Shift Left Testing | What, Why, Benefits & How to Perform

Introduction

Imagine you’re building a house. In traditional testing, you’d wait until the entire structure is complete before inspecting it. But what if you could catch a shaky foundation or a crooked wall as soon as it’s erected? That’s the beauty of Shift Left Testing. 

It helps identify and squash bugs early in the development process, saves time, effort, and resources, and ensures a more robust final product. In this guide, you will learn how the shift left testing approach is changing the way testing is carried out.

What is Shift Left Testing?

Shift Left Testing is a software testing approach that emphasizes moving testing activities earlier in the software development lifecycle (SDLC). That’s what the term “shift left” means. 

Traditionally, testing is done after the development phase and close to the deployment phase. 

However, with the shift left approach, you start the testing activities as early as possible, even during the requirements and design phases, rather than relying on testing at the end of the lifecycle. The goal is to detect and address defects and issues earlier in the development process, reducing the cost and effort of bug fixing later on.

Why We Need Shift Left Testing?

Traditional software development methods typically place requirements on the left side of the lifecycle, with delivery and testing on the right. However, these practices can be challenging to adapt to changing requirements and expectations, leading to adverse effects on the business, like, 

• Higher costs
• Delayed time to market 
• Unexpected errors

Why Adopt a Shift Left Strategy?

Let me give an example of how adopting a shift-left strategy could benefit businesses in multiple ways.

Costs play a major role in shifting testing to the left. Studies showed that the average cost of a bug identified in the requirements phase would be over $100, the same when found in the testing phase would be over $1500, and it goes up to $10000 when it slips through production. 

(This research is backed by Ponemon Institute)

That is, a company would spend 10x more when a bug is left unnoticed until production or pre-production. This is why adopting shift left testing in your QA process would help you reduce the time and cost of bug fixing.

What is an example of a shift left?

When you’re using a shift left strategy, the testers and developers will start testing at a very early stage of SDLC. That is, they will start creating test cases based on requirements gathering, do early unit testing when the initial code is written, review the design, and so on.

A glimpse of what happens in traditional testing methods vs shift left testing,

Traditional approach: No testing activities are involved until the development phase is completed,

Shift-left approach: Testers are involved right from the requirements gathering phase to understand the project in detail. Also, they will start creating test cases concurrently with the developers in the development phase.

Key Elements Of Shift Left Testing

Shift Left Testing involves several key elements aimed at integrating testing activities earlier in the software development lifecycle. 

1. Start Testing Early

As discussed above, shift left typically means you shift the testing activities to the early stages of the SDLC, which is ideally during the requirements gathering phase. So, how or why is this crucial? 

So, involving the QA team, key stakeholders, and developers during the requirement phase itself will lead to better collaboration, where they can discuss and gain a clear understanding of how to code and test at the same time.

When the QA team is well aware of the testing activities, they can allocate resources efficiently, like which tester is the best fit for which testing type, choose appropriate approaches and tools, and scale testing activities as the product evolves. 

Also, when bugs are fixed at first, developers do not have to think about scraping larger parts of code in the later stages of software development.

2. Collaborative Approach

So, when more stakeholders are involved in the testing process, it fosters better communication, feedback, and effective problem-solving. Developers will get inputs on creating test-friendly software, and testers gain insights into areas requiring attention during testing. Beyond technical considerations, the diversity in skills and personalities can lead to innovation in the project. Use a low-code test automation tool so it makes testing accessible for both technical and non-technical members, making it a perfect tool for shift-left testing.

3. Test Automation

The core of shift left testing is fast and continuous testing, which is not possible when you rely solely on manual testing. When you want to embrace the shift left approach and continuous testing, it is best to invest in test automation tools for quicker testing and enhanced operational efficiency. Also, scriptless testing will help you achieve high test ROI.

Let’s take an example. Consider regression testing, where testers check for bugs after a code change. Manually retesting every time the code changes is time-consuming and repetitive. Instead, testers can automate them using testing tools to make sure the testing is done without frequent manual intervention.

