Choose TestOps If You Want to Make Your DevOps Initiatives Successful

Choose TestOps If You Want to Make Your DevOps Initiatives Successful

Application development continues to aim for faster releases and market deliveries. In this environment, product development companies cannot sustain faster releases without automating their software testing. This is the main reason why automated testing continues to grow in popularity. According to Markets and Markets, the global market for automated testing tools is projected to grow to $49.9 billion by 2026 (up from just $20.7 billion in 2021).

Is TestOps another technology “buzzword?” Not really. The demand for high-quality software testing has been around for over 70 years now (from the beginning of the “computing” age). If DevOps is all about “operationalizing” application development, TestOps is “operationalizing” the software testing process.

There have been different and multiple approaches to software testing. However, the aim has always been to offer an objective assessment of the quality of the application. Let’s discuss what is TestOps and why it is necessary to make your DevOps initiative successful.

What is TestOps?

Short for Testing Operations, TestOps is the process of using test automation to streamline the entire planning and testing of application development. Typically, it applies automated testing to multiple functions (for example, DevOps) to accelerate development. For successful deployments, test automation is important in any DevOps project.

In the modern age of software development, product companies must optimize various aspects of development including coding, testing, and quality assurance. Effectively, TestOps is the mode of streamlining all these tasks efficiently. 

TestOps operates across four primary areas, namely:

1. Planning, which comprises:
   1. Prioritizing the testing process based on the testing coverage and code complexity.
   2. Determining what to test in the application, who will perform the test, and the overall goals.
   3. Planning and documenting the decisions (made by the product owners, developers, and QA teams) to maintain team alignment.
2. Control, which comprises:
   1. Creating automated tests of high quality.
   2. Reusing the existing test components.
   3. Standardizing the best practices through change control.
3. Management, including 
   1. Coordinating the tests to be executed on priority (and by whom).
   2. Organizing automated tests using naming conventions and labeling.
   3. Building trust using stable tests.
4. Insights
   1. Using testing information to understand product readiness and effectiveness.
   2. Streamlining the process through continuous learning and improvement.

Next, let us look at some of the benefits of TestOps.

Benefits of TestOps for DevOps

Why is TestOps being adopted by application development companies? Here are some of its benefits:

1. Integration with DevOps

In the DevOps environment, TestOps ensures that the product development pipeline has access to automated testing tools and frameworks. Previously, QA teams relied on the pipeline provided by the IT teams. Now, QA engineers have complete visibility and ownership of the DevOps development pipeline and can customize it according to their needs.

• Efficient software testing

TestOps tools offer rich functionalities in its CI/CD pipeline, thus enabling improved productivity across all DevOps teams. Further, DevOps teams now have complete visibility of the testing process. This ensures accurate test results and on-time completion of the testing process.

• Improved test planning

Automation testing cannot be efficient if it needs to test the entire codebase, each time any code is changed. With improved planning using a centralized TestOps platform, software testers, and developers can identify which tests to execute and when.

• Faster execution

TestOps enables DevOps teams to fully leverage the benefits of test automation. By eliminating manual testing and its complexities, TestOps can effectively reduce the execution time of testing. Similarly, AI-powered TestOps tools can improve execution speed and the overall testing coverage. 

Next, let us look at some of the TestOps best practices for a successful DevOps implementation.

10 Best Practices of TestOps for DevOps

Here are some of the best practices of TestOps in software development that can help in a successful DevOps implementation:

1. Adopt a multi-layered approach to software testing that ensures better integration.
2. Implement TestOps with automation testing to reduce testing errors and achieve accurate results.
3. Apply test automation across the entire CI/CD pipeline to avoid any deployment errors.
4. Review and update the existing test cases for improved code and coverage testing.
5. Put time and effort into planning user stories for fulfilling non-functional testing needs.
6. For continuous improvement, work on a single code repository and use automatic builds for committing the code.
7. Merge the modified application code fast when it is ready to be integrated.
8. Introduce shift-left testing right from the integration stage.
9. Make sure the entire DevOps team spends time reviewing their TestOps requirements and providing their feedback.
10. Use the Continuous Testing approach to provide availability, scalability, and usability in the existing TestOps environment.

 

Conclusion

The TestOps approach is essential for product development companies looking for faster release cycles and product quality. In the DevOps environment, TestOps can overcome multiple testing-related challenges like manual testing limitations, high costs, and faster releases of improved applications.

Clear Thought Solutions is a software development and consultancy firm that offers high-quality technology solutions. If you are looking for successful application delivery, partner with us. Contact us or fill out our online form on our website.