Software KPIs or Key Performance Indicators in the software testing industry are some measurable values computed to gauge the efficiency and effectiveness of the software testing process as a whole.&nbsp;



Though it may seem natural to use software testing KPIs to gauge efficiency, there is a divide between the people of the testing community on using KPIs in the Software Testing industry. Some say that Software Testing KPIs can&#8217;t help achieve a much-needed balance between time, cost, and quality, while others swear by their effectiveness.



Organizations have different products, so the development methodology and the testing processes are different too.



So what a QA individual or manager needs is to: 1. Understand the process 2. Review the KPIs that can be measured 3. Figure out the KPIs for quality that should be measured for maximum effectiveness according to your project.



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#What_are_the_KPIs_in_Software_Testing">1 What are the KPIs in Software Testing?</a></li><li><a href="#When_are_the_Software_Testing_KPIs_beneficial">2 When are the Software Testing KPIs beneficial?</a></li><li><a href="#When_is_the_Software_Testing_KPIs_not_useful">3 When is the Software Testing KPIs not useful?</a></li><li><a href="#Frequently_Asked_Questions">4 Frequently Asked Questions</a><ul><li><a href="#How_Do_you_Measure_QA_Success">4.1 How Do you Measure QA Success?</a></li><li><a href="#What_is_Software_Testing_Key_Performance_IndicatorsKPIs">4.2 What is Software Testing Key Performance Indicators(KPIs)?</a></li><li><a href="#What_is_the_Difference_Between_Software_Testing_Metrics_and_KPIs">4.3 What is the Difference Between Software Testing Metrics and KPIs?</a></li><li><a href="#What_is_KPI_for_the_QA_Department">4.4 What is KPI for the QA Department?</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Suggested_Reading">5 Suggested Reading</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="what-are-the-kpis-in-software-testing">What are the KPIs in Software Testing?</h2>



There is no hard and fast rule to measure all these KPIs and you can also come up with KPIs that are not mentioned in the list. The most common KPIs that are measured in the software testing industry:



<p id="active-defectsall-the-defects-that-are-yet-to-close-are-called-active-defects-it-could-have-new-defects-that-are-open-or-that-are-fixed-but-not-verified-the-testing-manager-needs-to-decide-on-a-threshold-value-beyond-which-immediate-action-will-have-to-be-taken-about-how-to-proceed-to-lower-the-number-of-functional-defects-the-general-rule-is-that-the-lower-the-number-of-functional-defects-the-better-the-product-quality-at-a-point-in-time"><li>Active Defects </li>All the defects that are yet to close are called Active Defects. It could have new defects that are open or that are fixed but not verified. The testing manager needs to decide on a threshold value beyond which immediate action will have to be taken about how to proceed to lower the number of functional defects. The general rule is that the lower the number of functional defects, the better the product quality at a point in time.



<li>Authored Tests </li>This KPI measures the number of test cases designed during a defined time interval. This also helps measure the test cases against requirements, and the designed test cases can be further evaluated for inclusion in the regression or ad hoc test suite.



<li>Automated Tests</li>



This KPI measures the percentage of test cases automated against the total number of test cases. Usually, a higher percentage means a better probability of catching any breaks during automation runs. The threshold for the percentage of automation should be decided according to the type of product and cost of automation.



<li>Covered Requirements</li>



This KPI is used to measure the mapping of test cases to requirements. A test manager is required to ensure that all the requirements have corresponding test cases, and action should be taken on any requirements that could not be mapped to any test case and vice versa. The goal is to keep the mapping of requirements to test cases to 100%.



<li>Code Coverage</li>



This KPI is used by testers to ascertain the percentage of code they cover with their automated tests.



<li>Defects Fixed Per Day</li>



This is used to measure the effectiveness of the development but is subjective as some bugs could be more challenging to fix than others. This could be used to predict the amount of work for the testing team.



<li>Passed Requirements</li>



This KPI becomes valid when the release of a product is being planned. If any requirement has yet to pass testing, the release should be delayed.



<li>Passed Tests</li>



To understand the effectiveness of the test case design process, the number of defects reported via designed test cases is measured, where test cases passed means the design is practical and vice versa.



<li>Rejected Defects</li>



This KPI measures the percentage of rejected defects compared to the total defects reported. If the percentage is higher than the set threshold value, the underlying issue must be identified and acted upon. This could mean more training for software testers or better requirement documentation.



<li>Reviewed Requirements</li>



This KPI is to make sure that any requirement that the testing and development team is working on has been reviewed by the subject matter expert and is good to go. Reviewed requirements could lead to accurate development and testing, proving costly in the long run.



<li>Severe Defects</li>



This KPI aims to keep the number of severe defects in an application at a time under a limit if there are more severe defects, then immediate action is needed. But before using this, the testing team needs to be properly trained to identify severe defects correctly.



<li>Test Instances Executed</li>



This KPI is to measure the velocity of test execution at any point in time to make sure that the testing cycle is on track for the release.



<li>Tests Executed</li>



This KPI measures the total number of test cases executed on a build, including manual and automated, at any given time. This is also a Velocity KPI. Read here about <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/velocity-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Velocity Testing</a>.



<li>Time Schedule and Constraint</li>



This KPI is used to measure the average time of test execution. This helps provide testing time estimates during release planning or the development and testing plans to the project managers.



<li>Defects Closure Rate</li>



This KPI measures testers&#8217; efficiency in verifying and closing the fixed defects; this also helps to estimate the release cycle better.







<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="863" height="616" src="https://testsigma.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/software-test-KPI-12.jpg" alt="software testing kpis" class="wp-image-22133"/></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="when-are-the-software-testing-kpis-beneficial">When are the Software Testing KPIs beneficial?</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="733" height="485" src="https://testsigma.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/software-test-KPI-11-1.jpg" alt="Software Testing KPIs beneficial" class="wp-image-22137"/></figure>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>You have been working on the same software testing process for a while.&nbsp;</li></ul>



When you have implemented a testing process successfully and have executed it a few times, it is the right time to measure the KPIs to know the areas where your testing process needs improvement.



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>You have an extensive testing team.</li></ul>



Having a big testing team also means that there will be an extensive distribution of testing tasks. So to make sure that the tasks are distributed effectively and are conducted efficiently, measuring some testing KPIs will prove beneficial and will also help to keep everyone on track.



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>You are thinking of introducing new processes for testing.</li></ul>



If you are revamping your testing process, it will be helpful to have some KPIs measured to the original process. It will help you decide what goals to achieve with the new testing processes.



For an organization looking to measure KPIs, it is essential to understand the existing testing process and then measure the KPIs that will bring out the necessary improvements. Knowing what value addition you are looking for is essential because these KPIs, if not used properly, could easily lead you in the wrong direction.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="when-is-the-software-testing-kpis-not-useful">When is the Software Testing KPIs not useful?</h2>



Although measuring the effectiveness of a process is essential to know if you are doing it right, measuring the testing process via quality KPIs will not make sense in a scenario where:



<ol class="wp-block-list"><li>If your product has just started with Testing:If you are going to launch your product for the first time and testing has just started, there won&#8217;t be much to measure. This time will be crucial to put a testing process in place rather than measuring the effectiveness of the testing process.</li><li>If you are not planning to have a long testing cycle:If you are making a product that would not be changing for a long time after the launch and testing will be a one-time process, measurement of the effectiveness of the process would not be beneficial as you won&#8217;t have any new testing cycles to improve upon.</li><li>If you are on a restricted budget:Just like doing any activity, measuring testing KPIs also takes time and effort and, consequently, costs. So rather than measuring the KPIs, applying a cost-effective testing process should be the primary focus when the budget for testing is restricted.</li></ol>



By ensuring the above, you are also <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/optimize-your-testing-efforts-for-continuous-delivery/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">optimizing Testing for Continuous Delivery</a>.



