As a developer, sometimes all it takes is a small tweak to ruin the entire software product. The good news is that regression testing can help you avoid any mishaps that would jeopardize your product.
Regression testing tools are critical in evaluating the viability of the latest code added or altered on the program. This keeps all stakeholders well informed about the nature of their product. For instance, you can point and fix bug issues in the initial stages of the deployment cycle.
Today, the question is no longer, why is regression testing important. Instead, business executives want to get it right from the start. From our vast experience providing regression testing services, our experts at UTOR created this insightful and straight-to-the-point guide to help you get started.
From what is regression testing to the intricacies of automated regression testing, this guide serves as a comprehensive and one-stop solution.
What is Regression Testing?
Let’s understand the term “regress” to get a better answer to the question “What is regression testing and how to do it?” Regress means “a return to a pre-technological or less-developed state.” Thus, regression testing entails testing functionality features in already developed software after an upgrade to determine whether it will run optimally as before. This includes investigating any bugs or defects after running a software update. If done wrong, the software can result in downtime and untenable losses.
Software developers can perform this test whenever they upgrade functionalities or bug fixes to a market product.
How Does Regression Testing Differ from Other Types of Testing?
Generally, regression testing is a smaller part of all the other types of testing in software development, including desktop, mobile, and web. Theoretically, you can perform regression tests anywhere in between the development lifecycle.
Recommended: 7 Applicable Regression Testing Examples
Here is a more in-depth insight into how regression varies from other types of testing when it comes to software development.
Regression Testing Vs. Unit Testing
Unit testing is ideal for evaluating separate module functionalities in a product. Key strategies of this testing entail leveraging stubs as opposed to interface or API calls. Conversely, a regression testing strategy translates to re-running all the previously approved tests on individual modified modules.
Regression Testing Vs. Integration Testing
Integration testing examines combined individual modules to evaluate their interaction with back-end services. This also extends to interface or API testing. Again, regression testing entails running previously approved unit and integration tests on changed and unchanged modules. However, the strategy prioritizes tests for unchanged modules.
Regression Testing Vs. Retesting
Retesting simply means verifying the complete integrated software system and its general acceptance. For instance, a GUI testing protocol evaluates whether the developed system works as intended across different platforms and devices, and matches the needs of the end-user. On the other hand, regression testing reruns the retesting strategy to ensure seamless functionality, compatibility, performance, as well as accessibility, and security.
How Regression Testing is Performed in UTOR
Wondering how to do regression testing in software testing? UTOR performs both simple and custom regression testing, depending on the software’s codebase size and the available resources. Nevertheless, the process in UTOR typically happens in five stages, especially in Agile projects. This includes:
- Defining the Test Plan
This entails defining the regression test selection criteria. For instance, a typical test plan should be inclusive, precise, and effective. Inclusiveness examines how the test will likely influence the updated program to give a specific outcome. The company also evaluates the financial obligations of employing a specific test plan.
- Developing Regression Test Cases
UTOR uses two regression test selection algorithms, including safe and minimization. Developing test cases that match the demands of the end-user then follows. Besides developing test cases to find bugs, the team at UTOR examines the root causes of all defects and establishes a protocol to avoid them.
- Carrying Out Testing
UTOR has a team of experienced experts, who know how to do regression testing. The changes that may happen at this stage include bug fixes, configuration, and system enhancements. Sometimes, we can also modify or substitute electronic components, depending on your needs.
- Reporting Results
After carrying out the test, UTOR’s team reports the results to show the status of the project and evaluate the quality of the end product. In the report, you’ll find a justification of the team’s testing efforts, all the techniques used, and more in-depth insight into the whole regression testing process.
- Re-Testing the System
The last stage involves doing a retest of the system to ensure that it runs optimally. Our team can rerun any regression testing type, including bug and functional regression.
Regression Testing Types
There are different forms and types of regression testing, depending on your software development needs. For instance, you should consider the types of updates you want to introduce before choosing a particular strategy. It will also help if you pay attention to your specific software development lifecycle. That said, here are the prevalent types of regression testing and how they work.
- Corrective
Software developers leverage corrective regression testing when they don’t introduce any upgrades to the existing system. This type of testing entails using existing test cases, which also significantly reduces the time and costs needed to run retests.
- Retest-All
Retest-all regression testing gives you a more in-depth insight into the quality and reassurances of the developed software product. It involves reexamining all the system’s components by testing them afresh from scratch. That equates to evaluating every small change made to the system since infancy.
However, performing a retest-all regression test can be very expensive. Software development companies go for it if there is a suspicion that something is missing in the previous development and testing cycles.
- Selective
Selective regression testing bridges the gap between corrective and retest-all. As the name suggests, selective regression testing evaluates specific test cases within a set to show defects and inconsistencies. It’s not as comprehensive as retest-all regression testing. Similarly, it’s not as basic as corrective regression testing.
