<blockquote class="wp-block-quote">The power of the open source is the power of the people. The people rule.<cite>Philippe Kahn</cite></blockquote>



This guide is designed to help contribute to Testsigma, an open-source tool that supports end-to-end testing for Web Apps, Mobile Apps, and APIs.



Spoiler Alert: You don’t always need to be a programmer to make a contributor. There are many opportunities for coding as well as non-coding contributions. This article discusses all aspects necessary to contribute to Testsigma&#8217;s open-source project.



We would be talking about:



i. Tech Stack – Testsigmaii. Ground Rules &amp; Expectations from Contributorsiii. How to get started with Testsigma (Open Source)iv. What if you’re blocked? Where &amp; how to seek help?v. How to suggest new features or enhancements?vi. Various ways to contribute? Coding &amp; the non-coding way?vii. How to submit my changes?viii. Coding standards &amp; Guidelinesix. Contribution Reward Programx. Closing Note



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#Tech_Stack_8211_Testsigma">1 Tech Stack &#8211; Testsigma</a></li><li><a href="#Ground_Rules_Expectations_from_Contributors">2 Ground Rules &amp; Expectations from Contributors</a></li><li><a href="#How_to_get_started_with_Testsigma_Open_Source">3 How to get started with Testsigma (Open Source)</a></li><li><a href="#What_if_youre_blocked_Where_how_to_seek_help">4 What if you’re blocked? Where &amp; how to seek help?</a></li><li><a href="#How_to_Suggest_New_Features_or_Enhancements">5 How to Suggest New Features or Enhancements?</a></li><li><a href="#Various_ways_to_contribute_Coding_the_non-coding_way">6 Various ways to contribute? Coding &amp; the non-coding way?</a></li><li><a href="#How_to_Submit_my_Changes">7 How to Submit my Changes?</a></li><li><a href="#Contribution_Reward_Program">8 Contribution Reward Program</a></li><li><a href="#Closing_Note">9 Closing Note</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="h-tech-stack-testsigma">Tech Stack &#8211; Testsigma</h2>



Testsigma is a mono repository, i.e., a version-controlled repository that holds many projects (read ‘components’). It has four major components, i.e.:



i. Serverii. Agentiii. Automatoriv. User Interface (UI)



These components are built using the following programming &amp; scripting languages:



i. Javaii. TypeScript (Transpiles to JavaScript)iii. Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML)iv. Syntactically Awesome Style Sheets (SCSS)v. Shell Scriptsvi. PowerShell Scripts



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img loading="lazy" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/F_4AdFZ6tIc4dhLPqYUJ47h5p2S8koLfn7LStmc1d4gEE-5Ii3q8u1h3Q9pmXs0d82SQMKjmpGpZnUqksZE8dQk_P_TSep97Ivb3xEOYhv6FDEPSkuVB5_2-FgQdK_FoydBMdbvW55UrOfgXnfmySjA" alt="Tech stack Testsigma" width="400" height="400" /></figure></div>



If you want to dive straight into the technical specification, you can start by understanding what Testsigma is and how it differs from other automation solutions by looking into<a href="https://github.com/testsigmahq/testsigma" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> Github: testsigmahq/testsigma</a> and following the README file.



<button class="btn bg-primary cta-btn" style="margin: auto"><a href="https://github.com/testsigmahq/testsigma" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color:#fff">Start with checking out Testsigma code </a></button> 



<h2 id="ground-rules-expectations-from-contributors">Ground Rules &amp; Expectations from Contributors</h2>



Testsigma community has a detailed code of conduct available on<a href="https://github.com/testsigmahq/testsigma/blob/dev/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> Github: Testsigma – Code of Conduct.</a> Basically, it entails three points:



i. Use Good Judgement &amp; Be respectfulii. Accept responsibilityiii. Focus on community goals over individual goals



<h2 id="how-to-get-started-with-testsigma-open-source">How to get started with Testsigma (Open Source)</h2>



To get started with Testsigma, you would need the following software setup and installations on your machine:



i. Platform: Windows / macOS / Linuxii. Programming Editor / IDE – Example: Intellij IDEiii. OpenJDK 11iv. Apache httpdv. npm and nodejs (&gt;= 12)vi. Docker (If you want to use docker containers for setup)vii. My SQLviii. Git



Note: Knowledge of Git &amp;<a href="https://docs.github.com/en/get-started/quickstart/github-flow" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> Github Flow</a> would be helpful in setting up and using Testsigma repository.



Once you have the above setup on your machine, Testsigma supports two deployment options:



1. Using Docker: It is the easiest way to set up the Testsigma server &amp; MySQL. The detailed setup guide is available<a href="https://website.testsigma.com/docs/getting-started/setup/docker/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> Testsigma Community Edition Docker Setup</a>2. Using Downloadable Package: The downloadable packages are available in the<a href="https://github.com/testsigmahq/testsigma/releases" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> releases section of Testsigma repository</a>. Refer to the assets section for the suitable downloadable package as per your platform. The detailed setup guide is available<a href="https://website.testsigma.com/docs/getting-started/setup/downloadable-package/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> Testsigma Community Edition Setup using Bundled Package</a>



<h2 id="what-if-you-re-blocked-where-how-to-seek-help">What if you’re blocked? Where &amp; how to seek help?</h2>



If you are blocked or need some assistance, here is a list of steps you can take. Most of the time, you will have some assistance until step three or four.



Step 1: Join the Testsigma Community Server on<a href="https://discord.com/invite/5caWS7R6QX" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> Discord</a>. This is go-to place for any kind of issue or support related to Testsigma.



