The discipline of software testing has undergone some revolutionary changes in the past few years. With the introduction of automation testing and an Agile approach to testing software products. As such, it’s no surprise that there are many challenges faced by QA specialists in the Agile space. Here are just a few of them.
Challenges Faced By A QA
Software quality assurance is an area that has undergone considerable changes over recent years.
Agile software development methodology, to give but one example has radically altered many aspects of software engineering and testing, including but not limited to requirements analysis, project management, and testing processes.
As such it’s hardly surprising that there are new challenges facing today’s QA professionals. Software Testing and test automation services have both been revolutionized by agile methods; teams need to consider different methodologies for integrating these areas into their existing practices.
Here we’ll look at some of those new challenges specifically related to test automation and software testing.
Maintaining An Automation Framework
A good automation framework will save you time and money when it comes to testing your software, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to build.
Here are a few tips on how to maintain an automation framework so you don’t need to deal with issues down the road.
Testing each feature as soon as you code is one of the best ways to develop your code and make sure everything works properly. The issue is that, as your codebase grows larger, manually testing every new feature becomes tedious and time-consuming.
Adopting Agile Methodologies
The benefits of adopting Agile, like increased productivity and a more focused approach to development, can be offset when your team doesn’t take full advantage of them.
Without proper preparation and automation testing expertise, you may see little or no improvement. Before implementing Agile, make sure you have both knowledge and resources on your side. If you don’t, expect some barriers on your path toward greater efficiency.
Changing Organizational Mindsets
When it comes to quality assurance, automation testing is a game-changer for many reasons.
First, it removes some of the manual testing’s human element—no more sleepless nights spent replaying your users’ use cases and trying to recreate their steps to make sure you didn’t miss anything.
Second, automation testing scales; organizations can set up automated tests so that hundreds or thousands of them run automatically at once.
And third, organizations have more control over what gets tested and when.
Balancing Stakeholder Needs
A successful software test strategy involves balancing stakeholder needs and expectations. Agile software testers must work closely with developers, stakeholders, product owners, project managers, and others to decide how features will be tested throughout development.
Stakeholders often hold conflicting views about how to balance quality assurance with timely delivery of products; software testers need to resolve these conflicts through discussions and collaboration.
Taking on New Roles and Responsibilities
One of the biggest challenges of working with small teams is it’s common for all team members to wear multiple hats, as opposed to larger software companies where employees are specialized.
With every new role that a software tester takes on, they must also adjust their focus to ensure they can deliver high-quality work within that field of expertise. However, sometimes our ability to split focus is overwhelmed and we experience testing burnout which can negatively impact quality assurance and software testing overall.
Identifying Relevant Testing Needs Early Enough
It is of utmost importance for QAs to be part of testing needs identification meetings so that they can participate in discussing test strategy and plan. This helps them to ask questions or raise issues if they find any gaps in Test Strategy.
In addition, it is necessary for QAs to understand project requirements early enough so that they can start planning and executing testing activities.
Ensuring Cultural Integration
A recent study found that up to 50% of new hires fail because of cultural fit. A bad cultural fit is always going to be more difficult to overcome than any technical challenge; it takes place at an unconscious level and cannot easily be solved with new training.
Ensuring that you’re aware of how your business works can help you develop better ways to evaluate whether candidates will thrive within your team.
Understanding The Organization’s Culture, Policies, Etc
The best way to go about doing that is to work closely with your development team members. Talk to them, and get a feel for how they operate as a group. Learn from them, and try to find similarities between how they work and what you’ve done previously.
Handling Non-Technical Stakeholders’ Expectations
The foundation of great software is great software development services and practices. To build software that’s both successful and loved, it’s important to consider all stakeholders — your end-users, management, product owners (if applicable), and developers.
It’s crucial to be aware of their expectations and manage them appropriately. If you want to deliver high-quality products on time.
Conclusion
Quality assurance is still an important part of any software project, no matter how agile it may be. As a team works toward producing high-quality products, they should make quality assurance one of their top priorities. Here are three common challenges that every agile QA must overcome.