If you have an organization planning to move to test automation but are worried about the learning curve and time constraints during implementing it, look out for tools that enable you to automate test cases in as much time as creating them manually will take. This will help improve multiple KPIs for quality, such as Automated Tests, Covered Requirements, Passed Requirements, Passed Tests, etc.<a href="https://testsigma.com/">Testsigma</a> is one such tool that is quickly recognized for its ease of use and the negligible learning curve!



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<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="733" height="485" src="https://testsigma.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/software-test-KPI-10.jpg" alt="When are the Software Testing KPIs not useful" class="wp-image-22139"/></figure>



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<a href="https://testsigma.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Testsigma</a> is one such tool that is quickly getting recognized for the ease of use and the negligible learning curve!



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="frequently-asked-questions">Frequently Asked Questions</h2>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="frequently-asked-questions">How Do you Measure QA Success?</h3>



QA success can be measured using KPIs, which will help to get an idea about the test performance. Some key points which are mentioned in KPIs are given below.



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Numbers of functional defects in the software.</li><li>Number of tests written in a time frame.</li><li>Numbers of automated cases present in testing.&nbsp;</li><li>How much code is covered in the test cases?</li><li>How many defects are being fixed per day?</li></ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="what-is-software-testing-key-performance-indicators-kpis">What is Software Testing Key Performance Indicators(KPIs)?</h3>



Key performance indicators(KPIs) in software testing are the calculated data that help to measure the performance and effectiveness of testing. It gives an idea if the software testing is progressing in the right direction and whether it will be done on time.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="what-is-the-difference-between-software-testing-metrics-and-kpis">What is the Difference Between Software Testing Metrics and KPIs?</h3>



Software testing metrics are the data used to track and monitor the various operations performed by the testers. Whereas organizations and testers use key performance indicators (KPIs) to determine testing effectiveness and the time and cost required to complete the testing.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-is-kpi-for-the-qa-department">What is KPI for the QA Department?</h3>



KPI for QA is calculated by : The number of tests in a specific time period = Number of tests run/Total time.



Following initial testing, these periods should reduce and eventually settle at a basic level. QA teams can improve these figures by investigating which tests can be executed concurrently or automatically.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="suggested-reading">Suggested Reading</h2>



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What are the KPIs of Software Testing and QA

What are the KPIs of Software Testing and QA Metrics?

<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#Software_Automation_Testing_Challenges">1 Software Automation Testing Challenges</a></li><li><a href="#Lack_of_Effective_Team_Communication_and_Orchestration">2 Lack of Effective Team Communication and Orchestration</a></li><li><a href="#Not_Having_the_Right_Tool_for_Automation_Testing">3 Not Having the Right Tool for Automation Testing?</a></li><li><a href="#Finding_the_Right_Talent_with_Test_Automation_Knowledge_and_Expertise">4 Finding the Right Talent with Test Automation Knowledge and Expertise</a></li><li><a href="#Outdated_Test_Cases_and_Dilapidated_Framework">5 Outdated Test Cases and Dilapidated Framework</a></li><li><a href="#Upfront_and_Recurring_Costs">6 Upfront and Recurring Costs</a></li><li><a href="#Knowing_the_Right_Testing_Approach_to_Use">7 Knowing the Right Testing Approach to Use</a></li><li><a href="#Getting_Through_All_That_Test_Data">8 Getting Through All That Test Data</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Software Automation Testing Challenges</h2>



Automation Testing is a byproduct of the need for efficient testing and innovation. Through automation testing, businesses can speed up the software testing process while expanding the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Automation Testing is a byproduct of the need for efficient testing and innovation. Through Automation Testing, businesses can speed up the software testing process while expanding the test coverage. (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/blog/how-create-best-test-case-design-get-maximum-test-coverage/" target="_blank">test coverage</a>.



However, automation testing is not just a walk in the park where one can say “Okay, let’s automate and get this done quick!”. It doesn’t work that way. Here’s a list of challenges you need to anticipate before engaging in software test automation. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Lack of Effective Team Communication and Orchestration</h2>



Team collaboration is regarded as one of the most common challenges, yet critical aspect in a project-driven organization, let alone in automation testing. Everyone has to do their fair share of the workload in employing software&nbsp;automation testing. Without teamwork, testing would most likely fail.



Another deal-breaker is the lack of effective communication. By communication, we mean clear and concise feedback information that can be used to make informed decisions. The team can come up with a well-thought and carefully planned test automation plan. Effective communication breaks the barrier of having a disoriented and disorganized testing team. It practically keeps everyone in the loop. 



For automation testing to work, teamwork and communication are essential to <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/top-ways-communicate-software-testing-insights-better/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="share software testing insights (opens in a new tab)">share software testing insights</a> better.



It is important to be transparent on what is happening, what are the roadblocks the team is facing, and how the team will approach and handle them. Keeping them informed will raise another question from them as to how they, as a management team can support you. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Not Having the Right Tool for Automation Testing?</h2>



With just one search and a click away, one can have access to a plethora of testing suites and&nbsp;automation testing tools the market has to offer. From freeware and open-source tools like Selenium and Robotium to popular scriptless automation testing tools like <a href="https://testsigma.com/">Testsigma</a>.



It is not that you need to rely on a test automation tool for sure. You need to evaluate if a tool can help automate a scenario faster. However, even in such cases, many teams are reluctant to abandon existing testing scripts and continue to bear the struggles of traditional testing in today&#8217;s Agile world.



If ever you find yourself in such a situation, consider researching the tool you are eyeing to automate your test cases. Additionally, try to perform due diligence of the developer and provider. Opt for demos. Spend productive activity evaluating the tool.



Here&#8217;s an article that discusses 10 points to help you <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="choose the right test automation tool (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/blog/10-points-to-help-you-choose-the-right-test-automation-tool/" target="_blank">choose the right test automation tool</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Finding the Right Talent with Test Automation Knowledge and Expertise</h2>



Hiring or getting someone who is an expert in software test automation is probably the first thing you have on the list especially if you are eyeing on speeding up the testing phase and reducing the product’s go-to-market time.



<a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/is-manual-testing-becoming-a-bottleneck-in-continuous-delivery/">Manual testing</a> involves manually executing test cases, test scripts, and test scenarios. On the other hand, test automation requires testers to know programming and coding to design, build, and maintain the test automation framework.



You have to remember that test automation specialists are the bread and butter of the test automation process. Their knowledge and expertise in what they do keep the ball rolling and without it, software test automation may seem difficult to achieve. 



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Outdated Test Cases and Dilapidated Framework</h2>



Software test automation is there to make the lives of the QA team much easier by automating tedious and repetitive testing scenarios. Sounds good, isn’t it? Well, all that can change if the testing team is not diligently updating the test cases.



Test cases are not something that you can do one time and that’s it – well, that’s not just it!



In a test automation environment, the reality is that test cases are constantly updated.



Every time there are changes in the requirements, browser, operating system, automation libraries, and the likes. Having outdated test cases and frameworks significantly reduce the effectiveness of your software testing automation. Besides that, what is the point in undertaking test automation if the result is practically the same as going into manual testing? Test automation that falls out of place pretty much beats the purpose.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Upfront and Recurring Costs</h2>



Setting up the platform for test automation suite incur upfront costs, whether you are using a paid service or not. Regardless of whether the platform you are using is paid or not, you still need to consider the cost involved in training the users who will be using the platforms and those who will maintain it.



