Software Development & Testing

How to create an effective regression testing suite

A regression testing suite is essential to ensure that your software works correctly after each change. What characteristics should it have and how to create it effectively?


To understand why a regression testing suite is important, first we must clarify the role of regression tests. The main goal is to avoid errors related to code modification, which can occur at any stage of the development process. However, regression tests also help to:

  • reduce the risk of introducing new errors;
  • increase the confidence of development teams, who operate more freely knowing that any new errors will be identified;
  • reduce release times.

Come creare una regression suite efficace_CTA_ENG

A regression testing suite is a selection of test cases designed to ensure that any code changes or added features have not damaged the previous version of the code. Including a regression testing suite at all levels is an important measure to ensure software quality.

To achieve this, the regression testing suite should have the following characteristics:

  • be stable;
  • be easy to maintain;
  • have as wide a coverage as possible, especially over critical or core areas;
  • generate clear reporting that easily allows developers to make corrections.

5 steps to build an effective regression testing suite

 

Both automated tests and innovative methods such as crowdtesting can contribute to the creation of the suite. As we will see, both methods are most effective in different situations and settings.

Building a successful regression testing suite requires five well-defined steps:

1.Identify critical and core areas

The first step is to identify the most important software features, those most at risk, those most subject to change, those that have created the most problems in the past.

Once the critical and core areas have been identified, it will be necessary to verify that they are covered by appropriate regression tests.

For this, you can use automated tests, which give a very quick response but only verify what they were designed to do, or crowdtesting, which combines the fresh eye approach with technological depth, contributing to greater coverage across a variety of case studies, devices and operating systems.

2.Automate not only the tools, but the whole process

To ensure meaningful feedback in a timely manner, it is important to establish a practice of initiating automated testing and/or a crowdtesting session whenever a critical feature is added and the release phase is approaching. Don't forget: it's important to automate data collection, too.

3.Prioritize test cases

A regression testing suite can generate hundreds of tests. It is therefore advisable to first run automatic tests, prioritizing them and making them flexible.

Using crowdtesting to analyze the potential impacts of updates also offers the added benefit of being able to give testers precise instructions to carefully investigate the area being modified.

4.Organize the regression testing suite

It’s essential to organize the suite clearly, dividing, for example, the tests into modules to cover different areas of service, and defining, for each test, the priorities and frequency of execution.

For example, one could assign the testing of core features to the crowd, where it is preferable to be able to count on human intelligence, and the verification of less critical areas that require frequent updates to automated tests.

5.Maintain and update the regression testing suite

Tests should always be updated with new features, removing obsolete ones and evolving use cases in relation to user activity. For example, underused features will gradually lose their priority, while new features may be high-priority at an early stage but then, in turn, become less important.

Of great importance is the versioning of the regression testing suite, which must follow product versions, an area in which crowdtesting is very effective. In case of system evolution, for example, crowdtesting can identify errors that are difficult to detect automatically.

 

Choosing the most appropriate tests: the key is expertise and collaboration

Creating an effective regression testing suite is a complex activity that requires technological tools, expertise, and collaboration. Figures such as the CSM (Customer Success Manager play a key role in managing the crowd, while and the TL (Test Leader) is pivotal in coordinating the tests.

To identify critical areas, particularly those that have the greatest impact and user visibility, it is essential to collaborate with all stakeholders. The CSM in the test building phase is able to engage in talks with business management to identify priorities, and with the development expert to identify critical issues in the software.

Interfacing with management is also critical to identify high-risk areas, such as those updated most frequently or very complex and interrelated modules.

Once the most appropriate tests have been identified, based on business priorities and software criticality, tools and skills are needed to produce a detailed and accurate report that includes functional steps, screenshots, all the information needed to show the developer a clear operational context.

This is important because the owner of the digital product certainly knows their product, but does not necessarily have the specific expertise in testing, nor sufficient experience to choose the right methodology.

In contrast, a solution that combines CSM, TL and crowdtesting manages to identify from the outside the correct test prioritizations and the right methodology to define a testing strategy correlated with proper non-regression coverage, which is essential to create an effective regression testing suite.                                                      

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