DevOps Testing Concepts, Best Practices & Tools

DevOps Testing: Concepts, Best Practices & Tools


<p>Software Quality is a term used to measure the degree of excellence of software. Software Quality attributes are extremely important while designing a software application.&nbsp;</p>



<p>There is a misconception that if the software application is bug-free then the quality of the software is high. However, a bug-free product is just one of the Software Quality Attributes. The quality of the software also depends on the user requirements, satisfaction, clearer design, usability, etc.</p>



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets"><p class="toc_title">Table Of Contents</p><ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#List_of_Software_Quality_Attributes"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">1</span> List of Software Quality Attributes</a><ul><li><a href="#Reliability"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">1.1</span> Reliability</a></li><li><a href="#Maintainability"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">1.2</span> Maintainability</a></li><li><a href="#Usability"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">1.3</span> Usability</a></li><li><a href="#Portability"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">1.4</span> Portability</a></li><li><a href="#Correctness"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">1.5</span> Correctness</a></li><li><a href="#Efficiency"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">1.6</span> Efficiency</a></li><li><a href="#Security"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">1.7</span> Security</a></li><li><a href="#Testability"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">1.8</span> Testability</a></li><li><a href="#Flexibility"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">1.9</span> Flexibility</a></li><li><a href="#Scalability"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">1.10</span> Scalability</a></li><li><a href="#Compatibility"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">1.11</span> Compatibility</a></li><li><a href="#Supportability"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">1.12</span> Supportability</a></li><li><a href="#Reusability"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">1.13</span> Reusability</a></li><li><a href="#Interoperability"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">1.14</span> Interoperability</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Importance_of_Software_Quality_Attributes"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">2</span> Importance of Software Quality Attributes</a></li><li><a href="#How_can_Test_Automation_Help_in_Improving_Software_Quality_Attributes"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">3</span> How can Test Automation Help in Improving Software Quality Attributes?</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="h-list-of-software-quality-attributes"><span id="List_of_Software_Quality_Attributes"><strong>List of Software Quality Attributes</strong></span></h2>



<p>Software Quality attributes help to measure the quality of the software from different angles. <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/software-quality-management/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Software Quality</a> Attributes can be broadly classified into 5 types: Design, Runtime, System, User, and Non-runtime qualities. However, when we go into detail there are at least 14 different attributes. Let&#8217;s discuss this in detail.</p>



<h3 id="h-reliability"><span id="Reliability"><strong>Reliability</strong></span></h3>



<p>Reliability is the ability of software applications to behave as expected and function under the maximum possible load.<br></p>



<p>Reliability is made up of different types</p>



<ul><li><strong>Availability:</strong> The percentage of time the application is available for use. 100% availability refers to the system being always available and never going down under any circumstances.</li><li><strong>Recoverability:</strong> Recoverability refers to the ability to recover the system quickly and efficiently.&nbsp;</li><li><strong>Fault Tolerance:</strong> This attribute refers to the extent to which the system can tolerate hardware failures.&nbsp;</li></ul>



<p>Let&#8217;s take an example of an e-commerce website. The website went down as one of the server nodes crashed. In an ideal situation, if the reliability attribute is implemented then the system should automatically failover to the other server node.</p>



<h3 id="h-maintainability"><span id="Maintainability"><strong>Maintainability</strong></span></h3>



<p>Maintainability refers to how easily software developers can add new features and update existing features with new technologies. The application architecture plays a critical role in maintainability. The well-architected software makes maintenance easier and more cost-effective.</p>



<p>Consider the scenario where the law enforces new privacy laws. If your software is running on legacy code, adhering to new laws might be challenging. If the software is well-architected and the code is well documented, implementing such changes would be an easy task.</p>



<h3 id="h-usability"><span id="Usability"><strong>Usability</strong></span></h3>



<p>The Usability attributes refer to the end user&#8217;s ease of use. Usability is tied to application performance, application UX design, and accessibility. To understand usability better let&#8217;s consider an e-commerce page &#8211; user has purchased an item and wants to return the item. Good usability makes the return option available on the orders page. In some cases, the return option may appear on to contact us page &#8211; in this situation user easily gets confused and faces difficulty to find the return option.</p>



<p>The usability design principles can help to design a good customer experience. The meaningful option texts, tooltips, and info icons are a great way to encourage self-learning.</p>



