How to Find Defects Even Before Coding Starts

A popular idiom states, ‘Being an early bird is better than being a night owl.’ This might not click, but the idea is that in today’s competent software development scenario, it is considered beneficial to plan testing along with the development process. ‘Start testing early’ is one of the principles of the software development life cycle. In this article, we intend to evaluate the advantages and logic behind starting the testing process way ahead in SDLC. The underlying motive is to help identify defects and issues before the production/coding starts.

Testing domain experts address testing as a skill that should be honed time and again. It evolves as per the requirements and challenges of a project. The new school of thought suggests that testing starts early in the development stage, which can help identify defects in the initial stages. One key reason is that it is expensive to resolve issues that get spotted later in SDLC.

The Standard Process

A standard software development life cycle plan based on the Waterfall model usually entails the following:

1. ‘Planning,’ where requirements are captured and requirements are assessed.
2. Freezing the requirements and analyzing them.
3. Actual implementation (coding) starts in this phase.
4. Testing – the stage where testing of a product practically starts.

This being a standard process, it may differ from project to project. If the project does not go as planned, overall Planning, Analysis, Design, and coding will take more than the estimated time, causing hurdles for the overall project planning. This would happen when the project must be delivered under stringent timelines.

In such situations, when the release date is frozen, and there is no scope for flexibility, it results in an immediate and massive impact on the testing and quality of the software/application. At the same time, customers are being promised a robust application, which determines the success of the entire project and, ultimately, the commercial success of the customer.

What’s the Solution?

So, the only logical solution is to align the testing and start it well before the development process/coding.

In this scenario, organizations are witnessing a cultural shift with Agile Development methodology and DevOps. While DevOps bridges the gap between IT operations and Development, the Agile approach encourages progressive planning and development for constant enhancement. Moreover, it emphasizes keeping a swift and flexible approach toward change.

With this approach, testing is embedded into the system, which helps manage defects much in advance. It also offers a holistic approach to the overall software development process. Additionally, the ‘Start Early Testing’ strategy works wonders as it soaks in feedback from inception and emphasizes keeping the quality bar high.

How can this be planned?

1. Analyze your test result: If you do not ignore the test results, it ultimately helps you understand the root cause of any ‘failed’ result and provide a solution early.
2. Expand the test coverage: It is advisable to maximize the testing process across an application when testing it.
3. Segment the AUT: The Application Under Test (AUT) can be broken down into segments to derive maximum mileage from the testing process. For instance, breaking down a desktop application for segmented testing purposes.
4. Writing test cases for better functionality: By putting down the test cases for valid and invalid conditions, it becomes possible to understand and cover the various behavioral aspects of the AUT.
5. Start on the right foot: A tester should ideally approach the project with an attitude to finding defects, which will leave no scope for error and ensure that the application is tested in a foolproof manner.
6. Constantly share Test cases with developers: It is important to share them with developers before the coding starts instead of keeping them with you until the final application release for testing purposes. The test cases will enable the coders in the development process and reduce duplicity in work at a later stage. Sometimes, the developers are not equipped with the right test cases, so this approach of sharing enables them.
7. Performance testing for critical applications: It is suggested that the applications requiring essential response should be tested from the beginning. Performance testing comes to the rescue for instances such as manual testing.

Rewards of starting early testing:

• It enables the teams to understand the scope of work/testing needs. For instance, a few items can skip the testing process, considering they won’t be impacted.
• Testing at the requirement stage makes the process cost-effective and rational.
• Writing test cases way ahead in the development cycle helps solve them quickly.
• It helps quantify the scope of the problem.
• It further helps prepare the test environment, prevents further delays, and gives sufficient time to handle unknown risks.
• It provides more time for the testing team, which doesn’t compromise the quality of the software/application.

‘Quality is built in, not added on’.

This implies that aligning the testing activities with the development process helps address bugs and gives utmost importance to quality.

Early testing for identifying defects/issues

• The Early testing concept ensures that testing becomes integral to the overall development process.
• Planning the testing phases and schedule from the initiation of the project is a crucial step
• Estimating system testing / UAT requirements is essential, and test cases should be prepared.
• Test preparations must begin before the actual testing process starts.
• A tester should start identifying defects from the requirement collection stage. This should be executed through the analysis and design stage as well.
• Proceeding from the Design stage, Integration testing cases, and Unit test cases should be completed.

What do we infer?

When the testing process starts early, it is easier and more cost-effective to identify and address bugs, as it is cheaper to fix bugs earlier than later. For instance, if an issue/conflict is found in the requirement stage, it will be much easier and feasible to handle it at that point. On the contrary, if the defect is found at the maintenance stage when the product has already gone live, it is bound to incur higher costs.

An agile approach helps you get the feedback cycles rolling early on by involving the customers much in advance. Though a thin line separates Agile & DevOps, those considering the Agile approach might be much more acquainted with DevOps. Agile principles can be implemented effectively in the development and QA process. However, it is a challenge to incorporate them on the operations side. This is where DevOps comes into play to bridge the gap.

Is your enterprise planning to implement an Agile Test Automation strategy and looking for a competent partner? Cigniti’s test automation experts would be excited to collaborate with you to build a robust and tested approach.