How To Infuse Adaptability Into Software Testing

As a software development organization, you’ve invested in a software testing team to ensure high-quality releases that keep customers satisfied and new sales flowing. The testing team likely has a wealth of manual and automated test scripts and a strong test strategy. But, does the team easily leverage new technologies and practices that increase the depth, breadth and accuracy of test coverage. Even better, is your team and testing environment adaptable to new technologies, like AI, and new practices?

In this blog, we will describe how software testers and organizations can break away from repetitive patterns and improve testing by infusing adaptability into test strategies and processes. Adaptability in software testing goes a long way toward achieving digital quality goals.

Why infuse adaptability into the software testing process?

Modern software application development is performed at high speed with even higher quality demands from customers who can — and will — switch applications or even business systems nearly overnight. Customers no longer fear changing networks or applications as they did with legacy systems.

Not only are customers more quality-focused, but applications are gaining complexity through integrated connections. Data exchange, data transfer and other processes make applications more useful across a wider range of workflows but also more difficult to test at speed. It’s a challenge to balance application quality and testing speed — that’s where adaptability comes in.

Adaptability in software testing processes, strategies and practices improves both the speed and quality of QA. Adaptable software testing enables organizations to release applications faster and with new features more continuously than in the past, even in industries that are highly regulated for compliance. Software testing teams that are adaptable can meet the speed demands of the business and still ensure application quality and compliance.

Adaptability in software testing enables:

• Improved test execution speed, accuracy and coverage

• Reduced tester disengagement due to repetitive, mundane test cycles

• Better energy, focus and quality in the testing process

• Employee growth through training programs to produce actual improvements in results

• Ability to learn and practice new skills

Infusing adaptability into software testing requires more than training courses and learning new skills. Adaptability means testers put new skills to use through active practice. Every testing project is different, so the approach and strategy must also be different. Adaptability helps software testing teams tackle any project, any time without sacrificing quality for speed.

Tips to avoid repetitive testing patterns

Part of being adaptable is breaking away from using repetitive testing patterns and habits. While old habits might be useful, they can also stifle new, more invigorating approaches to digital quality.

Common testing repetitive patterns include:

• Entering defects and waiting for fixes, retesting and then entering defects

• Executing the same series of tests every time

• Using the same test scripts repeatedly

• Repeating the testing techniques and approaches for every test project or team

Ways to break repetitive patterns include:

• Switch out test areas routinely to increase variety

• Change how you test — use different approaches and methods

• Mix QA teams or project leaders routinely

• Provide access to leadership training and skills for all team members

• Expand testing opportunities to all team members equally and equitably

• Abandon the tendency to pick favorites or proven testers for new projects or leadership

• Take a chance and find new potential

• Develop testing practices that suit your team, project or organization

• Cease the notion that testing is done only one way

• Stop using testing techniques that aren’t working

• Discover the power of experimentation and variety

Change is an inherent part of modern software application development. Don’t go extinct. Adapt to improve your testing skills and quality. Not all change is positive, so be prepared to address it with — you guessed it — another change. Continue to adapt until you’ve created the best possible testing approach that produces your customer’s most positive application experience repeatedly.

How to adapt existing test suites

Established, traditional testing teams have a glut of regression tests and suites. The organization has significant investments in these test artifacts or products. So, what should it do with them? Use them — just not all the time, every time.

Copy and edit manual test scripts to reflect a unique test strategy or approach. Keep the original test intact, but create new ones that incorporate different test approaches. For example, does your test team create modular-style test scripts? Keep the existing tests, then build other test types as well, such as an end-to-end or system test. Customer workflow tests are another option, and these can even suit exploratory testing stories or checklists.

Or, stop creating test scripts altogether. Put testing in the hands of the tester. Leverage your tester’s creativity and unique skill set. To ensure test coverage is maintained, create a brief reference document that details what the feature does and how. Save it with the test scripts and reference it when needed.

What about automated tests? Copy the working test scripts into a safe repository where no one can edit or delete them. Now, take the rest and spread them out to the team. Edit the existing test scripts and expand them. For example, try to cover system tests, performance tests and even in-depth security testing. The more that automation can cover and still be maintained efficiently, the more valuable it is over time. As with manual testing, mix it up with automated tests to gain broader and deeper test coverage.