Step 2: Look into the product<a href="https://website.testsigma.com/docs/?utm_source=github&amp;utm_medium=social" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> documentation</a>. In the majority of cases, the documentation itself will provide solutions.



Step 3: Check for support / existing discussion on the Discord Server. There are dedicated channels for such discussions under the Testsigma Platform Group on the Testsigma Discord server.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img loading="lazy" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/xKSqEozxmZZvRHNKrtQveydrpm_Nhjaw76MTvXUCg6yC0Jpd2hIf2AJSZnMjS0hRdIRdrFdoA53ktMIEZWmEsOR-5t9_lckag5k-ERTT8knsYSnoO3GrXp73V0IMddjqxcRXQ_dMZRxlNwDWQ9apyXE" alt="testsigma platforms" width="400" height="400" /></figure></div>



Step 4: If you suspect that the issue you are facing might be a bug in the platform, Navigate to the<a href="https://github.com/testsigmahq/testsigma/issues" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> issues tab</a> on the github repository.



i. Check for already closed issuesii. Check for open issuesiii. If the issue is not listed there, please open a new issue by providing the following details:a. Bug Descriptionb. Current Behaviorc. Expected Behaviord. Steps to reproducee. Version affected



Step 5: Initiate a<a href="https://github.com/testsigmahq/testsigma/discussions" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> discussion on Testsigma’s github forum</a>.



Step 6: Use the support chat available on<a href="https://testsigma.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> testsigma.com</a>.



<h2 id="how-to-suggest-new-features-or-enhancements">How to Suggest New Features or Enhancements?</h2>



After using the platform for a while, it is very natural to have new suggestions, ideas, and requests for improvements. Open-source projects are no exception to this. You are welcome to suggest improvements and that&#8217;s one way to contribute towards an open-source software project.



If you have a suggestion, you can start by navigate to the<a href="https://github.com/testsigmahq/testsigma/issues" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> issues tab</a> to see if any request already exists.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img loading="lazy" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/fYlKWpdo_cdu6g_ljeD8wDMfXDru9PFZTztxWPr9tJJ_iQTlPljAknxAknHcIHnfIQ7Ff8o-yfAmYgz1qbmthU-WNZG0FU-Ip30Wiaj6racP_b9YOA1VC0obDNKcjZSAnqAiPw5WVTGSm5pAppZb6KI" alt="testsigmahq/testsigma" width="600" height="400" /></figure></div>



If a similar issue already exists, add your comment to it or upvote the existing one.



If not, create a new one using the New Issue feature.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img loading="lazy" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/9wg3VfUyKuV7Kj9_dcURHDbYyOOvazKYES7STWh--W1kyDovKawT_MFH_ELUWtiY-ReMRT2jTk5El8IEV097XnNOewy9dw5ifFb7R7OQAEyqpIIbgufNleunaETbI98gjH6VfRPcHxHX8vPQOemY_ho" alt="New features" width="600" height="400" /></figure></div>



Click on Feature Request and add the feature by providing the following details in the feature request form:



i. Feature Summary



ii. Feature advocacy: Why does it matter?



iii. What is the feature about?



iv. Why should the platform have this feature?



v. Other relevant details?



Once you have raised the feature/enhancement request, wait for the moderator to respond.



You can also discuss that in the discord server by sharing the link to the feature request in the<a href="https://discord.com/invite/5caWS7R6QX" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> Testsigma discord server</a> in the channel titled &#8216;feature-requests&#8217;



<h2 id="various-ways-to-contribute-coding-the-non-coding-way">Various ways to contribute? Coding &amp; the non-coding way?</h2>



You can contribute to Testsigma&#8217;s open-source project on various levels and in a variety of ways. Primarily, we can classify contributions as coding &amp; non-coding contributions.



Coding Contributions:



i. Build an Add-Onii. Fix an open bug available under the<a href="https://github.com/testsigmahq/testsigma/issues" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> issues tab</a>.iii. Add a new feature or enhancement.



If you are a beginner, and not yet confident about making big coding contributions. Check for &#8220;<a href="https://github.com/testsigmahq/testsigma/issues?q=is%253Aopen+is%253Aissue+label%253A%2522good+first+issue%2522" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">good first issues</a>”. The complexity of such issues is relatively easy, and they are often left open for beginners to contribute.



Non-Coding Contributions:



1. Be active in the discord community: Help others use Testsigma.2. Report a bug3. Create a feature request4. Improve the documentation:i. Fix Typosii. Highlight inconsistencies &amp; fix themiii. Add missing informationiv. Add flow charts, etc.5. Blog about Testsigmai. Testsigma has an active community blog too. Check it out<a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/"> here</a>.ii. Some blogging ideas:a. Features you likedb. Your experience with the platformc. Your contribution experiencesd. Platform tools, tips, hacks, etc.iii. For more details, write to community@testsigma.com6. Talk about Testsigma: Create video tutorials, podcasts, meetups. If interested, write to community@testsigma.com7. Contribute to platform tutorials



For more details on this topic, you can also checkout the detailed contribution guide available here:<a href="https://github.com/testsigmahq/testsigma/blob/dev/CONTRIBUTING.md" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> testsigma/CONTRIBUTING.md</a>



<h2 id="how-to-submit-my-changes">How to Submit my Changes?</h2>



It is necessary to use Git in order to set up the Testsigma project on your local machine and submit your changes back to the remote repository on GitHub. Here is the link to some<a href="https://education.github.com/git-cheat-sheet-education.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> basic git commands</a> that would help you with this. Alternatively, you can also use a GUI based git client such as<a href="https://desktop.github.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> Github Desktop</a>.



