Do you know DevOps is the most-used software development methodology for source code management and continuous delivery? While many global companies are adopting the DevOps model, many still need to utilize the DevOps Testing Strategy properly!
“DevOps Testing aims to follow Quality Assurance practices and promote continuous development and deployment of software code without errors.”
DevOps Testing balances development activities and QA testing workflows while automating different software delivery processes. That’s why it requires a well-planned DevOps Testing Strategy. But how can you create the ultimate testing strategy? Let’s explore the best options you have!
What’s The Purpose Of The DevOps Testing Strategy?
In traditional DevOps workflows, software testing was often relegated to a single development lifecycle phase. This approach resulted in several challenges:
- Testing occurred after the software was fully developed
- Businesses faced delays in identifying and addressing code defects
- Manual testing processes were error-prone and time-consuming
- Testing teams operated separately from development teams
- Detecting bugs late often necessitated costly rework and delayed delivery
Hence, continuous and automated testing emerged as a new trend in DevOps environments. It happens continuously at every software development stage, thus minimizing the need for backtracking.
However, different businesses have different DevOps setups, using various tools and following distinct approaches. Businesses cannot overlook the importance of a well-defined DevOps testing strategy. The right strategy makes DevOps implementations successful.
Top Benefits Of Utilizing A Suitable DevOps Strategy For Testing
Now you know why having a DevOps strategy for testing is a must, let’s discuss what advantages await when you implement a well-curated strategy plan!
Covers Both Functional & Non-Functional Testing
DevOps testing isn’t just about Unit or Integration Testing! The Quality Assurance team must also do non-functional testing. So, the customized DevOps testing strategy covers whichever testing your DevOps environments require. Be it regression or cross-browser testing; the QA testers will check the product usability while doing functional testing!
Deliver Faster Feedback
Having the right Testing Strategy means your developers will not have to rework and fix the code after the Product Feature goes into production! Instead, they’ll receive immediate feedback from the testing team about which bugs need immediate fixes before the final Product Release!
Faster Time to Market
With a successful DevOps testing strategy, your Developers can focus only on delivering high-quality software features. As they work on improving the code quality, they provide better results with faster feature releases. Plus, the automated testing processes keep on reporting to them about various workflow defects so that they can immediately work on fixing the errors. Thus, you can achieve faster time to market with improved software quality.
More Platform Coverage
The strategy for DevOps Testing covers different areas of DevOps processes, including CI/CD pipeline management, software development, infrastructure support operations, and many more. As the strategy covers various platforms for continuous testing, you can select the right test automation tools based on your DevOps workflows!
Continuous Risk Analysis
The DevOps Testing Strategy covers continuous monitoring aspects of various DevOps workflows. Thus, you can continuously monitor every code build and check different versions to identify severe risks before facing unexpected failures. As you immediately mitigate the security risks, you can deliver code builds quickly.
The Must-Have DevOps Tools For QA Testing
As said earlier, the diversity of DevOps workflows brings us numerous tools available for different DevOps processes. Some tools are for CI/CD workflows, while some are for application development and deployment. But which testing tools must you include in the DevOps Strategy? Here’s the complete list for you!
- Selenium: It is a widely used automation testing software for checking web app functionalities across different browsers and platforms.
- Kubernetes: This container orchestration software is perfect for deploying and scaling containerized cloud-native applications in DevOps environments.
- Docker: This containerization software packages applications with their dependencies into portable containers for easier deployments.
- Jenkins: Jenkins is an open-source DevOps testing tool that can automate the execution and checking of code build across the CI/CD pipelines.
- JMeter: It is ideal for performance testing as it assesses the overall performance of web applications or APIs under different workloads.
- Postman: This DevOps tool is perfect for web API testing. It debugs different API calls that web apps make.
- Appium: Being an open-source testing tool, Appium is perfect for mobile application testing across cloud-native or hybrid environments.
Are you already using any of these DevOps Testing Tools? If not, it’s time to incorporate them in your DevOps Strategy for continuous testing!
Best Practices For Crafting The Right DevOps Testing Strategy
Now that you know which DevOps testing tools you require, it’s time to review the best practices you can follow when crafting the QA Testing Strategy!
Follow The Shift Left Testing Approach
Importantly, DevOps testing is a continuous process alongside software development and deployment. So, the “Shift Left” technique moves DevOps testing activities at the beginning of software development. QA testers can then start testing from the initial stages. These inherent features of DevOps testing contribute to making the testing strategy a success.
Smartly Incorporate Test Automation
When you develop the DevOps Testing Strategy, discover which manual testing tasks the QA engineers repeatedly perform. Now that you know the improvement areas utilize Test Automation tools like Selenium to automate these DevOps testing activities. The more automation you can introduce, the faster your DevOps testing process will become!
Choose The Right DevOps Testing Tools
We have already discussed various available DevOps testing tools and their main functionalities. You must pick suitable testing software that fits your existing DevOps processes well. Train your QA engineers to learn using these new DevOps testing tools!
Enhance Testing Efficiency With Performance Metrics
You can assess the DevOps testing outcomes by utilizing performance metrics in DevOps. For example, compare the number of test cases that passed with those that failed. Check how many bugs were identified and how many were successfully resolved. So, incorporate these performance metrics in the DevOps testing strategy you create!
Use Advanced Reporting With Continous Monitoring
DevOps testing isn’t done after the code builds go into production. You must enable audits and monitoring services to analyze the application or software performance. You can generate audit reports to find actionable insights from them!
Stay Agile And Utilize Kanban Boards
Even though DevOps is an Agile Approach, you can use other Agile Methodologies! Take Kanban, for example. Kanban boards provide visual clarity to the ongoing DevOps testing activities as you can quickly check or manage these tasks. You can identify which testing tasks need immediate attention and ask the QA testers to work on them!
It’s Time To Perform DevOps Testing Using A Strategy That Works!
So, are you ready to create the perfect DevOps Testing Strategy? As you now know the benefits of having such a testing strategy, you must start preparing for it! Try to utilize different DevOps testing tools that are currently available. Also, follow the best practices to make your DevOps strategy for testing successful. Good luck!
FAQs
What is a DevOps Testing Strategy?
A DevOps test strategy covers different tests required to ensure that the developed product is defect-free and error-free. Since the beginning of software development, the testing strategy has utilized top-quality DevOps testing tools to conduct functional and non-functional testing. Enterprises can customize their DevOps Strategies according to their software delivery requirements.
Is DevOps Testing required?
DevOps processes and workflows testing is a must for today’s organizations. It’s the most effective way to identify workflow defects or code errors at the early stages of SDLC. As it is a continuous process, DevOps testing covers different aspects of DevOps workflows for end-to-end testing.
Who performs the DevOps Testing and how?
In DevOps teams, the developers perform unit testing before submitting the code for QA testing. Next, the QA engineers perform rigorous testing using various test cases and input combinations. Depending on the testing outcomes, they will accept the code for the final release!
Can I customize the DevOps Testing Strategy?
You can easily modify the DevOps Test Strategy according to the changes in your DevOps workflows. You can incorporate new DevOps tools or use different Agile methodologies like Kanban. You can also introduce various test automation scopes to remove manual efforts. Thus, you can modify the existing strategy and enhance its effectiveness!
Should I hire a DevOps Consulting Company to tailor the DevOps Testing Strategy?
If you lack expertise in DevOps testing, it’s best to consult with expert DevOps companies. They have in-house teams of experienced and skillful DevOps engineers who know how to form a successful Testing Strategy for DevOps. Once they consult with you, they will prepare the strategy plan that your QA testing team must follow!
BDCC
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