Automated regression is now the norm. With all the (deserved) buzz around it, we often put software manual testing services in second place. It’s less efficient, prone to error, and takes longer. Right? Here’s the thing – if you build up your manual regression strategically, you’ll be surprised by what you can achieve.
When should you opt for manual regression testing, and how to implement it properly – let’s dive in.
Regression testing is checking software after updates or changes. Alterations to parts of an application may lead to shifts in its components. And when you don’t adapt a system to, say, new features, it won’t work. It’ll be like gluing a Lego block to the side of an existing structure instead of building it up to look consistent.
So, in short, you run regression tests to locate areas affected by a change and modify them to prevent issues.
With that in mind, do you need regression after every software addition or fix? Yes. But you might not need ample testing. For example, extensive regression is necessary after:
You’d also want to run regression tests before releases, during continuous integration, and after user-reported issues – each time something new pops up or as a preventive measure. Yet, you don’t always have to go all in with regression. For instance:
To sum it up, you need regression testing after every modification, but you don’t need it to be all-encompassing each time. You just have to isolate the affected aspects, so to speak, and cover them without venturing into far-away modules.
Regression testing is often the first one teams choose to automate. Why? Because these tests take place frequently, they’re reusable, and they can get quite complex. So, to speed up and improve the accuracy of the process, automation is a logical choice.
But manual regression has a few tricks up its sleeve:
Automated testing comes with its own perks and pitfalls. It’s only a matter of deciding which works best for your project and implementing either properly. For instance, manual regression is better for:
As you can see, manual regression is a good decision for quite a few situations. It’ll be more cost-effective for smaller projects as well. Now, let’s get into the implementation details.
So, you have your wonderful project. You finished feature acceptance testing. And now you’re looking at your documentation – where should you start with regression?
First, know what you have.
This stage is about understanding your capabilities and limitations. You need to account for available teams, budgets, and timelines and adapt your manual software testing to them. For instance:
Think how you’ll accommodate the regression and how much you’ll be able to handle. Discrepancies between your vision for regression and your actual capacity will only delay the process and discourage the team.
This isn’t pointing out the obvious. It’s about taking a step back to see the bigger picture. This includes understanding the app’s:
For example, you could hold a cross-functional team meeting involving QA engineers, developers, and stakeholders. A team discussion will present insights that can help grasp project particularities and business priorities to guide your testing efforts.
Now, determine your project’s specifics and align them with your manual regression testing strategy.
Manual regression can be resource-intensive. Outline where and to what degree regression testing is needed. You should consider the project’s objectives and timelines. Let’s review a few situations where your approach to regression might shift.
To elaborate on the third point, here are some tips to help you get started with organizing your regression test cases:
Lack of proper documentation is often the number one challenge for teams starting with regression. Keep clean records so that everyone is on the same page. Create detailed test plans and cases that outline the test:
Document any special configurations, data requirements, and prerequisites, which you can also use as a reference for future testing phases.
Briefly, keep your documentation detailed and organized but don’t get crazy with it. You don’t want it becoming a bottleneck. For instance, in an agile, startup environment, documentation should strike a balance between providing guidance and not being a burden.
When selecting regression tests, the rule of thumb is to pick those that cover critical features first. Why is test case prioritization a thing here? Because regression without a proper plan might:
So, regression test case prioritization is about managing the resources you have to adequately cover the application. Here’s how you do it:
You can also use tools to help with this preparation stage, for instance:
It is a document that outlines regression strategy and approach. It serves as detailed instructions for any testing activities that are about to take place. You can view it as a summary of all the preparations you’ve done so far. Here’s what you should include.
A regression plan is your map for effective testing. It defines everything there is to know about what awaits the team and guides them during testing.
After you’re done with regression testing, you need to work with bugs for a bit. Answer the following questions to organize them:
By prioritizing the errors you’ve found, you’ll be able to deal with them quicker. You might even decide to hold off fixing a few minor issues if the deadlines are tight. Also, with this bug data, you can even pre-plan your future testing and possible team modifications.
Next comes the bug verification round. Here, you verify that the issues were solved and haven’t introduced any new deviations.
This last stage is not the “finishing touch.” It’s about continuous improvement.
Depending on the testing results, you might want to alter your strategy.
Let’s say you’re testing an e-commerce website. During regression, you discover a security issue that exposes customer credit card information. In response to this, your testing strategy should shift its focus to address the issue. And you might need to expand the regression testing to also cover other parts of the application with similar security concerns.
So, don’t get tunnel vision and focus on fixing bugs only. What you find during regression testing is a learning opportunity that can refine your project further. Report any defects you find in a systematic manner, including:
Feedback is a treasure trove for quality improvement. You could rely on it to enhance the testing process and, ultimately, the product. Encourage developers, QA specialists, and stakeholders to share their experiences, challenges, and suggestions. Not only will you increase team engagement, but you’ll also stock up on diverse insights that help drive the project forward.
You can also check in with user reviews to locate consumer pain points and decide what to prioritize in your next round of testing.
Well, automated software testing is always on the table. You just might not need it. We’ve already discussed when manual regression is enough and why it’s better sometimes. But, for bigger projects, automated testing is often the next step. For instance, consider some of the challenges that prompt companies to opt for automation:
If you build a proper manual regression strategy and don’t come across many issues, why bother with automation? So, if manual regression works for you – great. And if you feel like your project could really benefit from automated tests, it may be worth going for it. But that’s a topic for another time.
Every good thing in life comes after a lot of hard work. And each great product needs capable regression to secure value. A good manual regression strategy is about knowing what you can do with it and how to bring it to life. It takes considerable expertise. But it doesn’t mean that fresh projects won’t figure it out.
You only need to rely on competent insights, accept help, and cherish your mistakes. Then, you can create your best project yet.
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