The Ultimate Guide to Agile Software Testing Since its inception in 2001, agile development has completely evolved, and today, it’s considered incomplete without agile testing. Testlio December 13th, 2024 Agile testing has been adopted almost globally to meet the needs of faster delivery time, rapid response to change, early feedback, timely bug fixing, and enhanced collaboration. According to the 17th State of Agile Report: 71% of software companies use agile today, whereas 32% of business leaders and executives encourage company-wide agile transformations. 43% of organizations surveyed are using agile for enhanced customer satisfaction with 39% reported having leveraged quick delivery time. 32% gave “attaining a competitive edge” as a reason. 60% witnessed improved collaboration, and 57% observed better alignment with business needs. Hence, agile software testing has become unavoidable in today’s dynamic software development. This article will cover everything you need to know about agile testing, enabling you to make informed decisions for your project. What is Agile Software Testing? Agile testing is software testing carried out for projects developed in an agile framework, following the principles of agile software development. The main principles of agile development are quick release, early feedback, rapid response to change requirements, and increased communication and collaboration among team members. The objective is fast delivery without trading off product quality and customer satisfaction. Hence, agile testing refers to testing the application functionalities as soon as the development team completes them. Unlike traditional development, agile software development is not divided into two phases, where the code is developed in the first phase and validated in the second phase. Instead, the agile approach integrates the validation and verification of software requirements in the software development lifecycle. This reduces the impact and cost of critical bugs while releasing a workable solution in the market. The best example is an online point of sale (POS) software application, where the basic workflow of creating customer orders and generating customer invoices is tested and delivered in the first release. The next build release incorporates bug fixes, updates, and enhancements like notifications, separate profiles for billing managers, and the ability to save an incomplete order to switch to a new one. What are the Core Principles of Agile Software Testing? Shared below are the five fundamental principles that guide agile software testing: Begin Software Testing Early: The continuous development and delivery approach demands early integration of testing in project development to avoid expensive defects, issues, and bugs at a later stage. Whole Team Approach: In Agile, software testing and ensuring software quality are the responsibility of all team members, including development, quality assurance, the project manager, and product owners. When the build is released, anyone can flag the issues they identify or suggest necessary improvements. Frequent Sprints: Software functionalities are released in small iterations, known as sprints. Each sprint is tested to ensure it meets the requirements criteria for quality and functionality. Frequent sprint delivery enables testers to verify and validate the specifications to avoid critical issues at a later stage. Intimate Collaboration: QA team members, developers, project managers, and team leads work closely to understand, implement, and test project specifications so there is no room for surprises or ambiguities. Often, this agile team physically sits in the same workspace for the same reasons. Customer Feedback at Each Iteration: To ensure the software aligns with customer expectations, Agile emphasizes continuous customer involvement at each phase for feedback and the required improvements. Adaptability: Agile thrives on adaptability. It welcomes requirement changes and updates even in the last phase if the project scope is not significantly affected. Agile software testing should be flexible to accommodate shifting priorities, new features, or updates. Why is Agile Testing Important? According to 2024 statistics, agile is used by 86% of software developers because it is 1.5 times more successful than any other development approach. It has enabled organizations to work faster and launch their ideas into the market ahead of time with basic features to meet the market needs without waiting for the whole project to be completed. Not only does agile help them gain a competitive edge by early release, but early feedback also helps them make data-driven decisions that fit the end user’s needs and expectations in the next build releases. Agile development and testing go hand-in-hand. Agile testing is mandatory to ensure the quality of each software build release. You cannot risk your reputation by exposing an untested code, even to beta testers. This emphasizes the significance of agile testing in today’s dynamic development environment, reducing costly bugs while ensuring quick delivery to the market. Agile Software Testers Interestingly, agile testers are involved in every step of the development, unlike the testers for the waterfall model. Agile software testers collaborate with the team to understand the client requirements, write user stories, design test cases, and focus on manual and automated testing. Their role is not limited to executing the test cases and logging bugs. They also attend daily stand-ups and weekly or bi-weekly scrum meetings and stay updated on the change requirements. They are expected to prioritize automated testing over manual