Continuous Delivery envisages the release of reliable software in fast-paced short cycles automatically and frequently. 
These short continuous release cycles ensure a faster time to market and reduced business risk associated with every release.
Continuous feedback is important in a DevOps environment for continuous improvement, to identify and fix defects early in the development cycle. Continuous actionable feedback through <a class="brand-color" style="box-shadow: unset;" href="https://testsigma.com/blog/continuous-testing-at-the-speed-of-agile-and-devops/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Continuous Testing</a> helps to release software products faster into production with lesser defects.
Continuous feedback in the delivery pipeline from Functional Experts, stakeholders, QA Analysts, Testers ensures a speedy release of quality software with less or no errors.
A good deployment pipeline has feedback loops at all stages of the development lifecycle. Feedback is required not only on the quality of your code, but on the quality of your requirements, and the quality of your processes for delivering software. At each stage of the pipeline, verifications need to be run, not just acceptance tests.
Development teams need adequate information regarding a failure. Feedback should automatically include all the necessary information and actions to fix the issues and proceed in the pipeline quickly, for instance, specify which test failed, how it failed, and provide adequate steps for action with the supporting information.
<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#From_Passed_or_Failed_results_to_Actionable_feedback">1 From Passed or Failed results to Actionable feedback</a></li><li><a href="#Feedback_from_the_team_through_Team_Collaboration">2 Feedback from the team through Team Collaboration</a></li><li><a href="#Testsigma_Approach">3 Testsigma’ Approach</a></li><li><a href="#Chat_with_our_test_experts_and_learn_more_about_Testsigma">4 Chat with our test experts and learn more about Testsigma!</a></li></ul></div>
<h2>From Passed or Failed results to Actionable feedback</h2>
While delivery speed is the key, ensuring the right user experience is critical. Hence, businesses need to continuously test in real user scenarios to seamlessly release software.
Along with the speed of delivery, the reliability and immediate feedback from cross-functional teams play an important role in continuous testing to help improve the quality of software.
In the Continuous Delivery process, every software change is a release candidate that continuously undergoes Testing before deployment. 
In such short cycles, there wouldn’t be much time to scrutinize the test automation results, instead, it would be time saving and easier to quickly identify if the continuous testing platform could give a Yes or No automatically to decide if the release candidate is safe to proceed further in the delivery pipeline.
Additionally, if instead of simple Passed/Failed results of test automation, a platform that can analyze the business risk associated with test failures and be able to say Yes or No to allow your &#8220;release candidate&#8221; to move forward in the delivery pipeline automatically with actionable results will help analyze, debug and fix the cryptic failures.
The actionable feedback will not just help you to understand the build status, but also provide suggestions to take release decisions automatically. This feedback should include all the necessary information to fix the issues and proceed further in the pipeline instantly.
This approach will save both time and effort required to debug and analyze the test results to proceed.
With short release cycles, it is very difficult to analyze the cryptic results of all the failed tests and the affected areas.
Along with the feedback from the failed tests it is also required to identify potential failures upfront but automatically fix them and suggest those areas that might as well be affected.
Before we flag &#8216;Yes&#8217; or &#8216;No&#8217; to a release candidate, the platform should perform all necessary checks automatically to ensure the quality of the release(Exploratory testing would be a plus). 
Along with validating the functional requirements, we need to asses the system requirements, achieve maximum coverage and assess the performance automatically to ensure an uninterrupted existing user experience while adding new features.
An Agile organization that follows Continuous Delivery and a continuous feedback approach Continuous Delivery and continuous feedback with the help of an end to end automation process can ensure the release of quality software faster with less or no business risks.
As the roles are redefined in Agile and DevOps, cross-functional teams and just anyone can take part in Continuous testing. Hence, the results/feedback must be understandable for everyone including non-developers.
<h2>Feedback from the team through Team Collaboration</h2>
In addition to actionable results, team collaboration is also important in DevOps.
Cross-functional teams across different geographical locations need a common platform to communicate the ambiguities in the automated testing process.
Team communication is important for teams to function effectively and produce quality products. Feedback is fundamental not only to CI/CD but throughout the application development lifecycle.  Feedback should be fast, and actionable and delivered in a way that lets teams respond rapidly. 
If the feedback is actionable and understandable to everyone, anybody can take the necessary steps to proceed further in the delivery pipeline. 
Traceability throughout the lifecycle is required for rapid response. Tailor your feedback process to fit your team. If an existing solution doesn’t fit or becomes outdated, You may need to create a new one that works. 
The main goal of continuous delivery is to make feedback loops shorter to ensure the reliability of software and analyze the business risk associated with it before the software reaches the competitive market. 
The continuous actionable feedback along the<a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/enhancing-robustness-ci-cd-pipeline-test-automation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Continuous Delivery pipeline</a> ensures the reliability of the software being released. A well-designed delivery pipeline that integrates the team, process and tools offer no scope for failure.
<h2>Testsigma’ Approach</h2>
Testsigma’s non-cryptic easy to understand feedback of all test runs help teams take effective actions immediately.
<a class="brand-color" style="box-shadow: unset;" href="https://testsigma.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Testsigma’s</a> inbuilt automatic feedback mechanisms in the form of instant notifications and automatic suggestions from AI on executions help make effective decisions on the go. The AI indicates areas of failure and those that might as well be affected due to change.
Shift Left is imperative to Agile development and delivery needs. You need to identify if your <a class="brand-color" style="box-shadow: unset;" href="https://testsigma.com/blog/test-automation-tool-ready-for-shift-left/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">test automation tool is shift-left ready</a>.
<a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/how-does-testsigma-support-the-shift-left-approach/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Testsigma is a strong advocate of Shift Left</a> testing. Testsigma allows testing at an early stage even before the application is fully available also as a part of every stage in the development lifecycle checking modifications as soon as they are introduced.
Integrations with collaboration tools like Slack lets you monitor execution updates, track and share the progress of tests automatically.
It is also easy to make changes to the automated tests since the test scripts are written in<a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/natural-language-processing-nlp-based-test-automation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> simple natural language</a> statements. Even complex test scenarios can be automated easily with the help of detailed feedback from within Testsigma and the collaborating team.
Testsigma gathers continuous actionable feedback and helps development teams prioritize these actions. Clear documentation and points on improvement are important in the application development cycle to achieve Continuous Testing.
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Chat with our test experts and learn more about Testsigma!</h2>

