Scrum Testing Methodology¶

Overview¶

Scrum is an Agile framework that organizes work into fixed-length iterations called sprints. Testing in Scrum is integrated throughout the sprint, with testers being full members of the cross-functional Scrum team.

Scrum Framework Basics¶

Scrum Roles¶

Product Owner¶

Defines product vision
Manages product backlog
Prioritizes features
Clarifies requirements
Accepts completed work

Scrum Master¶

Facilitates Scrum ceremonies
Removes impediments
Coaches the team
Protects team from distractions
Ensures Scrum practices

Development Team (includes Testers)¶

Cross-functional and self-organizing
Delivers working software
Shares responsibility for quality
Collaborates continuously
Typically 5-9 members

Scrum Artifacts¶

Product Backlog¶

Prioritized list of features/user stories
Maintained by Product Owner
Continuously refined
Includes acceptance criteria

Sprint Backlog¶

User stories committed for current sprint
Task breakdown
Estimated effort
Updated daily

Increment¶

Working software at sprint end
Potentially shippable
Meets Definition of Done
Demonstrates value

Testing in Scrum Events¶

Sprint Planning (4-8 hours for 2-week sprint)¶

Tester Involvement: - Review user stories and acceptance criteria - Clarify requirements and ask questions - Identify testability issues - Raise dependencies and risks - Estimate testing effort - Plan test approach for sprint

Testing Activities: - Break down test tasks - Identify test data needs - Plan automation tasks - Allocate test environment - Define testing strategy

Daily Scrum / Stand-up (15 minutes)¶

Tester Updates: - What I tested yesterday - What I plan to test today - Any blockers or impediments - Test environment issues - Defects found

Coordination: - Align with developers on completed features - Flag testing dependencies - Request clarifications - Offer testing support

Sprint Review / Demo (2-4 hours for 2-week sprint)¶

Tester Role: - Demonstrate tested features - Present test results and coverage - Show passing acceptance tests - Discuss quality metrics - Gather stakeholder feedback

Deliverables: - Working software demo - Test summary report - Known issues list - Metrics dashboard

Sprint Retrospective (1.5-3 hours for 2-week sprint)¶

Testing Topics: - What testing practices worked well? - What testing challenges did we face? - How can we improve test coverage? - Are our tests effective? - Tool and environment improvements - Action items for next sprint

Tester Participation: - Review upcoming user stories - Provide testability feedback - Suggest acceptance criteria - Identify test complexity - Raise technical concerns - Estimate testing effort

Testing Throughout the Sprint¶

Sprint Day 1-2: Sprint Start¶

Participate in sprint planning
Set up test environment
Create test plan for sprint
Prepare test data
Review and refine test cases
Begin automation setup

Sprint Day 3-7: Mid-Sprint¶

Execute test cases as features complete
Perform exploratory testing
Log and verify defects
Collaborate with developers
Update automated tests
Conduct API/integration testing
Daily regression testing

Sprint Day 8-9: Sprint End¶

Complete remaining test cases
Execute full regression suite
Verify all defect fixes
Validate Definition of Done
Prepare demo materials
Update test metrics
Document known issues

Sprint Day 10: Review and Retro¶

Demo tested features
Present quality report
Participate in retrospective
Document lessons learned
Plan improvements

User Story Testing¶

User Story Structure¶

As a [user type]
I want [goal]
So that [benefit]

Acceptance Criteria¶

Clear, testable conditions that must be met: - Given [context] - When [action] - Then [outcome]

Definition of Ready (for Testing)¶

User story is clear and understandable
Acceptance criteria are defined
Dependencies identified
Test data requirements known
Non-functional requirements specified
Story is testable

Definition of Done (Testing Perspective)¶

Testing Approach by Story Size¶

Small Stories (1-2 points)¶

Quick manual testing
Simple automation
Minimal test cases
Fast feedback

Medium Stories (3-5 points)¶

Comprehensive test cases
Automated and manual testing
Integration testing
Multiple scenarios

Large Stories (8+ points)¶

Should be broken down
Extensive test coverage
Multiple test types
Possibly multiple sprints

Test Automation in Scrum¶

Automation Strategy¶

Write tests alongside development
Automate regression tests
Use Continuous Integration
Maintain test suite health
Review and refactor tests

Test Automation Pyramid in Scrum¶

        /\
       /UI\          10% - End-to-end tests
      /____\
     /      \
    /  API   \       20% - Integration/API tests
   /__________\
  /            \
 /     Unit     \    70% - Unit tests
/________________\

