Any software that is once developed, has to be updated with the passage of time. Before updates are rolled out, it becomes important for the team to ensure that all the features, including both existing and new, are working in harmony along with the updates and fixes in the new build.
This is why Regression Testing becomes important for any product that has to be fixed or updated in the course of time.
What is Regression Testing?
As new codes are added, old test cases have to be tested against the new ones to ensure the proper functioning of all aspects of your product. Regression testing ensures that previously developed and tested features still perform the same way after it is fixed, improved or after new features are added.
These changes may include product enhancements, patches, and changes in configuration or more.
Regression testing allows testers to identify new bugs or errors and solve them in the new build. It also ensures that the user experience remains intact and allows all the features to work seamlessly.
So is Regression Testing Necessary?
Though this can be a topic of debate, most product engineering and development teams give due importance to regression testing. There is no black or white answer to validate the necessity of regression testing, but the onus is on each team to note the extents they would want to go in a sprint to ensure that each product checks out on every single quality parameter.
It allows you to tackle issues from three different angles:
- Have the new updates or fixes introduced new issues?
- Have the new changes unmasked issues that already existed?
- Are the new code fragments corrupting any part of the already existing feature?
In an Agile environment, the primary focus is to test each functional aspect of the product as they are being developed.
For any company to deliver high-quality products, each product needs to undergo thorough testing at all the levels. Therefore, for any team, it will be important to implement regression testing and ensure that there are no side effects to the product after adding new enhancements or features.
How implementing regression testing in agile environment helps?
- Builds an overall stability of the product by testing the product in a sprint cycle.
- Increases the chances of identifying defects and eliminating them, giving you the overall view of the entire system.
- Helps in improving the overall quality of the product and user experience.
- Allows you to reduce the programming rework of products that might not work as per specification due to inadequate testing.
How is Regression Testing Performed in an agile setup?
Regression testing is sometimes considered as a time-consuming process, especially when you have stringent release cycle times. This is why it is better to automate regression testing process, which will allow you to save time and increase the test coverage.
There are varieties of regression test automation frameworks and tools available in the market, but it is important to choose the right tool when it comes to automating a specific product or process. Also, there are several scriptless regression testing tools that can help you to reduce tediousness and improve the efficiency of testing.
In regression testing, the test cases once created can be reused continuously, and the results of the execution can be recorded and maintained for future reference.
One important aspect of regression testing in a sprint is that it has to be executed early rather than implementing it at the end of the development process. Running the test later in the development cycle could end up resulting in unfavourable test results.
Executing the tests early will also help the team to stay within the timelines of the release. Most of the regression testing is automated and this allows you to save time and at the same time allows your team to focus on important tasks.
Conclusion
With the increasing demands for quality in product and the diminishing length of release cycles, it is important to ensure that the products you deliver meet the expectations of the customers and at the same time is stable and effective. Implementing regression testing in agile way will allow you to deliver quality products to the market on time.
eInfochips utilizes Agile methodologies to provide regression testing and test automation solutions to help companies release quality products with faster time-to-market. Know more about our QA and test automation expertise.
