There are many advantages of using Agile Testing methods. Some of the benefits are a faster development cycle, greater understanding of requirements, and fewer bugs or defects. However, Agile testing is a complex endeavor that requires upfront planning, expertise, testing resources, and communication with the customer. A business must be prepared for the long-term commitment necessary to make use of Agile software development.
There are four stages in the Agile development lifecycle: Planning, conceptualization, implementation, and measurement. During the planning stage, a business needs to figure out what the purpose of the new software will be and how to implement it into the business. At this point, an Agile assessment can help in determining if a project is worth pursuing. The primary benefit of Agile assessment is that it can help a business identify and overcome problems before the implementation phase occurs.
After planning the process, Agile assessors then develop the testing plan. Different types of Agile assessments exist, including a formal methodology, continuous improvement, and hybrid testing. In addition, some projects utilize a combination of these techniques. Once the testing plan is developed, the next step in the Agile journey is determining the testing procedure or method.
In Agile Testing, the entire testing process involves the execution of the test objectives using different methodologies. A wide variety of approaches are applied to ensure the test is comprehensive, accurate, valid, and validates the identified functionality. Each agile teams apply the methodologies differently, which results in a variety of testing outcomes. Using automated tools that allow for flexible testing, Agile assessment helps increase the likelihood that the overall testing process will be successful.
For an Agile implementation to be successful, three crucial factors must be considered before its execution. First, the business must establish its needs and expectations from Agile software development. Next, the testing team must map out the testing plan and assign each functional skill to a tester or test engineer. Lastly, the test engineer must use his or her creativity and imagination to find ways to achieve the goals of the testers and developers. For Agile assessments to be effective, all of these elements must be in place.
Developing Agile assessments requires a significant amount of work by both team members and testers. Testers need to thoroughly understand the purpose of their tests to execute them effectively. Likewise, Agile team members need to understand the purpose of the testing to effectively self-discover potential issues. When testers and/or self-designers fail to properly discover issues, they risk leaving defects that could have been prevented during the development process. Because of this potential risk, Agile assessments must be properly executed by both team members and testers.