DevOps and QA: reducing time and increasing quality

Creating software products of higher quality in the shortest time possible is one of the objectives of most development processes. The DevOps QA concept stands out as one of the most effective solutions to the above-mentioned challenges providing automation tools and optimized work strategies to professionals.

In this article, we're discussing how DevOps QA testing processes are driving maximum competitiveness in software development processes.

What is DevOps QA

The term DevOps is born as a combination of two English words - Development and Operations - and it referred to a methodology used in the development of comprehensive software.

In other words, the aim of this approach is that all actions related to software development (development, quality control, and operations) are considered part of the same process or cycle. Continuous Integration (CI), Continuous Delivery (CD), and Continuous Testing (CT) define “DevOps” processes.

For this reason, on one side it is possible to talk about DevOps QA quality assurance, on the other, DevOps is also related to code writing, creating and implementing binaries, executing test cases, and implementing an integrated flow.

Some of the main features of the DevOps approach include:

• Combination of agile software development and IT operations management practices and teams
• Test, Deploy, and Build Automation
• Continuous Integration and Delivery (CI/CD)
• Use of continuous integration tools
• Joint work of development teams and operations team

All these features translate into fast, high-quality deliveries for new software releases.

Benefits of implementing DevOps QA

• Reduced time to market: the time from code writing and committing to production deployment can be reduced to 3-4 hours
• Software quality improvement
• Error reduction thanks to the combination of DevOps and QA
• Smoother communication between development teams and IT operations
• It's easier to apply when compared to the implementation of agile principles, which often require a steeper learning curve
• Automation of all actions in the chain
• It frees teams from multiple processes around construction, operations, and quality control, allowing them to focus on high-quality design and coding

DevOps and QA: a new organization

When talking about DevOps QA, we're always referring to the integration of quality control throughout the software development life cycle. This differs significantly from traditional testing, where the testing is considered a final stage of the software developing process.

In other words, the DevOps QA approach allows testing the code automatically before implementation and at each phase of the software life cycle.

The fundamentals of DevOps QA testing, thus, allow access to the following advantages:

• Early detection of errors and defects
• Analysis of future life cycles based on data based on QA processes
• Increased test coverage
• Improvement of the quality of the final product
• Streamlining quality control processes, reducing time and costs
• Generation of multifunctional and coordinated teams

Tips for a good DevOps and QA strategy

Test automation stands as one of the basic pillars for high-quality developments with the DevOps seal.

Today, there is no doubt that automation is taking software development one step further and, in turn, putting speed and quality at the center of any type of delivery.

Different types of specialized tools are used, including those oriented to continuous integration and others for the implementation of QA tests known as DevOps QA tools.

Achieving success in this area involves following some of the following guidelines:

• Generate a quality automation testing framework that allows the integration of new protocols
• Identification of the test cases to be carried out in each specific case of compilation
• Joint work between DevOps and QA teams in the identification of needs and execution of tests
• Guarantee of use of specialized and quality analysis and coverage tools that manage to cover the code practically 100%
• Generate a culture suitable for the implementation of DevOps QA, including the necessary collaboration capacity for development and operations teams. This factor, alien to a certain extent to technological tools as it has more to do with communication and soft skills, will be key to success in this type of development. Furthermore, in a study titled 'The Secret to Success in DevOps', the consulting firm Gartner predicted that by 2022, 75% of DevOps QA initiatives could fail due to issues around organizational learning and resistance to change.
  In this sense, guaranteeing the quality of the software involves guaranteeing that the teams are capable of sharing knowledge effectively. This should also be applicable in contexts where staff turnover is especially marked.
• Put the QA team at the center of the testing strategy, and make sure they formalize it as well as interim builds
• Standardization of environments for testing and automation of implementations
• Implementation of parallel executions of tests to reduce times and guarantee the highest final quality of the product

We highlight test automation as one of the key factors in DevOps QA that can make a difference in terms of the technology used by an organization.

DevOps QA tools include continuous integration, automated testing, orchestration, and configuration management tools.

In this sense, the icaria TDM tool stands out as a tool for supplying test data. It has the ability to link to automated processes such as automated test data provision, as well as to make test environments ready for use. In the same way, it also has the capacity for the definition and validation of the expected result from the perspective of the data. This is helping a multitude of DevOps Quality Assurance developers generate quality data that in turn complies with current legislation around data.

This is why DevOps QA goes beyond test execution tools or those aimed at saving the results of test plan execution. Thus, it is capable of being integrated into this type of platform to act as supply and validation, that is, acting in the first and last phases of test development.

Furthermore, icaria TDM also provides a solution to the need of sharing knowledge effectively. To do this, it guarantees the passage from tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge, through operations such as the generation of data archetypes and data functional domains.

Do you want to know more about DevOps QA and what tools are facilitating the work of developers in this regard? At icaria Technology we can help you. Get in touch with us and speak directly with our team about the needs of your project and what tools can boost efficiency and quality in the processes.