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QAOps – the future of software testing
Most companies separate the software testing team from the software development process and only involve them in testing tasks when the code is accessible in the test environment. This old approach to testing leads to significant bottlenecks that can cause harm to the quality of the project and subsequently to the release. This is where QAOps comes to the fore.
What is QAOps ?
QAOps (short for Quality Assurance Operations) is a methodology that seamlessly integrates software testing and quality assurance into the DevOps process. The main goal of QAOps is to accelerate software delivery by making testing and quality assurance an integral part of the entire software development lifecycle – the SDLC. QAOps acts as a framework that improves the processes and operations related to software delivery while ensuring the overall quality of the project. It combines industry best practices from quality assurance with relevant IT operations and software development practices to create a comprehensive and unified delivery strategy. Unlike traditional approaches that view software testing as an add-on service at the end of the project development process, QAOps promotes quality assurance involvement from the beginning to the culmination of the software development lifecycle. This enables QA teams to provide ongoing control and guidance throughout the development cycle, enabling early identification and resolution of defects, ultimately speeding up the delivery of the final product. This approach also empowers QA teams, who have increased responsibility throughout the process.
QA Ops – key concepts:
Shift-Left Testing: QAOps is a proponent of “Shift-Left” testing, which means introducing testing activities early in the development process. By initiating testing early in the development lifecycle, defects are discovered and eliminated early on, reducing the cost of troubleshooting later. Continuous testing: In QAOps, testing is performed continuously throughout the DevOps process. The focus is on automated testing, which provides rapid feedback and ensures that every code change is thoroughly verified. Collaboration and communication: QAOps encourages close collaboration between development, testing, and operations teams. Frequent communication and shared responsibilities help identify and resolve quality issues early. Automation: Automation is the foundation of QAOps. Test automation is used to create and execute test cases, perform regression testing, and verify code changes quickly. Continuous Monitoring: QAOps emphasizes continuous monitoring of applications in production. Monitoring helps identify performance issues, bugs, and user experience in real time.
The QAOps lifecycle: 3 key steps
QAOps is all about setting up the platform with popular CI/CD pipeline tools to ensure that the newly compiled code is well validated and tested. Setting up a test platform consists of 3 unique steps: Trigger, Execute, and Report.
Trigger
The most important part of the whole process is the launch of the application. This is done by setting up the right tests when integrating the application into the CI/CD pipeline. These tests must be appropriate for technical changes in the application, otherwise time can be lost testing unnecessary areas. This is one reason why enterprises should plan testing time, the other reason is to reduce the cost of testing. So, you have to keep three things in mind while designing the Trigger phase:
- Map the testing in the preliminary phase.
- Consider all types of testing, including integration testing.
- Implement tests for code review and development.
Software development has become quite popular and complex today. In order to ensure good product quality, enterprises should plan the startup process to focus on all aspects of software testing and cover all areas. Therefore, this process comes into consideration early in the development life cycle. The QAOps process is in a sense dependent on this step, as its successful execution can save the software team a lot of headaches and guide the rest of the process.
Execute
Once the Trigger phase is approved, the next step is execution. This step involves parallel testing of the framework along with software quality to ensure that developers have everything they need to generate the desired results. This should be done alongside DevOps and environment testing to avoid any bottlenecks in the QAOps process. There are various key factors that determine the execution planning in the development lifecycle:
- Parallel tests to kick-start the process
- Selecting the appropriate support for all integration tests
- Reviewing the scalability of the whole process
- Ensuring that tests are carried out in the exact order required
- Distribution of the implementation test load among several departments
- Ensuring the availability of the entire infrastructure and framework to execute the entire process
It is very important to understand the importance of this step in the QAOps process. Since the startup phase involves test planning, this step is executing the plan accordingly. Therefore, these two steps need to be performed sequentially.