Then we have these recurring costs for hosting the platform, maintaining it.



These are one of the things that should not be overlooked when you are to engage with software test automation. Employ reusable code, proper naming conventions and methods.



The user interface of the application may change between builds. A tool like Testsigma creates automated tests that are resistant to these UI changes. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Knowing the Right Testing Approach to Use</h2>



Software automation does not only require you to have your team roster full of test automation specialists, or maybe just by having the best and right tool to conduct your test automation. All that would be meaningless if the group has not yet decided on what testing approach to use.



Determining what approach to use is understanding why software test automation is needed, where does automation testing fit, and what is needed for testing and the business to succeed. Identifying the approach is crucial to the success of testing. Jumping right into the battlefield without a careful thought plan is nothing but blind testing.



With a plan of an approach geared to the test automation team, testing life cycles will be laid out along with their corresponding goals and achievable results. It also aligns everyone on the same page in terms of designing and implementing test scenarios and test cases. Additionally, it lets everyone know when the window hour is to update and maintain test scripts and frameworks. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Getting Through All That Test Data</h2>



The rapid growth of test data is inevitable when software testing automation is facilitated at an enterprise level. These data are needed to be carefully reviewed and analyzed by the test team. In no time, the test team may find themselves in the middle of test data jungle made out of test results and log files. That is good news because those data contain information which is valuable and critical in the success of test automation. Well here&#8217;s the bad news – finding that valuable information can be difficult at times given that you are sitting in a library of data that keeps on growing while the testing is an ongoing process. 



But Hey! If you are still struggling with all these challenges, <a href="https://testsigma.com/">Testsigma</a>&nbsp;would be an ideal tool to help you move ahead! Easy to learn, adopt, and maintain!



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Factors that slow down Automation Testing_Testsigma

Factors That Slow Down  Automation Testing: Test Automation Challenges

Software development is more systematic today. Organizations are seeking measures to test the effectiveness and completeness of the software. Test coverage is the most valuable of them all. Test Coverage is a technique that measures the amount of automation testing that is performed by a set of tests (or test suites). It helps monitor the quality of automation testing and assists the testers in creating tests that cover all the untested missing areas.



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#What_is_Test_Coverage">1 What is Test Coverage?</a></li><li><a href="#How_do_you_Ensure_Test_Coverage_to_Achieve_Maximum">2 How do you Ensure Test Coverage to Achieve Maximum?</a></li><li><a href="#Frequently_Asked_Questions">3 Frequently Asked Questions</a><ul><li><a href="#How_do_you_ensure_better_code_coverage">3.1 How do you ensure better code coverage?</a></li><li><a href="#How_can_I_improve_my_test_coverage_code">3.2 How can I improve my test coverage code?</a></li><li><a href="#What_is_a_test_coverage_plan">3.3 What is a test coverage plan?</a></li></ul></li></ul></div>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="what-is-test-coverage">What is Test Coverage?</h2>



Test coverage is the measurement of testing performed by a set of tests. It quantifies the areas in which a collection of test cases has been tested. <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/test-coverage/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Test coverage</a> includes collecting information to determine which program parts are executed using a test suite to determine which conditional statements have been taken branches. Basically, it is a way of ensuring that you are testing your code and determining how much area of the code a certain set of test plans covers.



Read here about <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/test-automation-coverage/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Test Automation Coverage</a>



Why is Test Coverage Important?



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>It gives information about the covered and uncovered area of automation testing.</li><li>Test coverage helps to make a decision about the quality of the product.</li><li>It tells the QA tester which all test cases have been executed and which are not.</li><li>Helps to create additional test cases to increase coverage.</li><li>Identify meaningless test cases which have no role in increasing the coverage.</li><li>Identify a quantitative measure of test coverage to ensure quality checks.</li><li>Helps to meet the exit criteria.</li><li>Helps to keep time, scope, and cost under control.</li><li>Prevents defects at an early stage of the project lifecycle.</li><li>Help easily find gaps in requirements and test cases at the unit and code level.</li><li>Allows to count features and measure them against several tests.</li></ul>



Benefits of Test Coverage



Test coverage is useful in implementing numerous testing approaches and plans. Here are some of the ways test coverage is beneficial:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>It helps determine which parts of the code have been changed/modified.</li><li>It ensures checking the right areas of the code and highlights issues in those particular areas.</li><li>Test coverage improves the overall quality of the application as it covers a maximum amount of code.</li><li>This process helps in identifying and preventing defects early in the SDLC lifecycle.</li><li>It is easy to uncover gaps in requirements, test cases, and problems at the unit and code levels using <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/test-coverage-techniques/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">test coverage techniques</a>.</li><li>It assists in identifying untested pathways in your application that enhance its usability.</li><li>You can manage testing time, cost, and scope if you properly design and use the test coverage process.</li><li>If you use testing tools, you can easily scale your test coverage.</li></ul>



You can do both functional and non-functional activities. Still, in most cases, the coverage calculations are as per the functional requirements only, as the most important objective of an application is to follow the specification requirements.



Test coverage helps in defining certain parts of the software to cover them with tests. Although it’s a great measuring strategy, even with 100% test coverage, you can’t be certain that your application is 100% bug-free. The ideal amount of test coverage should be based on the automation testing requirements and risk analysis.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="how-do-you-ensure-test-coverage-to-achieve-maximum">How do you Ensure Test Coverage to Achieve Maximum?</h2>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Capture all the project related requirements at an early stage</li><li>Identify the critical requirements more accurately by having all the information on the differences between the current release of a product/app and the previous one to maximize positive coverage</li><li>Capture the critical <a href="https://testsigma.com/guides/what-is-test-case/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">test cases</a> as early as possible</li><li>Prioritize the requirements and focus on areas which are of high importance</li><li>Adapt to test automation and use <a href="https://testsigma.com/test-management-software" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">test management tools</a></li><li>Take an estimation effort in the execution of the test cases</li><li>Make your best resources work on the critical tasks and let new testers explore more from a fresh perspective</li><li>Include the developers as well in the process of writing <a href="https://testsigma.com/automated-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">automation tests</a></li><li>QAs&nbsp; and BAs should perform the prioritization of the backlog tasks</li><li>Always maintain a checklist for all the tasks and activities</li><li>Interact more with your Dev team to get application behaviour insights</li><li>Keep track of your build cycles and bug fixes</li><li>Implement the continuous integration so that you can focus on better stability at the later stages as it’s done through the continuous integration for regularly integrating code changes into a shared code repository. Each commit triggers a build during which tests are run that help to identify if anything was broken by the changes.</li></ul>



Read here- <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/test-coverage-metrics/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Test Coverage Metrics</a>



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<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1397" height="382" data-id="5292" src="https://testsigma.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Test-Coverage_Testsigma.png" alt="Test Coverage_Testsigma" class="wp-image-5292" /></figure>
</figure>



By understanding automation testing coverage and considering these techniques and with automation as a part of the <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/test-automation-strategy/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">automation testing strategy</a>, and applying long term coverage criteria, testers can maximize and optimize their test coverage over time. We need to focus on those test coverage criteria that best suit our needs. <a href="https://testsigma.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Testsigma</a> offers comprehensive solutions that can help automate all the complex automation testing activities. Start using it today to fast track your automation testing at the speed of Agile.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="frequently-asked-questions">Frequently Asked Questions</h2>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="how-do-you-ensure-better-code-coverage">How do you ensure better code coverage?</h3>



You can ensure code coverage by following its techniques and calculating how many lines of code your tests cover. Writing more test cases, using testing tools to run the tests, and removing redundancies are some of the ways to ensure good code coverage. Read here &#8211; <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/code-coverage-vs-test-coverage/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">code coverage vs test coverage</a>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="how-can-i-improve-my-test-coverage-code">How can I improve my test coverage code?</h3>



You can improve your test coverage code by following the test coverage techniques and implementing tools that support such methods. Even writing and executing sophisticated test cases with the ability scale to cover more code for testing can improve your test coverage code.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="what-is-a-test-coverage-plan">What is a test coverage plan?</h3>



Test coverage plan refers to the overall test plan that shows the areas being covered for testing. It helps monitor the quality of testing using just the test plan.