<h3 id="h-portability"><span id="Portability"><strong>Portability</strong><strong><br></strong></span></h3>



<p>The portability quality attribute refers to how easily the system can be ported or migrated to other environments containing different hardware or operating system specifications. The portability problem is majorly faced in mobile native applications.</p>



<p>An example of a portability issue &#8211; you have designed a web application that works perfectly fine on Android devices but when it is ported to iPhone devices (iOS), it fails to render. If your application is abstracted from UI and business logic, fixing such issues becomes easy.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 id="h-correctness"><span id="Correctness"><strong>Correctness</strong></span></h3>



<p>Correctness refers to the ability to behave or function as per software requirement specifications. This may include navigations, calculations, form submissions, etc.</p>



<p>Consider an example of sign-up. Your application should navigate to the terms and conditions page after signing up as per the requirement specification. However, it is landing on the home page without showing the terms and conditions page. Strict <a href="https://www.evoketechnologies.com/blog/code-review-checklist-perform-effective-code-reviews/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">code reviews checklist</a> and Unit testing can help to discover such bugs.</p>



<h3 id="h-efficiency"><span id="Efficiency"><strong>Efficiency</strong></span></h3>



<p>Efficiency can be defined as the time taken by the system to complete a specific task. In layman&#8217;s terms, it can be the performance of the application. Performance is the most critical software quality attribute as it can make the user system to a hung state. The utilization of system resources should be taken care with the most efficient way, and any memory leaks should be avoided to achieve high efficiency.</p>



<p>For example, if you open one of the video editor applications on your desktop, as soon as you open your system freezes, and all the other open application start to behave in an unintended way. This is a bad application design and shows the poor efficiency of the software.</p>



<h3 id="h-security"><span id="Security"><strong>Security</strong></span></h3>



<p>Security attribute focuses on the ability to safeguard applications, data, and information from unauthorized entities. This is very crucial as the data leaks may incur huge losses in terms of organization&#8217;s brand name and reputation. Furthermore, the organization may face a lawsuit.<br></p>



<p>Authentication, authorization, and data encryption are a few key areas that can safeguard from malicious attacks. Add on to this, if your application is B2C, educating customers also plays an important role.</p>



<p>An example of a security attribute is, you have developed an API endpoint that is exposed to the public however, there is no authorization required to access this endpoint. This can make API and the underlying system, less secure. To make the API secure you can consider enabling a JWT security token as mandatory, which can be created only by authorized users.</p>



<h3 id="h-testability"><span id="Testability"><strong>Testability</strong></span></h3>



<p>Testability is how easily QA members can test the software and log a defect and how easy it is to automate the software applications. Your application design should focus on making the testing easier and faster.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Consider an example, you have designed a web application that doesn&#8217;t contain any uniquely identifiable locators. This makes automation more complicated. Adding ids, data-testid, and class helps to cover more scenarios through automation.</p>



<div class="cta-banner-v2">
<div class="title-with-description ">
<p class="title">Here is a guide that talks in detail about the quality assurance in software testing</p>
</div>
<a href="https://testsigma.com/guides/quality-assurance/" target="_blank" class="cta-btn-v1" rel="noopener">Learn more</a>
</div>



<p>Nowadays <a href="https://testsigma.com/automated-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">automation testing</a> is most recommended as it makes the delivery faster. If your application is automation friendly then one can easily automate the application using automation software like Testsigma and identify the defects in the early stage.</p>



<h3 id="h-flexibility"><span id="Flexibility"><strong>Flexibility</strong><strong><br></strong></span></h3>



<p>Technology changes are more common nowadays. Flexibility refers to how quickly your application can adapt to future and current technology demands. Indirectly the flexibility attribute is tied up with your competency in the market. If your application is not up to date with the latest technology then you might not be able to deliver all the user needs.</p>



<p>For example, You are using a third-party library for styling your application. Due to some reasons, the third-party library declares the end of development. Now the question arises of how quickly your application can switch to another library. If it takes longer, then it might cost your business.</p>



<p>Never develop applications with tight coupling of libraries you have reference to, rather design applications in a generic manner and hook the libraries.</p>



<h3 id="h-scalability"><span id="Scalability"><strong>Scalability</strong></span></h3>



<p>Scalability is how easily your system can handle increasing demands without affecting the application&#8217;s performance. Vertical Scalability and Horizontal Scalability are two primary areas that help to meet the scalability criteria.</p>