Report
The last step in the process is reporting. This step involves exactly what it implies – reporting the results of the previous two steps. Just like any other process, reporting completes the entire QAOps process. All of the work and planning that followed in the startup and execution phases will be worked into the reporting module for complete brevity. The design of the module requires detailed information on all the steps that the project team mapped and followed during the QA process. It is recorded for stakeholders to compare and analyse later. In addition, the reporting module also contains and stores the history of previously performed tests so that the various stakeholders can compare and evaluate the results. Such reports should be readily available and on-demand when needed. To better understand the design of the reporting module, QA needs to focus on some key areas:
- Images and a comprehensive view of the entire project
- Focus on the root cause of the various steps involved
- Fast availability of accurate results without confusion
- Ensuring easy availability of the report when needed
- Full details of the report so that it can be referred to again in the upcoming debugging procedure
- Exploring the scalability of report when managing huge volume of data
A good QAOps setup is beneficial to the software delivery process. Businesses need to plan and execute the entire process properly to get the maximum benefit from it. If the three steps of the QAOps process are successfully implemented, the time and cost of testing will be significantly reduced, even for multiple projects at once.
Methodologies used in QAOps
QAOps uses the following testing methodologies to reduce test cycles along with software quality and stability.
- Automated testing
Automated testing is considered one of the most reliable methods of software testing. This model basically helps to compare the actual results with the expected ones. In this model, QA analysts can analyze the testing results and recommend changes to subsequent development teams. What it requires is a thorough understanding of the product, its features, and specifications before analysts can come up with suggestions for modifications. This allows automated testers to decide on the number of tests to be automated based on the stage of the product, so that they can tailor them according to the desired goals. Automated testing saves valuable time and increases the relevance of testing data.
- Parallel testing
Parallel testing is carried out to ensure that all parts of the product are working correctly. Thus, the application goes through multiple automated tests simultaneously, which significantly reduces the cost and time of testing. The QAOps framework can accelerate testing within the same delivery pipeline at a given time. One factor to consider during the testing process is the fact that the amount of data on hardware and infrastructure is quite large, and to maintain parallel testing, analysts need a robust testing cloud that can handle the load of increased data processing. If tests are running successfully, it is easier for QA analysts to detect any faulty tests early in the process, saving both time and cost.
- Scalability testing
Once the product is launched, scalability testing comes next. This non-functional test is performed based on the product’s performance with users. The scalability test is performed to check how the software performs under different load levels. In this case, customer feedback is important to determine what changes need to be made to further improve performance. Automated testing is an easier scaling option than manual testing. With automated testing, software engineers can save models, steps, page objects, methods, and functions and reuse them in upcoming testing. Since these elements have already been created, automating the processes makes it less complicated to develop new tests and easier to create each step.
- Regression testing
Regression testing verifies the reliability of a product after it has been updated with a new feature or an enhancement to an existing feature. QAOps determines whether the quality of the software is maintained when new features are added or code is modified. In this model, QA testers are required to test whether newly required updates introduce any significant changes and bugs to the product. Since this testing tries to add a new dimension to the product, it can sometimes cause some unnecessary bugs in the product. To avoid this mishap, testers can help ensure a smooth process without wasting time and money on changes.
- Functional exploratory testing
Functional exploratory testing is performed to make sure that the product result matches the desired outcome. The whole testing process here depends on the experience of the test engineers, as they have to think of possible bugs in the system and fix them before release. QA requires them to think beyond the scripted code and take the next steps based on the existing status of the application.
- Geolocation testing
In geolocation testing, we validate the application in different geographic locations to ensure that it meets all legal requirements for that location and performs as expected regardless of the location. It checks the effectiveness of the application in each geographic location where the application is likely to be used. It verifies the effectiveness and performance of the application for IP located in different locations.
Benefits of QAOps
In today’s marketplace, where software development organizations regularly struggle with their products, the QAOps process makes it easier for them to achieve their goal. By integrating various testing methodologies with QA operations, businesses can benefit in many ways.
- Strengthening the skill level
When the software testing team collaborates with other teams (operations and development) as part of QA DevOps testing, it helps them to broaden their horizons and improve their skills.
- Better quality
Because the software test team is integrated into the product delivery workflow, the final product is of higher quality than it would have been using the old methodology. As an important part of the CI/CD workflow, where comprehensive automation is used, fast results are achieved, leading to excellent customer satisfaction.
- Better customer experience
QAOps helps ensure that products meet customer expectations by ensuring adherence to industry standards and protocols. By combining the efforts of developers and testers, QAOps can ensure that any bugs or design flaws are addressed before the product is released. This comprehensive approach to quality assurance helps ensure that our customers have the best possible experience with our products.
