Skip to main content

Enterprises often hear about the need to implement continuous testing in DevOps for their agile software development initiatives. However, this is if they already have a DevOps-based development methodology implemented. Only then would DevOps continuous testing make sense as an investment to be made for better software quality. And there is ample reason to migrate into a DevOps environment as successful companies are already accelerating their digital transformation with agile DevOps-centric development philosophies. Surveys show that nearly 83% of IT decision-makers across leading enterprises say that their technology teams adopt DevOps and, as a result, are achieving faster delivery times, improved software quality, better collaboration efficiency between teams, and secure development credentials.

Let us explore

Why Continuous Testing in DevOps

So how does continuous testing come into the picture? There is a growing need to ensure higher standards in the quality of digital applications before those can be rolled out to end consumers. To capture defects early and provide a cleaner deployment, there is a heightened focus on continuous testing and continuous integration testing when application development is done in a productized schedule with a constant rollout of updates and new features.

Why Continuous Testing in DevOps

Continuous testing automates test cycles and runs them in the early stages of development repeatedly at periodic intervals.  This allows developers to capture defects early and eliminate negative business impacts or disruptions that may have been caused if the issue was not identified and removed diligently before the application deployment.

Implementation Best Practices for DevOps Continuous Testing

Now that the affinity for DevOps and the benefits of continuous testing are known, the focus needs to shift to continuous testing in DevOps. Unfortunately, most companies fail to set up a standardized continuous testing DevOps strategy primarily due to not knowing the best practices for success.

Let us explore five best practices to follow while implementing DevOps continuous testing in your organization to avoid this situation.

Foster Seamless Communication

The testing pipeline for enterprise applications should not be siloed in their objectives. There may be diverse team structures focusing on different aspects of the application or application suite. Still, leaders need to streamline communication channels and keep them open and transparent. When interdependent teams have to work on tasks, it is essential to communicate regularly and flawlessly to eliminate bottlenecks that will hamper testing timelines and avoid wastage of effort due to communication mistakes.

Foster Seamless Communication

Define Progress Metrics

Testing outcomes may include both success and failure of intended results from the application. While setting the DevOps continuous testing strategy, there should be a focus on defining quantifiable metrics to track success and failure. Keeping track of the number of defects discovered in each testing cycle can help determine the quality standards followed by development teams. The number of tests that have passed or failed helps create a more efficient test strategy for continuous testing, even for future application

Define Progress Metrics

Enable Collaborative Automation

While going for an approach involving continuous testing in DevOps, it is crucial to bring all business stakeholders on the same plate before deciding on the technology transformation that will be implemented across the organization. It is important for testing teams to have a close alignment with business analysts and get clarity on the user stories that must be realized by different features of the digital application being developed. Once a collaborative culture is achieved, proceed with developing automation strategies and scripts to cover all functional and non-functional aspects that must be tested continuously for the project’s success.

Enable Collaborative Automation

Deploy Supportive Tools

While automation is a key highlight of DevOps continuous testing, it is not the only area where tools must be deployed in a test environment. Modern testing platforms and tools need to be integrated into the technology ecosystem that helps eliminate manual overheads and reduce mundane test operations, enabling testing professionals to focus more on testing than supporting testing functions.

Leverage Multi-Layer Test Strategies

For a successful application or product deployment cycle, it is important that all development facets or phases are covered extensively by the QA team and vetted for quality. Hence, testing teams need to leverage a multi-layer strategic approach consisting of continuous integration testing, unit testing, system testing, database testing, etc., to cover modern technology architectures like microservices that are increasingly being used for SaaS-based development projects.

Continuous testing in DevOps is a strategic move that enables better test efficiency and ensures long-term success for the developed application. It integrates well into the agile development ecosystem of paramount significance in today’s digital transformation initiatives and can even be considered a competitive advantage if the test strategy is perfectly planned. Get in touch with us to know more about creating the most sustainable quality assurance practice for your digital applications and enable better ROI through initiatives like DevOps continuous testing.

GEOSLEY-IMG.png

GEOSLEY ANDRADES

Director, Product Evangelist at ACCELQ.

 

Get started on your Codeless Test Automation journey

Talk to ACCELQ Team and see how you can get started.

Close Menu