How To Create The Best Test Case Design To Get Maximum Test Coverage

How Do You Ensure Test Coverage?

Software Test Automation What To Expect In The Near Future

Future of Automation Testing: 9 Important Aspects that Expects Change in Future

Enhancing the robustness of CI/CD Pipeline

CI CD Test Automation | Ways To Enhance the Robustness

With advancements in technology, major areas in every field are researching and employing new tools to simplify their workflows and make things simpler. These tools also mean reduced effort and time. But as is common, we are apprehensive of anything new and are reluctant to step out of the comfort zone and into an unknown territory.



The same is the case with new improved automation testing approaches like <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/scriptless-test-automation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="The same is the case with new improved automation testing approaches like Scriptless automation testing that are now being introduced in the market. (opens in a new tab)">Scriptless automation testing</a> that are now being introduced in the market.



<div>&nbsp;</div>



Some common thoughts that prevent us from exploring such new tools are “Scriptless automation is not really going to be that easy”, “What if something unexpected happens?”, “What if this is not the right way?”, “But I&#8217;m halfway through. I&#8217;m not jumping in that bandwagon! ”.



And, “What is wrong with our current processes?”, ”We don’t really need a change, all our needs are met.”, “Embracing new processes means new sets of tools and processes, and again it will need either hiring new people or training the existing ones.”



 



Of course, fearing the unknown is good but why rule it all? Giving these scriptless automation testing tools a try and <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Of course, fearing the unknown is obvious and good but giving these scriptless automation testing tools a try and comparing them with the traditional scripted ones in all aspects is the need of the hour for better adoption of technology and moving ahead.
 (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/blog/selenium-alternative-for-automated-regression-testing/" target="_blank">comparing them with the traditional scripted ones</a> in all aspects is the need of the hour for better adoption of technology and moving ahead. Let us discuss the reasons why new user-friendly scriptless automation testing tools are still only a second thought.



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><ul><li><a href="#The_market_tends_to_lean_towards_open_source_and_free_technologies">0.1 The market tends to lean towards open source and free technologies</a></li><li><a href="#There_are_a_lot_of_test_cases_that_are_automated_already_moving_to_a_new_tool_seems_cumbersome_and_expensive">0.2 There are a lot of test cases that are automated already, moving to a new tool seems cumbersome and expensive</a></li><li><a href="#When_tools_are_being_researched_for_implementation_the_famous_and_widely_adopted_ones_are_generally_preferred">0.3 When tools are being researched for implementation, the famous and widely adopted ones are generally preferred</a></li><li><a href="#Fear_of_the_unknown">0.4 Fear of the unknown</a></li><li><a href="#Maintaining_the_current_automated_tests_is_tedious">0.5 Maintaining the current automated tests is tedious</a></li><li><a href="#Because_of_the_high_learning_curve_of_the_automation_testing_tool_in_use_there_are_just_a_handful_of_resources_that_can_debug_the_test_cases">0.6 Because of the high learning curve of the automation testing tool in use, there are just a handful of resources that can debug the test cases</a></li><li><a href="#You_are_looking_to_reduce_the_time_and_cost_involved_in_writing_and_maintaining_your_automated_test_cases_in_the_long_run">0.7 You are looking to reduce the time and cost involved in writing and maintaining your automated test cases in the long run</a></li><li><a href="#An_overhaul_in_the_product_is_being_planned">0.8 An overhaul in the product is being planned</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Try_Testsigma_for_Scriptless_Automation_Testing">1 Try Testsigma for Scriptless Automation Testing</a></li></ul></div>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="the-market-tends-to-lean-towards-open-source-and-free-technologies">The market tends to lean towards open source and free technologies</h3>



As Open Source and Free tools like Selenium and Appium don’t require an initial investment to learn and apply, the number of people skilled in such tools is much more compared to the paid ones. This also means that these tools are adopted by more number of companies than the ones that would require monetary investment on the automation testing tool.&nbsp; 



Thus, Ease-of-use and less cost of resources, in the long run, is a factor that is missed accounting for when automation is planned. 



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="there-are-a-lot-of-test-cases-that-are-automated-already-moving-to-a-new-tool-seems-cumbersome-and-expensive">There are a lot of test cases that are automated already, moving to a new tool seems cumbersome and expensive</h3>



When a lot of time and money has been invested during the automation of test cases and there is a large test suite that is being executed already. It does make much sense to move these to a new scriptless automation testing tool. Even though it will be scriptless, it will require some time for covering all test cases. 



This is a valid point unless the test cases are proving too much to be maintained. This point will be discussed in detail later in the article. 



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="when-tools-are-being-researched-for-implementation-the-famous-and-widely-adopted-ones-are-generally-preferred">When tools are being researched for implementation, the famous and widely adopted ones are generally preferred</h3>



Before any automation testing is put into place, most of the companies spend some time in figuring out the tool that best suit their needs. One of the major factors in picking up a tool is the high adoption rate. If there are multiple organizations that use a tool, the trust factor is more.



People also rely on experience when the question of using an automation testing&nbsp; tool comes up. If in an organization there is someone who has previously worked on a tool, that tool will automatically get preference because that is known to work first hand. Again, in this scenario, the much-needed analysis before choosing the right tool is skipped and the advantage of using a scriptless automation tool is mostly forgotten. 



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="fear-of-the-unknown">Fear of the unknown</h3>



As discussed before, when someone is asked to use a new tool that has not been widely used yet. The fear of unknown failures and the belief that help, when needed, would not be readily available, prevents people from adopting it. 



Even though we discussed why there is a reluctance to abandon already automated tests, we also need to know what are the scenarios when adopting new scriptless automation tools will prove beneficial for you. 



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="maintaining-the-current-automated-tests-is-tedious">Maintaining the current automated tests is tedious</h3>



If you would look at testimonials of people using scriptless automation testing tools in the market like Testsigma or any other, you will find out that people have moved very large sets of test cases to new automation tools and have saved time and money in the long run. So, if there are moments when the amount of time and effort that is being spent while automating the test cases seems to get on your nerves, re-evaluating the tools used will prove beneficial.&nbsp; 



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="because-of-the-high-learning-curve-of-the-automation-testing-tool-in-use-there-are-just-a-handful-of-resources-that-can-debug-the-test-cases">Because of the high learning curve of the automation testing tool in use, there are just a handful of resources that can debug the test cases</h3>



If there are a limited number of people that can write and debug your test cases and you have a large testing team, it is time to switch to a testing automation tool that enables all the users to create the test cases. The way to go here is a scriptless test automation tool. The need to collaborate is important too. 