testing when required and deliver fast feedback to the developers to expedite testing and development while ensuring software quality. Their high involvement in the software development process for quality testing demands a specific profile to fit the project’s needs. However, the standard profile of an agile tester should reflect a deep understanding of agile practices, command over automation and manual testing as per the project requirements, and excellent collaboration and communication abilities. Since agile supports change requirements, the testers should also exhibit the skills of adaptability, quick analysis, and continuous feedback. They should be proficient in using tools like JIRA and test automation frameworks. Agile Software Testing Methodologies There are various agile software testing methodologies, and each focuses on continuous feedback, quick iterations, and alignment with business objectives. Test-Driven Development (TDD): In this method, software development is driven by test case development, i.e., test cases are written before the actual code. The program is written and changed only if the test fails. So, this approach consists of three phases: writing unit test cases, programming, and refactoring. Behavior-Driven Development (BDD): In this approach, the application behavior is designed and documented before the actual development. The goal is to clarify the customer expectations and focus areas to the developers, testers, and other stakeholders. The story, feature, or capability is defined by its acceptance criteria. For example, the application should authorize login only for users with a pre-assigned code. The acceptance criteria in this example will be that only the users with the correct (pre-assigned) code can log in, and any login attempt with an invalid code will be denied. Exploratory Testing: Exploratory testing is an open-ended, free form of testing in which testers use their domain knowledge and creativity to search for vulnerabilities and usability issues in the application without using test scripts. Acceptance Test-Driven Development (ATDD): This method involves writing acceptance tests for software functionalities before the requirements are implemented. It is similar to test-driven development (TDD), but the only difference is that you write it from the user’s perspective. Therefore, these tests are usually created for user acceptance testing (UAT) to verify the application’s behavior as per the user’s expectations. The code is written and updated until it passes the acceptance test. Extreme Programming (XP): XP is an Agile method that is more concerned with the technical aspects of the application while ensuring faster delivery, high-quality sprints, early feedback, and enhanced collaboration. In XP, everything is taken to the extreme. Session-Based Testing: Session-based testing is similar to exploratory testing but more structured and uninterrupted. The testers are time-bound (one to two hours) and have a specific testing goal in mind. They exhibit high focus and efficiency as they test specific areas or uncover particular issues within the given timeframe. At the end of each session, they create a charter document containing the testing findings. Dynamic Software Development Method (DSDM): The Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM) is an Agile framework emphasizing active user involvement and frequent delivery of incremental products. It promotes iterative development focusing on clear project goals and collaborative teamwork, ensuring end-user feedback shapes the evolving solution. DSDM employs the MoSCoW prioritization technique to categorize requirements, allowing teams to focus on delivering essential features first. Testing is integrated throughout the development lifecycle, enhancing product quality and adaptability in dynamic environments. Crystal Methodologies: This agile methodology focuses more on individuals and their interactions than processes and tools. Three important factors govern it: Team size: The number of team members working on the project. Criticality: Significance of the project results. Priority: Is it a high-priority project? Crystal allows teams to adapt their work to these factors instead of adhering to strict and uncompromising rules and methodologies. Creating a Software Testing Strategy Using Agile Quadrants Agile testing quadrants, designed by Brain Marick and earlier called the “Marick Test Matrix,” help strategize an agile software testing approach. There are four quadrants, each focusing on a different aspect of business, making it easier for the teams to identify the testing type per the situation. Q1 – Automated Quadrant Quadrant 1 is technology-facing and focused on automated testing, such as unit testing, API testing, and web services testing. It requires the development team to be highly involved and aims to get instant feedback on the code to make quick fixes. Q2 – Automated & Manual Quadrant Quadrat 2 is business-facing and focused on business requirements. It involves testers working closely with customers to understand their expectations and build test cases accordingly. It can involve both manual and automated testing to verify business specifications. The testing types are usually functional, story, prototypes, simulations, and pair testing. For example, some functional tests that might be incorporated while constructing an e-commerce platform could check whether customers can add products to the cart and check out. Even after that, manual testing would ensure, for instance, how a failure payment is handled or a partially filled form. Q3 – Manual Quadrant The third quadrant focuses on manual testing to critique