How Continuous testing is opportunity ?

Continuous Testing is a form of automation testing which works as a part of software delivery process to receive feedback rapidly. In other words, it mitigates the business risks which may arise with a production release. It is a sophisticated form of test automation which pace up with modern application development model and delivery pattern like DevOps.

Key highlights of Continuous testing

• The primary goal of Continuous Testing is to assess business risk coverage
• Continuous Testing gives a tester an instant insight on the risk associated with upcoming release delivery pipeline
• Continuous Testing helps to maintain the user experience in the continuous development pattern.
• Continuous Testing embeds testing within SDLC process
• Continuous Testing is an integral part of software delivery pipeline. Hence, in DevOps environment, it is a part of its Toolchain.
• Continuous Testing needs a stable testing framework that includes valid test data for each test run
• Continuous Testing covers from “shift left” to “shift right.”
• Continuous Testing ensures the appropriate set of tests execution at the right stage of the delivery. Hence, it eliminates the chances of any bottleneck
• Continuous Testing involves end-to-end tests which validate the end-user experience from front-end to back-end
• Continuous Testing reduces false test results by prioritizing flexible, robust, modern test frameworks.
• Continuous Testing helps to avoid test redundancy and identifies business risk coverage.

Why Is Continuous testing getting importance?

Most of the organizations are now following Agile and DevOps model rather than a legacy model. As a result, the legacy testing tools and methods do not fit well into this model. In the legacy testing model, you cannot sync up with the testing needs that DevOps and Agile require. Here are the reasons for it:

• • Incompatible with “shift left”: Legacy model follows complete completion of each sprint. For example, you can only start testing once the UI and its dependent components like Backend components are available and ready for testing.
  • Long execution time and feedback issue: In legacy model, a full test sprint is time-consuming. For example, you cannot execute complete regression suite for each build. Hence, developers or testers don’t get instant feedback on issues.
  • High maintenance: In case of UI tests, it requires considerable rework due to frequent changes. This is slow and burdensome maintenance that costs automation efforts.
  • Unstable test environment: Due to unstable test environment it is very common to face delayed feedback which is not at all suitable for Agile and DevOps.

How Continuous Testing meets the need of the hour?

1. Detects defects early to reduce cost
As discussed earlier in Continuous testing model users get rapid or fast feedback on possible risks. Hence, test automation in continuous agile delivery model detects the defects early. As a result, the enterprise can fix those errors before the release which ultimately reduces the cost to the enterprise.

2. Easy Automation
A Continuous testing model assures quick testing of every phase of development through automation testing. It follows end to end test strategy along with QA coordination. As a result, it helps in keeping up the pace of DevOps.

3. Less Testing Efforts
Automation is a great relief when we talk about continuous testing with minimum turnaround time. While the testing is set as automated testing, the development team can focus on ongoing development and agility of the product development.

The scope of Continuous testing in DevOps

“DevOps” is the modern approach to handle the ever-changing business scenarios. Continuous delivery is the key concept behind DevOps which accelerates the time-to-market of a service or product to obtain customer feedbacks for better enhancement of product or service.
Continuous Testing plays a crucial role in DevOps model where testing needs to be automated and an end-to-end testing feature that integrates existing development processes. Continuous testing helps to exclude errors and enables continuity of the process throughout SDLC.
The following stages of DevOps form part of Continuous Testing:

• • Continuous Testing begins with performance testing and functional testing of the code. Open source tools such as Selenium are widely used for this purpose. Tests can include UI, API and more along with regression testing which ensures comprehensive test coverage.
  • A Continuous Integration environment is prepared by DevOps team to execute appropriate tests. The overall Continuous Integration process needs faster completion.
  • Through Continuous testing, every release needs to pass an acceptance test after every deployment.
  • In this process, few monitoring tools are used to test and monitor the application to verify the efficiency of apps. Sometimes a wide-range of tests run 24/7 basis to send automatic failure alerts.

If implemented correctly Continuous Testing can provide perfect continuity in the DevOps model. However, for a successful DevOps model, a fully automated Continuous Testing process integrated into the SDLC is necessary.

Challenges for Continuous Testing:

1. Enhancing Speed and Performance
With the enhancement of DevOps and Agile model improvement in Continuous testing is also a need. For faster feedback and insights on the application test cycles must move faster. Automation is the one way of the solution. However manual testing also plays a crucial role in regression and exploratory testing for UI level.

2. Efficient testing set up
To make a perfect automated framework it needs a lot of hard work and expertise. Two factors play a significant role here – cost and expertise. Hence, building a comprehensive test automation framework and right skilled person are the two challenges for an efficient Continuous testing model. Moreover, integration and coordination between project, product and testing team is another critical point.

3. Effective Planning and Execution
Placing right skill in the right place, planning in time and streamlining the workflows are some of the essential key factors for effective planning of Continuous testing. This plays a significant role in the success of the Continuous testing process.
If the planning is rightly performed fixing bugs, tracking the status and managing the platform become easy. This helps developers to concentrate on the innovative sides of the product development.

Testunity and its continuous testing approach

We’ve already discussed the overview of Continuous Testing and its opportunities. As an innovative testing company Testunity continuously try to excel in the testing areas. With our Crowdsourced testing approach for automation testing we try to cover as much test coverage as possible with faster turnaround time.
However, we are not limited to existing continuous testing model and constantly enhancing in that area. We understand that with the changing development models we need to face more stringent delivery timeline and more technical complexity with rapid change requests. Moreover, with the rapid emergence of IoT and Artificial Intelligence in every sphere of real life we are emerging towards digital testing to answer future testing need of robotics, AI, IoT, machine learning and more.

TestUnity

Testunity is a SaaS-based technology platform driven by a vast community of testers & QAs spread around the world, powered by technology & testing experts to create the dedicated testing hub. Which is capable of providing almost all kind of testing services for almost all the platforms exists in software word.