Today, Agile testing is one of the most widely used approaches to generate cutting-edge, high-quality software. Capable of accelerating development times and based on rapid feedback cycles, it is a complex process that involves multiple practices that range from design to testing, among many others.

Because of its complexity, it is vital, when implementing agile testing processes, to have knowledge and tools that guarantee the quality of the final product.

So, how can you achieve software quality by implementing the agile methodology in testing? Let's take a look at the most effective strategies.

Agile Testing: What is it?

Agile Testing (or Agile tests) is a software testing methodology that focuses on iterative and incremental developments to ensure software quality.

The agile model in software testing divides the development process into smaller parts; this way, it becomes possible to implement constant improvement in the process. Furthermore, this allows testers to detect errors early and constantly, at each stage of the process, and incorporate feedback from different perspectives (testers, developers, users…).

Agile testing differs from traditional development, where testing is done at the end of the development cycle.

The final result is a software adapted to a market in constant evolution and that adjusts to the requirements of the end user.

In short, it can be said that agile tests is characterized by a continuous integration and delivery approach, the implementation of collaboration between teams, adaptability, and a culture of continuous feedback. It also integrates perfectly with QA processes and its capacity for continuous improvement.

Agile Testing: Features

Early Integration

With the agile methodology in testing, tests are performed early and continuously throughout the software development life cycle. This is in contrast to the traditional approach to testing, where testing only happens at the end of the process.

Collaboration

Agile tests seeks the collaborative work of development and testing teams. In this way, you want to maximize the sharing of information and knowledge to ensure the quality of the software.

Automation

Applied correctly, agile tests can speed up the testing process and enable repeatable and consistent testing.

Adaptability

Flexible test teams and processes are built to be adjustable to changes.

Focus on business value

As a final objective, Agile Testing seeks to ensure that the software meets the objectives and needs of the business and delivers value to the customer. All this in a fast and constant way.

Agile testing implementation: tester and software

In the implementation of Agile tests, the role of the QA tester is crucial.

Although their tasks and roles may vary depending on each context, they deal with collaborating with other key roles such as developers or business analysts to ensure software quality.

Test automation also plays an essential role in the testing automation. There are multiple tools to get your automation up and running, including PHPUnit, Mocha, and RSpec for test framework generation, and Bamboo or BitBucket for scripted execution.

In any case, the need for proper test data management should not be forgotten: it is an essential step to test and check the execution result from the data perspective.

In this context, tools such as icaria TDM appear capable of eliminating or masking identifiable information from the data used in software testing processes. Automatically and repeatedly, it guarantees the privacy and confidentiality of the data and, in turn, compliance with regulations and regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which also focuses on development environments and agile tests.

Thus, this tool gives access to anonymized or pseudonymized data simply, freeing up space to continue streamlining tests and cutting expenses related to test data management.

It is responsible for finding and defining the right data for the test, launching recurring data deliveries, and comparing the test results, always from the perspective of the data.

Thus, it allows managing some of the most common challenges that QA tester management encounters: testers who must wait a long time to receive data, difficulty creating quality data, or problems in compliance with legality regarding the Data Protection Act.

If you want to discover more about agile testing and the importance of proper data management in this methodology, at icaria Technology we can help you better understand the value of data. Get in touch with us and find out how.