<p>For example, an e-commerce website declares a Black Friday sale. On sale day, the application sees huge traffic. If your application is designed according to the scalability attribute, as soon as the traffic increases, the system should automatically add the server nodes and distribute the traffic. Failing to do that may result in your application going down.</p>



<h3 id="h-compatibility"><span id="Compatibility"><strong>Compatibility</strong><strong><br></strong></span></h3>



<p>Compatibility focuses on the ability to work software systems on different operating systems, and browsers seamlessly as expected without affecting any functionality.</p>



<p>A most common problem with the web application where it works on Chrome but it doesn’t on Firefox. This is because of compatibility issues. When it comes to business, you can&#8217;t restrict users to use a specific browser. However, such issues can be tested using the most popular tools like Testsigma. Testsigma provides 3000+ real devices and multiple browsers to execute your automated tests for compatibility testing. Using such <a href="https://testsigma.com/qa-automation-tools" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">automation tools</a> helps to discover compatibility issues at an early stage.</p>



<h3 id="h-supportability"><span id="Supportability"><strong>Supportability</strong></span></h3>



<p>It is the degree to which a software system can provide useful information for identifying and resolving the issues when application/functionality stops working. Enabling logging, monitoring, and health checks are most useful to adapt supportability.</p>



<p>For Example, Your application has a profile information page, which works perfectly fine for some users and only a few users are facing issues with the profile page. In this case, it is difficult to reproduce in a lower-level environment. The logs come in handy to identify the call stack and reference APIs which is causing the issue.</p>



<h3 id="h-reusability"><span id="Reusability"><strong>Reusability</strong></span></h3>



<p>It is the degree to which software components can be reused in another application or the same application. Reusable software components reduce the development cost and effort. This is one of the reasons most companies are encouraging component-based development.&nbsp;</p>



<p>For example, your organization is developing two different applications where both the application needs sign-in and sign-up forms. If you don’t have a reusable components strategy then you need to develop the same thing two times. On the other hand, if you have identified common components and designed those as reusable and shareable components it would be much easier to integrate sign-in and sign-up screens into both the application. The reusable component can also decrease maintenance costs.</p>



<h3 id="h-interoperability"><span id="Interoperability"><strong>Interoperability</strong></span></h3>



<p>Interoperability refers to the ability to communicate or exchange data between different systems. Which can be operating systems, databases, or protocols. The interoperability problem arises due to the legacy code base, poorly architectured application, and poor code quality.</p>



<p>For example, Your application needs to communicate with the payment gateway but you are facing challenges to integrate with the payment gateway due to various standards mismatch. If you had taken all the security, data, and standard API design approach this wouldn&#8217;t have happened.</p>



<h2 id="h-importance-of-software-quality-attributes"><span id="Importance_of_Software_Quality_Attributes"><strong>Importance of Software Quality Attributes</strong></span></h2>



<p>Software quality attribute determines software system usefulness and success. Often the software quality attributes safeguard you from reputation damage. Software quality attributes should be introduced at the early stage of the software development life cycle (SDLC). While architecting your application you should consider the quality attribute. If all the software quality attributes are taken care then your application can sustain in the market for a long time.</p>



<p>Adapting software quality attributes is not a one-time task, rather it is continuous and it can evolve. The management should enforce adapting software quality attributes to achieve high standards. Keep in mind that adapting quality attributes at a later stage might be challenging and it can be pricier. As many software quality attribute focus on core-level architecture, it should be introduced at an early stage.</p>



<h2 id="h-how-can-test-automation-help-in-improving-software-quality-attributes"><span id="How_can_Test_Automation_Help_in_Improving_Software_Quality_Attributes"><strong>How can Test Automation Help in Improving Software Quality Attributes?</strong></span></h2>



<p>The software automation tool can help in ensuring the various quality attributes. For example, when we talk about scalability, a performance testing tool such as JMeter can help you to ensure scalability before going to production. Similarly, the Testsigma test automation tool can help you to ensure Correctness, Compatibility, and Usability. Compatibility testing is the most challenging as it requires a huge investment in infrastructure. Read here &#8211; <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/automation-scalability/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Automation Scalability</a></p>