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="you-are-looking-to-reduce-the-time-and-cost-involved-in-writing-and-maintaining-your-automated-test-cases-in-the-long-run">You are looking to reduce the time and cost involved in writing and maintaining your automated test cases in the long run</h3>



A scriptless automation testing tool may require some investment upfront but what needs to be considered is the total cost involved in learning the tool, test case automation and maintenance. If the total cost is less than the cost for another tool that has a higher learning curve and requires more time for test case automation and maintenance, then the choice is clear.&nbsp; 



A scriptless automation testing tool like <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="A scriptless automation tool like Testsigma that offers AI supported scriptless automation and test case maintenance, is sure to keep the maintenance cost to a minimum. (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com" target="_blank">Testsigma</a> that offers AI supported test case maintenance is sure to keep the maintenance cost to a minimum.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="an-overhaul-in-the-product-is-being-planned">An overhaul in the product is being planned</h3>



If your product is going through an overhaul, it is the perfect time to reconsider your choices in terms of the automation testing tool being used and if possible, go for a better solution.



Check out the different scriptless testing methods you need to check out!



<customlinks>
 <ts-link-item>
 <ts-linktext-value>Scriptless Test Automation</ts-linktext-value>
 <ts-linkurl-value>https://testsigma.com/blog/scriptless-test-automation/</ts-linkurl-value>
 </ts-link-item>
</customlinks>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="try-testsigma-for-scriptless-automation-testing">Try Testsigma for Scriptless Automation Testing</h2>



In today’s times, when Testsigma provides automation that can be scriptless, test cases that can be maintained via artificial intelligence, can be hosted on the cloud saving infrastructure cost, can be integrated with all widely used tools for analysis and reporting and last but not the least, the test cases can be run on a device farm in addition to physical devices!



Check out <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/scriptless-test-automation-tool-why-testsigma/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Check out Why Choose Testsigma as your Scriptless Test Automation Tool? (opens in a new tab)">Why Choose Testsigma as your Scriptless Test Automation Tool</a>? 



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Start your scriptless automated testing journey today with Testsigma 
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Reluctance To Abandon Automated Tests And Switch To Scriptless Automation Testing

Earlier, there was the Waterfall model. Then came Agile methodology. And as the IT world slowly moved toward automation, DevOps became the next big thing. Surely, there must exist some benefits to adopting the latest software development practice. But it is only beneficial when combined with automation. DevOps test automation is a way to develop and test the code quickly and push it to the market without any major errors.



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#What_is_DevOps">1 What is DevOps?</a></li><li><a href="#DevOps_Test_Automation">2 DevOps Test Automation</a></li><li><a href="#Where_Do_QA_and_Test_Automation_Fit_with_DevOps">3 Where Do QA and Test Automation Fit with DevOps?</a><ul><li><a href="#QA_and_Test_Automation_with_DevOps">3.1 QA and Test Automation with DevOps</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#What_is_the_Impact_of_DevOps_on_QA">4 What is the Impact of DevOps on QA?</a><ul><li><a href="#Impact_on_QA">4.1 Impact on QA</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#How_Automated_Testing_Powers_DevOps">5 How Automated Testing Powers DevOps?</a></li><li><a href="#Testsigma_Your_Best_Yet_Move_Towards_DevOps_Test_Automation">6 Testsigma: Your Best Yet Move Towards DevOps Test Automation</a><ul><li><a href="#Here_are_a_few_features_Testsigma_offers">6.1 Here are a few features Testsigma offers:</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Frequently_Asked_Questions_FAQs">7 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)</a><ul><li><a href="#What_is_QA_in_DevOps">7.1 What is QA in DevOps?</a></li><li><a href="#Is_test_automation_part_of_DevOps">7.2 Is test automation part of DevOps?</a></li><li><a href="#Is_DevOps_better_than_automation_testing">7.3 Is DevOps better than automation testing?</a></li></ul></li></ul></div>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="what-is-devops">What is DevOps?</h2>



DevOps is the combination of software development practices that combines Software Development (Dev) with Information Technology Operations (Ops) intended to speed up the development life cycle of any software application. It is critical to delivering new features and improvements, bug fixes, and updates frequently in close alignment with business objectives.



In a nutshell, DevOps practices include Agile planning, <a href="https://testsigma.com/continuous-integration" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Continuous Integration</a>, Testing and Continuous Delivery, and of course monitoring and improving. Let us remember that DevOps is not a process or a technology or even a standard. Many businesses, software companies, and IT professionals refer to DevOps as a culture focusing on rapid delivery through the adoption of agile lean processes. DevOps heavily involves technology, technologies for building systems to be delivered and more importantly, testing automation tools for QA testing purposes.



Read more &#8211; <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/devops-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Devops Testing</a>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="devops-test-automation">DevOps Test Automation</h2>



DevOps test automation is the practice of automating the testing of builds in the DevOps process.



Test automation is the practice of automating the review and validation of applications under development by the testing team. They write test cases, run the scripts, and raise possible bugs that are still present in the application. This all happens as per QA testing practice.



In CI/CD pipeline, QAs do not wait till the end to test the product quality. Continuous building and testing of the product go on till it is branded as fit for market release. For example, test automation in DevOps empowers businesses to build, test, and ship products faster and more reliably. It further supports streamlining incident responses and improves collaboration and communication across teams and stakeholders.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="where-do-qa-and-test-automation-fit-with-devops">Where Do QA and Test Automation Fit with DevOps?</h2>



DevOps plays a very important role in the Software Development Life Cycle (<a href="https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/software-development-life-cycle-sdlc/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">SDLC</a>), but where exactly does QA fit in the continuous integration of DevOps practice?



The answer to the question is simple. QAs, with their test automation activities, fit in every release. They, the QA tester team, thoroughly check the product and make sure it is well-polished and production worthy. They make sure that quality is ensured throughout the testing and delivery cycle, and each of the testing and development groups is answerable for it.



Continuous integration and <a href="https://testsigma.com/guides/continuous-delivery/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">continuous delivery</a> practices, and software updates take place almost every week. And it is possible for business operations to encounter problems that can be rooted mainly from being a defect in the product that pretty much affects multiple business users. This is quite a common scenario nowadays for businesses. Therefore, everyone needs a quick fix, especially when the product is failing.



Having a hot fix means it needs to go through testing right before moving to production. This is where the QAs and test team come in. This is where they need to take responsibility and accountability in evaluating and doing some assessments on whether the immediate fix resolves the current issue the production is facing and, most of all, whether the fix does not affect the functionality of any of the existing features within the application. So just as much as the Developers and Product Owners want to get rid of the outage with a quick fix, a Quality Analyst is needed to mitigate future outages to as much an extent as possible.



Check here &#8211; <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/devops-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Devops Testing Strategy</a>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="qa-and-test-automation-with-devops">QA and Test Automation with DevOps</h3>



Basically, QA ties together development and operations and enables them to collaborate to have software and applications up and running. Everyone in the organization takes responsibility for quality and stability, and thereby for the success of the business.



Developers think more like a tester and continually checks their own code for potential errors. Conversely, a tester, whose responsibility is to test the application or software using different types of testing tools &amp; methodologies, thinks of workarounds to fix the code. In such a scenario, organizations without a strong and definite QA and testing strategy to “continuously test” in DevOps face troubles in meeting their goals for an accelerated speed of delivery. Get to know some<a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/devops-automation-tools/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> DevOps Automation Tools to Look Out </a>.



Give Testsigma a try! It speeds up the testing process of Agile and DevOps teams. <a href="https://testsigma.com/signup" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sign up for a free trial now</a>!



