Agile Testing Methodology¶

Overview¶

Agile testing is a software testing approach that follows the principles of Agile software development. Testing is integrated throughout the development lifecycle, with emphasis on continuous feedback, collaboration, and adaptability.

Core Principles¶

1. Continuous Testing¶

Testing activities occur throughout the sprint/iteration
No separate testing phase
Immediate feedback on code changes
Early defect detection

2. Whole Team Approach¶

Testers work closely with developers and business analysts
Shared responsibility for quality
Cross-functional collaboration
Knowledge sharing and pair testing

3. Iterative and Incremental¶

Test small increments of functionality
Build on previous iterations
Continuous improvement
Adapt to changing requirements

4. Customer Collaboration¶

Direct interaction with product owner
Clarification of acceptance criteria
Participate in user story refinement
Demo and feedback sessions

5. Sustainable Pace¶

Realistic sprint commitments
Avoid burnout
Maintain quality over speed
Regular retrospectives

Agile Testing Quadrants¶

Quadrant 1: Technology-Facing Tests that Support the Team¶

Unit tests
Component tests
API tests Purpose: Guide development, catch bugs early When: During development (TDD/BDD) Automation: High

Quadrant 2: Business-Facing Tests that Support the Team¶

Functional tests
Story tests
User experience tests Purpose: Verify features meet requirements When: Throughout sprint Automation: Medium to High

Quadrant 3: Business-Facing Tests that Critique the Product¶

Exploratory testing
Usability testing
User acceptance testing Purpose: Discover issues, evaluate user experience When: Late sprint, ongoing Automation: Low

Quadrant 4: Technology-Facing Tests that Critique the Product¶

Performance tests
Security tests
Load and stress tests Purpose: Assess non-functional qualities When: Throughout sprint, special sprints Automation: High

Testing in Agile Ceremonies¶

Sprint Planning¶

Review user stories and acceptance criteria
Identify testability concerns
Estimate testing effort
Define testing tasks
Plan test automation

Daily Stand-up¶

Share testing progress
Raise blockers and impediments
Coordinate with team members
Update task status

Sprint Review/Demo¶

Demonstrate tested features
Show test coverage and results
Gather feedback from stakeholders
Validate acceptance criteria

Sprint Retrospective¶

Review testing practices
Identify improvements
Discuss challenges
Plan action items for next sprint

Test Planning in Agile¶

Release Level¶

Overall test strategy
Test environments
Tool selection
Risk assessment
High-level schedule

Sprint Level¶

Story-specific test cases
Test data requirements
Environment needs
Definition of Done
Automation priorities

Daily Level¶

Test execution plan
Defect triage
Blocker resolution
Progress tracking

Agile Testing Activities by Sprint Phase¶

Sprint Start¶

Participate in sprint planning
Review and clarify user stories
Create test scenarios
Set up test data
Prepare test environment

During Sprint¶

Develop automated tests (TDD/BDD)
Execute exploratory testing
Perform regression testing
Log and verify defects
Collaborate with developers
Update test cases

Sprint End¶

Complete remaining tests
Execute full regression suite
Validate acceptance criteria
Prepare for demo
Document known issues

Definition of Done (DoD)¶

Testing-related DoD criteria: - [ ] All acceptance criteria met - [ ] Unit tests written and passing - [ ] Integration tests passing - [ ] Automated regression tests updated - [ ] Manual exploratory testing completed - [ ] No critical or high defects open - [ ] Code reviewed and approved - [ ] Documentation updated - [ ] Demo-ready

Automation in Agile¶

Automation Pyramid¶

Level 3: UI Tests (10%) - End-to-end tests - User journey tests - Visual tests

Level 2: Integration/API Tests (20%) - Service tests - API contract tests - Database tests

Level 1: Unit Tests (70%) - Component tests - Function tests - Class tests

Automation Best Practices¶

Automate regression tests
Keep tests fast and reliable
Run tests in CI/CD pipeline
Maintain test code quality
Review test failures promptly
Balance automation with manual testing

Test-Driven Development (TDD)¶

TDD Cycle¶

Red: Write a failing test
Green: Write minimal code to pass
Refactor: Improve code quality

Benefits¶

Better code design
High code coverage
Rapid feedback
Living documentation
Fewer defects

Behavior-Driven Development (BDD)¶

BDD Approach¶

Write tests in business language
Collaborate on feature specifications
Use Given-When-Then format
Executable specifications

Example¶

Given user is on the login page
When user enters valid credentials
And user clicks login button
Then user should be redirected to dashboard

Exploratory Testing in Agile¶

Charter-Based Testing¶

Time-boxed sessions (30-90 minutes)
Specific charter/mission
Structured yet exploratory
Document findings

Session Structure¶

Charter definition
Test execution
Bug reporting
Debrief and notes

Challenges and Solutions¶

Challenge: Lack of Time for Testing¶

Solutions: - Automate regression tests - Shift testing left - Parallel development and testing - Definition of Done includes testing

Challenge: Changing Requirements¶

Solutions: - Flexible test approach - Focus on acceptance criteria - Continuous test refinement - Embrace change

Challenge: Technical Debt¶

Solutions: - Allocate time for refactoring - Maintain test automation - Regular code reviews - Balance features with quality

Challenge: Test Environment Issues¶

Solutions: - Containerization (Docker) - Infrastructure as code - Quick environment provisioning - Dedicated environments per team

Metrics in Agile Testing¶

Sprint Metrics¶

Velocity and quality correlation
Defect trend (found, fixed, open)
Automation coverage
Test execution time
Build stability

Release Metrics¶

Defect leakage to production
Test coverage trend
Automation ROI
Customer satisfaction

Tools for Agile Testing¶

Test Management¶

Jira (with Zephyr/Xray)
TestRail
PractiTest

Test Automation¶

Selenium/Cypress (UI)
Jest/JUnit (Unit)
Postman/REST Assured (API)

CI/CD¶

Jenkins
GitLab CI
GitHub Actions
CircleCI

Collaboration¶

Confluence
Miro
Slack/Teams

Best Practices¶

Start Testing on Day One: Don't wait for development to complete
Automate Wisely: Focus on stable, repetitive tests
Collaborate Continuously: Work alongside developers
Test Early and Often: Catch issues when they're cheap to fix
Embrace Change: Be flexible and adaptive
Focus on Value: Test what matters most
Keep Tests Maintainable: Treat test code like production code
Provide Fast Feedback: Fail fast, fix fast
Balance Test Types: Use the test pyramid
Continuous Learning: Retrospect and improve

Success Factors¶

Strong team collaboration
Clear acceptance criteria
Adequate test automation
Stakeholder involvement
Continuous improvement mindset
Appropriate tools and environment
Skilled and empowered team members