Testsigma can also be integrated with GitHub Actions for CI/CD purposes. The completed guide is available<a href="https://website.testsigma.com/docs/continuous-integration/github-cicd/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> here</a>.



1. Coding standards &amp; Guidelines



If you are interested to work on a code level contribution, here are some guidelines to assist you:



i. Create an issue under the<a href="https://github.com/testsigmahq/testsigma/issues" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> issues tab</a> before raising a pull requestii. Discuss the possible solution with the maintainer. Discord channels and issue comments are appropriate places to have such discussion.iii. Follow the GitHub Flow for source code collaboration.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img loading="lazy" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/tV_v2IyQjixZt58NszA8LJ9GZeq0Z5HC-1UqRZe4hZ8QQMosy3oWAQw4TvKh1MIQnff-ucRBzWrGErkXSX-3Se-xqW3D3EOVFdxVu34HxUbCm3pGIVryV4hX_NgEo11NaKQZ5WidJmkIsD5_JkUUoiU" alt="bugfix" width="600" height="400" /></figure></div>



iv. Write good commit messages:<a href="https://github.com/erlang/otp/wiki/writing-good-commit-messages" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> Here</a> is a quick reference to assist you. Humans and machines can both understand commit messages if they contain the right information.v. Mention the GitHub issue number while raising the pull request to help map the code contribution with the logical feature/bug / enhancement request.vi. For all coding contributions, a CLA(Contributor License Agreement) needs to be signed before or after the pull request is submitted. A bot will prompt it via pull request comment.



Testsigma also has a piece of detailed information about standards and guidelines on Github. Check it out<a href="https://github.com/testsigmahq/testsigma/blob/dev/CONTRIBUTING.md" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> here</a>.&nbsp;



<h2 id="contribution-reward-program">Contribution Reward Program</h2>



Testsigma now offers rewards for open-source contributors as well. That&#8217;s pretty cool, isn&#8217;t it?



If you&#8217;ve done a coding contribution to Testsigma, you can claim your badge and your NFTs at aviyel.&nbsp;



If you have claimed yours, don&#8217;t forget to showcase them with pride. Let’s inspire more folks!



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/3Yk9U7BN8Nl2CBrrKI-vx7fwlQfwBKWCH6uZ4qwqHU91CnIk9ZLeD-L8L3A4rmagf5GY8RSO2coOhYVlwH1gaWwbtQTqwaeYUravZL3z_p3OiO1gZ2aBgX_kqRVtItBALsEnGdfnujXlEtpFsg_e1S8" alt="Rewards" width="800" /></figure></div>



 <h2 id="closing-note">Closing Note</h2>



Contributing to open-source projects can be a rewarding experience. Kudos to you for considering making your first contribution to Testsigma! ? The contribution you make could inspire many others to upscale their open-source journey. Hopefully, I&#8217;ve inspired you enough to contribute to this amazing open-source world.

How To Contribute To Testsigma Open Source￼

How To Contribute To Testsigma Open Source

<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img loading="lazy" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/6CekEeAi1joWG2iHIV8DtwB5ntH2Dpy-qRdIcWkpddxrbn8SAvEikjSVFn0AtVj7nVPCqiyMO6cAsF4jaHlppDSL2SSmAP8o6bswSfcQrjLFzzpOrYftFO0mBW5008Z8toj0ioCIGhupZrHpao83nmA" alt="" width="600" height="400"/></figure></div>



Hello Folks,



Great to meet you all with another interesting blog. There are many relationships between Games and Testing. Many people use that as a metaphor and define testing. Why is it so? Every game requires strategy and analytical skills to play and win. In today’s blog, I will be explaining how chess and the pieces in chess are related to software testers and what we learn from them.



Chess is one of the brilliant games. No one could deny it. But have you ever wondered that the chess pieces have a lot of similarities with the different roles that testers can have and our everyday life?&nbsp;



Yes, we are facing a lot of challenges every day and we take on new roles and responsibilities based on them. We need to act differently in different situations. We all know that life is a game, and we all are players here. So let’s see in detail each chess piece and what it symbolizes.&nbsp;



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#The_King">1 The King</a></li><li><a href="#The_Queen">2 The Queen</a></li><li><a href="#The_Bishop">3 The Bishop</a></li><li><a href="#The_Knight">4 The Knight</a></li><li><a href="#The_Rook">5 The Rook</a></li><li><a href="#Pawns">6 Pawns</a></li><li><a href="#Closing_thoughts">7 Closing thoughts:</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="h-the-king">The King</h2>



The King is the most important one among the chess coins because the entire game revolves around the King. He is the most influential decision-maker. He doesn’t have much power, but he decides the fate of the entire game. All other pieces are meant to play the game of protecting the King. If there’s no King, then there’s no game at all.&nbsp;



Sometimes, we should act as King to avoid conflicts in the team. There should be only one decision-maker and multiple ones will lead to chaos. Of course, getting multiple options and feedback from the team is the first step. 



You need power, and authority to decide and everything in the project is revolving around you. This role helps you to make the right decisions, and guide and build the team better. Overall the King piece is advocating leadership that every tester of all levels should learn and implement. For instance, every Project/Test Manager should think and act like a king in most scenarios.&nbsp;



<h2 id="the-queen">The Queen</h2>



The Queen is the most powerful piece of all, with a lot of freedom provided she tends to save her King and the territory. She can move in any direction and take down anything that comes her way. She is aware of her strengths and weaknesses.&nbsp;



Also, I strongly believe that the QUEEN is a demonstration that implies that women are given more freedom since they are capable of handling it. Women are good at multitasking and delivering quality at the same time. 