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="what-is-the-impact-of-devops-on-qa">What is the Impact of DevOps on QA?</h2>



DevOps is roughly an approach, but rather it is a culture and a practice of continuous integration, continuous deployment, and continuous improvement. Multiple teams are involved and working together to work as a DevOps team. Therefore, it affects not only QAs but also the development team, business operations, production support, etc.



If we are solely talking about QAs, we can formulate the impact of DevOps test automation.



One, DevOps is considered an enabler for businesses to reduce IT budgets. Get to know the <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/why-devops-is-important-for-modern-businesses/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">importance of devops in business</a>. It improves the efficiency of end-to-end delivery and runs on a lean delivery framework. It also works as a working end-to-end test automation framework.



Nowadays, successful businesses today are design-thinking driven. The majority of them have a strong sense of urgency, aided by innovative software engineering practices. Businesses today need to have a working continuous delivery practice in place. Having one in place pretty much mandates a better outcome of product quality and speedy release. Automaton is the key to success across DevOps processes.



Delivery by co-located, integrated teams using innovative tools prevents collaboration and communication issues.



Manual errors and stove-piped communication issues are completely addressed just by having a good DevOps governance model. The model itself mandates “Fail Fast, Fail Often,” which comes from the “Test First” concept. This means that testing is a continuous process and more extensive in nature. Testing allows cohesiveness between the team of teams and the automation of everything possible. Testing is paving the way for continuous improvement in the test processes being delivered via iterations. Intelligent test automation, better regression, and continuous test augmentation, to name a few, are some benefits of DevOps.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="impact-on-qa">Impact on QA</h3>



From a testing standpoint, DevOps addresses some of the key testing challenges. For instance, in a<a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/test-environment/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> test environment</a>, virtualization, automated deployment, automated build and configuration management, data refresh, and maintenance become seamless. On the other hand, continuous Integration, automation, and verification – test first centric test-driven development, behavior-driven development concepts allow test processes to improve in a DevOps Model.



With all these, it is safe to say that as far as DevOps and Test Automation are concerned, DevOps accelerates the project delivery and life cycle of building an application. On the other hand, it is designed to speed up the testing phase without compromising the quality of the product.



Having the best of both worlds, DevOps knowledge and practices, along with Test Automation, is promising for the success of the business. With the right team roster and an automation tool like Testsigma, you will have your product live in the market in no time!



If you haven’t tried Testsigma yet, then you are missing out on shifting your QA team from manual testing to test automation in a jiffy. Above all, it lets your QA team be a part of the DevOps test automation process.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="how-automated-testing-powers-devops">How Automated Testing Powers DevOps?</h2>



You cannot do DevOps if you don’t automate testing. And although automating every step and through might be a long process, starting with the first step is a good idea. We have all the reasons why automated testing in DevOps is the way to go:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Better collaboration and communication: DevOps with automation build clear and concise communication between all the teams and stakeholders handling that particular project.</li><li>Speed and agility: Improve the overall project timeline and quality to ensure that users get the best and most updated version of the product.</li><li>Scalability: Consistently provide quality builds in the CI/CD pipeline by distributing the development process across multiple teams.</li><li>Security: Take care of all the security and compliance measures by following the automated practices to run, test, and deploy all your builds.</li><li>Reliability: Increase product release reliability with higher test coverage options with automation.</li></ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="testsigma-your-best-yet-move-towards-devops-test-automation">Testsigma: Your Best Yet Move Towards DevOps Test Automation</h2>



Now if we start talking about the “perfect” QA tool that fits DevOps culture and practice, there are a few things we need to keep in mind. Factors like the iterative, automated, and incremental nature of DevOps. The QA tool must, at all costs, be flexible enough to handle all the unforeseen changes during testing sessions. More importantly, it should be scalable to the extent of enduring workloads during the continuous development, continuous testing, and continuous deployment phases.



What we should be looking for is a tool that completely adapts tools to how DevOps works. A tool that is an enabler that can empower your testing team for iterative releases. On a special note, the tool should be scalable and reliable to handle the incremental amount of code changes.



Just to summarize all this, what you need is a solution that is designed for Test Automation in DevOps.Sure, there can be a lot of testing solution provider in the market like UFT that uses VBScript as its scripting language, then there are tools in service virtualization for Testing and many more of them that claims to be an “all-in-one testing solution” and choosing just one would be a difficult task.



Well, in that case, sometimes it is best to try it for yourself. You may try Testsigma, an all-in-one Unified Test Automation Software for Web, Mobile apps, and Web Services, and one that works well for DevOps and CD.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="here-are-a-few-features-testsigma-offers">Here are a few features Testsigma offers:</h3>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Start with Test Automation Ecosystem, which enables you to access <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/essential-elements-of-test-automation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">essential elements required for test automation</a>. There is no requirement for a tool and setup.</li><li>Continuous Testing for Agile and DevOps teams that uses a shift-left approach incorporates Continuous Integration and Continuous Development, providing fast feedback to accelerate the delivery of web &amp; mobile apps.</li><li>Super-Fast Test Development Using Simple English lets everyone write automated tests at least five times faster using plain English. No coding skills are required.</li><li>Fully Loaded Test Lab on Cloud to Run Tests which offers over a thousand Operating System/Brower/Version combos and two thousand plus real mobile devices to run a significant amount of tests in minutes.</li><li><a href="https://testsigma.com/parallel-test-runs" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Parallel Test Execution</a> Save Time and Cost because of scalable test environments and parallel test executions to run thousands of tests in minutes for faster feedback.</li><li>AI to Reduce Maintenance Efforts and Improve Productivity by saving test maintenance time by 70%. AI also helps affected and potential failures upfront to save execution time and costs.</li></ul>



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With all these being said, it is best to say that Testsigma is built for QA teams to automate testing in DevOps. So, what are you waiting for? Don’t be left behind. Sign up now for a free 21 days’ trial!



For more information, visit <a href="https://testsigma.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Testsigma Official Website</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="frequently-asked-questions-faqs">Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)</h2>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="what-is-qa-in-devops">What is QA in DevOps?</h3>



The role of QA in DevOps is to verify the product’s quality. It is also to ensure that the application aligns with the user requirements and with the business goals.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="is-test-automation-part-of-devops">Is test automation part of DevOps?</h3>



Yes, test automation is a part of DevOps that consists of running automated test cases to validate a build’s proper functioning. Test automation comes after build development is complete.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="is-devops-better-than-automation-testing">Is DevOps better than automation testing?</h3>



Both DevOps and automation testing have their own benefits. While they both can function without one another, it is better to combine them to get the best quality final product for your users.<gwmw style="display:none;">

Where Does QA and Test Automation Fit in DevOps

DevOps Test Automation | Where Do QA and Test Automation Fit in DevOps?

<a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Testsigma undertook the work of providing customers with the best experience in using their test automation solution. What makes this test automation suite competitive from the other vendors out in the market is that it is scriptless(NLP based), maintained by AI, and can be hosted either on-premise also on the cloud.
 (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com" target="_blank">Testsigma </a>undertook the work of providing customers with the best experience in using their automation testing solution. What makes this test automation suite competitive from the other vendors in the market is that it is scriptless(NLP based), maintained by AI, and can be hosted either on-premise also on the cloud. 



What also sets Testsigma apart from the rest is, they built their solution to address all the testing-related concerns of every business, whether small or medium business to even an enterprise. 



One of the major reasons why customers prefer&nbsp;Testsigma is the product’s capability to scale to the extent of catering volumes of the workload for the largest organization especially for those organizations that adopt Agile and DevOps methodologies. 



