Agile Testing: Key Principles and Practices

QA testing in Agile

Every organization requires a robust testing process to develop successful software applications. Agile software testing is one of the most widely used testing methods due to its multiple benefits. In this article, we will explore the principles and techniques of Agile software testing and highlight its advantages. And we will also provide insights on how to implement it successfully.

Table of contents

• Introduction to agile software testing
  • What is agile?
  • What is agile software testing?
• Objectives of agile software testing
• Types of agile testing methodology
• What are the agile testing quadrants?
• Agile testing life cycle
• What is an agile test plan?
• Difference between agile testing and waterfall testing
• Commonly asked questions on agile testing
• Conclusion

Introduction to agile software testing

What is agile?

Agile is a modern and flexible way to develop software applications that helps teams provide value to their clients faster. Instead of following a challenging plan, agile acts as a project management framework that breaks the entire development process into smaller, more manageable parts called sprints.

This method focuses on always getting better, working together as a team, and releasing parts of the software bit by bit. The main goal is customer satisfaction, and agile also helps teams respond quickly to changing requirements and priorities.

What is agile software testing?

Agile testing is a software testing process that follows the principles and rules of agile software development methodology. Unlike in traditional software methodologies, where testing was a separate stage that happened after development was finished, in an agile methodology, testing begins at the very beginning of the project. It continues in parallel with the development process. In other words, the agile testing method involves testing that can be performed at any stage of the development process.

Agile testing mainly highlights ongoing testing throughout software development to detect and fix issues quickly. It creates close teamwork among team members, including developers, testers, and product owners. Automation tools are often used in agile testing to maintain development speed while ensuring the software’s quality matches customer expectations and new requirements.

Objectives of agile software testing

Customer happiness

Agile testing ensures customers or clients are happy with the end product. It involves customers throughout development to ensure software meets their expected requirements, resulting in satisfied end users. Regular communication with customers helps them understand their expectations and creates a sense of teamwork, making them feel valued throughout the development process.

Early bug catching

Agile testing is all about finding and fixing issues early on. Instead of waiting for a separate testing phase, issues are addressed as soon as they’re spotted. This bold approach helps create a more reliable and stable final product. The team could save time and resources that would otherwise be spent on vast troubleshooting work later in the development cycle by catching bugs early.

Adapting to changes

Agile testing is designed to handle changes or modifications smoothly. It can quickly adapt to new changes in the project’s requirements, ensuring that the testing process remains in sync with the project’s needs. This flexibility confirms that the software stays responsive and up-to-date. The team becomes stronger by being open to changes, allowing them to quickly adjust to what customers want or based on market trends.

Continuous improvement

In agile testing, the team is always getting better. They regularly get feedback and learn from each cycle, making their testing methods more efficient. The team is committed to continuously improving their testing practices, which means they continually improve their techniques to ensure the best results. This also helps the team members grow and become more skilled.

Types of agile testing methodology

Agile testing consists of a set of methodologies that align with the principles of Agile software development. These methods ensure effective testing in agile projects.

Here are some essential types of agile testing methodologies:

Test-driven development (TDD)

In TDD, tests are created before writing the code. To begin this development, you should discuss what you want to test and create a user story. Start by writing a unit test, then write the user story. Finally, write the code until the unit test passes. TDD helps catch issues early in the development process. It’s like building a safety net for the code, ensuring that each new addition is thoroughly tested before being integrated into the project.

Behavior-driven development (BDD)

BDD focuses on the system’s behavior from the user’s perspective. Tests are written in simple language, creating collaboration among developers, testers, and non-technical stakeholders. BDD ensures a shared understanding of the expected system behavior. It helps bridge the communication gap between technical and non-technical team members. Lastly, BDD tests are written in user stories as scenarios or specifications.

Acceptance test-driven development (ATDD)

ATDD involves preparing tests based on user acceptance criteria. These common tests act as a communication tool between developers, testers, and business stakeholders. ATDD ensures that the delivered software aligns with user expectations. It improves collaboration between development and business teams. By defining acceptance criteria early on, ATDD provides a clear roadmap for development, reducing the possibility of misunderstandings between different teams.

