A broad range of industries have embraced agile methodology due to its project specific practices, principles and values. Agile is known for its adoption of making changes and iterating as needed, which, in turn, refines and enhances the software development process. As agile development practices are being adopted by many organizations, there is also a tactical need to embrace agile testing. In this article, you will learn about the strategic importance of agile methodology and agile testing.
Agile methodology - An introduction:
Sprints make agile methodology work in a streamlined and productive manner. A sprint is a specific time period, usually a few weeks, during which several features called “user stories” are worked out by the team. Items are involved in these stories, through which the team can deliver in a week or few weeks. A smaller number of features are contained in the sprint. When the features are limited, then it helps in managing product development and the release cycle process.
Compared to the traditional software development team, the agile team is much smaller, with a limited number of team members. The core agile members include the product owner, QA testers, analysts, developers and the project manager.
Following are a few key factors that depict the strategic importance of agile methodology:
- The significance of User-focused testing: Not only is Agile known for embracing changes, but also, is known for its deliverables. The agile team and the product owner work collaboratively towards the attainment of deliverables. The representation of user requirements is done in the form of “user stories” in using an agile methodology. Tactical engagement of stakeholders: The product owner should be engaged throughout the software development process, especially from an agile perspective. In agile sprints, the involvement of product owners counts a lot. Through this, further engagement is encouraged and a sense of ownership is bestowed. The quality factor: All the features are not developed at once in an agile project. Instead, a smaller subset of features is assigned to the team. In this manner, the developer can work more effectively.
- What is Agile software testing? It is a testing process that is aligned with the agile methodology process. Software projects tend to scale during each sprint among shareholders and collaborators during the agile development scenario. Quality is ensured by the tactical implementation of agile testing process throughout the software development process. The following are the agile testing methodologies: Exploratory testing: Testers are empowered through the exploratory testing method, as software functionalities are dynamically explored. Gradually, risks are uncovered and comprehensive test coverage is ensured. Behavior-Driven Development (BDD): The application development process is aligned with expected user behaviors and collaboration is promoted among quality experts, developers and customer representatives. Test-Driven Development (TDD): Unit test cases are created before the software code is written. Iteration takes place through the test creation, programming and refactoring stages. Session-based testing: Time-boxed testing sessions that focus on exploratory testing are pondered and worked upon. It is guided by charter documents, wherein testing objectives are outlined. Extreme Programming (XP): XP prioritizes customer satisfaction through delivering good quality products that are in line with customer requirements and also through iterative development. Acceptance Test-Driven Development (ATDD): Collaboration is encouraged among developers, testers and customer representatives through this methodology. Requirements are defined in the early stages and development errors are reduced. Crystal methodologies: Team interactions are emphasized, rather than focusing on tools and rigid processes. They can be customized based on project dimensions such as priority, criticality and team size. Conclusion: If you are looking forward to implementing agile testing for your specific project, then do get connected with a globally renowned software testing services company that will provide you with tactical testing solutions that is in line with your project specific requirements.