Agile and Testing: It Only Makes Sense

As agile methodologies continue to grow in popularity in enterprise software development, many testers are unsure of their role in the process.  Often it seems like unit testing is done by developers, acceptance testing by the product owner or users, and functional testing not at all.  This leave testers wondering if test plans, test cases, UI testing, and defect management have any place at all in software today.

There are still important roles for traditional testers in Agile methodologies, but these roles require a shift in both skills and thought processes.  There is no question that testers have to be able to test more quickly; turning around test results within the space of a 2-4 week iteration simply isn’t possible using old techniques.  Instead, testers have to leverage automation, both to run existing test cases and to create a regression suite.

Second, testers have to collaborate more closely with developers, in order to understand development decisions and to rapidly create and execute testing strategies.  Working together and sharing information is the only way rapid development-test cycles can work.

Last, testers need fast access to information on test results and bug analysis to let the team make more informed decisions on the state of quality and when an iteration can be released.  Not knowing the quality state of a release is a prescription for a bad or unusable product.

Telerik Test Studio supports agile by enabling testers to easily automate test cases and schedule those cases to run without having to be physically present.  You can also schedule tests to run immediately after a build, so that the team understands the state of the build immediately.  This enables faster test execution in a process where time is everything.

Test Studio brings developers and testers closer together, whether using Test Studio standalone or the Visual Studio plug-in.  It enables the easy sharing of information within a single environment.

If you haven’t already, try Test Studio risk-free for 30 days.  Download the trial at http://www.telerik.com/automated-testing-tools/. You can also request a personal demo at http://www.telerik.com/automated-testing-tools/support/live-demos/personal-demo.aspx.

Peter Varhol

About the author

Peter Varhol

Peter Varhol is an Evangelist for Telerik’s TestStudio. He’s been a software developer and software product manager, technology journalist, and university professor among the many roles in his past, and believes that his best talent is explaining concepts and practices to others. He’s on Twitter at @pvarhol.