When an organisation adopts a new software development methodology, such as Agile, it does not mean that all the existing processes and techniques become obsolete. In fact, many of these earlier practices continue to be useful when implementing an agile approach. Testing is one of those practices. In this article, we will explore what exactly testing is in the context of agile software development and how that role changes when you adopt Agile principles. We’ll also explain what Agile Testing is and the specific tools included under that umbrella.

What is Software Testing? #

Testing occurs when an organisation is ready to start implementing a piece of software. However, before any code is written, it’s important to verify that the software solution meets the project’s goals. This is where testing comes in. Testing is the process of executing a system or application in order to find defects. Testing is carried out by a team of testers whose job it is to verify that the product meets the needs of the users, that it is ready to deploy, and that it is stable enough to support long-term use. Testing is not a one-time activity. Instead, it should be done throughout the product development lifecycle to ensure that defects are found and corrected as soon as possible. This helps reduce the risk of those defects impacting product release dates or the overall user experience.

What is Agile Testing? #

Agile Testing is a term used to encompass everything that a tester does in an Agile environment. The agile tester’s role is to make sure that development is meeting its goals and that the product is ready to be deployed. They do this by testing the product throughout the development process. Agile Testing is all about testing early and often. Instead of waiting until the end to test a product, agile teams test as soon as they have a minimum viable product (MVP) ready to evaluate. This allows the team to catch problems early, make changes to the product, and then test again to make sure that the change didn’t introduce new issues. In fact, agile testing is as much about quality assurance (QA) as it is about testing. It’s about making sure that your product is ready to go out into the world.

Why is Agile Testing Important? #

Testing is important for any software development process, but it is particularly important for agile projects. This is because agile projects have a much faster feedback loop than traditional software projects. This means that any defects found in the software will have to be corrected much faster. If defects are found near the end of the project lifecycle, it could take days or weeks to fix them. If they are found during the development process, the same problem could be resolved in hours. As a result, testing becomes an integral part of the agile process. Every member of the team is responsible for contributing to the testing process because it’s the only way to make sure that the product is ready to be deployed.

What Does an Agile Tester Do? #

The testing process is critical to an agile team, so every member should be involved in it. There is no strict definition of what an agile tester’s job is, but there are a few skills that are useful to have. A good agile tester will have strong communication skills. They will participate in product discovery activities but also have the ability to clearly and concisely convey their findings to the rest of the team. A good agile tester will be able to break down a problem into its smallest possible parts. They will be able to verify that even the smallest piece of the product works as it should. A good agile tester will be able to analyse the cause of a problem and propose solutions for it.

4 Tools for Agile Testers #

There are a few tools that agile teams use to streamline the testing process. Here are a few of the most common ones: –

Acceptance Testing – Acceptance testing is a specific type of testing that verifies that the product is ready to be used by the customer. Acceptance testing may be performed by a customer tester, but it is often done by the agile team as well.

Exploratory Testing – Exploratory testing is a loose process in which testers try different things to see what breaks the system. It is most commonly used during the early product development phase.

Automated Testing – Automated testing is a process in which the team writes code to test the product. This code can be run as often as needed to make sure that the product is ready for deployment.

Manual Testing – Manual testing is done by people rather than code. It can be done during all phases of the project, but it is particularly useful during product development.

Conclusion #

Testing is an important part of any software development process. It is even more important when working with an agile approach. Because agile teams build products in short cycles and respond quickly to change, they need to catch defects as soon as they appear. Testing is critical to every aspect of software development and achieving a high-quality product. However, testing is not limited to the development team. It is a team effort and involves everyone who is building the product. Agile Testing is the process that these teams use to make sure that the product is ready for deployment.