How Agile Model Works in Software Testing?

Before I will let you know – How Agile Model Works in Software Testing? You must gather some of the necessary information regarding the agile model. So, what is an agile SDLC model? Well, the agile model is an arrangement of iterative and incremental process models. The agile model not only works on the speedy delivery of software products but also coherently focuses on the process adaptability and customer satisfaction. Moreover, agile methods develop the product into miniature incremental builds to provide them quickly in iterations. Generally, every repetition lasts for a fortnight and requires a cross-functional team working concurrently on different areas like:

• Planning
• Requirements Analysis
• Design
• Coding
• Unit Testing 
• Approval Testing

What is Agile?

According to the agile model, every project demands a different approach to handle, and the existing methods also need updates to match the project requirement scale. In Agile, numerous tasks are arranged into short time frames to address the particular features for a release.

Furthermore, an agile model adopts an iterative approach, and working software build is released after the completion of every repetition. Each piece of a software build is rich in terms of features, and the final build consists of all the features demanded by the customer/client. In software development, the agile concept had begun early, and it gains popularity among software testers because of its incredible flexibility and adaptability.

What is Agile Testing?

Dissimilar to the waterfall method, the Agile Testing starts at the beginning of the project with endless integration linking the project development and testing. Unlike the waterfall method, the agile testing is not sequential, but continuous. The whole agile team works collectively to complete the project with maximum quality. Agile testing has a shorter time frame, known as iterations, and this agile methodology is known as release or delivery driven approach. It offers a more-reliable prediction on the workable products on a short time scale. No doubt, there are lot of agile testing methodology challenges faced by testers but they can be easily overcome if you have valid and executable strategies to tackle them.

Let’s talk about the test plan for agile models in detailed form:

Test Plan for the Agile Model:

In an agile model, the test plan is formulated and renewed for every release. The agile test plan consists of various sorts of testing that take place in that iteration, such as test data requirements, infrastructure, test environments, and test results. Apart from this, the agile model includes the following test plans:

1. Testing Scope
2. Newly tested functionalities
3. Complex features based testing
4. Load and Performance Testing
5. Infrastructure Consideration
6. Mitigation or Risks Plan
7. Resourcing
8. Deliverables and Milestones

Agile Testing Strategies:

Agile testing life cycle crosses through four grades, and these are:

1. Iteration 0 – Initiate the project
2. Construction Iteration – Provide a working system that can meet the unique requirements of the customers and stakeholders Release End Game Or Transition Phase – Deploy Release X into production
3. Production – Operate and Support Release X

Iteration 0:

Iteration 0 is the initial stage. At this stage, you need to perform initial setup tasks. Identifying people for testing, installation of testing tools, scheduling resources, etc. comes under the Iteration 0 stage. Following are some steps that are set to achieve at this stage:

• Building a business case for the project
• Set the boundary conditions and the project scope
• Describe the essential requirements and use cases that will push the design trade-offs
• Frame one or more candidate architectures
• Knowing the risk
• Cost estimation and prepare a preparatory project

Construction Iteration:

The next thing in the row after Iteration 0 is the Construction Iterations. Most of the testing befall in this phase. This state is considered as an assortment of iterations to build an increment of the solution. To complete it successfully, the team executes hybrid practices from XP, Scrum, Agile Modeling, and agile data.

Furthermore, the Construction iteration is classified into two parts, confirmatory testing, and investigative testing. Confirmatory testing makes sure that the system fulfills the purpose of the stakeholders. On the other hand, Investigative testing detects those problems which are skipped by the Confirmatory testing. All in all, Construction iteration offers a working system that can meet the unique requirements of the customers and stakeholders.

Release End Game or Transition Phase:

The primary purpose of the release end game or transition phase is to deploy your system into production. Activities such as training of end-users, system deployment into production, etc. come under this phase. Moreover, marketing of the product release, back-up & restoration, finalization of system, and user documentation also comes under the same roof.

This phase is also considered as the final testing. It includes not only complete system testing but also acceptance testing. Moreover, if you want to complete your testing without any obstacle, it will be useful if you start testing the product from Construction Iteration. At this stage, software testers work over the project’s defect stories.

Production:

Once the product is done with the release stage, it will be moved to the production stage. The production stage is separated into four quadrants. Moreover, this stage helps to understand – How agile testing is performed.

Agile Quadrant I:

Agile Quadrant I focus on the internal code quality. Besides, it consists of technology-driven test cases and is executed to support the team. This Quadrant includes:

• Unit Tests
• Component Tests

Agile Quadrant II:

Agile Quadrant II concentrates on the business-driven test cases and is also executed to support the team. Following are some of the test programs that take place in this phase:

• Testing of possible scenarios and workflows
• Examination of User experience
• Pair testing

Agile Quadrant III:

Agile Quadrant III delivers feedback to the Quadrant I and II. In this Quadrant, the test cases are designed to perform automation testing. Moreover, many rounds of iteration reviews take place in this Quadrant to build confidence in the product. Following are the type of testing take place in this Quadrant:

• Usability Testing
• Exploratory Testing
• Pair testing with customers
• Collaborative testing
• User acceptance testing

Agile Quadrant IV:

The agile quadrant IV focuses on non-functional requirements such as performance, security, stability, etc. By making the use of this Quadrant, the application is built to deliver the non-functional properties and demanded value. Following are some of the types of testing that are done in this phase:

• Non-functional tests
• Security testing concerning authentication and hacking
• Infrastructure testing
• Data migration testing
• Scalability testing
• Load testing

Conclusion:

To sum up, I can say that the Agile model offers to test in the initial phase of the software development lifecycle. It not only demands high customer involvement but also testing code as soon as it is available. It requires the code to be stable enough so that it can complete the system testing process. Apart from this, it includes Extensive regression testing, which makes sure that the system is bug-free and tested. Most importantly, the communication that takes place between the teams is the building block of the success of Agile Software Testing.

Author Bio: Claire Mackerras, is a Senior QA Engineer & Editor associated with Bugraptors specialized in software testing services.  A CMMi5 certified company with extensive experience as a third-party testing vendor in US. She is passionate about writing on technological trends for manual & automation software testing.  She likes to share her knowledge, for the readers who are interested in exploring testing tacts and trends.