Types of shift-left testing

There are four types or methods of shift-left testing, as follows,

• Traditional Shift Left Testing
• Incremental Shift Left Testing
• Agile/DevOps Shift Left Testing
• Model-Based Shift Left Testing

1. Traditional Shift-Left Testing

Traditional shift-left testing moves the testing towards the lower stages on the right side of the V model. Rather than emphasizing acceptance and system-level testing, traditional shift-left testing prioritizes unit testing and integration testing. Today, industries are significantly changing their QA approach with a shift-left focus, aiming to enhance testing practices for optimal results.

2. Incremental Shift-Left Testing

When teams move from waterfall development to more flexible approaches to handle complex projects, they perform smaller and more frequent tests. Incremental testing allows QAs to focus on small parts individually, evaluating if each meets the required standards.

In many cases, teams may break down larger projects into a series of smaller increments instead of handling one large project. This results in smaller, more manageable increments with shorter durations. If each increment is delivered to customers or operations teams, incremental shift-left testing will move both developmental and operational testing to earlier stages. This approach is commonly used to develop complex systems with substantial hardware components.

3. Agile/DevOps Shift-Left Testing

Agile testing occurs in the development phase and doesn’t include operational testing, which happens after the system is operational. Many organizations are increasingly adopting the shift-left testing approach in Agile/DevOps, where testing is conducted earlier in the development cycle.

4. Model-Based Shift-Left Testing

In the previous methods, the QAs would wait until the software became available to test and only aim to identify implementation issues. The model-based testing is quite different.

Model-based testing shifts testing to the left side of the Vs by testing requirements, architecture, and design models. This change initiates testing almost right away, instead of waiting for a long time (as in traditional testing), a moderate time (as in incremental testing), or a short time (as in Agile/DevOps) for the software to be available on the right side of the Vs. This shift in trend is just starting.

How to Implement Shift Left Testing Approach?

A few things you should consider to implement shift left methodology in testing are as follows,

• Identify the scope and goals of shift left testing

To implement the shift left testing approach, you should first determine which tests should be moved earlier in the process and the expected results. For example, doing unit tests sooner can help you find mistakes faster and stop them from getting to later stages of testing. Everyone involved must be on the same page about what shift left testing is and how it will help the project so there are no misunderstandings or problems down the line.

• Implement appropriate testing tools and methodologies

Choose the right test automation tools and testing methodologies to facilitate early and continuous testing. It plays a key role in making shift-left testing a success.

Test automation, for example, helps increase the speed and accuracy of testing. Continuous integration and testing, on the other hand, can assist in ensuring that issues are spotted and resolved as soon as possible. 

Consider performing exploratory and risk-based testing to detect and address possible concerns early. Exploratory and risk-based testing can also assist in identifying concerns that might otherwise go undetected. The team should examine their current testing tools and procedures to identify gaps and implement relevant solutions.

• Collaborate and communicate effectively

Shift-left testing throughout the SDLC fosters strong collaboration between developers, testers, and other stakeholders. Clear communication channels and practices guarantee that all team members work towards the same goals. 

Good communication can help identify and handle difficulties early in development, preventing delays. Daily standup meetings, for example, can help keep the team on track and identify any issues or blockers early on.

The Role of Real Devices in Shift Left Testing

All testing, starting from developer testing, is recommended to be done on actual devices. Software testing is most effective when conducted in real user conditions. Emulators or simulators cannot provide accurate results, which prevents developers from evaluating code quality accurately. That is because test results from emulators or simulators are only partially correct, and relying on them for other development/testing activities does not guarantee high-quality software.

Using real devices is beneficial for both manual and automated testing. Here, having an in-house device lab that is regularly updated with new devices is quite impractical and expensive, so use a cloud-based test lab like Testsigma. 

Testsigma supports over 3000+ real devices/tablets and 1000+ browser/OS combos to enable testing from anywhere and anytime. You can simulate real-world scenarios and cover a wide variety of tests using Testsigma.

Performing Shift Left Testing on a real device cloud ensures consistent and accurate results. Here, thorough testing from the early development phase helps avoid bugs in later stages, minimizing the time and effort needed to fix them. 

