Regression testing is probably the least interesting process in the job of every software testing engineer. Unfortunately in practice, regression testing typically accounts for about 80% of a tester’s daily workload. There can be many different ways to deal with this daily routine, but sooner or later, when done regularly, this process can still turn into a monotonous, boring job. This results in testers’ eyes no longer sharp as they originally were. They lose interest and concentration in the process of working, leading to the quality of their work deteriorates.
So how does the tester cope with such an unpleasant habit? How to prevent the adverse effects of routine regression testing and keep this process interesting?
This post will share with you some tips to enjoy in the process of doing regression testing and tips to help prevent our working day from becoming a tedious and tedious habit.
First and foremost, remember that Regression testing is the type of testing that is performed against existing check lists and test cases. Such documents are usually created through special tools like TestRail, plugin for Jira, etc. or simply in Google Sheet. But whatever tools you use, there are ways to help you keep your regression testing the most efficient and ensure the project is always top quality. Let’s take a closer look at how to streamline your work with checklists:
- Update check list regularly.
- Change the test environment.
- Enhanced regression testing with Exploratory Testing
- Change of personnel in the project.
Update check list regularly
Conventional regression testing can be performed on most modules and uses low level check lists for testing. This check list may have been previously created based on the requirements and model outlined. However, as requirements change and software is added with new features, testers should continuously update these checklists throughout development.
The implication of this for the regression testing process is that we can take a break from our routine work by switching to updating test documentation. This not only prevents regression testing from becoming a boring habit, but also allows testers to extend and modify some of the test views to avoid the “pesticide paradox”.
Change the test environment
Performing testing regularly in the same environment can sometimes become quite a tedious responsibility without a tester’s enthusiasm and visibility down. To avoid distracting your test team, you should always take advantage of the opportunity to change your environment and test periodically across different platforms, browsers, and devices. For example, today you do a regression test in Windows’ Google Chrome browser, the next day you test it on your iPhone, and the next day you work on a Mac.
This approach will help you be very effective in catching errors specific to specific platforms, browsers, and devices. Also, your test team will not get bored during testing because they are simultaneously learning the technical aspects of many different test environments.
Enhance regression testing with Exploratory Testing
If you are constantly running a check list that you have memorized every day, why not take the opportunity to broaden your horizons with the tentative test method? To animate the regression testing process, to make it more interesting and efficient, there are many projects that incorporate exploration testing into the regression testing. Such an approach will not only spice up the workflow, but also help your team’s vision go beyond the scope of the available test scenarios and consider these test cases from a perspective. other.
Sometimes such actions will improve previously written test cases and find inconsistencies with the expected results in the test scenarios and software you are testing. By adding an exploratory test to your regression testing process, you’ll help your test team avoid getting stuck in the tedious, lengthy loop of daily testing.
Change of personnel in the project
The last way is to train a new tester and include it in your project. They learn the details, the specifics of the product being tested, the technologies being used, and the project workflow. This is a great opportunity for them to participate in the regression testing process. These new hires view the product and test scenarios that the project is testing for the first time. They are not bored and ask many questions. This brings a lot of benefits to the project! Helping your new testers find the answers is sometimes the only chance to find bugs and inconsistencies that you might have missed in your checklist, due to the tedious repetition in the process of implementing a long-term project.
The newly trained staff can help you identify an outdated test scenario in the check list. For example, when a function is updated but the check list has not been changed. They can also help you identify overly complicated test cases – they ask a lot of questions to clarify and use your answers to simplify the problem. Last but not least, the project’s new tests can uncover additional scenarios during the test, providing you with important information to add to your test list. Likewise, they help detect bugs not found by existing test cases.
The above might not be an exhaustive list of methods that you can use to keep your regression testing loop at peak efficiency, but these simple tricks definitely work. miraculous results for test groups. Whether it’s inspection or maintenance documentation, software testing engineers follow rules, methodology and logic to ensure the highest quality results. But that does not mean that testers cannot create their own workflow to liven up the work that must be repeated on a regular basis.
Source: https://testfort.com/blog/how-to-keep-your-regression-testing-routine-effective-and-enjoy-doing-it