Importance of Actionable Feedback in Test Automation for Continuous Delivery

Actionable Feedback in Test Automation for Continuous Delivery

Today, businesses have a mobile-friendly website, a native or hybrid app that can be downloaded from an app store or a web app that render HTML web pages, APIs that are used to build different user interfaces or all of them. It is important to ensure that the software application works as intended on whichever platform it runs, a mobile platform, desktop or the web.
The choice of choosing what type of application to build depends on the end goals of the business. You may need a mobile, web application or both. 
Ensuring the best user experience on every device that the user owns is critical to the business. Developing the software and verifying that the application type works on all devices and browsers is not easy.
It takes a huge amount of time to manually verify the same functionality works as intended across multiple user interfaces. Manually testing the working on each of these doesn&#8217;t fit your Agile and DevOps strategy.
Continuous Testing is the best approach in such cases and can be best achieved through test automation.&nbsp;Hence, Automated Continuous Testing platforms play a major role in meeting today’s DevOps/Continuous Delivery standards.
Instead of multiple automation testing tools that can automate just one application type, there should be a unified Continuous Testing platform that can automate every application type on all platforms, best in parallel with development.
Let us see some of the important elements needed in a Unified Automated Testing Software for Continuous Testing
<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#A_Unified_Test_Development_Approach">1 A Unified Test Development Approach</a></li><li><a href="#Inbuilt_Test_Management">2 Inbuilt Test Management</a></li><li><a href="#Unified_Test_Execution_Platform">3 Unified Test Execution Platform</a></li><li><a href="#Testsigmas_Unified_Test_Development_Approach">4 Testsigma’s Unified Test Development Approach</a></li><li><a href="#Testsigmas_Unified_inbuilt_Test_Management">5 Testsigma’s Unified inbuilt Test Management</a></li><li><a href="#Testsigmas_Unified_Test_Execution_Platform">6 Testsigma’s Unified Test Execution Platform</a></li><li><a href="#Parallel_Testing">7 Parallel Testing</a></li><li><a href="#Continuous_Testing">8 Continuous Testing</a></li><li><a href="#Continuous_Integration">9 Continuous Integration</a></li><li><a href="#Flexibility_and_Extensibility">10 Flexibility and Extensibility</a></li><li><a href="#Manual_and_Automation_Testing">11 Manual and Automation Testing</a></li><li><a href="#Bottom_Line">12 Bottom Line</a></li><li><a href="#Try_for_Free">13 Try for Free!</a></li></ul></div>
<h2>A Unified Test Development Approach</h2>
The automated continuous testing tool should not demand different skills to automate different applications. Otherwise, you may need multiple resources with collective skills to check each functionality. 
This adds up to the delay in the testing process and an increase in the automation budget and thereby causes a delay in the Return On Investment.
<h2>Inbuilt Test Management</h2>
Most of the times you need to interact with different applications of different types to complete an end-to-end business use case, for instance, applying for a <a href="https://www.wagedayadvance.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">payday loan</a> in a mobile application, verifying the loan application details in the backend from a web portal etc.
Thus it becomes important for all the tests and requirements of different applications and test types to be documented in a single unified automated continuous platform so that all the stakeholders can easily refer to them anytime.
A Unified automated testing software with an inbuilt test management system that can allow to update the tests continuously and help the stakeholders stay up to date on the requirements.
<h2>Unified Test Execution Platform</h2>
There is a new OS and version release made every day. 
Taking into account the number of possible device combinations, it becomes increasingly difficult for teams to test multiple test environments manually. Additionally, setting up and maintaining of all required resources demand huge time and expense.
It is necessary to check the functioning of every application in each of these device and browser combinations. This is rather complex considering the speed at which application builds are released today.
Testing the same application features on a different device would require many tools to automate. There is no one tool that can automate the application across the various device/OS/browser combinations that the application is intended to run.
A unified, extendable and secure Continuous Testing Platform is essential to help testers connect thousands of web, mobile devices with different device configurations, in one go.
<div class="bg-primary cta">A Smart Continuous Testing Platform that easily supports different application types with all the required elements for Continuous Testing in Agile and DevOps. 
<a class="btn cta-btn" href="https://testsigma.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Go!</a></div>
<a class="brand-color" style="box-shadow: unset;" href="https://testsigma.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Testsigma</a> is a unified automated testing software for web, mobile apps and APIs which allows to create and execute reliable test cases on multiple OS/Device/Browser execution configurations.
<h2>Testsigma’s Unified Test Development Approach</h2>
Testsigma uses a unified<a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/natural-language-processing-nlp-based-test-automation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> simple natural language</a> approach to automate testing for all application types.
Since there is no technical barrier, this approach increases participation in Test Automation from everyone who can contribute including SMEs and QA Analysts.
Inputs from a combined collaboration of cross-functional teams with diverse skills help in improving the quality of software. Using simple natural language grammar statements to automate even the most complex scenarios, the participation is now not limited to automation testers.
<h2>Testsigma’s Unified inbuilt Test Management</h2>
Inbuilt Test Management to track all the requirements and manage multiple application types within your automation testing tool.
Every change needs to be identified and checked to see if maintenance is required. As changes in the application increases, maintenance efforts further increases.
With in-built test management all the you can notify the changes in requirements automatically to the entire team and do the necessary changes to the tests if required.
<h2>Testsigma’s Unified Test Execution Platform</h2>
Testsigma comes with 1000+ OS/Browser/Version combos and 2000+ real mobile devices of both Android and iOS operating systems.
<a class="brand-color" style="box-shadow: unset;" href="https://testsigma.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Testsigma</a> provides an extended support for a wide range of mobile, web applications and API services and can run manual/automated tests on iOS, Android and Windows platforms across various browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Firefox browsers to ensure that a software works as planned.
<h2><a href="https://testsigma.com/parallel-test-runs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Parallel Testing</a></h2>
Parallel testing has emerged as a way for testers run the same scripts in multiple environments concurrently, allowing them to increase test coverage while cutting down execution time.
Through parallel testing, the test scripts can run the same test over and again on different machines any number of times.
<a class="brand-color" style="box-shadow: unset;" href="https://testsigma.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Testsigma</a> also provides access to thousands of execution configurations on cloud for parallel testing. This allows for faster feedback and rapid development and delivery cycles.
<h2>Continuous Testing</h2>
Continuous Testing determines if the software is ready to enter the delivery pipeline. Each build committed by the developers is continuous tested, integrated and tested again to find possible business risks at a very early stage. 
This supports and optimizes the widely-used methodologies of continuous integration (CI) and continuous delivery (CD) that provides fast feedback. 
Read more on <a class="brand-color" style="box-shadow: unset;" href="https://dzone.com/articles/continuous-testing-for-agile-and-devops-using-test" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Continuous Testing at the speed of Agile and DevOps</a>.
<h2>Continuous Integration</h2>
Automation Testing should be integrated with Continuous Integration tools to run automatically once the build is ready. It is necessary to identify the right tests to run automatically on every build and if a test may fail, the results have to be integrated back into the pipeline triggering a failed build. 
<a class="brand-color" style="box-shadow: unset;" href="https://testsigma.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Testsigma</a> offers multiple integrations with CI tools to streamline your continuous testing process.
<h2>Flexibility and Extensibility</h2>
There might be a need to scale up or down the resources with quick adjustments to suit changing business needs. Testsigma provides access to thousands of resources available on the cloud with provisions to restrain or accommodate more.
<h2>Manual and Automation Testing</h2>
Though there is a <a class="brand-color" style="box-shadow: unset;" href="https://www.utest.com/articles/why-shift-from-manual-to-automation-testing-for-continuous-delivery" target="_blank" rel="noopener">need to shift from Manual to Automation Testing</a>, there are certain areas that need to be manually tested and you may want to choose a tool that provides specific support for manual tests as well, 
Testsigma unites manual, automated testing in one.
Testsigma is a single platform that brings all resources together for better management and increased test coverage for faster results with near zero initial time and efforts.
Testsigma has an inbuilt ecosystem of all the essential requisites of Test Automation allowing the testing of Web, Mobile and Web services anytime, anywhere!
<h2>Bottom Line</h2>
The success of DevOps is dependent on not just test automation, a tight feedback loop, and the right set of tools is important. A <a class="brand-color" style="box-shadow: unset;" href="https://testsigma.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unified automated testing software for continuous testing </a>that supports multiple application types and allows for cross browser/OS/device executions for both manual and automation testing is necessary.
<h2>Try for Free!</h2>