So this role, in the game of chess, is suitable for Testers who are given a lot of freedom in the project and in turn they deliver the best. They are aware of the granular level details of the projects. They use their power to fight for the team, and they use their smartness to handle and tackle the stakeholders. We testers should be fierce and utilize emancipation in a righter way.&nbsp;



Under certain circumstances, we need testers to behave smart as the Queen and make use of the freedom in a realistic and diligent way. Here comes the role of the Test Lead. I would say that a Test Lead should react and play the game with Queen’s attitude. This is helpful for the entire team to be led in the right way.&nbsp;



<h2 id="the-bishop">The Bishop</h2>



There are two bishops and they are close to the king and queen. They are considered the third most powerful pieces. Next to the King and Queen, they have the power and authority to make decisions. But they play the game the same way and same move.&nbsp;



Bishop is a highly respected and valued piece. Sometimes, we need to provide authority to someone and watch. This builds the team rapport and confidence in everyone and brings out the leadership in them. Delegating small chunks of work and asking our team to take responsibility, helps the team to grow and be productive.&nbsp;



Sometimes we have our senior associates in the team who possess a greater knowledge of the project and systems. Along with the power, experience helps a lot. So should try to gain real-time hands-on experience in the tools or projects we are being a part of.&nbsp;



<h2 id="the-knight">The Knight</h2>



The Knight is the only piece, that can skip or jump between pieces on the chessboard. They are happy-go-lucky and smarter ones. Other than Pawns, they have the power to start the game. It is on equal footing with Bishop and holds military ranking. Along with the power, you need strategic and pragmatic thinking.&nbsp;



A horse is used to denote and illustrate the Knight. It is an elegantly designed chessman. Just like the knight in a game of chess, testers should be versatile and clever. For instance, I can relate the Knight with some new joiners to the team with a few years of experience and knowledge in new tools/technologies. 



They are energetic, vibrant, and enthusiastic. They are well aware of their roles and responsibilities. They needed a little mentorship initially and they can work smart and play the game and make unexpected magic happen.&nbsp;



<h2 id="the-rook">The Rook</h2>



They are strong, hefty, and powerful ones and the front-liners during the war. They provide support to the remaining pieces. They form a protective layer to the castle and that’s why even the piece designed represents the Castle with the turrets on top.&nbsp;



We as testers should be strong-headed and face the challenges. We should be defending our team. In every project, there will be a handful of techy, nerd people. They like to play around with the tools and make our work easier. They are super smart and will be ready to take on challenges at any time. I would say everyone in the project should act as a rook.&nbsp;



<h2 id="pawns">Pawns</h2>



Pawns are the underrated pieces on the chessboard, due to their power limitation. They are more in number with less power on the chessboard. In history, they have great stories to share. They are considered weak. 



But they are more in numbers which make happen anything. We have to learn teamwork and humility from the pawns. Also, they showcase the traits like bravery and sacrifice. So never underestimate the presence and the strategy of the pawns.&nbsp;



I would relate this to the trainees in our team. If they receive proper guidance they thrive. We all need to understand their needs and should work together for the team&#8217;s success.



<h2 id="closing-thoughts">Closing thoughts:</h2> 



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img loading="lazy" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/ojDYeOQgG4EHK04CbG1h3i50I-xkFFQSFjqGiQMDRLkvrcOIh1cBq_lscS5p0B6b19MNXY1MhLPiMpY-58mF4hDBgOJeWRJSMTlkmbxoGsIV_CpegVfkd3otuG53Bfl2NIf_5UwVt3kszsc-OPrYaWQ" alt="" width="600" height="400"/></figure></div>



Every chess piece has a meaning and some elegant takeaway for us. These are different roles which I can relate to a few of our roles. Sometimes we need to play more than one role. I hope you will be able to relate the roles along with me. Lots of roles to play and act in a single day. That’s the life of a software tester.&nbsp;



To face the challenges or roadblocks we wear different hats every day. Just like this chess board and the chessmen we testers are juggling different roles and responsibilities.&nbsp;



Which one are you? Life is a long game. Of course, this is your game, and you need to play it your way. Please comment, let’s hear it out from you. Let’s celebrate each other!



PC: <a href="https://www.freepik.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Freepik</a>



Disclaimer: Inspired by the Queen’s Gambit series on Netflix and this is written based on Author’s sole views and opinions, not with an intention to hurt others.



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



Just like, the pieces of chess can be related to different members of the testing team, the gaming strategies can be related to testing strategies. Read more about testing types and strategies here:



<a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/the-different-software-testing-types-explained/"> Software Testing Types</a>



Test Automation, is one of the major strategies and requires tools for implementation, read more about such tools for automation here:



<a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/most-popular-tools-for-cloud-automation-testing/">Popular tools for cloud automation testing</a>



<a href="https://website.testsigma.com/cross-browser-testing-tools">cross-browser testing tools</a>



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Testsigma is a no-code test automation tool that lets you automate your tests for web,mobile and API from the same place, easily. It is also open source and free.
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Read more about the features of Testsigma here: <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://website.testsigma.com/</a>

A Tester’s Gambit

I’m happy to announce our financing of $4.6M&nbsp; led by Accel and STRIVE, with participation from BoldCap and a host of well known entrepreneurs and operators ?



