugs in the code eventually generate more bugs. Therefore, bug fixing requires a change in the source code, which causes the need for re-testing and regression testing.&nbsp;
</li>
</ol>Functional tests only analyze the behavior of the new features and modifications and not how compatible they are with the existing functionality. Hence, it is difficult and mainly time-consuming to analyze the software’s root cause and architecture without regression testing.&nbsp;Moreover, if your software goes through frequent modifications and updates, regression testing enables you to filter the quality as the product is modified.&nbsp;

Importance of Regression Testing 

After understanding the importance of regression testing during software deployment, now it’s time to work with effective regression testing strategies. When you are designing regression testing strategies, it relies on two main factors:&nbsp; &nbsp; a] Product Nature: It is a critical factor for deciding a relevant regression testing strategy and plan. For instance, approaches to test a landing page and comprehensive professional portal are different. Consider a landing page; regression testing mostly features UI and usability tests. On the other hand, the professional portal may consider multiple test cases for the software’s security, compatibility, and performance.&nbsp; &nbsp; b] Product Scale: Regression testing works differently depending upon the large, medium, and small scale production. For instance, a single round of manual regression testing will be enough if the product is negligible. At the same time, for medium and large-scale developments, you will require both manual and automated regression testing.These factors enable the testing team to choose adequate regression testing strategies and approaches.&nbsp;

Regression Testing Strategies 

In total, two main approaches are available by which you can undertake regression testing. Remember, the approach you select will vary according to the circumstances, size of the codebase, your tester team, and if the product is negligible.&nbsp;<h3>1. Full Regression
</h3>Here, the regression testing consists of all regression test scenarios covering the entire product. The tester team usually undergoes a full regression test at the final product delivery or release stage.&nbsp;Full regression is generally performed when the product requires significant functional and non-functional modifications or when these modifications affect the root code of the software. Luckily, the tester team has just to revise the functional, non-functional, unit, and integration test suites and analyze these test cases that continuously fix bugs throughout the deployment.&nbsp;Even though the task is tedious and lengthy, this approach effectively helps discover all defects throughout the application. However, when the system needs regular modifications and updates, full regression testing does not make sense.For better understanding, consider a scenario where you have to build an image processing application. Here, the application was initially designed for iOS 8, so the developers used XCode6 IDE. Later, the customer asked to allow the user to run the product on the latest device powered by iOS 9. Therefore, the demand for a new IDE(XCode 7) transition arises. After the transition, testers had to perform full regression testing to ensure that all the features developed in XCode6 were still functioning effectively on xCode7.&nbsp;Full regression testing can also be performed by customers when they want to get complete assurance about the product’s stability and its ability to satisfy their needs.&nbsp;<h3>2. Partial Regression
</h3>Partial regression testing is the process of testing modified parts of the software and the adjacent areas that might have been affected. Testers make use of unique strategies to make sure that the partial regression testing yields good results.&nbsp;The primary strategy here is a risk-based approach. Testers determine the application areas affected by recent modifications and select relevant test cases from the test suite.&nbsp;A quality assurance team further applies the risk-based approach to perform regression testing when the software acquires new changes. This selection technique reduces the testing time and effort and is one of the better choices for iterative regression testing for agile deployment when teams are pressed for time.&nbsp;Note that partial regression testing also considers full regression testing for the final deployment stage and discards obsolete test cases.&nbsp;Remember that the choice of an approach will depend on the scope of changes, stage of the software life cycle, and methodology.&nbsp;

Regression Testing Approach

Before you start building the regression testing strategy, consider the following:<ul><li>Collect all test cases when you intend to perform</li><li>Analyze the improvements that can be made to these test cases&nbsp;</li><li>Calculate the time required for performing the test cases</li><li>Summarize that can be automated and how</li></ul>After considering all these points thoroughly, let us start building the regression testing strategy:<img src="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/cfe7cc7c_infographic_4_01_02_min_1500x1324_8b544b06e4.jpg" alt="cfe7cc7c-infographic_4-01-02-min-1500x1324.jpg" srcset="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/thumbnail_cfe7cc7c_infographic_4_01_02_min_1500x1324_8b544b06e4.jpg 177w,https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/small_cfe7cc7c_infographic_4_01_02_min_1500x1324_8b544b06e4.jpg 500w,https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/medium_cfe7cc7c_infographic_4_01_02_min_1500x1324_8b544b06e4.jpg 750w,https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/large_cfe7cc7c_infographic_4_01_02_min_1500x1324_8b544b06e4.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw"><h3>1.Using Smoke and Sanity Test Cases</h3>Smoke and sanity testing is carried out before the regression testing, which eventually helps to save time for the testing teams. Sanity testing is run through the basic features of the software before additional testing of the new release, which controls that functionality works as planned.&nbsp;To carry out smoke testing, you require a subset of test cases that test basic and core software workflow, for instance, startup and login, and can run very quickly.&nbsp;You can use a smoke and sanity test to quickly identify whether an application is too flawed to warrant any testing further such as regression testing. This procedure is much better than performing regression testing on software that doesn’t load login and starts analyzing why hundreds of thousands of regression tests fail.&nbsp;<h3>2.Finding Error-Prone Areas</h3>Consider a test case scenario that often fails. Some features in the application are so error-prone that they always fail after minor code modifications. During the software lifecycle, you can analyze these failing test cases and include them in the regression test suite.<h3>3.Test Case Prioritization</h3>Regression testing focuses on the software areas with the most significant risk of quality issue. While working with a risk-based approach, a tester must select the test case that covers most of the application areas affected by the changes. You can also rank them according to priority.&nbsp;The best way to deal with it is to prioritize the test cases according to critical and frequently used software functionalities. When you choose the test cases depending on their priority, you can reduce the regression test suite and save time by running fast and frequent regression tests.&nbsp;<h3>4.Identifying Bug</h3>Some regression testing tools integrate with error analyzing tools. It lets you see the details about what happened while performing the regression test; if it fails, research which features fail and exactly which line of code is affected. Error tracking tools help you get screenshots and other metrics about the failure during the regression testing, helping identify and debug the issue.<h3>5.Communication</h3>The tester should communicate with the software owner to analyze changes in requirements and assess them. They should communicate with the developers to understand the changes made during an iteration.&nbsp;As a <a href="https://marutitech.com/web-application-development-services/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">web application development company</a>, we understand the importance of effective regression testing strategies. Whether you're an Agile team or looking for a custom web application development solution, our comprehensive guide will help ensure your software stays bug-free and reliable.