- Progressive
Developers usually introduce new test cases when the previous versions become obsolete. It usually happens when introducing new upgrades to the software product. This requires a new type of testing that compliments the modifications. That’s where progressive regression testing steps in. This test ensures that the product vision demonstrates quality consistency.
- Complete
Agile approaches in software development help companies perform fewer updates as opposed to conventional methods. However, performing frequent upgrades, especially on large-scale systems is inevitable if you’re going to match the ever-changing needs of the average end-user. Complete regression testing in Agile methodology helps developers evaluate the system’s dependence and functionality after changing the root code.
- Partial
Developing any software product happens in stages. That means developing stand-alone blocks before combining them into a complete software product, ready for deployment. However, you may need to run various functional tests at every block before merging the modules into a mainline code. That’s when you perform partial regression testing.
- Unit
Unit regression testing entails evaluating the performance of a specific code as a single block. You don’t include the unit integrations or interactions when running this test.
How Much Should You Automate Your Regression Testing?
Manual testing limits your ability to scale because you can’t run multiple tests within a short period. Also, you can experience quality inconsistencies, as manual testing increases the risk of skipping exploratory testing or overlooking some things.
Remember, every new feature you introduce in your software product requires increased testing effort and agility. In other words, every new functionality update grows the regression test suite. Similarly, a growing regression suite means running multiple tests to reveal any simple or severe failures that may reject the deployment of the prospective upgrade.
So, what is automated regression testing? This is a risk-based protocol that allows you to run multiple tests with parallel execution to save time. That means automating regression testing gives you faster functionality coverage with unit and API tests. Your team will enjoy performance impact analysis and continuous testing methodologies.
Automating regression testing comes with other benefits too, including:
Real-Time Feedback
Does your team develop software products using an Agile or Waterfall approach? Either way, automated regression testing gives you instant feedback. In the case of a Waterfall approach, you’ll get real-time feedback when running the last test before deployment.
Agile teams can leverage automated tools to run product tests iteratively. Getting instant feedback on loops at each development stage means you can address them immediately to reduce the overall smoke test time.
Lower Maintenance Needs
Adding new features to a software product could lead to an overgrown regression suite. Eventually, you might have to rewrite the suite’s code. This can be costly in terms of maintenance. Also, there is no guarantee that manual software testing will suffice for the new suite.
On the other hand, automated regression testing tools allow you to adjust and edit test scripts without changing code, lowering your maintenance costs.
Swift Scalability
Running tests at speeds of up to 70% of manual regression tests means you can test quicker, and more often. Moreover, you can also scale your test suite without spending on additional resources.
Run Tests Around the Clock
Can you run manual tests, continuously, 365 days a year? Well, that is impractical. But, automated tests can run 24/7. Say you want to upgrade a large-scale system that would cause massive disruption. In that case, schedule your tests to run at night, depending on the time zone of end-users. Also, you can deploy your software developer to high-value tasks, such as enhancing customer experience as tests run in the background.
Best Practices of Regression Testing
Regression testing is critical when you’re upgrading features of a software product that’s already in the market. It also saves the day when you want to fix your product urgently or configure new environment changes. However, all these don’t come without roadblocks. For instance, regression tests can be pretty complex. Adding more features means your team will develop new test cases with a more complex approach. This can also be costly.
The good news is that practicing regression testing best practices can help you mitigate these roadblocks. Here are a few examples.
Automation
Automation boosts testing efficiency for bug fixes. If your product is a mobile app, automated regression helps you run tests on multiple, distinct operating platforms. The same applies to web applications.
Clear Definition of Test Scenarios Beforehand
As noted, regression tests are complex and time-consuming. Ensure you understand the prerequisite specifics of every functionality, both old and newly-introduced. This saves time.
Run a Test Whenever You Do Upgrades
It’s imperative that you run a full regression suite when you rewrite the code. Also, you can introduce previous test cases that highlighted glitches in your software product before.
Shift Priority to Test Cases with Prevalent Defects
Test cases that detect frequent defects include highly-trafficked and persistently used paths in your software product. Give priority to such test cases – it will improve the quality of your software testing significantly.
Get Help From Industry Experts
The industry today is highly competitive. Business owners have to keep up with user satisfaction needs if they are going to run successful ventures and realize their goals. Moreover, satisfied customers translate to a strong brand reputation and more profits. You can achieve all these by automating your tests.
However, does your team know how to do automated regression testing? Would you like to outsource to an external team that knows how to do regression testing in Agile, or how to improve regression testing? Contract out your regression testing needs to a trustworthy partner and fine-tune your product’s speed, agility, effectiveness, and reliability. Learn more about our regression testing services.