<p>Fortunately, Testsigma made it easier. It provides 3000+ real devices including desktop and mobile platforms and provides many different browsers to test on. Using Testsigma without any additional effort you can run your compatibility across browsers and platforms using the same automation scripts. Testsigma is <a href="https://testsigma.com/codeless-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">codeless automation tool</a> that lets you write scripts in plain English. In turn, it helps to adapt the Quality attributes with less effort and cost.</p>



<div class="cta-banner-v2">
<div class="title-with-description ">
<p class="title">Here is a guide with in-depth discussions on the different characteristics of test automation. </p>
</div>
<a href="https://testsigma.com/automated-testing" target="_blank" class="cta-btn-v1" rel="noopener">Check out the guide</a>
</div>



<p>Doesn&#8217;t matter if your application is large or small, simple or complex you need to consider software quality attributes. Software quality attributes not only focus on technological aspects but it also important to run and sustain in the market. So quality attributes play a key role in both technology and business. Nowadays it&#8217;s not even an option rather it’s a need.</p>



What are the characteristics of software quality? 
The characteristics of software quality usually include:
<ul>
<li>reliability</li>
<li>maintainaibility</li>
<li>usability</li>
<li>portability</li>
<li>correctness</li>
<li>efficiency</li>
<li>security</li>
<li>testability</li>
<li>flexibility</li>
<li>scalability</li>
<li>compatibility</li>
<li>supportability</li>
<li>reusability</li>
<li>interoperability</li></ul>


What are the Software Quality Attributes?

Mainframe Testing How to Do, Challenges & Best Practices

Mainframe Testing | How to Do, Challenges & Best Practices


<p>We&#8217;re excited to bring you some amazing new features in this month&#8217;s release. From desktop application recording to on-demand partial test runs and seamless integrations with popular CI/CD tools, we are introducing new features and capabilities to enhance your test automation and streamline your QA processes.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Let&#8217;s dive in:</p>



<p>1. <strong>Rapidly automate Windows desktop app testing with our Desktop Recorder:</strong> Our new desktop recorder allows you to record and generate test cases for Windows apps and effortlessly add new UI elements to your Windows projects. </p>



<p>2. <strong>Test hotfixes quickly with partial test plan execution: </strong>No need to re-run entire test plans after hotfixes. With Testsigma, you can now execute partial runs of test plans or test plan subsets for when you need quick results for that bug fix on release days.</p>



<p>3. <strong>Build automation made easy with Jenkins Integration</strong>: Integrate Testsigma into your CI/CD pipeline for smooth build automation and continuous testing. Our Jenkins integration allows you to run tests and get results at every merge without leaving your pipeline.&nbsp;</p>



<p>4. <strong>Unify your test reporting with Azure DevOps Integration</strong>: Report and maintain your tests in a single place with Azure DevOps integration. Access all your test reports and results from your Azure DevOps dashboard. Push bugs, epics, tasks, or stories directly from Testsigma while testing, streamlining your workflow.</p>



<p>Stay tuned for more updates from our Product Team. And if you haven&#8217;t yet, <a href="https://testsigma.com/signup">try Testsigma for free</a> and see the difference it makes to your SDLC and release quality.</p>



<div class="cta-banner-v2">
<div class="title-with-description ">
<p class="title"></p>
<p class="description">Automate your tests for Web, Mobile, Desktop and APIs on Cloud with Testsigma. No setup required.</p>
</div>
<a href="https://testsigma.com/signup" target="_blank" class="cta-btn-v1" rel="noopener">Try for free</a>
</div>


July ’23 Product Digest: The latest on Testsigma

What Are the Ultimate Goals of Software Testing

What Are the Ultimate Goals of Software Testing?

What is CI CD testing? How Does It Work?

How to Find Bugs in Application/ Website?

Dynamic Testing What it is ,Types ,& Step by Step Process

What is Dynamic testing? Tools, Techniques & Examples


<p>Every tester spends excessive time understanding the application and its specifications to test it. But imagine the wastage of time and cost for testers when the software build, which developers pass for testing, keeps failing every test. All of this is possible to avoid by using Build Verification Testing or BVT.</p>



<p>The process consists of individually checking the software builds to ensure they are going for testing only after the build is stable and ready.</p>



