The Role of Continuous Testing in Building High-Quality Software
Tags: testing, beginners, devops, agile
Published: 2023-06-12 12:58:21

The role of continuous testing in the delivery of high-quality software can never be emphasized, however, it is important that we understand the rudimentary nuggets of the concepts we are about to explore. For starters, software testing analyzes and verifies that a software product or program accomplishes its intended work. Some advantages include bug prevention, reduced development costs, and improved performance.

Furthermore, you should know that continuous testing is an integral part of software testing. It involves testing software continuously and automatically throughout its development and maintenance lifespan. It is critical for ensuring software quality, decreasing errors, shortening time to market, and increasing customer satisfaction. It’s an essential technique for software development, allowing firms to provide high-quality software that satisfies user expectations, minimizes costs, and retains a competitive advantage. Let us dive deeper. 

## What is Continuous Testing?
Over the years, software development has changed at a rapid pace. What is the catalyst for this evolution? Advanced software ensures quick and efficient service, utilizing Agile and DevOps to satisfy customers. The development period is shortened from weeks to months to days and hours, and automated testing progressively replaces manual testing techniques.

Continuous testing is a technique that involves continually and automatically testing software throughout its development and maintenance lifespan. It is a sequential process incorporating testing operations into the software development pipeline, allowing for the early discovery and correction of errors and difficulties. It is also commonly used in Agile and DevOps approaches, emphasizing iterative and collaborative software development with rapid releases and ongoing feedback loops. Its goal is to offer immediate and precise feedback on the quality and dependability of the program under development, allowing for faster releases and guaranteeing that the product satisfies the specified quality requirements.

Depending on the needs of the software being produced, it may entail using various testing techniques such as automated testing, unit testing, integration testing, performance testing, security testing, and other forms of testing. These tests are frequently automated and run in the background as part of the development pipeline, employing tools and frameworks that facilitate automated testing.

## Benefits of Continuous Testing
Because the testing process begins in the early phases of development and continues indefinitely, application hazards are discovered early on. In this manner, development teams may avoid these difficulties as they advance through the development cycle, reducing the time and effort spent at the end of the process finding and fixing errors. Continuous testing is becoming increasingly popular, and it makes sense to use it since it can improve the efficiency of existing approaches. Here are some of its main benefits:

- Testing Throughout the Pipeline: Testing Throughout the Pipeline (TTTP) is a software testing strategy that entails testing at every stage of the software development process, from design through deployment. It highlights the significance of regular and early testing to discover problems as early as possible, decrease expenses, and improve software quality. Continuous testing is a process that involves running automated tests continually throughout the software development pipeline to offer feedback on the program’s quality. This method enables developers to detect and correct flaws before they become more complex and costly. Developers may spot flaws early in the pipeline and address them before they become more complex and expensive to solve. This strategy can lower total software development costs and improve software quality.
Furthermore, testing throughout the pipeline aids in detecting flaws that traditional testing methods may miss. For example, tests performed during the design process can assist in detecting problems in the software architecture, but tests performed during the deployment phase can assist in detecting defects that only occur in production situations.

- Improved Collaboration: Continuous testing guarantees everyone in the software development process is aware of the current status of the product, including flaws or issues discovered during testing. Improved cooperation can assist in identifying and resolving difficulties early in the development process, lowering the chance of serious problems later.
Effective collaboration is critical in software development and testing; continuous testing may aid this process in various ways. They include early problem identification and resolution, greater transparency throughout the software development process, consistent and dependable testing, less manual work, increased efficiency, and improved developer-tester communication and collaboration.

- Discrepancy issues: When test automation scripts are performed in multiple environments, discrepancies might occur due to setup changes such as operating systems, browsers, and software versions. These discrepancies can lead to test failures, slowing development and raising expenses. Continuous Testing eliminates differences by providing the same parameters for all test automation scripts. This guarantees that tests are executed consistently across all environments. This uniformity also reduces the possibility of human mistakes. When testers are obliged to configure test environments manually, they are more likely to make mistakes. Continuous testing removes the need for manual configuration and decreases the risk of human errors by providing the same structures for all test automation scripts.
Furthermore, by providing the same parameters for every test automation script, continuous testing helps to increase testing process efficiency. Without spending time creating multiple environments, testers can perform tests more quickly. This can assist in accelerating the development process, allowing for faster software delivery.

- Immediate Feedback: Continuous testing relies heavily on direct feedback. It refers to the continuous and timely examination of software quality throughout development, allowing developers to detect and fix any faults or errors swiftly.
Continuous testing requires immediate feedback since it helps detect faults early in development, making resolving them more straightforward and less expensive. It helps to minimize the time and expense of resolving problems while improving the overall quality of the product. Rapid feedback allows developers to iterate quickly and make required code modifications, resulting in a shorter time-to-market for the software product. This can provide businesses with a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

## Continuous Testing Process and Phases
Continuous testing is a strategy that reiterates testing promptly, constantly, and throughout the software development lifecycle. The continuous testing process is divided into several phases, which are as follows:

- Planning: This phase defines the testing strategy and objectives, as well as the tools and frameworks to be used. The testing team also works with the development team to ensure the program meets the specifications.

- Test Design: Test cases and situations are created according to the requirements and design standards during this phase. The test cases should include all potential scenarios and exceptions to guarantee complete testing.

- Test Execution: In this step, the tests are executed on the program, and the results are collected. Continuous automated tests are conducted, and manual tests are run as needed.
Test Reporting: The test results are examined in this phase, and reports are prepared. These reports assist in identifying any faults that need to be fixed and provide input on the software’s quality.

- Test Maintenance: During this phase, the test cases and scenarios are updated and maintained to stay current and realistic. As the program evolves, the tests must evolve as well.
Continuous testing is a constant cycle throughout software development, from planning to test maintenance. Issues may be found early and fixed quickly by continually testing the program, resulting in higher-quality software and a shorter time-to-market.

## Why Continuous Testing is Important in Building High-Quality Software
Read full article on the blog. An article by Olufunso Oladiran.