Exploratory testing

Exploratory testing is a hands-on, unplanned testing method in which testers actively explore the application without predefined test cases. Testers use their creativity and domain expertise in the relevant field to identify defects and report issues. This approach is flexible and effective in Agile environments, helping the testers adapt to continuously changing requirements. It improves creativity in testing, allowing the testers to find unexpected issues that might not be captured in traditional test cases.

Session-based testing

Session-based testing is a bit like exploratory testing but more organized. Testers have sessions with set time limits where they set goals and explore different areas of the application. Testers start with a clear objective in mind rather than figuring it out as they go. It provides a structured framework for exploratory testing, allowing testers to focus on specific parts of the application during each testing session.

What are the agile testing quadrants?

The agile testing quadrants is a model Brian Marick developed that categorizes different testing activities in Agile projects. The model is represented as a 2×2 matrix, dividing testing into four quadrants based on two key dimensions: technology-facing vs. business-facing and supportive of the team vs. critiquing the product.

Here’s a breakdown of the agile testing quadrants:

Technology-facing and supportive (Q1)

In Quadrant I, we focus on testing that supports the developers in building the product accurately. This includes checking the code (unit testing), different parts of the software (component testing), and how the software handles lots of users (performance testing). The goal is to ensure the code works well and catch any issues early.

Business-facing and supportive (Q2)

Quadrant II is about testing that helps the business to understand and specify the right product. We do things like exploring the software (exploratory testing), checking how easy it is to use (usability testing), and creating early versions of the product (prototyping). This kind of testing ensures that the software fulfills user needs and gives quick feedback to the business.

Business-facing and critiquing (Q3)

Quadrant III mainly focuses on testing from a business perspective to check if the product is what the business wants. This includes activities like accepting the software (acceptance testing), trying different scenarios (scenario-based testing), and getting feedback from real users (alpha/beta testing). Testing in this quadrant ensures the product meets business requirements and is user-friendly.

Technology-facing and critiquing (Q4)

In Quadrant IV, we consider the product from a technical perspective. This includes checking how the software looks (automated GUI testing), how it performs (performance testing), how secure it is (security testing), and how easy it is to maintain (maintainability testing). The goal is to ensure the software’s technical side is strong and find areas for improvement.

Agile testing life cycle

The agile testing life cycle has five different phases, which have been discussed below:

Impact assessment

Initially, the tester assesses how changes might affect the existing code. This helps in planning testing efforts and understanding the potential impact on the overall quality and functionality of the software. The tester sets the groundwork for effective testing by considering the possible challenges.

Agile testing planning

The tester collaborates with the other testing team, developers, and stakeholders to plan testing goals, schedules, strategies, and tasks. Sprint planning sessions focus on determining what needs to be tested, setting objectives, and creating a roadmap matching the project’s overall goals and timeline. This joint planning ensures everyone is on the same page and ready to start the testing tasks efficiently.

Release readiness

Before releasing the software, the tester reviews whether it’s ready. They also check whether it meets all acceptance criteria, has no critical defects, and is good to go. This phase includes wrapping up testing, fixing any last-minute issues, and providing everyone with a clear picture of how ready the product is for release. It’s the final checkpoint to ensure a smooth and reliable release.

Daily scrums

Every day, the tester joins quick meetings where the testing team, developers, and other stakeholders come together. They discuss what has been done, any challenges, and plans for the day. These short meetings keep the team on the same page, help identify issues early, and keep things flexible throughout development. Daily Scrums act as a daily compass for the tester, guiding them toward testing goals.

Test agility review

This is the last stage of the agile testing lifecycle, which includes weekly meetings with the stakeholders to review and check progress against the goals. In these meetings, the testers review what they worked on and what could be improved in the testing strategies. It’s like a feedback session to improve testing and stay flexible. These review meetings help testers learn and refine, ensuring the testing methods are effective.