These include Shanmugam Krishnasamy, co-founder and CTO of Freshworks; Kiran Darisi, co-founder and VP of engineering at Freshworks; Parsuram Vijayasankar, co-founder and principal engineer at Freshworks; Vetri Vellore, CEO of Ally.io; Nitesh Banta, CEO at B12; Ioann Fainsilber, Co-Founder at Pintek, among others.



I’m grateful to the entire Testsigma team, our users, partners as we celebrate this huge milestone! And, I would like to welcome our investors to this exciting journey!



With an increasing focus on automation and DevOps, software delivery is faster than ever before! Automated testing is essential for balancing software quality with the accelerated velocity of release cycles, but because the toolchain that is supposed to enable automated testing has many moving parts, test automation becomes a parallel development project in organizations. Plus they have huge upfront and ongoing resource, tech, and expertise costs.&nbsp;



Today’s test stacks have made test automation more about writing and maintaining scripts than about taking quality software to market as quickly as possible.



What we’re trying to do at <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Testsigma</a> is not just simplify test automation to speed up the testing, but also make it a sustainable, scalable process in which the tools and frameworks don’t require ongoing maintenance, freeing up the teams to focus on value delivery instead of building and maintaining scripts and frameworks.



Thousands of developers, QAs, product managers across the world at teams like Sage, HPE, Netgear, HDFC Life, IEEE,&nbsp; SignEasy, American Psychological Association, Mehiläinen, and more use Testsigma to test continuously throughout their software delivery cycles.&nbsp;



Since our beta launch we have run 1.5M+ tests for hundreds of products, and on boarded 1000+ users, we are now we have got all the power to accelerate our growth.



We will use the capital to strengthen the core engineering and product team and to build alongside and for a global community of testers, test automation engineers, and developers.



I would like to take this opportunity to share with you our next steps, what we will be focusing on, our road map, and how we are thinning and shaping this platform.&nbsp;



Our focus areas:



<ol><li>Bringing standardization to a fragmented testing toolchain</li><li>Enabling faster, more scalable test automation</li><li>Improving stability and reliability of automated tests&nbsp;</li><li>Leverage AI to build an autonomous testing platform&nbsp;</li><li>Extend to solve for complex <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/how-make-test-automation-more-inclusive/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">test automation</a> requirements</li><li>Enabling everyone in modern teams to test for faster releases</li><li>Grow our community and build Testsigma as an open source project</li></ol>



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#The_current_test_stack_is_broken_needs_a_fresh_approach">1 The current test stack is broken &amp; needs a fresh approach</a></li><li><a href="#Bringing_standardization_to_a_fragmented_testing_toolchain">2 Bringing standardization to a fragmented testing toolchain</a></li><li><a href="#Building_a_unified_testing_ecosystem">3 Building a unified testing ecosystem</a></li><li><a href="#Effortless_extensibility">4 Effortless extensibility</a></li><li><a href="#No-code_testing_thats_not_just_record_and_playback">5 No-code testing that’s not just record and playback</a></li><li><a href="#Why_Open_Source">6 Why Open Source?</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="the-current-test-stack-is-broken-needs-a-fresh-approach">The current test stack is broken &amp; needs a fresh approach</h2>



Our founding team has been part of multiple product teams for various organizations, with each one of us being part of product teams for around 15 years. We have seen test automation problems first hand many times and helped the teams build scalable test automation processes.



In that time we’ve primarily seen two types of test automation approaches implemented, both being imperfect:



1. Custom built frameworks



Most teams prefer building a custom test stack/framework because of the flexibility but there are significant drawbacks:



i. We realized that the modern test stack is fragmented. It has too many moving parts to be easy to set up and scale.



ii. Given there are so many use cases, languages and app types, test automation becomes overwhelmingly complex &amp; time consuming to the point where it becomes its own development project.



2. Scriptless tools powered by AI



Modern tools are simple to begin with but don’t scale for complex setups and constantly evolving applications.



It became clear to us that simple, no-code, AI powered solutions are vendor dependent in terms of flexibility required for scale, whereas custom built solutions require intensive complex dev and integration efforts to both build and maintain over time. As a consequence, <a href="https://www.capgemini.com/in-en/research/world-quality-report-wqr-20-21/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">almost two-thirds of all teams</a> that automate their testing never see a return on their investment.



In a nutshell, the current test stack is complex, time consuming to build, and just doesn’t scale like you would want it to.



We want to change that by standardizing the fragmented test stack and coalescing it into an easy-to-use platform that combines the flexibility of open source test automation tools but with the ease of existing closed source low-code solutions.



<h2 id="bringing-standardization-to-a-fragmented-testing-toolchain">Bringing standardization to a fragmented testing toolchain</h2>



We now know the problem lies with the lack of a common standard in the testing ecosystem. So how do we stop test automation from becoming a complex parallel development project?&nbsp; When we set out to build Testsigma we laid out 3 core principles the platform should achieve:



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>Unify a broken test stack</li><li>Simplify the complete testing cycle, from test planning to design, all the way to development, execution, and analysis</li><li>Make quality a shared responsibility by enabling non-programmers in the team to test</li></ul>



What we’re trying to do is not just simplify test automation but bring sustainable scalability that can help users and teams actually do more testing rather than being caught up with building and maintaining scripts and frameworks.



<h2 id="building-a-unified-testing-ecosystem">Building a unified testing ecosystem</h2>



To really solve for the broken test stack, we had to make sure our platform doesn’t limit users to specific use cases, programming languages, application types etc.&nbsp;



We decided to bring everything under one roof and built Testsigma as an open-source, low code platform that mimics what the modern Test automation workflow looks like.