Fixing bugs identified by developers before code deployment is typically simpler, facilitating a faster time-to-market and decreasing the risk of revenue loss and damage to credibility caused by preventable bugs.

How to perform shift-left testing with Testsigma

Testsigma is a low-code AI-driven cloud-based test automation platform that allows you to automate web, mobile, and desktop apps and API tests in one platform. It is a unified test automation platform that enables you to create, run, execute, and maintain automated test cases.

It is an excellent choice for early testing, continuous integration, and continuous testing. Using Testsigma, you can integrate your automated test cases into the DevOps and CI/CD pipeline. It makes your testing process 5x faster and time-to-market 8x faster.

Also, it supports integration with various bug-tracking, product management, collaboration, and CI/CD tools like Jira, Bamboo, Travis CI, Jenkins, etc., which allows you to trigger tests automatically whenever there’s a code change.

Testsigma + Shift-Left Testing = Fast, Accurate, & Continuous Testing

Leverage Testsigma for shift left testing to find and resolve issues earlier in the software development lifecycle. Let’s see how this testing tool works well for the shift left approach, 

1. Assists you in testing early

An ideal testing tool for shift left testing should be able to start the testing process right from the design phase before the product is developed.

Behavior Driven Development (BDD) and Test-Driven Development (TDD) approaches are two approaches that support this.

Testsigma, with an approach similar to BDD, lets you create test cases in simple English and allows you to initiate test development while planning and coding are in progress.

It is well-suited in Agile software development, where delivery cycles are shorter, and is beneficial when development and testing start together.

2. Requires Minimal Time and Resources to get started

In this Agile world, companies are looking for ways to reduce their time of delivery without compromising on the quality of each release. At the same time, they are also faced with the pressure to reduce testing costs.

With Testsigma being a codeless test automation tool, even non-coders can participate in the test creation and execution processes, which helps you save time and resources significantly.

Also, being completely cloud-based means you don’t have to worry about setting it up and the infrastructure costs. And you really can get your first test case automated in minutes.

3. Plan, Collaborate, and Execute 100x faster with Testsigma

Thoughtful project planning and management are key to effectively implementing a shift-left approach in your software development life cycle.

The level of clarity it brings among the team members helps them interpret the goals to be achieved and enhances the overall quality of the product under development.

Testsigma not only comes with built-in test management but also empowers you with effective test planning and project management to help track requirements in real-time.

4. It Makes Testing Possible For Everyone Regardless of The Skill Set

There is a misconception that developers are only concerned with code development. In order to improve the quality of the code and the product, developers should get into the ‘development + test’ mindset that facilitates the discoverability and fixing of the code as the development process moves forward.

Implementing the Shift Left approach makes the developers more responsible and focused on developing and testing simultaneously, thereby improving their overall soft skills as well.

Also, the shift-left approach becomes easier when different people with different skill sets can be involved in the testing process at different stages.

Because Testsigma lets you create test cases in simple English – the test cases can be created during the requirement gathering phase by product managers, during the development phase by developers, and after development by testers.

5. Quickly Uplift your product’s Quality by Testing the Details

Component testing, or unit testing or module testing is a software testing type in which the testing is performed on individual components separately without integration with other components.

An ideal test automation tool should be able to test application components individually as and when they are ready, which includes the Rest APIs and the UI Components, and Testsigma helps you do that.

6. Testsigma helps provide quick and continuous feedback

A perfect scenario would be where the developers and the testers get feedback across the software lifecycle. It not only eliminates the critical loopholes or gaps by addressing them immediately but also gives a better perspective to everyone involved on all the significant trends coming across during the testing process.

Via its review feature, Testsigma provides an ideal platform to collaborate and share feedback and results immediately, facilitating the shift-left approach.

Investing in Testsigma helps you enjoy seamless integration with the shift left supportive tool to get continuous feedback. With developers getting timely feedback on their code and information on critical bugs, they can clean the code sooner rather than later to enhance the code’s quality and achieve faster time-to-market.

