Agile Iteration Testing Guide¶

Overview¶

This guide provides a comprehensive framework for testing activities throughout an Agile iteration. It emphasizes continuous testing, collaboration, and rapid feedback to deliver high-quality software iteratively and incrementally.

Iteration Planning¶

Test Strategy Development¶

Review iteration goals and objectives
Align test strategy with iteration priorities
Identify testing focus areas (functional, performance, security)
Determine balance between manual and automated testing
Plan for test-driven development (TDD) activities
Define success criteria for the iteration

Risk Assessment¶

Identify technical risks for planned features
Assess business risk of new functionality
Evaluate integration complexity and risks
Consider dependencies on external systems
Review past iteration issues and risks
Prioritize testing based on risk profile

Feature Analysis¶

Review all features planned for iteration
Understand user stories and acceptance criteria
Identify testability concerns
Clarify ambiguous requirements
Map features to testing quadrants (Q1-Q4)
Identify cross-feature integration points

Resource Allocation¶

Confirm team capacity for iteration
Allocate testing resources across features
Plan pairing sessions (developer + tester)
Schedule exploratory testing time boxes
Reserve time for technical testing (Q4)
Balance new feature testing with maintenance

Test Environment Planning¶

Verify test environment availability
Confirm environment parity with production
Plan test data setup and refresh
Validate CI/CD pipeline readiness
Ensure monitoring and logging are enabled
Check third-party service availability (test/staging)

Common Pitfalls to Avoid: - ⚠️ Over-planning instead of adapting during iteration - ⚠️ Ignoring non-functional requirements - ⚠️ Underestimating integration testing complexity

Continuous Testing Activities¶

Test-Driven Development (TDD) Practices¶

Unit Test Development¶

Write unit tests before production code
Follow Red-Green-Refactor cycle
Ensure tests are focused and specific
Maintain fast test execution (< 10 minutes)
Keep unit tests independent and isolated
Achieve meaningful code coverage (aim for 70-80%)

TDD Best Practices¶

Write smallest test that fails
Write simplest code to pass test
Refactor with confidence using tests
Run tests frequently during development
Review test quality in code reviews
Update tests when requirements change

Automated Regression Testing¶

Continuous Integration¶

Run automated tests on every commit
Monitor build pipeline status
Investigate and fix broken builds immediately
Maintain green builds (passing tests)
Review test execution times and optimize
Alert team on CI failures

Regression Suite Management¶

Add tests for new functionality to suite
Remove obsolete tests
Refactor duplicated test code
Update tests affected by changes
Organize tests by testing quadrant
Balance speed with comprehensiveness

Test Automation Pyramid¶

The test automation pyramid represents the ideal distribution of automated tests to maximize effectiveness while minimizing maintenance effort and execution time. The percentages indicate the proportion of your total automated test suite that should be at each level.

       /\
      /UI\         10% - End-to-end UI tests
     /____\        (Slow, brittle, high maintenance)
    /      \
   / API &  \      20% - Integration/API tests
  / Service  \     (Medium speed, stable)
 /____________\
/              \
/     Unit      \  70% - Unit tests
/     Tests      \ (Fast, reliable, easy to maintain)
/________________\

This distribution ensures fast feedback (unit tests run in seconds), stable test suite (fewer UI tests to maintain), and comprehensive coverage at appropriate levels.

Exploratory Testing Sessions¶

Session Planning¶

Define charter for each session (30-120 minutes)
Identify areas for exploration
Assign team members to sessions
Prepare test data and scenarios
Set up session tracking/note-taking

During Exploration¶

Follow the charter but remain flexible
Document interesting findings
Note questions and concerns
Capture screenshots and logs for issues
Explore edge cases and unusual scenarios
Test user workflows end-to-end

Session Debrief¶

Integration Testing Checkpoints¶

API Integration Testing¶

Verify API contracts and schemas
Test request/response validation
Check error handling and status codes
Validate authentication and authorization
Test rate limiting and throttling
Verify API versioning support

System Integration Testing¶

Test interactions between components
Verify data flow across systems
Validate external service integrations
Test message queue processing
Verify database transactions
Check batch processing and scheduled jobs

Integration Test Execution¶

Run integration tests in dedicated environment
Execute tests with realistic data volumes
Test with various configuration scenarios
Verify system behavior under load
Monitor system resources during tests
Document integration issues discovered

Common Pitfalls to Avoid: - ⚠️ Only testing happy paths in exploratory sessions - ⚠️ Neglecting test automation in favor of manual testing - ⚠️ Running slow integration tests too frequently

Behavior-Driven Development (BDD)¶

BDD Collaboration¶

Hold three amigos sessions (BA, Dev, Tester)
Discuss features before development starts
Create examples to illustrate requirements
Write scenarios in Given-When-Then format
Review scenarios with product owner
Ensure shared understanding across team

BDD Scenarios¶

Write scenarios in business language
Keep scenarios focused and specific
Include both positive and negative scenarios
Cover edge cases and exceptions
Make scenarios readable by non-technical stakeholders
Automate BDD scenarios where valuable

Example BDD Scenario Structure¶

Feature: User Authentication
  As a user
  I want to securely log into the system
  So that I can access my account

  Scenario: Successful login with valid credentials
    Given I am on the login page
    When I enter valid username "user@example.com"
    And I enter valid password "SecurePass123"
    And I click the login button
    Then I should be redirected to the dashboard
    And I should see a welcome message

