Issues and Challenges Related to Agile Testing

• In this fast paced technological world, the need for integrating the changing requirements in the software product, in an effective and efficient manner, together with the delivery of a product, in the least possible time has made the most of the organization, to embrace and implement the agile methodology of software development.

• An agile development methodology is an evolutionary approach, which provides the delivery of a software product in the increments after each iteration or sprints of short durations.

Agile testing is one of those testing types that follow the principles of agile methodology. Some of the features of agile testing are:

• Continuous testing• Less or no documentation work.• Systematic feedback and reviews.

• While the advantages associated with the agile testing attract the testers to be a part of the agile testing team, the professionals who are already engaged or have been the part of the agile testing team earlier are aware of the issues and challenges related to this testing technique.

• Let’s have a look at a few of them:

Selection of the Tools• Customary automation tools are used to automate the testing

processes of fully developed software products, which may not require any further changes.

• But if you are thinking to carry out tests with the agile methodology, from the beginning along with the development, it would not be feasible to automate the testing process at an early stage.

• Furthermore, automation may be introduced at a later stage, but still, these traditional tools are not suitable for the agile environment.

• Selecting the right and suitable tools for automating the agile test environs is the major challenge for the testing team.

Last Minute Changes• One of the purposes of the agile methodology is to cater

to the need of implementing the frequently changing requirements and features in a software product.

• Still, to consider and bring changes, when a software is almost ready to be released, is one of the most challenging and hectic factors that an agile tester has to face, keeping in view the approaching deadlines.

Lack of Documentation• Agile testing or agile

methodology does not include any sort of requirement gathering or documentation.

• Therefore, the non-availability of the documentation work hinders the agile testers in verifying and authenticating the functionality and features of a software, as they are ignorant of the requirements against which the software needs to be tested.

Limited Test Coverage• The quick, small iterations

and the need to deliver products after each iteration forces the testing team of focus and emphasize on the essential features and functionalities modified after each sprint.

• Thus, a majority of the features and functionalities cannot be covered under the regression testing suites.

Frequent Changing Code• The arriving requirements may bring a small or large

amount of changes in the already existing code after each sprint or iteration.

• Therefore, the codes are required to be substantiated and authenticated after each iteration, thereby requiring automation of regression test suites, an additional burden on the agile testing team.

Communication

• Agile does not consist of any documentation work, still, teams and stakeholders/client collaborate frequently to address various issues relating to the gathering of requirements, analyzing it, changing it, correcting it, and more.

• However, agile needs good and proper communication between the teams, including the clients to easily understand the requirements.

• Further, the testing team also needs to have proper communication with the development team, as they may help the testing team in understanding the features and functionalities of a product and in carrying out the testing activities in the nonexistence of any documentation work, during each sprint.

• To conclude, it is significant to share that find the agile testing tools carefully to have a bug free version of the software product with each iteration.