the product from a business perspective. The testing types covered are exploratory testing, scenarios, usability testing, user acceptance testing, and alpha and beta testing. It also includes the test cases that cannot be automated. For example, identifying whether the layout of a gaming application was suitable enough to make it enjoyable. Q4 – Tools Quadrant The fourth quadrant focuses on non-functional requirements and involves specific testing tools for different technical testing, such as performance testing, security, stress, maintainability, stability, data migration, and recovery testing. This quadrant is responsible for delivering the end product to the customer. For example, in a high-traffic website such as an online ticket booking system, tools such as Apache JMeter can use hundreds and thousands of users to get a feel of how the system is coping. On the other hand, applications such as OWASP ZAP may be employed for security testing in a bid to identify further weaknesses, such as SQL injection or cross-site scripting (XSS). These Agile Testing Quadrants are valuable for agile teams to strategize and execute testing effectively. The quadrants enable categorizing testing types based on context, enhancing focus, communication, and test coverage and ultimately contributing to the success of agile projects. What is the Agile Software Testing Life Cycle? The Agile Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC) is a continuous process aligned with Agile methodology and constitutes the following phases: Planning Planning in Agile STLC identifies the sprint’s scope and testing strategy. It ensures that testing aligns with development goals and timelines. Sprint Planning: During sprint planning, the team reviews user stories for development and testing. This includes identifying potential risks and dependencies to address during the sprint. Test Planning and Strategy: The testing scope, tools, and timeline are defined. The team decides on manual vs. automated testing and sets priorities based on risk. Design This phase involves test case development and data preparation to ensure complete test coverage. Test Case Design: Test cases are created to cover each user story, focusing on expected behaviors and edge cases. Test Data Preparation: Relevant and structured test data is prepared to support various test scenarios, including positive, negative, and boundary conditions. Development In this phase, development and testing are combined with practices like Test-Driven Development (TDD) and continuous integration. Test-Driven Development (TDD): As explained above, TDD involves writing tests before code to ensure early detection of defects and that the development meets the project requirements. Continuous Integration and Testing: Code is regularly integrated into a shared repository, and automated tests are run to ensure the system remains stable and functional. Execution Test cases are executed, and defects are reported for resolution during this phase. Test Execution (Manual and Automated): Testers execute both manual and automated tests. Automated tests handle repetitive tasks, while manual testing covers more complex scenarios. Defect Reporting and Management: Defects found during execution are documented and prioritized so the development team can fix them on high priority during the sprint. Review The progress and performance of each sprint are reviewed to ensure that the original project requirements are delivered according to the sprint scope. Sprint Review: The team presents completed features to stakeholders. Feedback is gathered to ensure alignment with user needs. Retrospective: In the retrospective, the team reflects on the sprint. They discuss what worked well, what didn’t, and how to improve in future sprints. Release In this phase, the sprint’s build release is prepared for deployment, ensuring everything is ready for launch. Release Planning: The team decides which features are ready for release. This includes risk assessment and final testing preparations. Final Testing and Quality Assurance: Final tests, such as performance tesing and security testing are performed before release to ensure the software build is stable and meets quality standards. Maintenance After release, testing continues to ensure long-term stability and performance. Ongoing Testing: Testing is performed regularly to evaluate new features and updated functionalities, identifying ripple effects or newly introduced bugs. Feedback Loop and Continuous Improvement: User feedback is collected post-release to identify areas for improvement. It helps refine future testing and development cycles. In short, the Agile STLC framework ensures testing is performed throughout the development process, helping teams adapt quickly and maintain quality with each release. Important Metrics in Agile Software Testing The following metrics are imperative to measure the success of agile software testing. Velocity: It is the amount of work done in each sprint, such as, the number of stories covered or features tested. A stable velocity ensures the team is working at a sustainable pace, avoiding overcommitment or underperformance. Test Coverage is the percentage of code or features covered in the test cases. The higher the test coverage, the lower the chances of defects going unnoticed and thus the higher the application’s stability. Defect Density: This is the number of defects found per software unit, such as lines of code. It helps teams identify parts of the codebase that are more error-prone. A higher defect density suggests additional testing or code review in those areas. Test Execution Time: It is the time spent in running all the