Why Unified Automated Testing Software for Continuous Testing in Agile and DevOps.

Why Unified Automation Testing tool for Continuous Testing in DevOps

Continuous Testing at the Speed of Agile and DevOps

Continuous Testing in DevOps: How to Ensure it at the Speed of Agile and DevOps?

As development becomes more complicated with changing business requirements, software teams rely on modern delivery practices from Agile to DevOps to Continuous Delivery.



To accomplish the overall objectives and goals of an organization while delivering quality software at speed, a combined collaboration of different teams with diverse skills is important.&nbsp;



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#Roles_and_Responsibilities_in_Agile_and_DevOps">1 Roles and Responsibilities in Agile and DevOps</a></li><li><a href="#Significance_of_Continuous_Testing_in_Agile_and_DevOps">2 Significance of Continuous Testing in Agile and DevOps</a></li><li><a href="#Importance_of_SMEs_and_QA_Analysts_in_Agile_and_DevOps">3 Importance of SMEs and QA Analysts in Agile and DevOps</a></li><li><a href="#Why_is_it_important_to_involve_SMEs_and_QA_Analysts_in_the_process_of_automated_testing">4 Why is it important to involve SMEs and QA Analysts in the process of automated testing?</a></li><li><a href="#nbspWhat_restraints_the_Subject_Matter_Experts_and_QA_Analysts_from_actively_participating_in_the_automation_testing_process">5 &nbsp;What restraints the Subject Matter Experts and QA Analysts from actively participating in the automation testing process?</a></li><li><a href="#Testsigmas_Approach">6 Testsigma’s Approach</a></li><li><a href="#Try_Testsigma_now_Start_your_free_trial_today">7 Try Testsigma now. Start your free trial today!</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="h-roles-and-responsibilities-in-agile-and-devops">Roles and Responsibilities in Agile and DevOps</h2>



In Agile and DevOps, every IT function must be engaged earlier on, and everyone involved needs to have a broader and deeper understanding of what they&#8217;re required to achieve.



It is important to embrace new or redefined roles for a successful DevOps transformation. Organizations assign members to their new DevOps teams before they have fully understood the requirements and goals of the project.



Subject Matter Experts and QA Analysts are responsible for establishing and implementing quality testing and compliance processes for organizations. Subject Matter Experts(SME) and QA Analysts can provide strategic and technical advice from their experience to the team members.



They provide guidance and subject matter expertise to programming teams on testing methodologies and approach, guide the testing teams and are expected to closely interact with&nbsp;IT leaders; Development, Testing and production teams to develop and implement a well-planned road map, adopt the right tools and approach and implement them.&nbsp;



<h2 id="h-significance-of-continuous-testing-in-agile-and-devops">Significance of Continuous Testing in Agile and DevOps</h2>



Along with the change of roles, processes, and tools, the testing approach also needs to change. Continuous testing has evolved to meet the continuous delivery needs in Agile and DevOps and has become a must to release quality software faster.



