Agile QA software testing is crucial to the development process, aiming to identify and fix bugs to deliver a top-notch, flawless product. For years, development teams have relied on traditional testing methodologies. However, today 87% of companies use the agile methodology as a development model in QA testing practices.
In this article, we will explore how to enhance software development cycles using agile QA testing, ensuring it seamlessly integrates with modern software development practices in a highly efficient and outstanding manner.
What is Agile QA Software Testing?
Agile QA testing is a software testing methodology that is part of the broader agile development approach. It involves integrating quality assurance practices within the agile development process to ensure that software products meet the desired quality standards.
Unlike traditional testing methods performed at the end of the development cycle, agile quality assurance in software testing emphasizes early and continuous testing throughout the development lifecycle.
By incorporating testing early and frequently, agile QA testing service helps mitigate risks, improve efficiency by up to 25%, and ensure that the software meets user expectations.
Importance of Agile QA Software Testing in the Development Cycle
The importance of Agile QA testing in the development cycle cannot be overstated, as evidenced by the significant rise in its adoption within software development teams.
According to the 16th State of Agile Report, there has been a remarkable surge in Agile adoption, increasing from 37% in 2020 to an impressive 86% in 2022.
This data underscores the fact that Agile testing has firmly established itself as an essential component of the software development life cycle (SDLC) for the foreseeable future.
Agile QA software testing services bring numerous benefits to the development cycle. Firstly, it enables early and continuous testing, ensuring defects and issues are identified and addressed promptly.
Additionally, Agile QA testing promotes collaboration and communication among team members. This collaborative approach enhances transparency, reduces misunderstandings, and fosters a collective ownership mindset toward quality.
Furthermore, Agile QA testing allows for rapid feedback and adaptation. This iterative nature of Agile QA testing ensures that the software evolves and adapts to changing requirements and market needs, resulting in a more robust and customer-centric product.
Techniques to Accelerate Development Cycle with Agile QA Software Testing
Below given is the curated list of the techniques that help accelerate the development cycle with agile QA software testing-
1. Maximize the Utilization of Database Calls
The majority of automated tests typically generate test data through browsers. However, an alternative approach, “database calls,” involves creating data directly in the database, reducing overall time consumption.
Database calls are generally more efficient in terms of cost and time. By minimizing user interface interactions, tests can be accelerated and reliability enhanced.
Nevertheless, this approach might not benefit projects with complex database interactions. When conducting database testing, especially with Oracle databases, caution is essential.
However, when approached correctly, database testing can simplify your work and prove advantageous.
2. Optimize Cross-Browser Testing Techniques
Cross-browser testing presents a vast scope, with hundreds of browsers and OS combinations, numerous new devices, and frequent browser updates. To effectively tackle this challenge, developing a well-defined cross-browser testing strategy in advance is crucial.
Implementing this strategy guarantees thorough testing of websites on multiple devices and browsers, thereby enhancing the overall reliability and robustness of the testing process. It is worth noting that 88% of users do not revisit a website if they encounter a negative experience initially.
By prioritizing the most critical browser and OS combinations, you can proactively address cross-browser compatibility issues in these key combinations. This approach saves you valuable time while ensuring the quality of cross-browser compatibility tests remains intact throughout the testing cycle.
3. Enhance the Efficiency of Your CI/CD Build Execution
If a significant portion of your testing time is spent waiting for builds or upgrades, it may be necessary to reconsider your testing strategy. Over 62% of enterprises use specialized CI/CD tools that offer substantial time savings compared to traditional approaches.
Additionally, the duration of testing is influenced by the scope of the test cases, so it is crucial to establish clear, concise, and well-defined goals.
While automation testing undeniably enhances testing speed, it is essential to avoid automating unnecessary tasks in a rush to save time. It is vital to strike a balance and avoid the temptation of automating everything indiscriminately.
4. Harness the Power of Parallel Testing
Instead of conducting tests sequentially, performing two or more test cases simultaneously can significantly expedite the completion of the task. Parallel testing facilitates the execution of a more significant number of test cases within a shorter time frame, accelerating your test cycle significantly.