How to Build a Regression Testing Strategy for Agile Teams 


Below, we have discussed some common challenges faced while performing regression testing and make it difficult for the agile team:<ul>
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Changes: Many-a-times, excessive changes are necessary by the management and customer. This modification can be volatile if the whole iteration terminates. These create a high risk to any test automation strategy.
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Unable to use record and playback testing tools: The development and tester team must wait until the functionality is ready to employ traditional test tools with record and playback features. Hence, automated functional testing tools don’t work in an agile context.&nbsp;
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Regression test growth: It is obvious that while working with the large project, regression tests quickly become unmanageable. Therefore, the tester team should automate and review tests frequently and remove ineffective tests to ensure that regression testing remains managed.&nbsp;
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Lack of communication: It is essential to communicate effectively between the automation testing team, business analysts, developers, and customers. It helps to know the changes in the product-which functionality is research which features fail new. They require regression tests, which functionality is undergoing the difference and is removed and no longer needs regression testing.&nbsp;
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Test Case Maintenance: As you know, the more test cases you automate, the clearer the quality of the existing functionality is made. But at the same time, more automated test cases mean more maintenance.&nbsp;
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Special testing skills: You will need specialists to test the functionalities such as integration and performance testing. The team should hire specialists either within the agile team to gather and plan testing requirements.&nbsp;
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</ul>


Challenges Faced by Regression Testing 


Generally, there are two primary regression testing methods implemented on software. Let us understand them in detail below:<h3>1.Manual Regression
</h3>Manual regression testing is one of the most basic methods for regression testing for every software regardless of the methodology used in the software, i.e., waterfall model, agile, and others. A regression test suite depends on the test cases describing areas of the application that have undergone modification.&nbsp;Manual testing always precedes automation, sometimes even more efficient than the latter. For instance, it is impossible to write the test scripts for testing the software areas adjacent to the modified code.&nbsp;Manual regression testing is more efficient in the early stages of the product delivery process. For example, while developing the iOS image processing software, manual regression testing enables you to detect several bugs causing defects in the app UX. Therefore, the app fails to render the image correctly and crashes when the user changes screen orientation.&nbsp;However, the main problem with manual regression testing is that it is effort and time-consuming. For complex software, running a regression test, again and again, hinders a tester’s concentration and performance. Hence in these cases, tester teams prefer working with automated regression testing.&nbsp;<h3>2.Automated Regression
</h3>Automated regression testing is mainly used with medium and large complex projects when the project is stable. Using a thorough plan, automated regression testing helps to reduce the time and efforts that a tester spends on tedious and repeatable tasks and can contribute their time that requires manual attention like exploratory tests and UX testing.&nbsp;In the current situation, the tester often starts automated regression testing at the early stages of the software development life cycle. It works well enough for agile development where the developers look forward to deploying the product at least weekly and have no time for warming-up manual regression testing.&nbsp;The tester team can understand the stakeholder’s needs and the product business logic by communicating with the whole team and studying the use cases thoroughly to find the expected results for testing. The primary task in early automation is to decide the testing framework which provides you with easy scripting and low-cost test maintenance.&nbsp;In some instances, <a href="https://marutitech.com/automation-testing-quality-assurance/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">automation testing</a> allows you to detect the bugs found during manual regression testing. For example, while building an image processing app described above, automation lets you see random bugs using automated testing timeouts.&nbsp;