- Better productivity
As software testing becomes much more involved in the software development lifecycle than it used to be, there is repeated communication with other teams. This ensures that the company’s testing team is extremely valued, which increases their productivity and confidence.
- Faster time to market
Early testing and automation lead to faster release times, reducing time to market.
- Detecting and fixing bugs early in the development process
Thanks to effective collaboration between the quality assurance (QA) and operations teams, developers can detect and fix any bugs in the program early in the development process. This strategic approach can save enterprises a lot of resources because they don’t have to backtrack and spend time troubleshooting bugs later. Organizations can save money by using this method by addressing obstacles before they become more costly and ensuring that their products are released with a minimum of bugs.
QAOps challenges
- Resistance to change
One of the challenges in implementing QAOps is resistance to change. Teams may resist change and it is imperative to address these concerns.
- Integration of tools
Integrating different tools and technologies within a QAOps pipeline can be complex. It requires careful planning and implementation.
- Scalability issues
As projects grow, scalability becomes an issue. Ensuring that QAOps processes can scale with the project is critical.
QAOps Best Practices
- The Continuous Testing process should be integrated into the software development lifecycle. This helps businesses reduce risks and ensure faster product release and time to market.
- All teams in the organization (dev, IT operations, QA) should be part of the entire release cycle. They need to ensure effective collaboration and communication throughout the release process.
- CI/CD should be performed regularly, preferably daily. The work of each must be merged into the release pipeline. This helps to identify errors in the early stages and eliminate them before it is too late.
- QA teams should be part of both the release planning and requirements gathering process. It will be more effective if the quality teams work together with the development teams and provide important input during development.
- Each team’s QA Metrics should be defined and measured at set intervals during the release process.
- Testers should use automation tools and scripts to automate as much of the testing as possible. When developing new features, in-depth regression testing of existing features should be performed to ensure that existing features are not broken.
- Developers need to start thinking like testers, and testers need to do the opposite, i.e. fix the code. This makes everyone in the organization take responsibility for the overall quality of the product.
The future of QAOps in organisations
In the current market scenario, the future of enterprise-critical software testing will be highly automated and cloud-based. QAOps will become the next big thing. Many companies have already adopted a DevOps approach, and QAOps is the next leap towards the logical next step. Overall, teams can achieve comprehensive test coverage by tuning their apps for many mobile devices. Accurately designed and executed, it paves the way for fast software delivery. It provides a better customer experience and proves to be convenient and time efficient without any compromise in quality.
Here are a few emerging trends that are shaping the future of QAOps:
- Testcraft AI tool
Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are poised to revolutionize QA. AI-powered testing tools can(Top AI testing tools) analyze massive amounts of test data, identify patterns, and predict potential problems. This not only speeds up testing, but also increases test coverage and accuracy.
- DevSecOps integration
Safety becomes an integral part of the development and quality assurance process. DevSecOps, which combines development, security and operations, ensures that security controls are in place continuously. QAOps teams will increasingly work with security experts to seamlessly integrate security testing.
- Testing with no code or low code count
Code-free and low-code testing platforms are gaining popularity. These platforms allow non-technical users to create and execute test scripts without extensive coding knowledge. This democratizes testing and speeds up test creation.
- Serverless testing
Serverless architectures are on the rise and testing these environments presents unique challenges. Future trends in QAOps will include the development of specialized testing tools and methodologies for serverless applications.
- Testing in containers
Containerization, exemplified by technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes, will continue to be a significant trend. Testing in containerized environments will require new strategies and tools to ensure the quality of applications deployed in containers.
- Ethical testing of artificial intelligence
As AI is increasingly integrated into software, there will be a growing need for ethical AI testing. This includes ensuring that AI systems are objective, fair and transparent and that they comply with ethical guidelines.
- Testing quantum computing
Although still in its infancy, quantum computing has the potential to disrupt software development. Testing in a quantum computing environment will require entirely new approaches and tools.
Conclusion
As QAOps continues to evolve, organizations must adapt to these trends to ensure the quality, reliability, and security of their software products. Adopting these new practices and technologies will be critical to staying competitive in the dynamic world of software development and quality assurance. If you’re an IT tester or automation tester and you speak German, check out our company benefits and respond to our latest job postings.