An effective parallel testing strategy involves running different threads using various browsers.
It was employing a top-notch Selenium Grid online with a cloud-based infrastructure streamlines parallel testing, enabling a seamless and efficient testing process with an average 60% growth in revenue and profit. Therefore, it is strongly advised to explore this quality assurance service and experience its benefits firsthand.
5. Maintain Optimal Test Automation Practices
26% of companies use automated testing to replace 50% of their manual QA testing efforts to save time and greatly enhance the overall testing process.
Therefore, a software test engineer must possess essential skills in test automation and be well-versed in effective testing methodologies.
Remember that proper maintenance of data and automation reports is necessary for future use and reference. This practice enables re-running test cases within shorter intervals, ensuring a more efficient testing cycle.
6. Embrace a Modular Methodology
Adopting a modular approach to test management enables the creation of a comprehensive test suite comprising both manual and automated tests, which are easier to maintain. When defects are identified, these suites facilitate streamlined analysis of failures by engineers.
Additionally, reusing modular tests saves the quality assurance team considerable time that would otherwise be spent rewriting tests. This approach is generally 1.5 times more successful than others, providing a robust foundation for developing automated tests and enhancing the overall testing process.
In addition, testers can save time by avoiding the need to write tests from scratch each time by searching for existing modules and modifying them to meet the specific testing requirements.
7. Effective Communication
Being part of a team has both its advantages and drawbacks. A test engineer should view the team as their most valuable asset. It is essential to distribute the workload evenly among team members.
Ensuring everyone is aligned regarding documentation, test automation strategy, planning, and implementation, tasks can be accomplished smoothly and within a shorter time frame.
In addition, conducting G-meet or Huddle calls on Slack allows developers and testers to connect and discuss the nature of the bug and areas for improvement.
79% of team leaders capture screenshots or record videos of the bug’s behavior during the test cycle. Leveraging appropriate collaboration tools simplifies this process further.
8. Seek Out the Appropriate Parameters
Evaluating your team’s performance based on the appropriate parameters is crucial for success. Focusing on the wrong set of parameters can result in a significant waste of time. Therefore, it is essential to establish clear and well-defined testing goals to ensure that the team progresses in the right direction.
Overestimating or underestimating goals can result in significant time wastage. Therefore, striking the right balance and setting realistic goals is essential for an efficient outsourced QA testing process.
To get started, consider conducting exploratory testing, a rapid and simultaneous combination of planning, testing, and execution. This approach aligns well with Agile methodologies, as testing can commence alongside design and review activities, incorporating acceptance and requirements criteria.
The continuous testing process of exploratory testing enhances its effectiveness and has helped 98% of companies with comprehensive coverage of essential parameters during the development cycle.
9. Utilize Appropriate Testing Tools Effectively
Regardless of the type of testing being performed, having the appropriate set of testing tools is essential for easing the job.
Investing in suitable open-source frameworks or automation testing tools can significantly simplify the life of a quality assurance company. Numerous tools are available to enhance productivity, quality, and client satisfaction.
In some instances, teams tend to cling to outdated tools despite the availability of newer and improved alternatives. If you are a team lead, conducting a monthly or quarterly audit of the testing tools can help address this issue.
As a member of the testing team, it is essential to stay updated with the latest tools emerging in the testing space and confidently propose them to the team for consideration.
In web and mobile app testing scenarios, as the number of test cases increases, it becomes challenging to prioritize bugs based on their severity level. To ensure effective tracking of these priorities, an efficient testing tool within the cloud platform is essential.
Conclusion
These are just a few of the top recommendations for accelerating application testing services. Not only will this streamline your work and make your life easier, but it will also earn you recognition from your superiors.
Leveraging reliable cloud-based testing tools can further expedite the testing cycle. But ultimately, your software testing services company must carefully evaluate and select the testing approach and methodology that best suits your needs.