Regression Testing Methods

While working with automated regression testing, you must wonder how many tests should be kept manual and how many automated. Hence, before understanding the balance between automatic and manual testing, let us know what automation can and cannot do.&nbsp;<h3>How to do Automated Regression Testing
</h3>Automation robots are created to do exactly what you command them to do, nothing more or nothing less than that. Automated regression testing enables you to find your known unknowns rather than seeing your unknown unknowns. Confusing right? Let us understand in detail.&nbsp;Testers will always continue to fulfill the task of monitoring, evaluating, and updating the test case that they created as the software undergoes the modifications. But also, their task is to think outside the box and look at the potential issues in the system.&nbsp;The best part of automation is that it creates a positive cycle, i.e., the more tedious, repetitive tasks you automate, the more capacity you free up for yourself, which enables you to find these issues in the system’s existing functionality through exploratory testing.&nbsp;Note that it does not matter whether the test case is 100% manual or 100% automated. Any test case can be partly automated if it includes repetitive tasks such as logging in to an application or filling in user information. Therefore, the ideal approach to regression testing consists of continuous focus on efficiency and time optimization through automation and critical evaluation of new and existing test cases.&nbsp;By considering a balanced regression testing approach with automation opportunities as a core focus, you can ensure that the project stays on track and budget. Also, it helps you ensure that your software stays bug-free and eventually helps you to give your end-user the best possible user experience.&nbsp;