Agile adoption is now a trend to many businesses which means that the&nbsp; playing field of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Agile adoption is now a trend to many businesses which means that the&nbsp; playing field of software testing has been levelled.
 (opens in a new tab)">software testing</a> has been levelled. 



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#What_Is_Agile_Testing">1 What Is Agile Testing?</a></li><li><a href="#VUCA_World_Reason_Why_Companies_Opt_for_Agile_Testing">2 VUCA World: Reason Why Companies Opt for Agile Testing</a></li><li><a href="#Know_Your_Role_in_SAFe">3 Know Your Role in SAFe</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="what-is-agile-testing">What Is Agile Testing?</h2>



Agile based testing is a process that is intended to perform a quality check on an application or software that follows the principle of agile software development. In traditional development, typically it uses a “big-bang” deferred testing approach, while agile testing develops and test systems in small increments, often developing tests before writing the code, story, or feature. 



With this approach, the test itself helps to elaborate and clearly define the intended system behavior, even before the system is implemented. In other words, quality is established at an early stage. Pretty much like agile development, agile testing is a collaborative, team-oriented process where everyone shares the responsibility of testing the software.



Yes, you have read it right! Everyone has to do their fair share in agile testing and that is to test the software! This it is often referred to as “teams-of-team”.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 



<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agile_testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Agile testing comes with a “test-first” approach that practically applies to all types of agile work such as defining software capabilities and its features, outlining the non-functional requirements, creating user’s stories based on client’s specification and requirements and as well as coding. It can also be applied to the hardware components of the application. This is the same way tests are written during the coding or development stage, acceptance tests for capabilities and user stories and features are there to clearly define the output. Also, the right timing of clearly defining the proposed system behavior by the way also mitigates the need for overly detailed requirement specifications and sign-offs.
 (opens in a new tab)">Agile testing</a> comes with a “test-first” approach that practically applies to all types of agile work such as defining software capabilities and its features, outlining the non-functional requirements, creating user’s stories based on client’s specification and requirements and as well as coding. It can also be applied to the hardware components of the application. This is the same way tests are written during the coding or development stage, acceptance tests for capabilities and user stories and features are there to clearly define the output. Also, the right timing of clearly defining the proposed system behavior by the way also mitigates the need for overly detailed requirement specifications and sign-offs. 



Unlike conventionally-written requirements, these test cases are automated wherever possible. Even if they weren’t, they still provide a clear definition of what the system does, rather than an idea or statement of early thoughts of what it was supposed to do.



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="vuca-world-reason-why-companies-opt-for-agile-testing">VUCA World: Reason Why Companies Opt for Agile Testing</h2>



Today, most of the business adopt agile mainly to addresses all possible scenario of the VUCA world. But what is VUCA World? 



First of all, VUCA stands for Volatility – Uncertainty – Complexity – Ambiguity. 



Volatile change in environments is constant. It is usually masked by rapid, unexpected and significant changes with tentative duration. Uncertainty is a component of some instances, with a lack of clarity and making the outcome unpredictable. Complexity is a manifestation of the multiplicity of interconnected factors, and the nature of it can be quite difficult for us to process and at times, it puts limit for control. Ambiguity brings along an environment that has everything in it, are hard to decipher with mixed messages and many are unknown unknowns. 



These are just some of the high-level details of what most businesses are dealing with in today’s world. 



This is why it is a good move for a business to start practicing Agile as a culture. Adopting agile means you are shifting towards DevOps and it means that testing is happening and more people are getting involved in it. 



With this enterprise level of testing, it is critical for everyone involved in agile testing to know their role and scope!







<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="know-your-role-in-safe">Know Your Role in SAFe</h2>



In a Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), testing (including automation testing) at an enterprise level means we are involving professionals from several departments. From portfolio management to program management and the team itself that is primarily composed of software developers alongside the QA test team. 



With so many participants, it is for a must not only for you but for everyone else to know which role to play for the project to succeed. 



For you to have a clear insight into this discussion, I am sharing the three-layer organizational abstract from Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe). This is how a typical agile organization looks like.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2960" height="1695" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/blog-assets-production.testsigma.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/11113908/Agile-scaled-framework.png" alt="" class="wp-image-54458" srcset="https://s3.amazonaws.com/blog-assets-production.testsigma.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/11113908/Agile-scaled-framework.png 2960w, https://s3.amazonaws.com/blog-assets-production.testsigma.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/11113908/Agile-scaled-framework-768x440.png 768w, https://s3.amazonaws.com/blog-assets-production.testsigma.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/11113908/Agile-scaled-framework-1536x880.png 1536w, https://s3.amazonaws.com/blog-assets-production.testsigma.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/11113908/Agile-scaled-framework-2048x1173.png 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2960px) 100vw, 2960px" /><figcaption><a href="https://framework.scaledagile.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">source</a></figcaption></figure></div>



The Team Layer are teams of software developers and testers closely working together to create a product from selected user stories, strictly governed and prioritized by the Product Owner with the scrum master who makes sure that agile practices are in place. 



The Program and Large Solution Layer is mostly a team of Architects and Program Manager who is responsible for demonstrating a working software at the end of each sprint cycle. The are also teams from the IT infrastructure department who provisions platforms for continuous integration, development and staging, and as well as for end-to-end testing. 



The Portfolio Layer is the stakeholder group. Stakeholders are executives that make sure that the program is aligned to the enterprise’s business strategy and model. 



Now just to weed out the “devils in the detail”. Here is a more detailed breakdown of roles involved in such enterprise activity.



Testers&nbsp;are the ones who are closely working with the product owner to add and refine the done “criteria” for user stories. They are not only responsible for developing test scripts but they are also accountable for creating frameworks for manual and automated testing. In a nutshell, they always do a benchmark of the system and find flaws within it. If there are defects then they are expected to work with developers directly to create a solution and validate them. 



System Team Testers – This team is the one who develops the platform for testing and frameworks that empower the team that makes up the Agile release train. Creating and running automated tests to enable continuous integration and continuous deployment falls within their bucket too. They also provide provisioning of network and virtualization that allows the test team to test and develop independently of one another. Most importantly, they are the ones who conduct audit and testing of cross-system topics like Single Sign-On (SSO), security, compliance and regulatory standards which may or may not fall to being the QA test team “out-of-scope support”. 



Then we have the “Other Actors” from the user management team, user experience experts and several other architects who play as backup and support roles in such activity. 



Test Architects are those who define testing strategies, framework, and methodologies, and work hand in hand with System Architects in ensuring that the product application is designed for quality testing. 



Automation Architects lead the analysis and proof of concept activities when it comes to automation testing. This is to ensure that consistency for build verification tests and regression test suite are in automation is in place. Overall, they are engaged in everything that has something to do with automation such as preparing the test cases, setup specifications and configurations, the staging of test cases and its data. These are also the people who make automation testing in SAFe (Scale Agile Framework) possible. 



System Architects are not involved in testing directly, but they are the ones who design the system to cater to overall testing sessions and workloads. 



UX Experts is team of user experience experts who are deeply involved UX testing, and providing inputs as to what approach is needed for usability testing and test automation method. 



Business Analysts provide support to the agile and system teams in developing and executing end-to-end testing. They also provide recommendations on functional and non-functional requirements, and Service Level Agreements (SLAs).&nbsp; 



Product Owners at times typically involve in testing and ad hoc testing. 