Our platform works out-of-the-box. You don’t have to ‘set it up’ one framework, library, and tool at a time. You can simply install it and directly start automating tests for web apps, mobile apps, and APIs. This enables teams to shift focus towards scaling testing rather than maintaining the automation framework to support it.



From test development to reporting, users can perform integrated end-to-end testing that&#8217;s supplemented by powerful TestOps, built-in test data management and one-click integrations with delivery pipelines, for web apps, Android and iOS apps, and APIs, etc.



Read more about Testsigma <a href="https://testsigma.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.



<h2 id="effortless-extensibility">Effortless extensibility</h2>



We have seen that after teams automate a number of ‘standard’ tests, they struggle to scale because test scenarios increase in number and complexity while release cycles shortened. It&#8217;s no secret that test automation requirements are unique to every organization and constantly change&nbsp; based on the product &amp; what stage it is at. Test automation requirements can start out small and then grow rapidly.



We wanted to make scalability and extensibility something that was accessible and easy.



Testsigma&#8217;s platform approach will enable everyone to easily add custom actions, data generators, reports, integrations etc. form a community powered marketplace and build all these as needed using a simple Testsigma SDK.&nbsp;



Also, we are an open source platform, you can dig deep and extend the core platform as you need.



<h2 id="no-code-testing-that-s-not-just-record-and-playback">No-code testing that’s not just record and playback</h2>



In cross-functional development teams, <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/test-automation-by-smes-qa-analysts-for-continuous-delivery-and-devops/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">everyone including Devs, QAs, PMs are responsible</a> for the quality of releases. To balance quality with release velocity, we see teams adopting <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/how-continuous-testing-supercharges-your-automation-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">shift-left continuous testing</a>. 



We built Testsigma as a platform that everyone in the team could use to plan, develop, execute, and analyze tests, but the traditional ‘record-and-playback’ approach to to test development left a lot of room for flakiness and browser compatibility issues to creep in.



To create tests in Testsigma all you need to know is simple English. You can either write tests step by step, or generate them by recording real-time user scenarios and interactions that are auto-converted into editable tests.&nbsp;



<h2 id="why-open-source">Why Open Source?</h2>



Our objective is to collaboratively build a future-ready test automation platform, an ‘operating system for software quality’ alongside its most important stakeholders – the user, that decisively bridges the gap between development and testing.



In our journey so far, we’ve noticed that there is a misalignment across quality, teams and tools. There isn&#8217;t a tool in the market that involves every quality stakeholder, technical or not, in the building and integration of a test automation framework within the SDLC. We think that by open sourcing our platform, we can bring SDETs, Test Engineers, and Test Automation architects on the same page as QAs, PMs, and SMEs.



Check out <a href="https://github.com/testsigmahq/testsigma" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Testsigma GitHub repo</a>!



We open sourced Testsigma to achieve a few goals:



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>With access to our source code, teams can dig into, customize and extend Testsigma as needed</li><li>Makes it easy to integrate existing open-source technology stacks. This flexibility is often missing in closed-source testing tools</li><li>Open-source is low risk because it doesn’t involve security constraints 3rd party cloud-based tools are restricted by</li><li>We are aware of the immense complexity in test automation, and that every challenge cannot be solved by one team. Open source is a powerful enabler where the entire dev &amp; testing community can collaborate towards the singular goal of simplifying test automation for everyone</li></ul>



We will of course continue to invest time and resources into improving both the open source and cloud version of our product but it’s the contribution of the community that will make Testsigma the universal standard in test automation.



Thank you! ?

Testsigma raises $4.6M from Accel and STRIVE to simplify test automation for everyone

Testsigma raises $4.6M from Accel and STRIVE to simplify test automation

One day suddenly the whole world locked down to prevent the pandemic from being spread uncontrollably. When machines and factories were all stopped &#8211; your social media, mobile applications, and all the digital world was still operating at the same pace as before. 



Even if you did not notice, millions of developers and testers worked from their homes to keep you online and help you share your thoughts, purchase essential supplies and view live news.



What started as a necessity has now become a new normal in the information technology industry. <a href="https://kissflow.com/digital-workplace/remote-work/shocking-work-from-home-statistics/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">More than 55% of industries have now been permitted</a> to work from home even when the pandemic is over. 



Maintaining the same efficiency as the in-office setup is not possible if you are indulged in a complicated connection of multiple tool &#8211; you would need a good tool that not only supports but facilitates the work no matter what location you are working from. 



In this post, we will discuss one such tool along with a few points that make our remote life easy. How the tool manages in these situations, is the crux of our post.



For simplicity, I have divided this post into two different sections &#8211; technical and management &#8211; how <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">Testsigma, a completely cloud-based test automation tool</a>, supports team members in both these domains while they work from home. Both of these sections focus on their respective expert areas with respect to Testsigma.



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#Technical_capabilities">1 Technical capabilities</a><ul><li><a href="#Cloud-based_infrastructure">1.1 Cloud-based infrastructure</a></li><li><a href="#Scalable">1.2 Scalable</a></li><li><a href="#English_based_scripting_using_NLP">1.3 English based scripting using NLP</a></li><li><a href="#Integration_with_tools">1.4 Integration with tools</a></li><li><a href="#Support_for_multiple_testing_methods">1.5 Support for multiple testing methods</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Management_capabilities">2 Management capabilities</a><ul><li><a href="#242157_Support">2.1 24&#215;7 Support</a></li><li><a href="#Collaborative_editing">2.2 Collaborative editing</a></li><li><a href="#Role-based_responsibilities">2.3 Role-based responsibilities</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Conclusion">3 Conclusion</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="technical-capabilities">Technical capabilities</h2>



This section describes the technical capabilities of the tool Testsigma, for software <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/automated-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">test automation</a>, that help the team execute tests smoothly.