Balance Between Automated and Manual Regression Testing 


Getting started with the regression test automation strategy is pretty simple. Just follow the below eight steps, and you are good to go.&nbsp;<img src="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/c405958e-8-step_regression_test_automation_strategy_10_20_21.jpg" alt="Step_Regression_Test_Automation_Strategy" srcset="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/c405958e-8-step_regression_test_automation_strategy_10_20_21.jpg 1000w, https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/c405958e-8-step_regression_test_automation_strategy_10_20_21-768x613.jpg 768w, https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/c405958e-8-step_regression_test_automation_strategy_10_20_21-705x563.jpg 705w, https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/c405958e-8-step_regression_test_automation_strategy_10_20_21-450x359.jpg 450w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" width="1000"><h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; 1. Scope</h3>The scope is the first step to consider when you get started with automation in your regression testing.&nbsp;It helps you to define which test case should be automated and which should be manual. Moreover, it also consists of outlining timelines and milestones for each sprint in the project.&nbsp;It is crucial that all team members are on board with this scope, and each one knows their responsibilities for certain parts of the project.&nbsp;<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; 2. Approach</h3>When you consider the regression test automation approach, below are three major areas you should consider.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; a] ProcessIt is essential to have a well-defined structured process while building your automated regression testing suite. Make sure that you cover the following in your plan:<ul><li>When should we create an automatic test case during the sprint?</li><li>When are features ready for automated testing?</li><li>Which parts are manually tested?</li><li>Who takes care of maintenance?</li><li>How do we analyze results? b] Technology</li></ul>Before starting automation testing, you must identify which application you need to automate and what technologies they use. Eventually, it will help you to determine which automation tool you should use.In many cases, regression testing will involve several application types: desktop-based, web-based, mobile apps, etc. hence, it is essential to have a tool that handles all your automation requirements.&nbsp;Generally, the tester starts automating with a free, open-source tool such as selenium. Still, later, it causes problems as selenium helps to cover only some of their regression testing needs. Also, testers and developers often spend a massive amount of time writing automation scripts and maintaining all those scripts down the line.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; c] RolesAt this point, you have to define the roles for automation in your team. As regression testing is not the only thing you must automate, you need to keep an overview of who does what in your team.&nbsp;For instance, the roles and responsibilities consist of:<ul><li>Automation Lead: Responsible for handling and controlling all activities regarding the automation in the project</li><li>Test Case Reviewer: It is essential to create automated test cases like code reviews among the software developers.&nbsp;</li></ul>Eventually, more and more time will go towards the maintenance of the regression suite. Hence, using a regression testing tool is essential to keep a clear overview of your testing suite. Also, it allows you to administer roles and access to automation flows and suites.&nbsp;<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; 3. Risk Analysis</h3>Risk analysis should be a significant part of automation strategy as a whole. It is pretty tricky and time-consuming to foresee everything that can fail, estimate the cost of this, or find a way to avoid those risks.&nbsp;Depending on the business size, complexity, and importance of your business processes, you can carry out this risk analysis by simply answering the below questions to yourself.&nbsp;<ul><li>Describe the risk factor</li><li>What will happen if the risk becomes a reality?</li><li>What is the probability that it will happen?</li><li>What steps should be taken to minimize the risk?</li><li>What is the cost of reducing the risk?&nbsp;</li></ul>If you are not likely to do this, you can also consider a more extensive risk scenario, cost calculations, and mitigation strategies.<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; 4. Environment and Data</h3>The next step in automation regression testing is testing the environments and the data.&nbsp;Companies with the software department will have more or less well-defined methods for software deployment. This process usually involves one or more test environments.&nbsp;Some release pipelines are well-defined(i.e., DevOps pipeline), and the work towards the fast release has either begun or been deemed. In this case, it becomes essential to evaluate the current state of your test environments.&nbsp;Test automation will produce predictable outputs for known inputs. It means that stable and predictable test environments are essential for successful test automation.&nbsp;<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; 5. Execution Plan</h3>After considering the scope of your project in terms of timeline and responsibilities, now it’s time to turn it into an executable plan. An execution plan should consist of day-to-day tasks and procedures related to automated regression testing.&nbsp;Before adding any automated test cases to the regression suite, it’s essential to run and verify the tests multiple times to ensure they run as expected. Failure is time-consuming, and so the test cases must be robust and reliable.&nbsp;It is an excellent plan to create a procedure for making test cases resistant to automated changes in the system. This procedure will solely depend on the application, but it should consist of the test cases that recognize and interact with the application’s elements under test.&nbsp;It means that the regression tests will run either as a deployment event or at a known time.&nbsp;<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; 6. Release Control&nbsp;</h3>In any release pipeline, there comes the point when the team needs to decide whether to release a build regardless of its complexity and maturity. Areas of this decision-making can be automated, while other features still require human critical thinking.&nbsp;Remember that the automation results will play a critical role in this decision. But if you only want to allow release or if you want to have a lead tester, it depends on you.&nbsp;After the complete process of regression tests, you should include application logs as part of the release decision. If the regression tests consist of application coverage, errors not related to the UI should be revealed in the log files.&nbsp;<img src="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/695b3be6_infographic_3_01_min_1500x470_1401599436.png" alt="695b3be6-infographic_3-01-min-1500x470.png" srcset="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/thumbnail_695b3be6_infographic_3_01_min_1500x470_1401599436.png 245w,https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/small_695b3be6_infographic_3_01_min_1500x470_1401599436.png 500w,https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/medium_695b3be6_infographic_3_01_min_1500x470_1401599436.png 750w,https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/large_695b3be6_infographic_3_01_min_1500x470_1401599436.png 1000w," sizes="100vw"><h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; 7. Failure Analysis</h3>It is essential to plan to analyze the failed test cases and take action after the critical situation. The time consumed by the tester declaring a fail test case until it is fixed and accepted back in the development is usually more significant than teams anticipate.&nbsp;As a result, the release cycles risk being delayed, and the agile team becomes less agile. But instead, having a well-defined process will help you save a lot of time and frustration throughout the release cycle.&nbsp;The best practice is to outline how different bugs should be handled and by whom. For instance,&nbsp;<ul><li>Environment Errors: Handle by DevOps Team</li><li>Error in the application under test: Report a bug for development</li><li>Error in the automation scripts: A task for the test team</li></ul><h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; 8. Review and Feedback</h3>After processing your regression testing automation strategy, it’s time for you to get it reviewed by all development team members. Ensure to enforce a continuous improvement and learning process, which consists of feedback from peers, stakeholders, and team members working with automation and adjusting the strategy when needed.&nbsp;Even though automated regression testing is the priority for the tester team to automate, that doesn’t mean that regression testing should not be manual.&nbsp;Tester’s automation choice needs to be done continuously, and the test cases can be reused. But you cannot ignore the fact that manual testing delivers higher quality at a lower cost.Regardless of automation prowess, below are some of the steps you should be following for manual regression testing:<h3>a]Analyzing the Problem</h3>Are there any problem areas in your software? Is there any functionality that is prone to break or receives a massive amount of customer service issues? Maybe this functionality or areas are:<ul><li>Used most frequently</li><li>Easily affect the updates and modifications</li><li>Often misused by users</li><li>Prone to hacking attempts</li></ul>In addition, you’ll also need to decide about the different testing components to include in this round.<h3>b]Dividing and Conquering the Testing Surface Area</h3>At this point, you are available with a long list of what to test, and you have to divide it into individual test cases and exploratory test prompts in your test management software such as <a href="https://testproject.io/">TestRail</a> or <a href="https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira">JIRA</a>.&nbsp;While test cases will enable the testers with exact steps and exploratory test prompts will assign certain functionality or areas to the expert tester to intuitively create their test cases.<h3>c]Error Report with Steps and Screenshots</h3>Whether your team consists of 5 testers or 50, you inevitably need complete consistency with the bug reports. The ideal error report includes:<ul><li>The functionality name.</li><li>The environment.</li><li>Steps to reproduce.</li><li>The expected output.</li><li>The actual output.</li><li>The assumed priority of the issue.&nbsp;</li></ul><h3>d]Confirm Testing Coverage with Testing Resources</h3>You have to confirm from your team what is covered until now after completing all the testing. Make sure that everyone marks tasks as done in your manual test management. Also, review the bug report if any feature areas of the software are found missing.&nbsp;<h3>e]Save and Reuse your Test Cases</h3>Now it’s time to review the test case and exploratory test prompts and check whether they fit into your regression testing strategy overall.&nbsp;<ul><li>Which test cases can be reused?</li><li>Which test case should be rewritten to reuse?</li><li>Which test case should be deleted from your ongoing regression testing strategy?&nbsp;</li></ul>Remember that regression testing can be overwhelming because of the inherent complexity, but you can keep yourself and your team on the right track when you use his processes.&nbsp;

Regression Test Automation Strategy

There are few factors that you should consider to make a tool a good choice for regression testing. Some of these factors are mentioned below:<ul><li>You can create test cases easily.</li><li>A test case is maintained easily.</li><li>Complex test cases can be automated.</li><li>Finding a gap that exists during the requirement cycle.</li><li>Depending on the type of application you possess, the tool support for test case execution.</li><li>It is easy to understand and maintain the structuring for test cases and test suites.</li><li>Either the tool has to support integration with good reporting tools or should have its mechanism.</li><li>The tool supports the test cases execution on supported devices.</li><li>The tool should be integrated well for <a href="https://marutitech.com/qa-in-cicd-pipeline/">QA in CI/CD pipeline</a> seamlessly.</li></ul>

What are the Factors to Choose the Right Tools?