Additionally, in an agile ( also SAFe ) team, testers ( also automation testers ) are becoming a part of virtual teams and are commonly referred to like the Communities of Practices (CoPs). CoPs are comprised of people from different teams and departments having common expertise and knowledge. They come together as one and participate in activities to share their expertise and experiences.



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Automation Testing in a SAFe ( Scaled Agile Framework ) in an enterprise, everyone is accountable for quality which makes everyone a tester regardless of their levels within the organization. Therefore, other enterprise businesses opt for cross-skilled resources. For instance, developer-tester role, an individual dedicated to programming as well as testing. 



Now that you have the bigger picture of Agile Testing, what role do you play in? How is your agile culture within your organization different from this? 



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Agile Automation Testing In SAFe

Test automation is being increasingly adopted by a majority of software companies. And yet, there are many that stay away from it. The biggest concern of these organizations is that they are not sure if the investment they put in test automation will ever bring back returns. 



Another aspect of the same problem is that although everyone involved with the development of a project has been involved in manual testing at some level. When it comes to automation, they often find themselves in the unknown and hence unsure. Hopefully, by the end of this article, we will be in a better position to solve both the problems. 



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#Current_Practices">1 Current Practices</a></li><li><a href="#Contribution_From_Different_Resources">2 Contribution From Different Resources</a></li><li><a href="#What_Is_Needed">3 What Is Needed?</a></li><li><a href="#What_Do_New_Improvements_In_Test_Automation_Industry_Entail">4 What Do New Improvements In Test Automation Industry Entail?</a></li><li><a href="#What_Are_The_Benefits_Of_Using_Test_Automation_Tools_That_Use_New_Technologies_And_Techniques">5 What Are The Benefits Of Using Test Automation Tools That Use New Technologies And Techniques?</a></li><li><a href="#How_Will_The_Adoption_Of_New_Tools_Lead_To_Test_Automation_Becoming_More_Inclusive">6 How Will The Adoption Of New Tools Lead To Test Automation Becoming More Inclusive?</a></li></ul></div>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="current-practices">Current Practices</h3>



A typical day in the life of an Agile software development team that has also invested in test automation looks like this:



<ol><li>Developer checks in code</li><li>The code is built</li><li>The Automated set of test cases is executed on the built code</li><li>If the automated test cases run successfully then the code is deployed, else the cycle repeats</li></ol>



When software development is under progress and the quality assurance team is waiting for a feature to be ready for testing, their tasks include:



<ol class="wp-block-list"><li>Creation of manual test cases for features that are in development.</li><li>Automation of test cases for tested and stable features.</li><li>Editing and update of the automated test cases that fail because of a change in the code.</li></ol>



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<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="contribution-from-different-resources">Contribution From Different Resources</h3>



Test automation can be done on multiple levels and different members of the team can contribute in different ways.



Automation of black-box test cases is done by the quality assurance people who have special skills to do these tasks. The contribution from developers is in the form of unit tests and white box test cases that they add to test their own code.



<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://dzone.com/articles/continuous-testing-functional-experts-agile" target="_blank">Test Automation by Functional Experts and SMEs</a>&nbsp;is particularly important in Agile CI/CD cycles. The product manager, program manager or project managers that are involved in business specifications gathering and handling the client end, receive and review the emails of the test results and any other analysis reports on the test.



Although product/project managers are the ones that interact with the customers, their involvement in the test automation phase is not much. They are involved in the review of the the manual test case documentation, but reviewing automated test cases is usually not their cup of tea. Due to this, there are times when important scenarios don&#8217;t get automated.



Once a feature becomes old and only the automated test cases are executed before a release &#8211; there is a big chance that the important scenarios that were important to the stakeholders are missed. The result could be a break in these important scenarios which go unnoticed till the time it is found by the end user. 
Embarrassing right? What if there was a test automation tool that would enable the stakeholders to add these test cases for test automation by themselves? <a href="https://testsigma.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Testsigma</a> sure is one such test automation tool.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="what-is-needed">What Is Needed?</h3>



Although there is a process set in to transfer all the requirements that come from the client to the developers and the testers. In all the processes involved and the time invested during the design, development and testing phase, a lot more intricacies are added to the product that needs to be taken care of both my developers and the testers. 



Thus, before the release time, the involvement of a person who has first-hand knowledge from the customer who has not been involved in the details of design and development gives a unique insight to the product and how well it caters to the business requirements.



To make sure that the automation actually covers the business requirements, the reviews and inputs from the product/project managers are vital. For ensuring that the developed features are fully tested via automation, the reviews by developers are essential too.



The best possible way would be to enable a person who is not well versed with the coding practices to review the automated test cases and if possible to easily automate the scenarios that they deem important.



This way two purposes would be fulfilled:



<ol><li>The most important test scenarios would be automated</li><li>The automation team would get more time to work on the intricacies of automation. Giving them the time and opportunity to also include complex test cases to the test suite and more time for maintenance and increasing the robustness of the test cases.</li></ol>







<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="what-do-new-improvements-in-test-automation-industry-entail">What Do New Improvements In Test Automation Industry Entail?</h3>



Artificial Intelligence(AI) is the new technology trend that is being adopted by most industries as is by the software industry. What the test automation industry needs to do is to use this technology and enable all the stakeholders of a software/project to review the automated test cases with a minimum <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/automated-functional-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">learning</a> curve.&nbsp;



Testsigma is one such tool that is set to revolutionize the test automation industry. In Testsigma, test cases need to be written only in simple English and once the test cases are execution ready they learn and adapt to new changes and make maintenance easier with the help of AI.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="what-are-the-benefits-of-using-test-automation-tools-that-use-new-technologies-and-techniques">What Are The Benefits Of Using Test Automation Tools That Use New Technologies And Techniques?</h3>



If such tools are used, it will not only lead to a gentler learning curve for quality assurance engineers and enable them to write and maintain the test cases easily, but it will also give the project managers and clients the opportunity to add test cases where needed. 



If other stakeholders can add and review the automated test cases, the test suite is sure to cover the most important scenarios before the product hits the market and will lead to a lesser number of bugs.



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<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="how-will-the-adoption-of-new-tools-lead-to-test-automation-becoming-more-inclusive">How Will The Adoption Of New Tools Lead To Test Automation Becoming More Inclusive?</h3>



New test automation tools like Testsigma have made test automation very simple. Not only this, their easy to understand interface allows other members of the team to review the test cases quickly. In addition, Testsigma also has an option to track these reviews that enhance collaboration between the team. 



Enabling other stakeholders to review the automated test cases serves more than one purpose &#8211; The Test Automation process now also conserves the knowledge of the SMEs and functional experts, and also improves the subjective quality of the test cases. 



Thus, enabling the reviews by other team members leads to more quality test cases and better <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/code-coverage-vs-test-coverage/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">code coverage</a>. It also leads to a better understanding of the process and clarifies the value addition done by test automation. 



Better understanding also means better adoption. Thus, using a Unified Test Automation Tool like <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Enabling other stakeholders to review and automate test cases serves more than one purpose. It will lead to more test cases and better code coverage. It will also lead to a better understanding of the process and needs of test automation. Better understanding also means better adoption. Thus, using a Unified Test Automation Tool like Testsigma which has the capability of adding test cases in simple English and learns to maintain the test cases via AI is need of the hour and answer to the need to make test automation more inclusive. (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com" target="_blank">Testsigma</a> which has the capability of adding test cases in simple English and learns to maintain the test cases via AI is need of the hour and answer to the need to make test automation more inclusive.



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How To Make Test Automation More Inclusive

How To Make Test Automation More Inclusive?

Test Automation To Achieve Fail Fast, Fail Often