Refer to the below article to know the importance of continuous testing. <a class="brand-color" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://testsigma.com/blog/extend-test-automation-continuous-delivery/" target="_blank">Extend Test Automation to enable Continuous Delivery</a>



Software Testing is one among the many fields in the Development Life Cycle which a lot of stakeholders get involved to deliver an unmatched quality software.&nbsp;



Testers are not only expected to check that if a functionality works as expected but also to validate that the user experience is as expected, across real devices and environments.



Continuous testing is achieved through test automation which involves complex programming and a deep technical understanding.&nbsp;



Continuous testing can only be effective if test automation starts during the initial phases of software development, in parallel with the documentation and planning by Functional Testers, SMEs and QA Analysts.



&nbsp;Hence the participation is often limited to developers and automation testers. Novice stakeholders and manual testers, SMEs and QA Analysts cannot take part in the process and wait until development is complete.



Often Automation testers will not have sufficient time to understand the application exhaustively and learn the functionalities as they test.



Subject Matter Experts and QA Analysts should help the automation testers to identify and document the right test cases for automation.



Often, these demands are not met and test automation is pushed towards the end of the development cycle. This limits the early participation of Automation Testers and Subject Matter Experts causing a delay to start.



 This becomes one of the main reasons for Automation Testing becoming a bottleneck for Continuous Delivery in DevOps practice.&nbsp;



<h2 id="h-importance-of-smes-and-qa-analysts-in-agile-and-devops">Importance of SMEs and QA Analysts in Agile and DevOps</h2>



While the automation team focuses on delivering quality software faster, your functional team, SMEs and QA Analysts focus on the quality of your software from a customer’s perspective.



With both the efforts combined it will have a great impact on releasing quality products faster continuously.&nbsp;But, there needs to be a platform where functional team, SMEs and QA Analysts can collaboratively work to discuss on the ambiguities in users stories, automate them without any technical barrier. 



This way SMEs/QA Analysts can participate in automated testing along with their regular work starting from the initial phases of design and planning or when the team needs a hand in automation.



To ensure the participation of Developers, SMEs and QA Analysts throughout the continuous testing process, the platform should not require any complex tool setup or demand technical expertise.



 Anyone should be able to contribute to an autonomous continuous automated testing process.&nbsp;&nbsp;



<h2 id="h-why-is-it-important-to-involve-smes-and-qa-analysts-in-the-process-of-automated-testing">Why is it important to involve SMEs and QA Analysts in the process of automated testing?</h2>



Let us discuss some of the reasons in detail:



<ol class="list_style_disc"><li>They understand the application functionality customer requirements better than the Automation Testing team. If SMEs and QA analysts are involved in automation testing, it would be a great value addition to release your great quality software faster continuously.</li><li>Agile development practices will thrive in an organization that fosters a collaborative culture and servant leadership with the leader serving the team. When SMEs and QA Analysts serve their team, actively analysing and contributing, they unlock the purpose and creativity of the team, resulting in effective automation.</li><li>Also, if the automation testing process is not implemented properly there would be lots of redundant efforts across functional and automation teams. With one team being in charge of quality, lots of effort can be optimized and its huge time saver considering the time and efforts needed to communicate the information across teams.</li><li>Timely involvement and effective feedback from the experts.</li><li>The collaborative approach keeps the team aware of quality standards and procedures and offers necessary suggestions and scope for improvement.&nbsp;</li></ol>



<h2 id="h-what-restraints-the-subject-matter-experts-and-qa-analysts-from-actively-participating-in-the-automation-testing-process">&nbsp;What restraints the Subject Matter Experts and QA Analysts from actively participating in the automation testing process?</h2>



1. Becoming a productive juggler Subject matter Experts work on multiple projects and projects/issues of high complexity across multiple technical areas and business segments. 



Managing between creating test plans on new implementations and upgrades, communicating test progress, test results, and other relevant information to project stakeholders and QA Manager and participating in automation is not easy.


As we know, Automated testing As we know, Automated testing As we know, Automated testing requires scripting skills and knowledge in a particular programming language and may not be the same for the next project. If the SMEs/QA Analysts do not have not to sound understanding of this programming language, they may not be able to readily contribute to the project.
The need for expertise in multiple programming languages and tools is also a limitation as to the team and the subject matter experts need to be adept in these.


 2. Expertise in multiple tools Since most of the modern applications are built on <a href="https://middleware.io/blog/microservices-architecture/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">microservices architecture</a>, and with more than one application type in a single workflow, multiple tools need to be set up. The SMEs and QA Analysts may not have enough time to familiarize with these tools in a short time.


3. Complex setups With the growing number of end-userWith the growing number of end-user devices, it is required to have enough realistic test environments for application testing. It takes significant time and effort to set the automation testing framework, tools and test beds. 


SMEs and QA Experts may not have sufficient time to set up the Test Automation ecosystem and maximize or minimize the essential elements as per the changing business needs.



 4. Complex ecosystem Automation testing is not as straightforward as manual testing, it demands high technical expertise, time, and resource. Automation testing ecosystem is a combination of multiple tools, integrations, frameworks. 



One has to spend a significant amount of time to get started with automation testing because of the multiple elements involved in automation testing. &nbsp; <a class="brand-color" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://testsigma.com/blog/essential-elements-of-test-automation/" target="_blank">Check out the blog that discusses on the Essential Elements of Test Automation</a> &nbsp; By now, we understand the importance of involving SMEs and QA Analysts in Test Automation.



 To involve them in testing, the automation testing process should be as simple as writing manual tests.



A unified automation testing mechanism that suits every complex testing requirement and allows for collaboration of cross-functional teams will ease out the existing complexity to actively participate in test automation.