There are many popular tools available that help the tester execute the tests quickly and save huge time. It would be challenging to develop the best tools, but let us discuss some of the top tools used by QA specialists for regression testing.<img src="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/e8200360-logos-min.jpg" alt="Top 11 Tools for Regression Testing" srcset="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/e8200360-logos-min.jpg 1000w, https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/e8200360-logos-min-768x766.jpg 768w, https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/e8200360-logos-min-36x36.jpg 36w, https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/e8200360-logos-min-180x180.jpg 180w, https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/e8200360-logos-min-705x703.jpg 705w, https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/e8200360-logos-min-120x120.jpg 120w, https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/e8200360-logos-min-450x449.jpg 450w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" width="1000"><h4>1.<a href="https://www.selenium.dev/">Selenium</a>&nbsp;</h4><ul><li>It is one of the most powerful regression tools that perfectly fit the frequent regression testing.</li><li>Highly Flexible and supports numerous programming languages</li><li>It is compatible with many browsers and OS</li><li>Many massive browser vendors consider selenium the native part of the browser.</li></ul><h4>2.<a href="https://www.ibm.com/products/rational-functional-tester">IBM Rational Functional Tester</a></h4><ul><li>It is a commercial tool that is often referred to as the best-automated regression testing tool.</li><li>It supports various apps, including web-based and terminal emulation-based.</li><li>Using IBM rational functional tool, users can easily create different types of scenarios.</li></ul><h4>3.<a href="https://testsigma.com/">Testsigma</a></h4><ul><li>Testsigma is an automated regression testing tool.&nbsp;</li><li>Testsigma helps you with scriptless testing in plain English.</li><li>It offers suggestions of related test cases after a change has been made.</li><li>It lets you run your regression tests right after the first check-ins, automatically, within a sprint.</li></ul><h4>4.<a href="https://www.sahipro.com/">Sahi Pro</a></h4><ul><li>It is used to test large web applications, especially in challenging deadline projects when minimum maintenance is required.</li><li>It offers OS support and easy integration with the build system, default logging, and data-driven suits.</li><li>The most crucial feature of SAHI PRO is that it is flexible.</li></ul><h4>5.<a href="http://watir.com/">Watir</a></h4><ul><li>It is an open-source tool for web application regression testing.</li><li>Watir mainly uses the Ruby programming language and supports various apps developed in different technologies.</li><li>It is lightweight and very easy to use</li><li>Watir offers cross-platform OS support, possess a default-test recorder, and also allows writing tests that are easy to maintain</li><li>Watir is used by many large companies like Facebook and Oracle.</li></ul><h4>6.<a href="https://smartbear.com/product/testcomplete/overview/">TestComplete</a></h4><ul><li>TestComplete is suitable for running parallel regression tests.</li><li>It helps to create automated regression tests across the web, desktop, and mobile applications.</li><li>These tests are unbreakable and stable under the GUI modifications</li><li>Among the highlights, we should mention test visualizer, custom extension, and test recording</li></ul><h4>7.<a href="https://www.microfocus.com/en-us/products/silk-test/overview">Silk Test</a></h4><ul><li>It is a popular regression testing tool that supports desktops, mobile, rick-client, web, etc.</li><li>It is possible to run tests parallely, which reduces the testing time and provides quick feedback.</li><li>SilkTest is mainly used to make the most complex test plan look clear and neat.</li></ul><h4>8.<a href="https://www.vornexinc.com/">TimeShiftX</a></h4><ul><li>TimeShiftX operates on virtual time, and hence system clock changes are required. It helps shift the dates and force the time to perform temporary or date simulating testing.</li><li>You can make use of this tool for testing databases and applications on all platforms and OS.</li><li>TimeShiftX is easily customizable and requires no code modifications or environment reboots.</li></ul><h4>9.<a href="https://origsoft.com/product-testdrive/">TestDrive</a></h4><ul><li>TestDrive is a solution for fast regression testing, which is dynamic and flexible.</li><li>Unlike the majority of automated regression tools, it supports manual testing.</li><li>TestDrive supports multiple technologies, application types, and interfaces at the same time.</li><li>It is beneficial for testing browser apps and GUIs among various visual regression testing tools.</li></ul><h4>10.<a href="https://www.ranorex.com/">Ranorex Studio</a></h4><ul><li>Ranorex is the ultimate solution for test automation which is highly suitable for working with desktops, web, and mobile apps.</li><li>It is perfect for every company irrespective of its size.</li><li>It includes a codeless integration with multiple tools like Jira and TestRail, data-driven and keyword-driven testing.</li></ul><h4>11.<a href="https://www.subject-7.com/">Subject7</a>&nbsp;</h4><ul><li>Subject7 is a cloud-based no-code platform that supports automated regression testing of any mobile or web application.</li><li>It supports high-scale parallel execution and is available for use in the secure public cloud and a private cloud along with hybrid deployments.</li><li>Subject7 enables you extendable capabilities for adjacent test automation.</li></ul>Apart from these, there are many regression testing tools available in the market. You have to be careful while choosing the correct tool based on your requirements.

