How To Undo Automated Regression Testing Mistakes?

Regression testing is a part of software testing that ensures whether an application or website functions the same as expected, even after any code changes or improvements.  

Regression testing is leveraged to guarantee that the system stays all right under continuous changes and modifications. Organizations these days are leveraging automated testing services to foster regression testing as it helps ensuring overall stability and functionality without eating much of the time or resources.     

In simple words, regression testing is a part of software testing that ensures that the previously developed and tested software still performs the same way after it is changed or interfaced with other software.   

It facilitates the developers in knowing that their software continues to behave expectedly even after making the changes. The main motive of regression testing is to check that the new code has yet to trigger an old bug defect that may not have been fixed properly in the past.   

In this blog, we will aim at underlining the concept of automated regression testing while sharing its benefits as well as mistakes that are usually made while pursuing the process. Besides, we will even shade light on how any mistakes made can be undone to ensure required output with the deliveries.  

Let’s begin! 

What Is Automated Regression Testing?   

As regression testing is repetitive, developers and testers consider it a time-consuming process, so to speed this up, testers use automation regression testing tools. When we say automation, it implies that a series of pre-written scripts will be executed after a code change with negligible or no human interference.   

There is so much involved in regression testing. The tester needs to examine all the aspects of the system, fix the root of the problems, monitor the project over an extended time frame, and define how a code change has been triggered. The companies use automation to handle these challenges efficiently and integrate regression testing into the general project management framework.  

Want to know about the best-automated regression testing practices?  

Read our blog Automated Regression Testing - Mistakes and Best Practices

Moving on, we must recognize that the need to deliver quality quickly is surging. Moreover, the increase in the rise of agile has made many industries shift from manual testing to automation. It even holds the same for regression testing.  

As software systems change or grow, the number of test cases and regression suites will increase. This way, it will reach a point where it's no longer workable to manage the regression test cases manually. Of its repetitive nature, regression testing is a reasonable consideration for test automation.   

Benefits Of Leveraging Automated Regression Testing   

• By automating regression tests, developers or companies can achieve many desired outcomes that enhance team agility and increase product quality.   

• When the companies leverage Regression testing, they can provide teams with those insights that could be easily ignored otherwise.   

• It improves the quality of problem-solving and helps the team during project maintenance.   

• It simplifies and manages all the iterations, creates unified standards across all the projects, and saves time, preventing the team from having to fix human error-based issues.   

• It's somehow reducing the workforce of testers. With automation, no force is needed to run continuous test iterations.   

• Automated regression testing helps QA managers in allocating responsibilities to team members efficiently. This way, other team members can focus on a more complex task of higher priority. No humans are needed for automation testing to go continuously 24/7.   

• By automating, tests can be run continuously at the speed and frequency simply not possible with a manual testing approach. In this way, the scalability of testing is also increased.   

• While leveraging automated regression testing, the defect is detected early, and this way, higher user satisfaction is maintained.    

• Although the initial investments are high, automated regression testing is valuable and beneficial in the long run. While leveraging it, your business can surely avail maximum revenue.   

• When teams test manually, they need more time to try. This way, various defects get unnoticed, but while we indulge in automated regression testing, it allows the testing teams to carry out more tests and deeply assess all the code changes.   

Common Mistakes In Automated Regression Testing    

Now, if automation can solve all specific problems, why don't organizations adopt automated regression testing by default? This is because sometimes, even the experts can commit some mistakes. Let's discuss some of them.    

• Overlooking the utilization of validation 

One of the common mistakes that can lead to many problems is using test scripts without any validation. The quality assurance and software testing teams must be fully aware of setting up as many checkpoints as possible to ensure that script validation is carried out a more significant number of times.    

• Absence of validation 

Sometimes the testing teams need to realize that non-visible projects also require validation for successful testing. If they restrict validation to only the visible components, it will make the system more prone to errors.    

• Utilizing record and playback for scripts    

Many testers usually depend on records and backs for creating test scripts. But it's wiser to use record features to generate just the script's skeleton. However, the fact is that effective automation testing requires you to customize the generated script.    

• Using inappropriate test cases    

Sometimes test engineers need to correct a mistake while preparing test cases which can create massive trouble as the faulty test cases won't present an application flow and its functions.    

• The need to understand the value of regression testing.    

Regression testing doesn't provide immediate value, so the management asks specific questions, like why testing is happening for the same features built months or years ago. Testing teams often try to justify the time spent on regression testing, which is why they neglect something important.    

• Clarification of goals and objectives 

Many organizations need to define what goals they set up clearly. They need to determine the metrics behind those goals. One should pay attention to how the regression testing is done and what impact it will have on the stability and quality of the software.   

Check out Case study: Assuring Overall Quality and Reliability of Employment Website Through Regression Testing

How To Undo the Mistakes Made While Automating Regression Testing?    

Considering the mistakes that can be made during automated regression testing, several steps can help to undo these mistakes. Most importantly, companies should adopt best practices for automated regression testing for easy and efficient delivery of projects.    

Let's have a look at the best practices for automated regression testing.    

• In the case of regression testing, it is essential to keep validations that show the process has been completed. Using the older entry Might require the testers to validate knowing that data was saved successfully into the database.    

• For any testing and explicitly talking about regression testing creating a testing schedule and maintaining it as closely as possible can help minimize the errors during testing. Further, this way, the QA team would be fully updated with each progression, and subsequently, they will help tackle the repetitive procedure load.    

• Sometimes, creating a failing test plan is beneficial to ensure that current test scripts are not producing false or faulty positive results. The QA team should write negative tests for new glitches in this case.    

• Trying to categorize tests for a better and more systematic approach can act as a catalyst for improving the testing. When we say categorizing, it implies the selection of tests to automate first. Once done, you should prioritize the most critical and frequently used functions.     

• Conducting a critical functionality coverage test can help keep things in check and eliminate the need to run a complete regression test unless necessary.    

• When the team is unaware of the value that regression testing holds, the best thing is to educate and make them aware. One should tell the sections about the importance of the early discovery of bugs and other regressions from one version to the next.     

• Integrating testing goals and metrics can help in ensuring ROI for business and ultimately lead to the reduction of production defects.    

Wrapping Up 

With the ever-growing and changing demand for technology, the development, and testing process has become extremely tricky. From modification of code to implementing new functionalities, every major and minor requirement could lead to unexpected behavioral changes in the product. However, most development brands have found the solution by making their way toward automated regression testing services. 

At Bugraptors, we resolve functional, non-functional, or aesthetic issues while ensuring positive outcomes of any changes made in the application. We have an expert team of testers to work on regression testing of your application.  

For more information, contact us at info@bugraptors.com