What is an agile test plan?

The agile test plan is a flexible guide that briefly defines the project, its goals, and the agile method used. This sets the background for how testing will fit into the project.

The test plan includes the following elements:

Scope and objectives

This part is all about what’s being tested. It clearly explains which parts of the project will be tested and sets objectives that match its aims. It helps to maintain the testing process focused and aligned with the needs of the end users.

Testing strategy

The testing strategy describes how the testing will occur. It decides how much will be done manually and how much will be automated. Specific types of tests, like unit testing or acceptance testing, are chosen, and their position in the project’s development process is decided.

Test environment

This section describes where the testing will happen and discusses the tools and tech that will be used, ensuring everyone is on the same page for a consistent testing environment.

Test deliverables

This explains what is expected to be produced during testing, like test cases or scripts.

Testing schedule

This basic timeline aligns with the project’s sprints to plan what will be tackled in each part of the development process.

Resource planning

Decisions are made about who is doing what in the testing team. Resources are allocated, and it’s ensured that everyone has the skills needed for their testing tasks.

Risk management

This part is about thinking forward. Potential risks in the testing plan are identified, and strategies for handling them are outlined.

Communication plan

Here, plans are made for communication among the team and other project members. Regular check-ins are set up to share updates and feedback and keep everyone in the loop.

Metrics and reporting

Decisions are made on what will be measured to determine if the testing works well. Plans are made on how and how often updates about testing progress will be shared.

Continuous improvement

Lastly, plans are made for getting better. Regular meetings are planned to discuss what’s going well and where improvements can be made in the testing process. It’s all about learning and getting better as the project progresses.

Difference between agile testing and waterfall testing

Features	Agile Testing	Waterfall testing
Testing involvement	Testing is performed during ongoing development	Testing starts after development
Client involvement	Involved regularly and provides feedback	Involvement mainly at the project’s beginning and end
Progress visibility	Able to make visible progress at the end of each development cycle	Progress is only visible at the end of the entire project
Overlap	Testing stages can overlap	Testing stages cannot overlap
Test plan	Test plan is reviewed after every sprint	Test plan is not reviewed during development phase
Delay	No time delay between development and testing	Some delay often occurs between development and testing

Note
Waterfall software testing is a way of testing where different testing levels happen one after another. In this method, the testing team handles the testing phase without much involvement from the development team, which is different from agile testing. The testing team starts testing only after the entire software development is done.

Commonly asked questions on agile testing

What does an agile tester do?

Agile testers ensure testing tools are used correctly, handle tasks like test environments and data, and guide other team members on testing. They schedule testing tasks, update the test strategy, and work closely with developers to understand what needs to be tested. Agile testers report and help fix bugs, estimate testing progress, and suggest ways to improve testing practices.

What is agile SDLC?

The agile software development life cycle (SDLC) is a project management method focusing on iterative and adaptable software development, with customer involvement and teamwork. Its goal is to provide functional software products in small parts that can be incrementally developed while adding feedback and making necessary adjustments.

The steps involved in agile SDLC models are:

• Requirements
• Design
• Development
• Testing
• Deployment
• Review

What are the challenges in agile testing?

Agile testing can be a bit challenging because requirements change quickly, and time is limited. Communication within the team is crucial, but keeping up with frequent changes can be difficult. It takes continuous effort to keep automated tests updated as things evolve over time. It is crucial to ensure that all parts of each release are covered by tests to catch any potential issues.

Finding the right balance between speed and maintaining quality needs careful management. To overcome these challenges, the team must communicate, work together effectively, and continuously improve their approach in the Agile process.

Final thoughts on agile software testing

Agile software testing is not just a methodology; it’s a mindset that transforms how software is developed and tested. By integrating testing into every stage of the development process, Agile methodologies improve collaboration, accelerate delivery, and improve the overall quality of software products. Embracing agile software testing is crucial for organizations to stay competitive in a dynamic market as the software development process evolves. Happy testing!

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