Sprint Automation Goals¶

Automate new feature tests
Maintain existing automation
Fix broken tests
Improve test efficiency
Reduce manual regression effort

Defect Management in Scrum¶

Defect Workflow¶

Found: Tester identifies issue
Triaged: Team assesses severity
In Progress: Developer fixes
Ready for Test: Fix available
Verified: Tester confirms fix
Closed: Issue resolved

When to Fix Defects¶

Critical/High: Fix in current sprint
Medium: Next sprint or current if time permits
Low: Backlog for future sprint

Defect Prevention¶

Pair programming
Code reviews
Definition of Done adherence
Test-driven development
Continuous integration

Regression Testing in Scrum¶

When to Run Regression¶

After each code commit (automated)
Before sprint review
After defect fixes
Before release

Regression Strategy¶

Automated smoke tests (daily)
Automated functional tests (every build)
Full regression suite (before review)
Manual exploratory (continuously)

Testing Different Types of Work¶

Feature Development¶

Full test cycle
Acceptance criteria validation
Automation development
Exploratory testing

Bug Fixes¶

Verify fix works
Regression testing
Root cause understanding
Update related tests

Technical Debt¶

Testing improvements
Refactoring verification
Updated test coverage
Performance validation

Spikes (Research)¶

Proof of concept testing
Feasibility assessment
Risk evaluation
Learning and exploration

Metrics and Reporting in Scrum¶

Sprint Metrics¶

Velocity: Story points completed
Burndown Chart: Work remaining over time
Defect Trend: Found, fixed, open defects
Test Coverage: % of stories tested
Automation Coverage: % of automated tests
Build Stability: Pass/fail rate

Quality Metrics¶

Defects per story
Escaped defects
Test case pass rate
Automation ROI
Test execution time

Sprint Review Report Contents¶

Sprint goals and achievements
Stories completed and tested
Test execution summary
Defects summary
Test coverage metrics
Known issues and risks
Quality assessment

Challenges in Scrum Testing¶

Challenge: Testing Late in Sprint¶

Solutions: - Test as features complete - Parallel development and testing - Use TDD/BDD approaches - Automate regression testing

Challenge: Incomplete User Stories¶

Solutions: - Strong Definition of Ready - Regular backlog refinement - Tester involvement in planning - Clear acceptance criteria

Challenge: Technical Debt¶

Solutions: - Dedicated time each sprint - Track and prioritize debt - Balance features with quality - Regular refactoring

Challenge: Environment Issues¶

Solutions: - Containerization - Dedicated test environments - Quick provisioning - Environment automation

Challenge: Time Pressure¶

Solutions: - Risk-based testing - Automation focus - Exploratory testing - Definition of Done enforcement

Best Practices for Scrum Testing¶

Be a Team Player: Collaborate, don't just hand off
Test Early and Often: Don't wait for sprint end
Automate Wisely: Focus on valuable, stable tests
Communicate Clearly: Share progress and risks
Embrace Change: Be flexible with requirements
Focus on Value: Test what matters most
Maintain Quality: Don't compromise on Definition of Done
Continuous Improvement: Learn from each sprint
Shared Responsibility: Quality is everyone's job
Be Proactive: Identify risks early

Tools for Scrum Testing¶

Scrum Management¶

Jira
Azure DevOps
Trello
Rally

Test Management¶

Jira (with Zephyr/Xray)
TestRail
qTest

Test Automation¶

Selenium
Cypress
Playwright
Jest/JUnit

CI/CD¶

Jenkins
GitLab CI
GitHub Actions
Azure Pipelines

Collaboration¶

Confluence
Miro
Slack/Microsoft Teams

Success Factors¶

Strong team collaboration
Clear Definition of Done
Adequate automation
Product Owner involvement
Regular refinement sessions
Effective Scrum Master
Appropriate tooling
Continuous improvement culture

Scrum Testing Anti-Patterns to Avoid¶

Testing Phase Mindset: Don't save testing for sprint end
Tester Bottleneck: Don't make tester the quality gatekeeper
Ignoring Technical Debt: Don't defer quality issues
Over-committing: Don't sacrifice quality for velocity
Weak Definition of Done: Don't accept incomplete work
No Automation: Don't rely solely on manual testing
Skipping Retrospectives: Don't miss improvement opportunities
Unclear Requirements: Don't proceed without acceptance criteria

Scaling Scrum Testing¶

Multiple Teams¶

Shared test environments
Coordinated test execution
Common test frameworks
Integration testing across teams
Shared quality standards

Large Products¶

Component testing by team
End-to-end test coordination
Shared test services
Central test reporting
Cross-team collaboration