<p>Let’s learn about BVT and its process.</p>



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets"><p class="toc_title">Table Of Contents</p><ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#What_Is_Build_Verification_Testing"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">1</span> What Is Build Verification Testing?</a></li><li><a href="#Why_Build_Verification_Testing"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">2</span> Why Build Verification Testing?</a></li><li><a href="#Principles_of_BVT"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">3</span> Principles of BVT</a></li><li><a href="#The_Process_of_BVT_Testing"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">4</span> The Process of BVT Testing</a></li><li><a href="#Why_Automation_Is_Essential_For_Build_Verification_Testing"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">5</span> Why Automation Is Essential For Build Verification Testing?</a></li><li><a href="#Some_Benefits_Of_BVT_Testing"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">6</span> Some Benefits Of BVT Testing</a></li><li><a href="#Tips_For_Selecting_Build_Verification_Tests"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">7</span> Tips For Selecting Build Verification Tests</a></li><li><a href="#Build_Verification_Testing_Checklist"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">8</span> Build Verification Testing Checklist</a></li><li><a href="#Conclusion"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">9</span> Conclusion</a></li><li><a href="#Frequently_Asked_Questions"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">10</span> Frequently Asked Questions</a><ul><li><a href="#Who_performs_BVT"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">10.1</span> Who performs BVT?</a></li><li><a href="#What_is_the_difference_between_build_verification_testing_and_build_acceptance_testing"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">10.2</span> What is the difference between build verification testing and build acceptance testing?</a></li><li><a href="#What_is_an_example_of_BVT_testing"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">10.3</span> What is an example of BVT testing?</a></li></ul></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="h-what-is-build-verification-testing"><span id="What_Is_Build_Verification_Testing">What Is Build Verification Testing?</span></h2>



<p>Build verification testing, or BVT, is a set of tests run on every new build to check if the build is stable and ready for further testing. It consists of test cases that validate the core features of the software build. Any build that fails BVT is rejected and goes back to the developers for resolution. Later, it comes back after a fix, and<a href="https://testsigma.com/regression-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> regression testing</a> happens on it with the same set of test cases.</p>



<p>The idea is to save time and resources by eliminating the back-and-forth between the build and testing phases. And this testing proves highly useful when there are multiple inter-dependent builds. It is also called<a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/smoke-testing/"> Smoke testing</a> and mainly checks for build verification and acceptance.</p>



<p>An example of BVT is verifying the basic functions of a registration form, such as page rendering and successful registration upon providing the correct credentials. Any build that functions according to its expected behavior passes the BVT testing and moves ahead for further testing.</p>



<h2 id="h-why-build-verification-testing"><span id="Why_Build_Verification_Testing">Why Build Verification Testing?</span></h2>



<p>BVT aims to ensure that the system or the build exhibits the expected behavior as defined in specifications documents. Some of the reasons why you should perform build verification testing are as follows:</p>



<ul><li><strong>Early detection of issues:</strong> BVT is conducted in the early stages of development or after making significant changes to a system. By verifying the expected behavior, you identify bugs and resolve them early on, reducing the likelihood of more severe problems later in the development cycle.</li><li><strong>Risk mitigation:</strong> BVT helps mitigate risks associated with the system&#8217;s behavior. It identifies potential risks such as security vulnerabilities, data loss, or incorrect functionality by validating and addressing the expected behavior before the system gets deployed to production.</li><li><strong>Verification of requirements:</strong> BVT ensures that the system meets the specified requirements or specifications. It helps validate that the system performs the intended functions and behaves correctly.</li><li><strong>Confidence in system functionality:</strong> Performing BVT assures that the system is functioning properly and helps build confidence among stakeholders, including developers, testers, project managers, and end-users, about its quality.</li><li><strong>Efficiency and time savings:</strong> By conducting BVT, any deviations from the expected behavior can be identified promptly. This allows developers to make the necessary corrections early on, reducing the overall time and effort required for testing and debugging.</li><li><strong>Customer satisfaction:</strong> BVT ensures that the system meets the expected behavior, which in turn increases the likelihood of customer satisfaction as they receive a reliable and functional product.</li></ul>



<h2 id="h-principles-of-bvt"><span id="Principles_of_BVT">Principles of BVT</span></h2>



<p>Primarily, the principles of BVT are developing a stable build, verifying the build&#8217;s health, and moving toward automation. These three points basically cover multiple aspects of BVT, such as:</p>



