Test automation strategies in DevOps

DevOps is a combination of software development and IT operation practices. In the traditional models, the development team writes the code and sends it to the QA team. If the QA team finds any bugs, it goes back to the developers and IT operations. Usually, the Ops teams have limited time to introduce system changes, causing product production delays.

The DevOps team tries to minimize this misalignment by introducing tools, practices, and mindsets that remove the gap between different teams.

Test automation and DevOps

DevOps supports the product's development process as it is built, tested, and released for the end user. Traditionally, QA would apply functional and regression testing after product deployment, and the product remains with the QA team until they perfect it for release. With the involvement of the DevOps team, the whole software development process requires more coordination among all stakeholders, i.e., development, QA, and operations teams.

To achieve better results, the DevOps team aims to incorporate automation in all software development processes. This involves automating the testing process and configuring it to run automatically.

Following are some of the test automation strategies.

Shift left testing

In most software development cycles, testing is done at the extreme right of the cycle. Shift left pushes testing to the left, which means to the early stages of the cycle. With this approach, the bugs are identified in the early stages of the development resulting in improved software quality and reduced time spent on resolving issues.

Continuous integration and continuous development

Continuous integration and continuous development (CI/CD) help automate steps in the software development process. As part of the CI/CD process, automated tests are executed on the integrated code to ensure its stability. Automated tests are triggered at various stages to validate the functionality, performance, security, and other quality aspects.

Behavior-driven development

Behavior-driven development (BDD) is a testing practice. It is a collaborative approach that defines and automates tests based on the behavior user expects to experience while interacting with the system. It promotes communication between developers, testers, and stakeholders, ensuring everyone shares a common understanding of system behavior.

Cross browser and cross platform testing

Cross browser and cross platform testing is a non-functional testing technique that allows you to check if your website works in the desired way when accessed through different browser-OS combinations, devices, and assistive tools. It makes sure that the website is accessible to all users.

These are just a few examples of test automation strategies in DevOps. The choice of strategy depends on the needs of the project, the business requirements, and the tech stack being used. It's important to continuously assess and refine the automation strategy to optimize the testing process and improve the software quality.