Why you cannot have DevOps without Test Automation

The rapid adoption of digital technologies by enterprises to stay nimble, competitive, and quality-driven has given digital transformation wide currency. The process facilitates decision-making and allows organizations to innovate, accelerate the time to market, and be responsive to customer needs. The world of today is for those enterprises that can quickly turn an idea into a consumer product or service, absorb feedback from the market and customers to refine the product/service and relaunch it. This is where DevOps can help such organizations in terms of offering continuous development, innovation, integration, and deployment.

Fixing glitches with DevOps testing strategy

To stay on the right side of customer preference, enterprises must roll out software updates on a trot, which is not easy by any stretch of imagination. This is because every update needs to be tested across devices, operating platforms, frameworks, geographies, and networks. If the DevOps approach is not right in executing the process of development, testing, and deployment, the inherent glitches can prove to be costly. In many cases, in a bid to be ahead of the curve, enterprises do not give testing its due.

In other words, products or their updates are often launched without letting them pass through a stringent QA pipeline. The consequences of such quick deployment without adequate testing may manifest themselves in various ways. These may include the quality of product taking a beating, regulatory bodies subjecting such organizations to censure and penalties, and customers taking a flight to the competitors. So, with business reputation at stake, enterprises are well-advised to follow a strong DevOps approach and identify/fix glitches quickly in the pipeline.

DevOps and Test Automation

When it comes to the DevOps specialists discussing key elements that go into a Continuous Integration (CI) or Continuous Delivery (CD) pipeline, they mostly talk about code repositories or CI servers. Interestingly, DevOps test automation finds less mention in the rarefied circles where strategies are planned. This is despite the DevOps test automation being considered an integral part or medium to achieve outcomes like CI and CD. DevOps specialists majorly focus on aspects like integration and deployment of the software thereby giving test automation a miss. This can be self-defeating and invariably goes against the grain of DevOps philosophy where QA forms an integral part along with Development and Operations. Does this mean these specialists are more tuned into the manual testing aspect while leaving test automation altogether? The probable answer would be the ingrained belief in some DevOps experts about the efficacy of manual testing. This would not have raised any hackles until the advent of continuous delivery chains.

Why test automation for DevOps?

The two outcomes of DevOps - CI and CD means the development pipeline should deliver quality products quickly and consistently. Besides, the products should be upgraded periodically based on market feedback. This means products should be tested for glitches early in the SDLC instead of later to save cost and time. And what better way to achieve the same than by implementing test automation in DevOps QA.

Faster test outcomes: Test automation can be implemented by writing a test script on a tool. The code in development is put through that script and checked for expected outcomes. Any deviation is noted and investigated for possible errors. This is way faster than manual testing where QA specialists find repetitive testing frustrating and have a tendency to miss errors.

Consistent results: Consistency in QA means the software behaves on expected lines throughout the delivery pipeline. Test automation can validate the code for variables at different stages and mitigate the chances of human errors.

Ease with regression testing: When a major update is implemented, certain types of tests like usability testing are performed manually. However, when the variables are more and the software needs to be checked across devices, operating systems, browsers, geographies, and networks, then automatic testing takes the cake. It can work non-stop and check for deviations or non-compliance.

Human resources utilization: During manual testing scarce human testers are deployed in tasks that require constant attention. Further, to avoid boredom arising out of conducting repeated testing, QA testers can give certain tests a miss. Imagine the type or number of glitches escaping the test dragnet and later ruining the user experience. However, with test automation, repetitive testing can go unhindered wherein scarce human resource can be deployed for better activities.

Conclusion

In today’s age of fast software releases, quality can be ensured through a smooth DevOps-led pipeline ensuring CI and CD. However, achieving consistency in testing and pre-empting issues like cybercrime are underpinned on implementing DevSecOps and enabling a culture of quality control at every step of the way.

Why is DevOps so important for this decade?

In a world driven by technology, quality has become paramount. This is because glitch-prone software can render the performance of systems ineffective causing adverse consequences - both for the users and enterprises. To mitigate glitches, enhance user experiences, and bring about a holistic improvement in processes, DevOps methodology needs to become mainstream. It can address issues such as missed release deadlines, risky releases, and long release cycles. As a third-generation development methodology, DevOps is an extension of Agile and aims at overcoming challenges of culture, collaboration, and automation. Further, if you seek to deliver applications continuously, reduce waste, and establish a quick feedback mechanism, then DevOps is the way to follow.

In DevOps testing, the collaboration between development and operations teams is aimed at achieving an integrated build environment with quality at the core. DevOps quality assurance helps to reduce the release cycle time, the number of defects during the build, delivery, and maintenance phases, cost of ownership and operations, and accelerate the time to market.

What is DevOps?