<ul><li><strong>Early Testing:</strong> BVT should be performed as early as possible in the development cycle to catch issues and bugs at an early stage. It helps identify and rectify problems before they become complex and costly to fix.</li><li><strong>Focus on Critical Functionality:</strong> BVT prioritizes testing the critical functionalities of the system or software component that significantly impact the overall build performance or user experience.</li><li><strong>Test End-to-End Scenarios:</strong> BVT should include test scenarios that cover the end-to-end functionality of the system. Such an approach is useful in verifying the interaction between different components of the system.</li><li><strong>Clear and Measurable Criteria:</strong> The testing should have clear and measurable criteria for determining each test case&#8217;s expected behavior and success measure.</li><li><strong>Reproducibility:</strong> BVT should be reproducible, with the tests being the ability to execute multiple times with the same inputs and produce the same results. Reproducibility is important for debugging and investigating issues that arise during testing.</li><li><strong>Documentation:</strong> You must be able to well-document the BVT process, including <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test_plan" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">test plans</a>, test cases, and test results. This helps in maintaining a record of the testing process, facilitates collaboration among team members, and provides a reference for future testing and maintenance activities.</li><li><strong>Automation:</strong> Whenever feasible, leverage automation tools and frameworks to streamline the testing process. Automation helps increase efficiency, reduce human errors, and enable repeated execution of tests, allowing for faster feedback on the system&#8217;s behavior.</li></ul>



<h2 id="h-the-process-of-bvt-testing"><span id="The_Process_of_BVT_Testing">The Process of BVT Testing</span></h2>



<p>You know that BVT consists of certain core functionality tests to check if the software build is ready for testing. Now, let’s see how the BVT process happens and what steps are involved in it.</p>



<p>Performing BVT is quite straightforward: run pre-defined, repetitive tests to see if the build is functioning as it is supposed to. And because the tests are redundant, automating your BVT process using automation tools is logical. Follow these steps to run BVT:</p>



<ul><li>Select the right BVT tests from the already defined test cases.</li><li>Execute the test cases as part of your CI/CD pipeline.</li><li>Analyze and report the test results upon every run.</li><li>In case a BVT test fails, send it back to the developer, log the results, and reject the build.</li><li>Now, developers will work on the issue resolution based on your report and feedback.</li><li>They will send back a new build after fixing the problem, which will again go through BVT with the same set of tests.</li><li>If the build passes BVT, move it forward for testing; otherwise, reject it and send it back for further resolution.</li></ul>



<p>These steps are general guidelines, and the actual implementation of BVT may vary based on the project&#8217;s specific needs, complexity, and context.</p>



<h2 id="h-why-automation-is-essential-for-build-verification-testing"><span id="Why_Automation_Is_Essential_For_Build_Verification_Testing">Why Automation Is Essential For Build Verification Testing?</span></h2>



<p>BVT tests must be automated because automation makes testing extremely accessible and easy. And since these tests are run repeatedly to ensure the build is ready for the testing phase, automation also saves time and cost. The best way to approach BVT automation is to automate everything from start to end, including the build release process and the BVT results.</p>



<p>Automation tools assist in running the tests. And because BVT focuses only on core functionalities, you can go for tools that offer simple yet effective ways to write and execute tests. Testsigma is one such automation tool that provides testers the ability to save and re-run test cases, which is an important part of the BVT process. Another advantage of using Testsigma for BVT is the tool’s feature allowing testers to create test cases in plain English and save them whenever. It further helps that the tool supports web, mobile, desktop and API testing broadening your testing horizons.</p>



<p><br><p><button class="btn bg-primary cta-btn" style="margin: auto"><a href="https://testsigma.com/signup" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color:#fff">Automate your BVT tests, for web, mobile, desktop, and APIs, from the same place, with Testsigma</a></button></p><br></p>



<h2 id="h-some-benefits-of-bvt-testing"><span id="Some_Benefits_Of_BVT_Testing">Some Benefits Of BVT Testing</span></h2>



<p>Behavioral Verification Testing (BVT) offers several benefits in the software development process. Some of the key benefits of BVT include:</p>



<ul><li>Checks all major core functionalities before executing in-detail tests, thereby saving time and money</li><li>Detects potential bugs even before the testing phase starts</li><li>Helps mitigate risks associated with the behavior of the system</li><li>Ensures that the system adheres to the specified requirements or specifications</li><li>Instills confidence in the development team, testers, project managers, and stakeholders by thoroughly verifying the behavior of the system</li></ul>



<h2 id="h-tips-for-selecting-build-verification-tests"><span id="Tips_For_Selecting_Build_Verification_Tests">Tips For Selecting Build Verification Tests</span></h2>



