Software Testing is evolving year by year and we have seen a major change from Manual Testing, Waterfall Methodology to experimentation with different development approaches. During the 1990s we used bulky automation tools, and in the 20s started moving to more robust automation tools and open source frameworks with Agile approaches, having faster release cycles and entering the world of DevOps & Continuous testing with CI/CD tools to bring more scale. So what are the testing trends we can expect moving forward?
As we enter 2021, we all are waiting for the upcoming Software Testing trends that can help us get prepared for the new Era of the Software Testing world 🌍 Without wasting much time, let’s quickly go through my 2021 Software Testing forecast ✨
1. Codeless Automation Tools 🎬
In today’s fast-paced development environment, QA engineers and developers need to deliver quickly. Then question arrives, how can you quickly create a reliable, robust, and maintainable automated tests. Every team wants to perform In Sprint automation, but sometimes we face challenges to achieve it. This can be achieved when we have proper collaboration among the Development Scrum teams. At the same time, we want a tool or platform which can accelerate the testing process and have faster feedback.
Features of Codeless Automation Tools
- Mild Learning Curve – These types of tools require no previous coding skills and complex configurations. The learning curve is also mild in adaptation and implementation.
- Smart Powerful Record & Playback – These will allow the user to directly record the tests from the UI.
- Seamless Integrations – These will generally have integration with modern CI/CD tools and Test Management systems and Issue Management.
- Centralized analytics Dashboards and Reporting – These tools usually have amazing Analytics reporting that measures successful vs. failed tests during various time periods.
Among them, we have a very powerful end-to-end test automation platform i.e. TestProject. It’s a platform for web, mobile, and API testing that gives us an E2E Automation solution which is absolutely FREE! 🆓 So, we will have the same momentum of adoption of Codeless tools in Testing trends of 2021 too.
2. Autonomous Testing, Machine learning, and AI 🤖
With the innovation of technology and the power of Machine learning and deep learning in the software industry, we are reaching new heights every day. Like self-driven vehicles powered by AI, Autonomous Testing takes advantage of AI/ML to make testing more independent where no human intervention has been required. These are all self-learning where it will collect and aggregate the data from the tasks it performs and uses it to make the software application release faster.
We want the system or platform to be so smart that can help us achieve the below tasks:
- Self-Healing – By applying AI to testing, the maintenance effort will be reduced. As it knows when functionality has changed, it will automatically update itself.
- Risk-Based Testing – AI helps to find the module where the maximum issues may be present with the past performed tasks or the functionality or module where the developer has changed the code.
- Performance Analysis – To predict the key parameters of software testing processes based on historical data.
- Visual Comparison and Regression – Visual regression testing captures screenshots of the current UI and compares them with the original screenshots. It looks for the historical differences and confirms that the webpage still renders as expected after changes to the code. TestProject actually has a really cool image comparison Addon for achieving exactly that! 👀
- Prevention of Defect leakage – AI can give Granular control over the level of AI decision making to distinguish between Acceptable Maintenance and Defects.
The trend is moving towards an independent, end-to-end autonomous system that covers the entire SDLC, not a specific automation module that has the functionality of performing a certain task without learning anything from the executed test. Move beyond from the function or script to the creation of an autonomous framework that brings developers, customers, and end-users together.
3.DevSecOps 🔑
In the Era of Digital Transformation, we understand how important security is today. We need to focus on a unified approach to build a secure ecosystem that helps the Business grow and ease the customer experience.
We all have heard the term DevOps where activities related to Development, Testing, Deployment, and Integration go hand in hand 🤝 This can be done with collaboration among the team members. In earlier days, the development team and deployment operations were carried out by different entities.
Now, coming to the latest Buzz i.e. DevSecOps—Development + Security + Operations. DevSecOps is an evolved version of DevOps. It is the integration of the security element into the Development, Operations, and Application Delivery for agile software development.
It’s all about the integration of Security at a very early stage of SDLC. It inspires to adopt a culture of security to inculcate from Day 1 of the development of the Product. It is a Shift Left culture to the Development Life Cycle.
From the past couple of years, we have seen a rapid increase in Cloud, containers, and microservices, where huge applications are broken into smaller parts that can run independently. This brings the culture of Continuous development and continuously pushed code to production. In this, we don’t want to compromise with the security.
The principles of shifting left apply not only to operations but also to security. It’s important to prevent breaches before they reach the users and to quickly address any new security vulnerabilities and fix them. It helps to build a system that is not compromised on Agility, Performance, and fast delivery. It fills the potential gaps and makes an application leak-proof by regular monitoring and risk assessment. It makes everyone responsible for security.
4. Performance Engineering ⏳
Performance engineering is a much broader area than Performance testing. We can say Performance Testing is a subset of Performance Engineering.
Performance Testing is about testing the load and responsiveness of the application. Performance engineering involves the very first step of designing the application, while keeping in mind performance metrics, to develop and to the end-user. This is inherent in SDLC to make sure the system is built with high standards and with performance optimization. Our focus shifts from the execution of Performance Scripts to analyzing how the elements work together in a system.
It is the process of analyzing and understanding why the system gives the performance that it does and is usually applied when that performance is not up to the mark. Performance testing is usually performed by QAs, who test the performance of an application. In performance engineering, there is a Shift left in the process of maintaining high performance at all levels.
At last, we can say, this is all about the collaboration of different elements of the system like performance, security, hardware, software, business values, and customer satisfaction. And with this approach, we can deliver faster a high-quality product.
5. Cloud for Testing ⛅
In recent times, the majority of businesses are making a switch to cloud technology to streamline their business operations. With the exponential increase in data, businesses have started looking for cloud testing services, and more and more people are investing in this industry. Cloud services work well alongside outsourced hardware or network components. It also helps in delivering software and other capabilities. It makes it easier for small businesses. It makes it easy to use and eliminates the need for physical business locations. More of its benefits:
- Improve business flexibility and processes
- Increases Security and Customer satisfaction
- Optimization of existing resources
- Modernizing workspaces
- Industry protocols to productivity demands
- Disaster Recovery
- Collaboration and Innovation
6. IoT (Internet of Things) 👨💻
Today, there is a pressure of delivering better and faster services. The demand to access, create, use, and share data from our devices is huge. We are already living in a digital world where we have all sorts of benefits which were not possible before like:
- Smartwatch connected to the phone
- AC controlled by Mobile Apps
- Smart doorbells to protect our homes
- Smart cars, which can be controlled remotely
And the list can go on and on… 🤯
IoT is the connection of the devices and can be remotely controlled over the network. It is the convergence of the physical and digital world. It has enabled enterprises to build smart and connected applications to support multiple dimensions of customer service and engagement.
As the saying goes, anything that can’t be automated will be automated. IoT is a system of systems. Hence it is connected to each aspect or each business verticals. Automobile, Construction, Hardware, and Software.
Conclusions
No matter whether we are the Testing professional or an organization, we constantly need to be aware of the testing trends to stay ahead in the ever-changing field.
“Every next level of your life will demand a different you”
Did I miss anything that you foresee to be a testing trend in 2021? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below 🤗
Happy Testing and have a wonderful 2021 🌟