<h3 id="cloud-based-infrastructure">Cloud-based infrastructure</h3>



The first requirement for working from home efficiently is to use a tool that is available over the cloud network. Testsigma checked this point even before the pandemic arrived. 



Cloud-based systems provide a two-fold advantage to the team. Firstly, it is available anywhere and everywhere you want it. You can sit in India or the United States or use my PC or your friend’s, you just have to log in and all your work will be visible to you right away.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/vc0NmnGBM9HWbF18KEfCDEVDhbAF9PIbYCWMDWFH7Ve6p-y9NwdADs9YqYipY4SIHZxdnAzXzfsUmGTV7Bb2qh5HeNjIBgFdpxKfA6URuPSX_25JgXd9J9pzv0knLB31qHZTRnHr" alt="Cloud-based infrastructure" width="600"/></figure></div>



Secondly, cloud-based systems do not eat up your personal resources that can have a huge impact on test execution. Consider you are running test scripts on one application while writing test scripts in another framework on a 4GB system. 



This can slow down the process and delay the test results. Since you are working from home, there is no other system to share the load also &#8211; Testsigma, a completely cloud-based test automation tool, lets you use your own resources for other works while providing their own powerful infrastructure to assign machines and run tests on them. As far as your personal system is concerned, an internet connection and a browser are all you want.



<h3 id="scalable">Scalable</h3>



A project, no matter how much potential it has, always start small, slow, and then eventually scales up with time. But even if you have a small team working remotely, scalability is always kept in mind for the future. 



If you are at a point where you are scaling constantly but the tools you are using have given up on you, the whole project can face a downtime which is bad for business and reputation.



Testsigma comes with scalability features for all types of teams &#8211; an individual, a team, or a complete organization. Testsigma works on the cloud infrastructure and therefore if you have a requirement to scale up your testing, you can do that just by clicking a couple of buttons with the comfort of sitting at home. 



This way you not only save a lot of time but you pay only for the number of resources you use and hence speed up the delivery.



<h3 id="english-based-scripting-using-nlp">English based scripting using NLP</h3>



Your legacy test code may be written in a programming language that your testers may or may not know. The same situation comes for frameworks that support only a couple of languages.&nbsp; To make changes to that code and write test scripts of their own the testers have to learn that supported programming language and then understand the legacy code. 



This problem can be faced either remotely or in-office. But what happens in such a scenario is that when people try to understand the code, they face a lot of problems in either understanding the logic or the flow of the execution. 



Resolving this issue in the office is easy. You just have to go to the tester/developer’s desk or someone who has already worked on it and get a bit of knowledge transfer or support from them. The work is done.



In a remote office setup, the only option is to either call or chat through your preferred application. This can be a lot of pain as people are busy and as a result, the process can extend to multiple days. 



Testsigma offers a straightforward and simple solution to this. The tool comes equipped with <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/ai-driven-test-automation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">artificial intelligence</a> and <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/smart-test-automation-using-nlp-what-you-should-know/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">natural language processing</a> capabilities. In simple words, it lets you do the simple work and perform the harder job by itself by asking you to write the scripts in plain English language.



The following image demonstrates a test script written to navigate to a particular website:



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/8UJPNCOb5xo8UNY87ZPUP0MKu-EurmSyxjQRHMOtBEZyzlGIAp0aXsuHUDMQ7Hi2iVbkslqH7ggyCtzhTv40UezT0xVDaZH0BRQZMSrEhTeldx3fAbfOxmX3q4ovIDvxi44iJIdx" alt="Testsigma NLP based test" width="800"/></figure></div>



So when a new person looks at your legacy code, it is just like reading English sentences (refer to the above image). The process of completing the testing then becomes faster even while sitting at home.



<h3 id="integration-with-tools">Integration with tools</h3>



Software integrations need no introduction to the people working in the software industry. There is no perfect tool that has everything in-built into it. We have an awesome bug tracking software while another awesome cross-browser testing device lab etc. A good tool is one that can join all the integrations and provide you with convenience on a single screen.&nbsp;



Testsigma takes care of all the necessary integrations that the testers can use from the platform and make use of it as required.&nbsp;



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img loading="lazy" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/5a63PBbKVxB1I8hirP3yNbPTSEWwG3kHeN4vH-TDdYRrGQeBJYeg54gR3pbKnJxQFChWSLD9C86hPr3AsVmecvRitLs0HnAwSlzk38gmC1hsaDicWbuwzVhTgHBULqELPe-CbshA" alt="Integration with tools" width="800" height="448"/></figure></div>



You can also find the most important aspect of testing &#8211; integration with CI/CD tools for smooth build and test phases on each version. You can visit the integrations page to know more about the integrations that you may require.



<h3 id="support-for-multiple-testing-methods">Support for multiple testing methods</h3>



Software testing is a big umbrella that contains a lot of sub-testing processes that ensure that the released software is of top quality. These may include <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/regression-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">regression testing</a>, <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/automated-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">automation testing</a>, mobile app testing, cross-browser testing, etc. 



For all these things to work remotely, you might have to go for one framework that can do data-driven testing, another for automation, etc.&nbsp;



Testsigma brings every sub-testing process onto a single platform giving the freedom to the tester of choosing anyone or using all of them as per the requirements. With Testsigma, you don’t have to switch to various frameworks and learn each of them. 



The tool provides robust data-driven testing, regression testing, cross-browser testing, automation testing, and much more for the teams. While working remotely, if you are learning just a single software for all your needs, you can speed up the cycles.