Top 11 Tools for Regression Testing

For regression testing to be efficient and effective, it is necessary to see it as an open part of the comprehensive testing methodology. Incorporating enough variety of automated tests to prevent any aspects of your application from going unchecked is a cost-effective way of carrying out regression testing.&nbsp;&nbsp;At Maruti Techlabs, our QA experts run automated test cases, develop change reports, and perform risk analysis with extensive code coverage. Our <a href="https://marutitech.com/quality-engineering-services/">QA and software testing services</a> focus on modern as well as legacy systems to give you unmatched performance with streamlined execution. For rigorous quality checks to ensure flawless performance at every stage, reach out to us <a href="https://marutitech.com/contact-us/">here</a>.

Explore the need & importance of regression testing and its strategies, tools & techniques. 

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Regression Testing - Strategies, Tools, and FrameworksConclusion


API testing efficiency of any organization is assessed when the API is moved to production phase. Here, if the production instance is returning data accurately and working quickly, you know that the API monitoring is optimum.But what happens if one of the API endpoints experiences a break?In that case, everything starts running in a loop, and you are burdened with the responsibility of finding the issue before the customer or end-user figures out something is wrong.In reality, till the time you realize there’s an issue, it is already too late because there’s a high probability that the user has already experienced the glitch.Multiple organizations have been using advanced API testing during their development and staging phases to mitigate these issues. The idea here is to find the solution before the problem finds the customer. Hence, API endpoints are tested before deployment. It ensures the efficiency of the product.Considering the importance of API testing in product development, we have prepared a short guide for you to understand what is API testing, various API testing tools and processes in detail. Read on to know what is API testing.

As the name suggests, API testing is a process that helps in ensuring the quality of the software product. API testing includes various QA actions, including API calls, outputs, and response validation, using multiple parameters. Here, we are more inclined towards finding data accuracy, HTTP status codes, data format, and error codes.<img src="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/how_api_works_f932495e72.png" alt="how api works" srcset="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/thumbnail_how_api_works_f932495e72.png 245w,https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/small_how_api_works_f932495e72.png 500w,https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/medium_how_api_works_f932495e72.png 750w," sizes="100vw">The approach that we utilize to test an API depends on the type of product you have created. Whether you have a web services API, OS API, DB API, or API to access resources remotely, API testing is still necessary.

What Is API Testing?

Now that the question ‘what is API testing’ is answered, let’s have a look at the types of API testing. Below, we have discussed 8 API tests that answer common concerns due to which we are using REST API testing in the first place. The concerns are:<ul><li>Understanding the return value of API according to input</li><li>Verifying whether API is returning the wrong answer or nothing</li><li>Checking whether API is calling some other API or invoking an event</li><li>Ascertaining whether the API is connected to the data structures or not</li></ul>Now, let’s see the types of API testing that you can use.&nbsp;<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; 1. Functionality Testing&nbsp;</h3>Functional testing is a type of API testing, which verifies the operational requirements of the product. These functions use particular scenarios to make sure that the API is working as per the expected parameters. Errors are corrected or managed if the result is not as expected.For instance, if you are testing an API that is created for ordering music on an online platform, functional testing can check the layered scenarios. It indicates that the user generally searches by track or the artist’s name, and a functional test would use multiple scenarios to understand if the right input is delivered.<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;2. Reliability Testing</h3>When we connect an API to more than one device, it is necessary to check if it could have any disconnections. Reliability testing allows us to check exactly that. Through this test, you can see if the API will perform without failure in any particular environment and offer consistent results.<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;3. Load Testing</h3>As the name suggests, load testing checks if the API has the power to handle a certain amount of load. It reviews how a particular API behaves under higher loads than it was meant to tackle.&nbsp;In this type of test, measure the response times, check severe conditions, analyze throughput, and evaluate other similar factors. The entire goal is to see how the system would react to understand the high load scenario.&nbsp;<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;4. Creativity Testing</h3>The creativity of any API is its ability to be used in unique ways. That is what creativity testing checks in an API. It evaluates whether we can use a particular API in multiple ways or not. If not, creativity testing reveals that the API is poorly written.&nbsp;<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;5. Security Testing</h3>Security testing includes the security needs of the API. It contains permissions, authentications, and access controls.<ul><li>The authentication that you need for the API</li><li>The encryption necessary to keep sensitive data safe</li><li>The authorization checks and controls in place for resource management</li></ul>Collectively, these three reveal the security structure of an API.<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;6. Proficiency Testing</h3>Proficiency testing is related to the performance of the API. It measures the ability it offers to the developers and the degree of the feasibility of conducting API actions.&nbsp;<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 7. API Documentation Testing&nbsp;</h3>Documentation is often ignored but is crucial for the development team. The API document contains the procedure for using the API. Every complex requirement, technical need, and engineering need is described within the API documentation. Understanding whether this document can guide the user to extract value from the API or not is the actual purpose of API documentation testing.&nbsp;<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 8. Negative Testing</h3>Negative testing checks if your API is designed to handle unexpected and invalid user responses gracefully. For instance, if the user types a number in a letter field, what would you say to the user, or what message would you display? You can simply show “Invalid response. Please enter a letter.”Similarly, every wrong user input is covered in this test.&nbsp;

What Are The Different Types Of API Testing?