<h2 id="h-testsigma-s-approach">Testsigma’s Approach</h2>



Testsigma is a cloud-based <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/continuous-testing-at-the-speed-of-agile-and-devops/"> continuous testing platform for Agile and DevOps</a> that lets your SMEs, QA Analysts, Developers, Automation Testers, Manual Testers, Managers, stakeholders of the software and anyone contribute to automation testing using simple natural language.


It requires no technical expertise or complex tool setup. Testsigma provides a platform for all your team members(SMEs, QA Analysts, Developers etc.) to collaborate to deliver quality software.


 You can share updates and reports on both Manual and Automation Testing instantly and plan and track the test execution status easily with all those who can contribute to the project.



<a class="brand-color" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://testsigma.com/" target="_blank">Testsigma</a> allows Subject Matter Experts and Quality Analysts for easy “changing of hats” to contribute to Continuous Testing in DevOps and to guide the team with their functional expertise.



Testsigma requires no complicated setup and does not require any programming skills but <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/natural-language-processing-nlp-based-test-automation/"> simple natural language</a> to automate complex tests. Authoring automated test cases are as simple as manual tests with Testsigma.



Testsigma is <a class="brand-color" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://testsigma.com/" target="_blank">a SaaS unified continuous testing platform</a> with support for Web/Mobile applications and RESTful services and uses a Shift-Left approach to automate testing in parallel with the development.


Testsigma supports automated testing for multiple application types and executes numerous complex tests on multiple device/OS/browser combinations both local and on the cloud with different configurations providing a good test coverage. All in one tool!


Testsigma supports collaboration efforts to keep the team informed about execution updates, test progress, etc. Your business analysts, SME’s, stakeholders who can contribute can be a part of the automation testing process working in and out of the office anytime anywhere!



 Prioritize your tests, track progress and share valuable feedback among a cross-functional collaboration team irrespective of where you are!&nbsp;



<blockquote><h2 style="text-align: left;">Try <a class="brand-color" href="https://testsigma.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Testsigma</a> now. Start your free trial today!</h2></blockquote>

Test Automation by SMEs & QA Analysts for Continuous Delivery and DevOps

Test Automation by SMEs & QA Analysts for Continuous Delivery & DevOps

We are happy to announce that Testsigma is teaming up with Sauce Labs as part of the Technology Alliance Partner(TAP) program. Now you will be able to use the Sauce Labs platform directly from Testsigma!
<a class="brand-color" href="https://saucelabs.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener rel=">Sauce Labs</a>, an award-winning Continuous Testing Cloud ensures your favourite mobile apps and websites work flawlessly on every browser, operating system, and device and deliver a flawless digital experience.
<a class="brand-color" href="https://testsigma.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Testsigma</a> is an AI-driven Continuous Testing platform with a Shift-Left approach for web and mobile dependent businesses that matches today&#8217;s Agile and DevOps methodologies.
With the TAP program, Sauce Labs and Testsigma can together make it easier for enterprises to leverage automation testing strategies such as continuous testing, continuous integration and continuous delivery to shorten software lifecycles, improve quality and service levels and reduce operational costs.
 As cloud-native companies, our partnership offers a unique opportunity to turn automation testing, services into actionable insights and better business outcomes.
The Sauce Labs Technology Alliance Partnership (TAP) program will provide greater value to customers as we jointly develop integrations to enhance our Continuous Testing capabilities and makes it easier to integrate and use Testsigma more effectively and increase the test coverage while reducing the feedback time in faster delivery cycles.
With the integrated solution, enterprises can now test their applications autonomously on the Sauce Labs Continuous Testing cloud, accelerating their time to value, shortening release cycles, improving quality coverage, and lowering the total cost of quality. 
They can improve their continuous integration and delivery initiatives, increase developer productivity, and reduce infrastructure costs for software teams of all sizes.
“The joint offering allows users to fully and continuously test applications at the speed business demands, without spending millions of dollars on packaged solutions and reskilling their testing org.&#8221;
Enterprises often require automation testing services, needing responsive, flexible and often custom solutions. With this new partnership, stakeholders will have more options to address their specific situation, leveraging Sauce Labs’ progressive technology and Testsigma’s extensive automation testing expertise.
With several members worldwide, the Sauce Labs Technology Alliance Partner program includes technology partners with the shared goal to bring the best expertise and business solutions for each unique customer environment.
Learn more about the Technology Alliance Partner program, at <a href="https://saucelabs.com/company/partners/technology-alliance-program">https://saucelabs.com/company/partners/technology-alliance-program</a>
<a class="brand-color" href="https://testsigma.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Testsigma</a> is excited to be one among the selected partners to work with the customers to enjoy the full benefits of automated testing!
About Testsigma: 
An AI-driven Continuous Testing platform on cloud, Testsigma lets web and mobile dependent businesses to test releases continuously with a Shift-Left approach that matches today’s Agile and DevOps speed.
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Testsigma joins the Sauce Labs Partner program