test cases of a particular sprint. Shorter test times allow faster feedback, maintaining a rapid pace of development without sacrificing quality. Code Coverage: It measures the percentage of code executed by automated tests. Higher code coverage reduces the likelihood of bugs hiding in untested parts of the code. Sprint Burndown: It determines the remaining work in the sprint as tasks or story points. It helps the team monitor progress and ensure they are on track to complete their sprint goals. A steady burndown curve indicates good progress. Defect Resolution Time: It measures the time taken to resolve the defect from when it was reported. A shorter resolution time reflects the team’s ability to address issues quickly, ensuring rapid development. Pass/Fail Rate: This is the ratio of passed versus failed test cases. It helps monitor the product’s stability during each sprint. A high test failure rate indicates the build is not stable. Escaped Defects: It calculates the defects found after the code is pushed to production. Fewer escaped defects suggest that testing in the earlier stages was thorough and successful. Waterfall vs. Agile Software Testing The waterfall testing methodology follows a sequential and linear process, where each testing phase is dependent on the preceding phase. This means testing only starts after the development phase is entirely finished, making it challenging to fix defects or make changes mid-cycle. This rigidity can be a significant drawback. In contrast, agile software testing is designed to provide testers with more flexibility and adaptability throughout the entire software development life cycle (SDLC). Unlike waterfall, agile testing happens at every stage, so there is no need to wait for development to be fully completed before starting testing. The main advantage of Agile testing is its ability to flexibly respond to changes throughout the SDLC process, whereas Waterfall’s rigidity and sequential process make it slow, costly, and time-consuming to fix bugs or make corrections. This helps testers provide feedback at every phase, which helps teams identify and minimize flaws early. This enhances the quality of the software and reduces the need for expensive last-minute fixes. Benefits of Agile Testing 1. Early Detection of Defects As testing is integrated early in the development lifecycle, defects are detected and fixed earlier, reducing the chances of major issues arising later and saving time and costs on bug fixes. 2. Continuous Feedback Adjustments and improvements are made quickly as agile software testing provides continuous feedback to ensure the application stays aligned with the scope. 3. Faster Time to Market Agile testing enables faster releases by testing throughout the development cycle. Since the product is continuously tested, it is always in a releasable state, which speeds up delivery. 4. Improved Collaboration Agile testing encourages close collaboration between developers, testers, and product owners, ensuring everyone is on the same page regarding the build release quality and stability. 5. Adaptability to Change Agile testing adapts easily to changes in requirements. If new features or priorities emerge, testing can quickly adjust, ensuring that everything is properly tested without causing delays. 6. Higher Product Quality Frequent testing in Agile ensures a continuous focus on quality. Automated testing and practices like test-driven development (TDD) help maintain a high standard throughout the development process. 7. Risk Reduction By testing early and often, Agile testing helps identify and address critical risks sooner, keeping the project on track without delays. 8. Customer Satisfaction Frequent releases and continuous feedback in Agile testing lead to higher customer satisfaction. Teams can deliver features faster and consistently ensure that the product meets customer expectations. Drawbacks and Limitations of Agile Software Testing Complexity in Large Projects: For large projects, communication and dependencies between multiple teams complicate the testing efforts, making it harder to maintain agility. Stakeholder Involvement: Since Agile testing requires continuous feedback from stakeholders, therefore, their unavailabilty can impact product quality and the overall timeline. Limited Documentation: Agile emphasizes working software over comprehensive documentation. This can result in insufficient documentation of testing processes, making it harder for new team members to understand project history and decisions. Constant Changes: Agile supports change requests at any stage during the cycle, which may lead to an uncontrolled environment and scope creep. You can overcome these challenges with careful planning, skilled team members, and effective communication. Final Thoughts Agile testing is essential for delivering high-quality software, especially if you are keen on launching your ideas sooner to gain a competitive edge, enhance communication and collaboration among your teams, and simultaneously meet customer satisfaction. By integrating testing throughout the development lifecycle, you can leverage early defect detection, ensuring faster delivery and sound product quality. If you seek professional assistance with agile software testing, partnering with Testlio can provide the expertise and resources needed to succeed. Testlio offers tailored testing solutions that align with Agile practices, ensuring thorough quality assurance while maintaining speed. Explore how Testlio can elevate your testing strategy by visiting Testlio today. Ensure flawless app releases by partnering with an experienced software testing provider. Contact us to learn more!