There’s an array of benefits of including API tests to your test-driven development. The entire <a href="https://marutitech.com/software-prototyping-services/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">product development</a> is improved, which helps in delivering high-quality services to the end-user.&nbsp;There are five significant reasons why the <a href="https://rapidapi.com/blog/api-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">API testing</a> process is crucial for an organization. Read on to understand these benefits.<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;1. Quality</h3>The rule of thumb is that you should develop API tests during the development lifecycle, and these tests should consecutively check the API. If you fail to achieve that, you would have no option other than developing API tests once you complete the development. It means that you would only create tests that are feasible and biased. The fault behind this is that you are more focused on how the API should perform instead of checking other possible loopholes.&nbsp;When you integrate API testing using Selenium throughout the development, you can receive robust and comprehensive API tests. These tests reveal benefits in the long-term, and these tests impact the overall quality of the API. Since now you have reduced the future faults, API quality improves.&nbsp;<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;2. Performance</h3>API tests evaluate how the API integrates with other APIs, its functionality, and its performance if you think about it. Things that API testing process helps in:<ul><li>You can verify the code and find if there are any bugs in the code. It saves us from changing a significant part of the code later.</li><li>You can expose and find issues in the coding, whether through automated or manual tests.</li><li>API testing understands the core functions of your product and judges if the functionality is according to the user’s expectation.</li><li>Is the API able to enhance a particular software’s functionalities, for which it was developed?</li></ul>API testing is an indispensable activity that ensures top performance of your end product. Through all of the above measures, API testing is directly or indirectly improving how your API performs.<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3. Agility</h3>There’s no doubt in the fact that the usage of agile methodology is increasing as we speak. Just conducting GUI tests can’t give us the required results. It also indicates that it is not right to allow the testers to get to work once developers have finished working. That is simply not efficient.&nbsp;We live in an age of continuous testing and agile implementation, which requires us to conduct API testing. It is imperative to check the entire application at the API level. It is only possible if the testing team is allowed to work continuously in an agile manner.&nbsp;You need to start your API testing early in the development cycle to ensure every endpoint of development is covered and checked.So, if we connect the dots, then API testing enables organizations to improve their agility. The agile nature of API testing itself offers better management abilities to the team and better performance/quality to the product.&nbsp;A huge benefit of an agile network is better communication between testers, developers, and customers.&nbsp;<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;4. Test Coverage</h3>When you need to create a quality product, you need to cover every software failure point. It helps in building customer trust and improving the reliability of the product.Fortunately, API testing, when conducted during the development phase, can uncover issues in the network, API, services, and the server. These issues may not be as easily solved once the product has moved to deployment.This is because once your product reaches the production phase, you already have the responsibility of creating new tests for future and evolving use cases. You have tests during development and tests during production to finally offer the product that the user is looking forward to.&nbsp;API testing creates an agile environment to achieve that.&nbsp;<h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;5. Test Reuse</h3>One of the benefits of an API testing tool that you will observe is the ability to run tests in multiple environments. You can duplicate and reuse tests and also share these tests. For instance, your QA team can build API tests for a staging environment, which would be utilized by the DevOps team in the production environment. The reusability of the analysis adds to the efficiency and quality of the API testing process.

Benefits Of Using API Testing In Development

You may be wondering what you need to use the API testing process in your product development. If so, then check the details below:The first step to API testing is setting up and using a testing environment and the necessary parameters of the API. It includes configuring the server and the database according to the requirements of the application.After setting up this environment, invoke an API call to see if something is broken or not. If everything is alright, you can move to a thorough API testing process.The above step is followed by connecting the data of the application to the API tests so that you are sure that the API performs as per the expectations and input configurations.Finally, you need to organize a few things which you can clear with the following:<ul><li>Target audience and API customer</li><li>API environment</li><li>Testing aspects</li><li>Testing problems</li><li>Priorities that you need to test</li><li>Normal circumstances scenario</li><li>Abnormal circumstances scenario</li><li>Pass or fail criteria, desired output, and other events</li><li>Other API interactions</li></ul>

What Do You Need To Incorporate API Testing In Your Processes?