This methodology is designed to improve collaboration between the development and operations teams through the automation of processes. The outcomes aimed at are build, test, and deliver software quickly and consistently. In DevOps transformation, a large project is broken into smaller independent building blocks. This means if any glitches are found they can be remedied locally without impacting the entire value chain.

DevOps transformation is about extending Agile in the build cycle to achieve continuous delivery at minimal risk. However, achieving transformation would depend on a host of factors. These include business and IT requirements, type of technology used, work culture, and the structure and processes of the organization.

Benefits DevOps testing services can accrue for enterprises

In a technology-driven IT landscape where user experiences shape the growth trajectory of enterprises, DevOps testing can act as an insurance of sorts. The insurance can be against releasing glitch-prone software, causing software breaches and bad user experiences, or loss in brand value. Also, in the IoT-driven digital environment consisting of a host of embedded software, glitches can play havoc with the lives of people and organizations. For example, if the navigation software in an aircraft contains a glitch, the pilots can misread the instructions causing the aircraft to crash. Again, if the software within a diagnostic tool has some erroneous codes, the readings can lead to wrong diagnosis and treatment.

·   Faster time-to-market: DevOps test automation takes forward the application of Agile principles leading to faster development and frequent delivery of software. In this decade where customers would be spoilt for choices and new technologies making inroads into the applications, DevOps can deliver greater user experiences.

·   Better collaboration: In a growing competitive environment, teams operating in silos are a misfit. DevOps implementation would entail the breaking down of such silos and improving transparency. There should be more focus on collaboration, communication, and integration of teams whether operating locally or globally. This can lead to better agility and an environment where everyone in the SDLC would be responsible to meet the quality and delivery timelines.

·   Early detection and correction of glitches: Since DevOps testing is an extension of Agile, it involves automation-driven shift-left testing. Since every code is tested during the build stage itself, glitches, if any, are identified quickly and corrected. This is in sharp contrast to the waterfall method where glitches are identified later in the process. And they entail a lot of effort, time, and cost for correction.

·   Security: Arguably the most important element in software development, testing, and delivery pipeline as it carries serious implications. With cybersecurity scare on the rise and hackers seemingly pitting themselves one step ahead, security has become everyone’s business. So, be it logging into the systems or ensuring proper user authentication, established security protocols should be followed by everyone in the development and delivery pipeline. This is where DevSecOps methodology can mandate the use of security testing in every stage of the SDLC. This is of prime importance as any lingering vulnerability in the build can be exploited by cybercriminals at any phase of the project.

Conclusion

As the decade is likely to witness a significant use of IoT devices and an increased focus on automation, DevOps testing as a process becomes critical. It ensures software glitches are identified and eliminated quickly and a robust feedback mechanism is established. Thus, enterprises will have no choice but to implement DevOps transformation and stay competitive.

How relevant is Software Testing in a DevOps Era? Top 5 reasons

The intense competition amongst software companies or more specifically software testing companies to test and release high quality products quickly (daily, hourly or even within minutes) to catch the attention of the elusive customers has introduced the concept of Agile. DevOps or the integration of IT and Operations wings of an organisation is the logical conclusion of the Agile way of developing a software with built-in software application testing mechanism.

DevOps has brought about the concept of continuous development, integration and deployment. So, can software testing or quality assurance carried out by the software testing companies be left behind? The answer is an emphatic NO. It is for ensuring the quick release of ‘high quality’ products with automation in the hands of customers. Moreover, the integration of software testing or quality assurance by the software testing companies into the entire DevOps ecosystem is simply a foregone conclusion.

Why Test Automation is important in DevOps?

The objective is to release high quality applications quickly into the market, followed by enhancing the product even further based on customer feedback. Software testing companies need to incorporate automation, as manual testing will be simply inadequate to meet the challenge. Thus, automation of software testing holds the key in a DevOpsenvironment to ensure everything works in clockwise precision.

The top five reasons why software testing will continue to stay relevant in a DevOps era are as follows.

Changing market dynamics: The market is flooded with new applications in every possible domain. To stay ahead in the competition, companies need to ensure quality and tailor their products and services to meet the changing market dynamics on a real time basis. For example, if a software product already in use by the customers needs a bug to be fixed or an update to be carried out, doing the same manually is next to impossible. This is where the integration of software application testing automation on a real time basis is needed. DevOps becomes important in such scenarios, where Continuous Testing and Continuous Deployment is done.

QA the facilitator: In the DevOps scenario where the primary objective is to achieve quality and speed, quality assurance should be taken as a responsibility by both the development and operations teams. If software application testing is not made a part of continuous integration and deployment, the twin paradigms of DevOps, then the whole purpose of implementing DevOps fails. Hence, software testing companies can breathe easy, for the advent of DevOps will make them even more relevant than ever. 

Read more:

https://medium.com/@michaelwadejr12/top-5-reasons-why-software-testing-will-continue-to-stay-relevant-in-a-devops-era-e5e2a641124c