Testsigma joins the Sauce Labs Technology Alliance Partner (TAP) program

An alternative to record and playback tools for enterprise-class Test Automation

An Alternative to Record and Playback Tools for Test Automation

Test Automation has become an immediate requirement for every engineering team to match the pace of continuous delivery. On the other hand, it can also become a waste of time, money and resources if the test automation strategy and your Test Automation tool is not a fit for your requirements.
Generally, when teams <a class="brand-color" href="https://www.utest.com/articles/why-shift-from-manual-to-automation-testing-for-continuous-delivery" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">shift from Manual Testing to Test Automation</a>, they tend to look for the simplest and easiest solutions to get started. Record and playback tools are one of the options a lot of managers consider.
Near zero initial time and programming knowledge are some presumed advantages of choosing record and playback tools. The general perception is that initial investment of time and effort using these tools. But time and again it is being proved that such tools do not work well to meet enterprise-class test automation requirements.
However, it is agreed that these tools are not suitable for test automation if you have a user interface that constantly undergo changes. 
Tests created using Record and Playback tools are often outdated for even a small change in the application. You need to re-record all of the tests or you end up spending a lot of time editing tests.
<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#Getting_Started">1 Getting Started</a></li><li><a href="#Why_is_it_difficult_to_generate_stable_tests_easily_with_Record_and_Playback_tools">2 Why is it difficult to generate stable tests easily with Record and Playback tools?</a></li><li><a href="#Why_does_it_fail_to_handle_Dynamic_ObjectsElements">3 Why does it fail to handle Dynamic Objects/Elements?</a></li><li><a href="#Why_can8217t_Record_and_Playback_tools_avoid_maintenance_for_small_UI_changes">4 Why can&#8217;t Record and Playback tools avoid maintenance for small UI changes?</a></li><li><a href="#Why_do_these_tools_not_support_Shift-Left_Testing">5 Why do these tools not support Shift-Left Testing?</a></li><li><a href="#How_Record_and_Playback_tools_fail_to_maintain_a_shared_Element_Repository_to_reduce_maintenance">6 How Record and Playback tools fail to maintain a shared Element Repository to reduce maintenance?</a></li><li><a href="#Why_record_and_then_edit_doesn8217t_work">7 Why record and then edit doesn&#8217;t work?</a></li><li><a href="#Why_isn8217t_Re-record_an_option">8 Why isn&#8217;t Re-record an option?</a></li><li><a href="#So_where_do_Record_and_Playback_tools_fit">9 So, where do Record and Playback tools fit?</a></li></ul></div>
<h2>Getting Started</h2>
Many teams shifting from manual to automation might look at Record and Playback tools as the test scripts are created automatically for every action that a functional tester performs manually.
These scripts can be easily re-run to test the same functionality provided the application does not change.
It may seem easy and compelling but requires a lot of rework and changes. The system generated scripts or tests are hard to understand and maintain. 
We will look more into this in detail.
<h2>Why is it difficult to generate stable tests easily with Record and Playback tools?</h2>
It&#8217;s been proved that these tools would fail to generate stable and reliable tests for enterprise-class applications that has complex scenarios with dynamic data.
A lot of manual revisions are required to make the script generated by Record and Playback tools to be stable and production-ready like editing test data and element information, adding assertions, conditional statements, handling dynamic data etc.
Also, you cannot record all the steps for dynamic enterprise-class applications. You may need to add custom actions, assertions and, dynamic steps manually.
Record and Playback tools would record both necessary and unwanted steps automatically. The recorded steps would not be as per your business documents.
Quite often, for the same action, more than one copy of the same script is generated multiple times and the tester has to identify which copy of the script requires editing. It’s difficult to understand what part of the code belongs to the test steps, what is the exact data the tool collects that needs change.
A lot of time is spent cleaning unnecessary data to make the tests reusable and readable and in-line with your business documents/process.
Maintaining test scripts would be a complex task with a lot of duplicate and disorganized elements making your tests very difficult to understand and maintain.
AI &amp; ML can be helpful to maintain these tests for basic element attribute changes. But in reality, there can be more than just element attribute changes. 
There may be layout changes, design changes etc. in which case these duplicate elements requires a lot of maintenance work from developers.
The alternate approach would be to re-record all the steps from the beginning. However, this demands huge effort having to go through the entire process over and again. And, you may lose the test history.
Identifying the problem area first from the huge script that is auto-generated, making edits to the code and fixing them is a tough task. 
The time required to manually test an application vs the time to repair the recorded steps or re-record is relatively less.
The time saved getting started with the application testing is wasted editing and re-recording every time there is change. 

<h2>Why does it fail to handle Dynamic Objects/Elements?</h2>
Most of the modern applications are built with dynamic elements with no unique attributes. In such cases, record and playback tools rely on HTML element hierarchy/absolute paths which is the most unstable and unreliable approach to build automated tests.
These tests fail during subsequent re-runs, as the attributes of these dynamic elements change every time.
The ability to define dynamic element paths as part of element repository is required to handle these cases, which is missing in record and playback tools.
Also, these steps fail even for the slightest change in the application (not just the element attributes) and are not always dependable.
<h2>Why can&#8217;t Record and Playback tools avoid maintenance for small UI changes?</h2>
The slightest change in the recorded element or any element on the page can break the recorded tests easily.
Many of today&#8217;s testing tools capture more than just the required attributes to identify a particular element. This way, whenever there is a change in any one of these attributes, any of the remaining attributes can be used to identify those elements.
This has become a standard practice in many Test Automation tools. The approach is required to address some of the maintenance issues with element attribute changes. Some of the Test Automation tools like <a class="brand-color" href="https://testsigma.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Testsigma</a> use AI to create paths dynamically using the recorded attributes.
<a class="brand-color" href="https://testsigma.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Testsigma</a> not just uses the Dynamic Locator Strategy on element attributes but also takes into account the attributes of siblings and parent elements to solve this maintenance issue better!
Many a time, there would be more than just element attributes changes. These tools should consider the parent and sibling attributes of a particular element to ensure that the tests won’t break easily.
<h2>Why do these tools not support Shift-Left Testing?</h2>
It is essential to start the test automation process, early on, with the Agile and DevOps methodologies demanding faster, frequent software product releases. If testing cannot keep up with these modern approaches to ensure continuous software development and delivery, the goal is not fully achieved.
With these tools, you cannot start your Test Automation until you have a stable UI to automate.
Because of this either Test Automation will be pushed out of delivery pipeline or takes more time to release your quality products. Both these options are not acceptable for current fast-paced Agile and Continuous Delivery practices. 
<a class="brand-color" href="https://testsigma.com/blog/test-automation-tool-ready-for-shift-left/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Is your test automation tool ready for Shift Left testing?</a>
<h2>How Record and Playback tools fail to maintain a shared Element Repository to reduce maintenance?</h2>
Whatever may be the approach, test maintenance is a continuous effort and plays a major role in automation success. Maintaining elements is highly important for test maintenance.
Record and playback tools generates a lot of duplicate elements as explained earlier and do not reuse the elements that are already available. This increases the need for test maintenance with the need to manage multiple instances of the same element.
The tools are expected to be smart enough to reuse the element if it is already recorded. None of the record and playback tools address this.
<h2>Why record and then edit doesn&#8217;t work?</h2>
Recorded test steps are not always stable and are not reusable by default and can break as the application code changes.
The recommended approach is to either edit these steps manually or re-record the entire test again.
To edit a recorded test you need to first understand the system generated test completely, then decide on what to change and how to change. This requires programming knowledge and constant reviewing. Without this, for every change in the application, these tests will continue to fail.
But the fact is that editing an automatically generated script is more difficult and time consuming compared to many programming based tools. 
Manually testing the same feature end to end takes less time and effort compared to editing these tests every time.
The purpose of Test Automation is to allow the automated tests to run unattended. On the contrary, testers are expected to sit through the whole of the execution process and find problem areas by looking them up manually and make changes to the generated code/test steps continuously. 
The test automation efforts go in vain as testers eventually shift back to Manual Testing.
<h2>Why isn&#8217;t Re-record an option?</h2>
An alternative to maintaining these tests is re-recording. 
 Re-recording the whole of the application for minor changes is not very convenient especially for large applications. 
The QA team has to go through the entire process of re-recording and editing the tests to make them stable and reliable.
Considering all the effort needed after recording, like editing, clean-up, etc., Re-recording is not an affordable solution for bigger teams who practice Agile and Continuous Delivery methodologies.
<h2>So, where do Record and Playback tools fit?</h2>
Record and playback tools can be considered for small static applications whose application code and UI does not change frequently.
 It would be appealing to the management to introduce the concept of Test Automation, what and how can be automated and how much time can be saved through Test Automation once the automated tests are in place.&nbsp;
The better approach would be test automation with the same simplicity of record and playback tools along with enterprise-class flexibility and stability.
Check out <a class="brand-color" href="https://testsigma.com/blog/alternative-to-record-and-playback-tools-for-enterprise-class-test-automation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">an alternative to record and playback tools for enterprise-class Test Automation</a>