<p>Some tips you should keep in mind while selecting build verification tests are:</p>



<ul><li>Choose all the test cases that cover the core and major functionalities of the software.</li><li>Select test cases that cover end-to-end scenarios of user interactions or system processes.</li><li>Include test cases that cover various input combinations, boundary values, error conditions, and exceptional scenarios.</li><li>Ensure to mention the right version details about the build in the tests.</li><li>Go for test cases that can be automated and executed within 30 minutes.</li><li>Add BVT tests as a part of your CI process.</li><li>Allocate more test cases to high-risk areas to verify and mitigate potential risks thoroughly.</li><li>Select the scalable tests that can be re-used with new additions and modifications of build functionalities.</li></ul>



<h2 id="h-build-verification-testing-checklist"><span id="Build_Verification_Testing_Checklist">Build Verification Testing Checklist</span></h2>



<p>By now, you have a clear idea about BVT and its scope. And while you can start performing the tests, it is good to have a checklist ready to make sure no critical step goes missing. Follow the below list for running your BVT process.</p>



<ul><li>Develop a BVT test plan outlining the objectives, scope, and test coverage.</li><li>Verify that all the test cases within BVT cover the major functionalities of the build.</li><li>Check if all the tests included in the final testing process are sufficient for build verification.</li><li>Define the entry and exit criteria and follow them strictly.</li><li>Identify and prioritize the test cases.</li><li>If feasible, try to automate all tests.</li><li>Provide detailed reporting of the bugs and rejected builds.</li><li>Follow a standard guideline when the build fails BVT and goes back to developers for a fix.</li><li>Ensure to properly follow the build pass criteria, i.e., do not even overlook any minute issue when it comes to qualifying the build as pass or fail.</li><li>Maintain the automation script with the right input values to re-run them for testing rejected builds after resolution.</li></ul>



<h2 id="h-conclusion"><span id="Conclusion">Conclusion</span></h2>



<p>BVT is a test that is conducted before the detailed testing phase on every new software build. The goal of BVT is to check the core features of the build to see if it is stable and ready for testing. BVT prevents the failing of test cases when the testing on the build actually starts. Build owners work on incoming builds to identify the issues and reject or pass them based on the outcome. With BVT, we only aim to validate the basic functionality of the software rather than verifying all the possible edge cases.</p>



<p>Most of the BVT test cases are automated as they need to be re-run to test new or existing builds that keep coming for testing. You can automate BVT test cases using tools that support writing and executing small, basic tests in record time with lesser resources. Testsigma is equipped with AI to assist testers in creating tests that can be saved, re-run, and written in plain English to perform the BVT process easily. The tool is popular for its accessible testing methods, including NLP-based scripting, data-driven testing, and reusable test groups, which are all required for BVT.</p>



<p>We encourage you to explore Testsigma for all your testing requirements. Register for a<a href="https://testsigma.com/request-demo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> free demo</a> to learn more about the tool and how it will help you to create end-to-end tests 10x faster for web, mobile apps, &amp; APIs.</p>



<h2 id="h-frequently-asked-questions"><span id="Frequently_Asked_Questions">Frequently Asked Questions</span></h2>



<h3 id="h-who-performs-bvt"><span id="Who_performs_BVT">Who performs BVT?</span></h3>



<p>Developers or testers can both perform BVT. Often, the person who executes and maintains BVT results is called the BVT owner and takes care of the testing process before rejecting or passing the build as per the outcome.</p>



<h3 id="h-what-is-the-difference-between-build-verification-testing-and-build-acceptance-testing"><span id="What_is_the_difference_between_build_verification_testing_and_build_acceptance_testing">What is the difference between build verification testing and build acceptance testing?</span></h3>



<p>Build verification testing is also called build acceptance testing, which focuses on accepting the build for the detailed testing phase. Both terms are interchangeable in meaning.</p>



<h3 id="h-what-is-an-example-of-bvt-testing"><span id="What_is_an_example_of_BVT_testing">What is an example of BVT testing?</span></h3>



<p>An example of BVT can be verifying the core functionality of an e-commerce application by signing in and adding products to a cart to buy. For a video/audio sharing app, it can be checking if the videos/audios are displaying and playing as intended. By definition, BVT does not include every edge case but only focuses on validating the primary feature of the build.</p>