Also, because Testsigma is entirely cloud-based, you can upgrade your test environment according to your needs.

How to Apply Shift-left Testing in Continuous Testing?

You can effectively apply shift-left testing in continuous testing to improve your test efficiency and effectiveness while accelerating the delivery of high-quality software. Here’s how,

• Involve testers early in the requirements and planning phase. When they are involved early, they can understand the requirements, provide feedback, and collaborate well with the developers.
• Define clear quality standards and expectations for the project.
• Include code reviews as a standard practice in the development process. They not only help identify coding issues early but also provide an opportunity for the entire team to discuss and understand the potential impact of the changes.
• Embrace Behaviour-driven development (BDD) test practices where test scenarios are written in a natural language that both technical and non-technical team members can understand. Testsigma allows you to create tests in plain English using Natural Language Processing (NLP) scripts.
• Implement test automation as early as possible. Integrate your automated tests into the continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipeline to provide rapid feedback on the code changes. 
• Run automated regression testing as part of the CI/CD pipeline to ensure continuous validation of application functionality.

Main Benefits of Shift Left Testing

The shift-left testing approach offers several benefits, including,

• Reduces the likelihood of defects slipping through production
• Highly cost-effective as it helps fix bugs in the early stages of SDLC
• Make the software development process more efficient.
• Enhance product quality by catching more bugs in the early stages.
• Faster time-to-market as the QA process doesn’t take much time
• Improved test coverage
• Customers are less likely to encounter issues, leading to a positive user experience and a higher likelihood of customer retention.

Challenges of Shift-left Testing

While this approach has several advantages, it also comes with some challenges. Here are some common challenges of shift-left testing,

• Adopting a shift-left testing approach requires a cultural shift within the company. Developers and testers need to collaborate more closely, breaking down traditional silos. Resistance to change and the need for cultural alignment can be challenging.
• While shifting testing left helps identify defects early in the development process, it also requires effective strategies for defect management. Ensuring that identified issues are addressed promptly without causing delays can be challenging.
• Miscommunication or lack of collaboration between developers and QA teams can lead to misunderstandings, delays, and inefficiencies.
• Managing appropriate and realistic test data for early testing stages can be challenging.

Best Practices for Shift-Left Testing in Agile

Here are some best practices for shift left testing in Agile,

• Emphasize collaboration and communication

Shift-left testing means that developers, testers, and other people involved in making software have to work together closely and talk a lot. Make sure everyone has an easy way to communicate with each other and set up times for regular check-ins so that everyone is on the same page.

• Automate testing wherever possible

Test automation is really important for testing early on. Automating tests can help save time and energy when it comes to testing, plus you get more accurate results. You can use tools like Selenium, Appium, or JUnit to make the process easier.

• Conduct continuous testing

Continuous testing is an important part of shift left testing. That means running tests through creating software, from when it’s first started to when it’s ready to use. Doing this helps spot and fix problems quickly, saving you time and energy.

• Incorporate exploratory testing

Exploratory testing can help uncover problems that might not be noticed otherwise. It’s a good idea to get testers to do exploratory testing throughout the whole process of making the software so that any potential issues can be spotted quickly.

• Use risk-based testing

Risk-based testing involves focusing testing efforts on the most critical areas of the software. Identify the highest-risk areas of the software and focus testing efforts on those areas first. This can help identify and address the most critical defects early on.

• Monitor metrics and adapt as needed

Please track how well tests are working, like how many mistakes they find, how much of the program they cover, and how long it takes to run them. Use these numbers to see what could be done better and change how tests are done so that the quality of the product is improved.

These are just a few best practices for shift left testing in Agile. Organizations can implement effective shift left testing processes by emphasizing collaboration, automation, continuous testing, exploratory testing, risk-based testing, and monitoring metrics, as well as delivering high-quality software more efficiently.

Conclusion

Shift left testing is more than just a trend. It is a mindset shift in the software development world. It is all about embracing the idea that testing is not a phase but an integral part of the entire journey. Embrace this shift to build stronger, more reliable software with fewer hurdles along the way.