Why is Record and Playback not suitable for enterprise-class Test Automation?

Top 7 Challenges in Manual Testing

There’s been a shift from Manual Testing to Automated Testing in recent years.&nbsp;As compared to Manual Test practices, Test Automation offers improved test coverage and quality and allows for a speedy delivery of software into the market. 



However, with huge scripting and several other integrations, the automated testing process is not an easy one. It takes huge initial setup and ramp-up time that require huge investments and a long wait to see the outcome.



Thus, there is a need for a smart test automation framework or a tool that can bring all the resources together for better test management and increased test coverage at low cost in less time.



With development becoming Agile and Continuous, Testing needs to keep up and this is best possible with the help of a<a class="brand-color" href="https://testsigma.com/blog/best-cloud-based-test-automation-tool-continuous-delivery-demands/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Cloud based Test Automation</a> process.



Such is our approach on cloud to test any software product easily anytime, anywhere!



A SaaS <a href="https://testsigma.com/ai-driven-test-automation" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">AI-driven test automation</a> software for Web and Mobile applications to achieve continuous testing with a Shift-left approach, Testsigma addresses the shortcomings of existing automated testing tools that demand huge initial time and cost, high execution time, high maintenance, slow test script development process and require a longer payback time.



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#How_Testsigma_is_a_Smart_Test_Automation_Tool">1 How Testsigma is a Smart Test Automation Tool?</a><ul><li><a href="#Zero_ramp-up_time_and_cost">1.1 Zero ramp-up time and cost</a></li><li><a href="#Test_Development_made_faster_using_simple_English_grammar">1.2 Test Development made faster using simple English grammar</a></li><li><a href="#AI_to_Reduce_Test_Execution_Time_and_Cost">1.3 AI to Reduce Test Execution Time and Cost</a></li><li><a href="#Increased_Automation_Coverage">1.4 Increased Automation Coverage</a></li><li><a href="#Actionable_Results">1.5 Actionable Results</a></li><li><a href="#Team_Collaboration">1.6 Team Collaboration</a></li><li><a href="#Test_Management_within_the_automated_testing_tool">1.7 Test Management within the automated testing tool</a></li><li><a href="#Test_Data_Management">1.8 Test Data Management</a></li><li><a href="#Parallel_Test_executions_on_cloud_and_local_devices">1.9 Parallel Test executions on cloud and local devices</a></li><li><a href="#Cross_BrowserOSDevice_Testing">1.10 Cross Browser/OS/Device Testing</a></li><li><a href="#Less_Maintenance_effort">1.11 Less Maintenance effort</a></li><li><a href="#Short_wait_to_see_ROI">1.12 Short wait to see ROI</a></li></ul></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="how-testsigma-is-a-smart-test-automation-tool">How Testsigma is a Smart Test Automation Tool?</h2>



Let us see how Testsigma makes it to being among the top test automation tools on the cloud to make Test Automation Simpler, Better and Affordable.



<h3 id="h-zero-ramp-up-time-and-cost">Zero ramp-up time and cost</h3>



Test Automation requires heavy scripting which is rather time-consuming.&nbsp;The time to ramp up the test automation process, the cost involved in selecting the right automated testing tools, setting them up and training the team, all of it is indispensable.



Setting up close to real execution environments for every tester also adds to the delay. But, today with cloud based Test Automation with over thousands of real devices and the systematic Behavior Driven Development(BDD) type script development using natural language makes it easier for just anyone to write complex tests easily.



With <a href="https://testsigma.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Testsigma</a>, you can get started with automated testing right away! There’s no setup or installation required. You can start testing your application with just any browser on your preferred devices.



<h3 id="h-test-development-made-faster-using-simple-english-grammar">Test Development made faster using simple English grammar</h3>



Choose your preferred test step(grammar) from a list of available natural language statements or create your own personalized grammar to perform a particular test activity.



