With the increasing complexities in the process of software development, the methods of software testing are also evolving to walk in tandem with the development. In today’s software development and testing scenario, Agile is the new trend. Agile testing is a new-gen software testing approach that aims at testing smarter instead of investing many efforts and doing unnecessary hard work.
In an Agile testing environment, there is a high degree of collaboration between the developers and testers. The testers need to submit the correct feedback to developers during the software development cycle.
What is Agile Testing?
Agile testing is the process of software product testing that is based on agile development principles. Agile testing follows the methodology of iterative development wherein the requirements start developing gradually from the testing teams and customers. The development is based on customer requirements.
The process of Agile testing is continuous rather sequential. The testing process starts at the beginning of the software project, and there’s ongoing integration in between development and testing.
Also Read: Top Ways In Which Agile Testing Helps In Eliminating Testing Inefficiencies
Difference Between Agile Testing and Waterfall Testing
| Agile Testing | Waterfall Testing |
| Unlike waterfall testing, Agile testing is generally unstructured. It requires minimal planning. | Here the testing procedure is structured. The entire test is well-planned. |
| Agile testing is ideal for smaller software projects. | Waterfall testing is applied to all types of projects. |
| Agile testing does not require much documentation. | Waterfall testing demands for elaborate and detailed documentation. |
| Since the test process starts from the beginning of the software project, the bugs can be resolved during the development process. | In Waterfall testing, the software is tested after the development process has been completed. For any modifications, the software project needs to begin from the starting. |
| In Agile testing, the developers and testers work in close collaboration. | In Waterfall testing, the developers and testers work separately. |
| A user acceptance test is conducted after the completion of each sprint. | A user acceptance test is conducted after the completion of the entire project. |
| The testers require communicating and interacting with the developers throughout the project for analyzing the requirements and developing robust plans. | The developers are not involved in requirement analysis and planning. |
Principles of Agile Testing
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Continuous Testing
The Agile team performs continuous testing as that’s the only method for ensuring continuous and consistent progress.
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Continuous Feedback
Agile testing offers ongoing feedback. This makes sure that your product is developed based on the business requirements.
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Involvement Of Entire Team
In the Agile testing methodology, the entire team consisting of the business analysts, developers, and testers is involved.
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Clean And Simplified Code
Every defect that is pointed out by the testers is resolved in the specific iteration itself. This helps to keep the code simplified and clean.
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Less Documentation
Agile teams make use of reusable checklists. They aim at the test rather than the background details.
Also Read: A Comprehensive Guide To Software Performance Testing
Methods of Agile Testing
There are three primary methods of agile testing:
1. Behavior Driven Development (BDD)
The Behavior Driven Development (BDD) promotes better communication among the stakeholders of the project so that every member rightly understands every feature before the beginning of the software development process. There is continuous communication between business analysts, developers, and testers.
2. Acceptance Test Driven Development (ATDD)
The Acceptance Test Driven Development (ATDD) aims at involving the members of the team with various perspectives like the developers, testers, and customers. Meetings are organized for formulating acceptance tests involving perspectives of developers, testers, and customers. The customer is aimed at the issue which has to be resolved. The development is aimed at how the issue should be resolved. The testing is aimed at what can go wrong.
3. Exploratory Testing
In this testing method, the test execution and test design go together. Exploratory testing gives more importance to working software in comparison to comprehensive documentation. The interactions and individuals are more critical compared to the tools and process. Customer collaboration is given more value in comparison to contract negotiation.
Benefits of Agile Testing
Agile testing can give you multiple benefits. Some of the advantages of this software testing methodology are listed below.
- Agile testing is cost-effective as well as time-effective.
- Agile testing does not demand much documentation.
- This testing methodology is highly flexible and adaptable.
- Agile testing facilitates the flow of ongoing feedback from users.
- Agile testing promotes better identification of defects.
The Lifecycle of Agile Testing
The lifecycle of the agile test process consists of 5 different phases.
- Impact Assessment.
- Agile Test Planning.
- Approval for Deployment.
- Daily Scrums.
- Review of Test Agility.
Also Read: Top Bug Tracking Tools for Successful Software Testing
Challenges Involved In Agile Testing
Although agile testing comes with comparatively more benefits than the traditional method of software testing, yet it has some challenges also.
- Since documentation isn’t given much priority, the probability of defects is much higher in agile testing. This eventually increases the pressure on the testers.
- As new functionalities and features are quickly introduced, the testers do not get sufficient time for identifying if the latest introductions meet the specified business standards.
- At times the testers have to act like semi-developers.
- Test execution cycle is very compressed.
- The time available for preparing the test plan is very less.
- The time available for Regression Testing is also less.
- In the Agile testing methodology, the requirements keep changing now and then. This becomes one of the biggest challenges to deal with for the testing team.
The Takeaway
Agile testing demands testing right from the beginning of the project development. It calls for increased customer involvement. This, in turn, facilitates early and better identification of the bugs and defects. Moreover, as the bugs are fixed early, the cost gets minimized. The Agile testing methodology even gives rise to a customer-oriented approach which helps you to deliver top-notch software products as fast as possible.
