How To Automate Regression Testing

Performing regression testing manually can be very time consuming and there is a scope for human errors. Enterprises are looking to achieve quality with less resources when it comes to mobile app testing. This is why it is better to automate regression tests to save time and resources particularly in big projects. The initial set up cost for test automation might be high but in the long run, automation is quite effective. So let’s understand what is regression testing before we jump to the automation part.

What is regression testing?

Regression Testing a type of software testing to confirm that the code change has not adversely affected existing features. It refers to testing activities completed during the software maintenance phase. Regression testing is performed at different levels while performing unit, integration, system, and functional testing. Regression testing is a must while doing emergency production fixes, major releases or during environment changes.

Automating Regression Tests

Regression tests are done to ensure changes in app do not adversely affect the currently functioning parts of the application. Regression suite should be optimized to provide the required coverage ensuring the app does not break down in production. It is preferred to use a cloud based testing platform like pCloudy for automated regression testing of an app. It gives better coverage and it is loaded with many features like autonomous testing bot and parallel testing.

The size of regression test suite is ever-increasing with distributed agile teams. Risked based automated regression testing should be performed to negate the scope for errors. If a test can be used more than times in future then it should be automated. It is suggested to go for automation where there is need for only GUI based commands and script is not required. This makes it easy to reuse the test cases in the future for testing.

Test Cases to Choose for Regression Testing

During the release of the application, there are three types of test suites namely release specific tests, defect fix verification tests and regression tests. For automation, choose the test cases which often contain bugs. Also the test cases that verify the main features of the application and the ones for recent changes in the functionalities. There should be an effort to include all the integration tests and complex UI tests for automation regression testing. Prioritize on the basis of business impact and risk exposure.

Conclusion

Regression testing is necessary for verification of the new code and if the function works well with the existing code. Automation can reduce the time taken for testing by multi folds negating the scope for error. Automated testing approach for regression testing helps follow the DevOps process in an agile environment.

Regression testing is all about analyzing the changes in the software, their impact and then building regression test suite to execute the test at different levels. Automation of any test cannot be done solely by the testers but the business analysts also has a say in the process. Enterprises are automating regression testing to save money and speed up the overall process. This is why the management executives are also informed about the initial cost and the returns in the long run to check the feasibility.

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