Testsigma uses simple natural language to write automated tests.&nbsp;<a href="https://dzone.com/articles/web-application-automated-testing-with-testingma" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Here&#8217;s how</a>.



Developers, Testers, SMEs, or just anyone can create and execute automated tests easily, without knowing any complex programming!



Let your manual testers take charge of automation testing with no additional programming knowledge.



Achieve better quality faster than ever with the help of functional testers for automation testing.



<h3 id="h-ai-to-reduce-test-execution-time-and-cost">AI to Reduce Test Execution Time and Cost</h3>



Testsigma uses Artificial Intelligence to build stable and reliable tests faster and to speed up the execution and maintenance of automated tests.



The AI suggest improvements in test runs to include relevant or affected <a href="https://testsigma.com/guides/what-is-test-case/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">test cases</a> to avoid failures due to dependencies and saves execution time and cost.



Testsigma uses ‘dynamic locator strategy’ that can identify and fix failed objects and ui identifiers and save maintenance time and effort by 70%.



<h3 id="h-increased-automation-coverage">Increased Automation Coverage</h3>



Testsigma allows both manual and automated testing to avoid duplicate efforts and speed up the test process for increased <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/test-coverage/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">test coverage</a>.



Scalable, distributed execution options and <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/testware/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">testware</a> management is a must to reduce feedback time and increase the test coverage across different platforms, operating system and browsers.



Testsigma supports automated testing for multiple application types and executes numerous complex tests on multiple devices both local and on cloud with different configurations providing a good test coverage.



<h3 id="h-actionable-results">Actionable Results</h3>



Cryptic test results will not help analyze and debug failures. Testsigma provides detailed failure reports with cross-links to rectify the errors. There is no technical effort required to identify and fix a failure.



Actionable results will help the team fix all issues immediately without much technical effort. The AI identifies other tests which may as well be affected and tries auto-correcting these automated tests to some extent.



Identify potential failures upfront and save execution time and cost with Testsigma.



<h3 id="h-team-collaboration">Team Collaboration</h3>



There should be a proper communication between Manual and Automation testers and within the Automation&nbsp;Testing team to increase the reusability and avoid duplicate efforts.



Testsigma provides a single corporate account and multiple logins for all your team members. You can share updates, reports, plan, etc easily with all those who can contribute to the project.



Prioritize your tests, track progress and share valuable feedback irrespective of where you are!



<h3 id="h-test-management-within-the-automated-testing-tool">Test Management within the automated testing tool</h3>



For effective automated testing, there should be a proper plan for test coverage and a complete record of your test progress.



Testsigma provides Test Management within your automated testing tool for Agile and Continuous Delivery teams.



All your resources can be managed within Testsigma with unique settings for every Project.



<h3 id="h-test-data-management">Test Data Management</h3>



Test data are a major part of Test designing. Many different inputs might be necessary to analyze the tests, positive or negative.



Testsigma supports multiple test data types that may be used across versions of the same application, across multiple execution environments, to invoke data returned from custom functions and so on.



Some test data types that Testsigma supports include: Parameter Test Data(scope is limited to a single application version), Global Parameter Test Data(scope throughout a Project), Run-time Test Data(at the time of Test case execution), Function Parameter Test Data(returned from custom function) and Random Test Data(random data for test case executions).



Testsigma also provides Enterprise-class test data management with support for import from multiple test data sources.



<h3 id="h-parallel-test-executions-on-cloud-and-local-devices">Parallel Test executions on cloud and local devices</h3>



Testsigma provides a unique platform for parallel execution of tests which otherwise require multiple platforms and environments.



<a href="https://testsigma.com/parallel-test-runs" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Run your tests in parallel</a>, sequential and remotely across different browsers, operating systems and devices to increase test coverage and to reduce feedback time.



Distributing the tests across multiple <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/test-environment/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">test environments</a> can reduce the feedback time considerably and help analyze the build quality faster.



You can also execute your tests on local devices if you do not wish to execute them on the cloud. With any device, it would be easy to test an application in very less time!



<h3 id="h-cross-browser-os-device-testing">Cross Browser/OS/Device Testing</h3>



Choose test environments to execute tests from thousands of devices available on cloud!



With the wide range of devices, OS and browser versions of web and mobile phones with different screen sizes and orientations available, it is a complex task to test the working of an application in all of these device/browser combinations.



There is a need for developers to optimize their applications for each of these devices for every version.



Testsigma can easily set up and manage all of these device/OS combinations and is highly cost-effective having to only pay for the desired devices in use. <a href="https://testsigma.com/test-lab" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘Testsigma Lab’</a> makes it possible to run your tests on thousands of devices with different operating systems, browsers, and devices available on the cloud.



<h3 id="h-less-maintenance-effort">Less Maintenance effort</h3>



Automated tests should take very less upgrade and maintenance efforts for your application changes. As changes in the application increases, maintenance efforts further increases.



Testsigma adopts a simplified and automatic approach with less manual intervention. There are no Maintenance or product upgrade tailbacks.



<h3 id="h-short-wait-to-see-roi">Short wait to see ROI</h3>



There are various cost factors involved in Test Automation like the selection of the right automated testing tools, framework development, <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/why-test-data-management-is-more-important-than-you-think/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">test data management</a>, cost to maintain test environments, integration with test management tools and other tool integrations.



With the right Test Automation method, ROI is sure but gradually. You need to build, execute and analyze your automated tests right from day one to see ROI immediately and this is exactly what Testsigma offers.



Testsigma saves time and maintenance efforts to create reliable tests with well-managed test data to see ROI right from the beginning, instead of years!



Learn more about this #SmartTestAutomation tool on cloud and join us on our journey towards Smart Testing!



<a class="brand-color" href="https://calendly.com/testsigma/demo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Schedule a demo</a> or reach out to us at <a class="brand-color" href="mailto:support@testsigma.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> support@testsigma.com</a> to know more!



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