Speed up software testing process with Agile methodology

In the last few years, Agile methodology is getting more popular among development companies. Development teams are replacing the classic waterfall framework on Agile as it is more flexible and focused on high-quality results. According to StackOverflow Insights 2018, 85,4% of 101,5 of international companies use Agile methodology. Among the most famous companies implemented Agile are Apple, IBM, Microsoft 8 Procter & Gamble. 

Agile facilitates faster product delivery and can be implemented in any activity during the development process. Software testing as one of the essential parts of development can be improved by Agile methodology too. 

In classic waterfall methodology software testing is a one-time process. Usually, engineers provide testing after the development process. During the development process, the emergence of bugs is a common thing. But as a testing activity is a final stage in the waterfall framework, a number of bugs accumulate. These bugs affect a system or parts of a system and can cause new failures. At the end of the development stage, the number of bugs is so huge that the development team can't cope with it. As a result, the cost of development increases as finding bugs is cheaper than fixing it.  

In Agile methodology, the development process is divided into sprints, and software testing is a part of each one. Thus software testing is provided during the whole long development process and is a simultaneous and continuous activity with the writing of code. Such an approach allows teams to get quick feedback and tightly cooperates with the development team that increases the quality of workflow.  

Agile testing is flexible and adaptable, thus teams can make changes due to new requirements, strategy, etc. When the waterfall approach follows a strict order and changes in a workflow are impossible.  

High competition and drastic market-changing forces companies to deliver products fast. Companies that don't adapt to conditions have a risk of going bust or lose clients.  

Study shows that projects with an Agile methodology are 28% more successful than projects with a classic framework. Such efficiency is based on the core principles of the methodology. Testing as a part of the Agile development lifecycle has principles that help to deliver faster and efficiently. These keys principles as: 

• continuous testing when testing is alongside the process of development. 
• adaptivity and flexibility to clients' requirements. 
• the engaging whole team into the development process from developers to the business department. 
• testing is provided early and often 
• eliminating failures as they are identified 
• ongoing feedback from a team 
• covering all software testing levels and kinds of testing.  
• less documentation but more collaboration with team members. 

Nevertheless, companies can face a lot of problems during Agile testing. Professionals have many methods to improve Agile testing. However, these approaches need to involve not only testers but the overall development team.  

1. Arrange the Test Cycle Process. Usually, testing activity is provided by testers at the end of each sprint. But for quickly identifying failures, the team should provide tests as frequently as they can. The perfect decision is to build and test code every day. For the best results, the development team can implement continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) processes and combine it with automation testing. This practice helps to reveal failures early and eliminate them before releases. 
2. Use deployment tools for testers. Testers' teams frequently face problems associated with code deployment in the test environment. After analyzing the situation, you can create deployment tools for testers to check code changes. As an example, one project used Slack and Git for these goals. Developers created Slackbot that was connected with Git and deployment scripts. This improved collaboration between testing and development departments and reduced time for testing. Testers got Slackbot ping with code changes and deployed it in the test environment independently, without asking developers.  
3. Implement the Test Driven Development method. The main goal of TDD is to make code clean and simple. Testers create test cases for every system function. In case if code fails tests, developers write new to pass testing. Another similar method is Acceptance test-driven development. Tests are created in collaboration with three parts — client, product owner, business analyst. Thus the team can better understand requirements and ensure better product quality. These two approaches help companies build test strategy with strict requirements on the early stage development lifecycle. Teams can avoid conflicts with clients and emphasize only important system functions.