Continuous Quality Monitoring¶

Real-Time Metrics¶

Monitor build success rate
Track test execution time trends
Review test coverage changes
Monitor defect detection rate
Track automated test stability
Measure team velocity with quality

Quality Gates¶

Enforce minimum test coverage thresholds
Require passing tests before merge
Validate code review completion
Check for security vulnerabilities
Ensure coding standards compliance
Verify documentation updates

Technical Debt Management¶

Identify testing technical debt
Prioritize test maintenance work
Allocate time for refactoring
Track test code quality metrics
Document known test limitations
Plan debt reduction in iterations

Iteration Completion¶

Acceptance Criteria Validation¶

Review all acceptance criteria for completed features
Verify each criterion has been tested
Confirm all tests pass
Validate with product owner or stakeholders
Document any deviations or exceptions
Obtain sign-off on completed work

Regression Test Execution¶

Execute full automated regression suite
Run smoke tests on integrated system
Perform sanity testing on critical workflows
Test recently fixed defects
Verify no new regressions introduced
Document regression test results

Release Readiness Assessment¶

Functional Readiness¶

All planned features implemented and tested
Critical and high defects resolved
Acceptance criteria met for all stories
Integration testing completed successfully
Performance benchmarks met

Non-Functional Readiness¶

Performance testing completed
Security testing performed
Accessibility requirements validated
Usability testing conducted
Compatibility testing done

Documentation and Deployment¶

Iteration Review¶

Demonstration¶

Metrics Review¶

Retrospective Activities¶

Discuss what worked well
Identify areas for improvement
Review testing practices effectiveness
Share learning and insights
Create actionable improvement items
Assign owners to action items

Common Pitfalls to Avoid: - ⚠️ Skipping regression tests to save time - ⚠️ Not obtaining proper acceptance sign-off - ⚠️ Ignoring retrospective action items

Testing Across Agile Quadrants¶

Quadrant 1: Technology-Facing, Supporting the Team¶

Focus: Guide development through automated tests - [ ] Write unit tests (TDD) - [ ] Create component tests - [ ] Develop API tests - [ ] Automate with fast feedback - [ ] Run continuously in CI

Quadrant 2: Business-Facing, Supporting the Team¶

Focus: Verify business requirements - [ ] Test functional requirements - [ ] Execute story acceptance tests - [ ] Run BDD scenarios - [ ] Perform smoke tests - [ ] Validate user workflows

Quadrant 3: Business-Facing, Critiquing the Product¶

Focus: Discover quality issues - [ ] Conduct exploratory testing - [ ] Perform usability testing - [ ] Execute user acceptance testing - [ ] Test user experience - [ ] Gather user feedback

Quadrant 4: Technology-Facing, Critiquing the Product¶

Focus: Assess non-functional qualities - [ ] Run performance tests - [ ] Execute security tests - [ ] Conduct load/stress tests - [ ] Test scalability - [ ] Validate reliability

Collaboration and Communication¶

Daily Practices¶

Participate in daily stand-ups
Share testing progress and blockers
Collaborate in pair testing sessions
Provide rapid feedback on code changes
Engage in continuous code review
Update team on quality status

Stakeholder Engagement¶

Clarify requirements with product owner
Demonstrate features regularly
Seek feedback on test coverage
Communicate risks and concerns
Share quality insights
Align on acceptance criteria

Key Metrics to Track¶

Iteration Metrics¶

Quality Metrics¶

Efficiency Metrics¶

Templates¶

Test Plan Template - For iteration test planning
Test Case Template - For test scenario documentation
Defect Report Template - For defect tracking
Test Execution Report Template - For iteration reporting

Phase Guidance¶

Test Planning Phase - Planning fundamentals
Test Case Development - Test design principles
Test Environment Preparation - Environment setup
Test Execution Phase - Execution strategies
Test Results Analysis - Results interpretation
Test Results Reporting - Reporting practices

Examples¶

Examples Directory - Practical examples (coming soon)

Agile Testing Methodology - Complete Agile testing methodology
Scrum Testing Methodology - Scrum-specific practices
Methodology Comparison - Compare methodologies

Tips for Success¶

For Teams New to Agile Testing¶

Start with test automation from iteration one
Focus on building quality in, not testing quality in
Embrace whole team quality responsibility
Keep iterations sustainable, don't overcommit
Build testing skills across the team

For Experienced Agile Teams¶

Continuously optimize test automation
Experiment with advanced testing techniques
Refine your testing strategy each iteration
Balance speed with thoroughness
Share knowledge across teams

General Best Practices¶

Shift testing left - test as early as possible
Automate repetitive tests to free time for exploration
Collaborate continuously with developers
Provide rapid feedback on all work
Focus on business value in testing
Maintain sustainable testing pace
Learn and adapt each iteration

Guide Usage Instructions¶

How to Use This Guide: 1. Review during iteration planning to prepare 2. Reference throughout iteration for guidance 3. Use as checklist during iteration closeout 4. Customize based on your team's context 5. Share with new team members for onboarding

Customization Recommendations: - Adapt checkpoints to your iteration length - Adjust automation targets to your context - Modify risk assessment based on your domain - Scale practices for your team size - Align with your organization's standards

Integration with Other Practices: - Combine with DevOps practices for continuous delivery - Integrate with your CI/CD pipeline - Align with your branching strategy - Coordinate with release management process

This guide is part of the BGSTM (BG Software Testing Methodology) framework. For more information, see the main documentation.