It is necessary to use the right API testing tools for API test automation and efficient outcomes. For this reason, we discuss the ten best API testing tools below.<img src="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/top10_api_testing_tools_a2b68565e2.png" alt="top10 api testing tools" srcset="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/thumbnail_top10_api_testing_tools_a2b68565e2.png 245w,https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/small_top10_api_testing_tools_a2b68565e2.png 500w,https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/medium_top10_api_testing_tools_a2b68565e2.png 750w," sizes="100vw"><h3><a href="https://www.katalon.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Katalon Studio</a></h3>Katalon Studio is an automation tool for multiple applications, such as mobile, web, desktop, and API. It supports Rest and SOAP and empowers your team with CI/CD related integrations.&nbsp;<h3><a href="https://www.soapui.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SoapUI</a></h3>SoapUI is a dedicated and headless tool for functional testing, which empowers its users to test SOAP, Rest, and Web Services APIs without any hassle. It supports data-driven testing along with CI/CD integrations.Additionally, you can reuse any test code created in SoapUI.<h3><a href="https://www.tricentis.com/products/automate-continuous-testing-tosca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tricentis Tosca</a></h3>Tricentis Tosca is another amazing tool for <a href="https://marutitech.com/devops-implementation-devops-tools/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DevOps</a> and Agile. It supports various protocols such as TIBCO EMS, IBM MQ, etc. You can reuse the test code for test automation in this API testing tool too.&nbsp;<h3><a href="https://docs.apigee.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Apigee</a></h3>Apigee is a fantastic API testing tool to test performance and measure the quality of the product. It also supports APIs created with the help of other applications like Apigee, Swagger, and more. Through this tool, you can track the API’s performance with error rates, API traffic, and response times measures.&nbsp;<h3><a href="https://www.postman.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Postman</a></h3>Postman API testing is a browser plugin, which is now available for both Windows and Mac operating systems. It is excellent for testers and QA teams that are not interested in dealing with integrated development environment coding, the same language that the developers used.API testing using Postman is easy and hassle-free for the QA team.<h3><a href="https://jmeter.apache.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">JMeter</a></h3>JMeter was originally developed for load testing. But, it is often used for functional testing. It supports test result replay and dynamic performance testing of resources. On this tool, you can work with CSV files and find parameters for API tests.<h3><a href="http://rest-assured.io/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rest-Assured</a></h3>With Rest-Assured, you can test Rest APIs with ease. It has multiple features, and the user doesn’t need to write code from scratch. The user doesn’t have to have expert-level knowledge of HTTP to use this API testing tool.<h3><a href="https://assertible.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Assertible</a></h3>The Assertible API testing tool is designed for reliability and automation. Through this tool, you can automate your API tests in the CI/CD pipeline. The QA team can also make specific changes to the tests, which would be automatically updated.<h3><a href="https://swagger.io/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Swagger</a></h3>Swagger API testing tool is perfect for performance, security, and functional testing. Its platform makes it easier for the QA team to manage, create, and use API tests in the CI/CD pipeline rather quickly.&nbsp;<h3><a href="https://github.com/intuit/karate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Karate DSL</a></h3>Karate is a stable and unique tool for API testing. It checks the performance of the product and self-writes step definitions in Karate. As the tool automatically manages that requirement, you can directly start testing your product.&nbsp;For beginners, Karate is the right choice.

Top 10 API Testing Tools

In a standard testing pyramid, the first test that we conduct is unit tests, then server tests, and finally, UI tests. The API testing is covered in server tests. However, we can’t deny the fact that API testing is frequently ignored and overlooked.Here’s why API testing is essential –If you think that unit tests can cover every aspect and reveal a great final outcome, then that’s not the case. Your unit tests can’t cover back-end tests. It means that these are not suitable for understanding API services and functional paths related to these services entirely.&nbsp;If you still decide to go ahead with it, you would find bugs at the UI level. Once you have already reached that mistake, the cost of improving this mistake is much higher than earlier. Now, you need to rewrite major chunks of the code and delay the final release.<img src="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/agile_test_automation_pyramid_931e837d75.png" alt="agile test automation pyramid" srcset="https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/thumbnail_agile_test_automation_pyramid_931e837d75.png 191w,https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/small_agile_test_automation_pyramid_931e837d75.png 500w,https://cdn-gcp.new.marutitech.com/medium_agile_test_automation_pyramid_931e837d75.png 750w," sizes="100vw">The only solution that we have is starting API testing early. For instance, if a particular request is not returning the value you expected in the server tests, it will never return the right value in the UI tests. That’s impossible. This way, you don’t need to depend on UI tests. You can perform your API tests far too early in your development cycle. This would help in reducing at least 50% of the bugs.Here, let’s avoid assuming that we are dismissing UI testing for APIs. There are a set of defects and bugs that you can only possibly catch in the GUI tests, and these tests are the only ones that help in checking the user experience. Therefore, the outcome is that you need to pay attention to your API testing throughout the development workflow.&nbsp;

Importance Of API Testing

Before you start using API testing tools, we have a few suggestions. Below, we have discussed the ten best practices for API testing. These tips would help you put the right foot forward.<ol><li>Firstly, test the expected outcome or typical outcome.</li><li>Use stress by including multiple load tests in the system.</li><li>Always test for failure. You need to know the failure points of your API.</li><li>Use group tests according to different categories.</li><li>Use API function calls to make it simpler for the team to accelerate testing.</li><li>Use the maximum number of variables and keep it in maximum isolation.</li><li>Check how the API manages unknown loads and problems.</li><li>Use pre-planned call sequencing.</li><li>Use test cases for every input combination of the API.</li><li>Automate API tests through API testing tools wherever it is possible.</li></ol>If you want to ensure seamless website application development, consider partnering with our <a href="https://marutitech.com/web-application-development-services/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">web application development company</a>. Our custom web application development services prioritize API testing and best practices, delivering the best possible user experience.

Best Practices For API Testing

It is necessary to understand that software product development involves multiple stakeholders, including designers, programmers, and business professionals. These stakeholders spend a lot of time, money, and other resources for a functionally sound solution. To offer improved, high-quality outcomes to all of these stakeholders, start utilizing API testing early in your product development.Robust API testing is necessary for enhanced products, shorter time to market, and flawless performance. From API testing to UI testing, <a href="https://marutitech.com/contact-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">get in touch</a> with our QA experts for a complete range of <a href="https://marutitech.com/quality-engineering-services/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Quality Engineering services</a>.

A short guide to understanding various API testing tools and processes in product development.

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