<h2 id="management-capabilities">Management capabilities</h2>



This section describes the management capabilities of the tool that play an equal role in increasing efficiency and productivity while working remotely.



<h3 id="24x7-support">24&#215;7 Support</h3>



The most important part of working remotely as described in the NLP section above is the need to understand the framework or tool you are working on. 



If you are stuck anywhere, you just have two options &#8211; either google it, find the solution and try if it works or you can ask anyone from your team who has already worked on the framework before. While working remotely, both of these options have a high probability of failure as you are not physically present to ask anyone.



Testsigma understands that while working remotely, you may face a problem that needs to be solved urgently whether it is day or night. Therefore, the tool comes with 24-hour support every day so that your work never suffers at any time and you have someone to clear your queries from.



<h3 id="collaborative-editing">Collaborative editing</h3>



Collaborative editing is a process combining two terms &#8211; collaboration and editing. Collaboration means you have a platform that can facilitate sharing the documents, progress, reports etc. 



If I am done with a testing process, maybe I can send my reports from the same platform or it gets shared automatically to the team etc. In simple words, even if we are remote, the team gets an organized set of documents at their disposal. Collaborative editing is however a bit different than just collaboration.&nbsp;



For example, Google docs allows collaborative editing in which instead of sharing a copy of the document, we share the link to the same document with another person. The receiver can then edit the same document and I can see the changes. 



This is an important feature to look for while working remotely because it can get really messy if we start sharing multiple documents to the complete team and then look at the changes by each of them. It can become a small GitHub of our own but more complicated than that.



<a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://website.testsigma.com/" target="_blank">Testsigma, a completely cloud-based test automation tool</a>, provides collaborative editing to its testers for not only sharing the test cases with the team but they can also provide their suggestions on the same test case while working from the comforts of their homes. 



This way, the whole team can see the changes on a single document and there is no complications or confusion to address.



<h3 id="role-based-responsibilities">Role-based responsibilities</h3>



In-office setups often work in different environments and are controlled by either credentials or access roles assigned in the backend that can restrict unauthorized access. When we are working remotely using a tool, this becomes a problem as now you are connecting to the tool’s server rather than using your own. 



Consider a scenario where you are two team members working on the same project and hence share all the files. But, since your teammate is in a senior position, he has access to deleting a file that you don’t. He can also create a new task for you or himself. If in any way, you can also do the same action as he does, it becomes a security loophole especially when contract employees are on board.&nbsp;



Testsigma comes with the user access levels to predefine who has access to what in the tool. You can also create custom roles and define access to them as per your requirements. While working from home, this becomes very helpful as you don’t have to create another layer through yourself when the tool covers everything for you.



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<h2 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h2>



 Working from home has become a new normal in the IT industry. Not only it has become convenient but <a href="https://kissflow.com/digital-workplace/remote-work/shocking-work-from-home-statistics/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">more than 75% of employees find it more productive</a> than in-office work. It seems like working from home will continue for some time now and for IT, it is not easy. 



The remote setup leaves us with the only option of using chat or calls to connect with someone and resolve our queries. Using multiple tools for multiple purposes just increases the query count a lot more which then results in the delay of work, projects, and fewer test cycles as before. 



The need of the hour is a tool that is complete in itself and can provide you with the functionalities of all the individual tools in a single place. Testsigma fits perfectly in such a scenario providing the tester with a platform that can help in automation, cross-browser testing, regression testing, and many more types.



Testsigma is a completely cloud-based test automation tool built on a robust infrastructure providing a clean interface and centralized testing experience to the organization, meanwhile, enhancing the work from home experience too.



Testsigma presents a unique style of writing the tests in the English language that helps in easy test creation. All these features help testers in work from home setup as learning becomes very easy and with 24-hour support, one dedicated person is always there for you. With Testsigma, you just have to focus on testing and the rest is taken care of by the tool.



We tried our best to highlight how the test automation tool Testsigma can smoothen out your work from home. However, if you would like to query anything else about the tool, feel free to contact our support. Also, we would love to know your thoughts in the comments below.

Simplify your work from home challenges with test automation tool Testsigma

Simplify your Work from Home Challenges with Test Automation Tool Testsigma

The software industry goes through a lot of research and modified methodologies that keep the software quality top-notch for the end-user. 2014 saw the trend of <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/mobile-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">mobile app testing</a> as they were becoming a <a href="https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252497300/Mobile-business-and-productivity-apps-see-7-billion-downloads-in-2020" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">multi-billion dollar business all over the world</a>. 2015 saw the trend of <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/scriptless-test-automation-agile-devops/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">scriptless testing</a> and IoT focussed methodologies. 



Again, this was shaped by the market trends and the increasing importance of both of this software. In 2016, Google made it clear that since mobile traffic is more than all else, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2015/04/rolling-out-mobile-friendly-update" target="_blank">mobile-friendly websites will be prioritised</a> when a user searches on mobile. So the trend of mobile web testing came into the picture. The story has continued since then for each year.



With the end of 2022, we are here after careful analysis of the market trend and the latest prioritised technologies that we believe will be important in the future. 



These technologies have started to pick up as trends in software testing and have the most potential of growing at a significant rate in 2023. Let’s see these trends and why they are important this year.



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#Software_Testing_Trends_2023">1 Software Testing Trends 2023 </a></li><li><a href="#QAOps">2 QAOps</a></li><li><a href="#AI_and_Machine_Learning-Based_Testing">3 AI and Machine Learning-Based Testing</a></li><li><a href="#IoT_Automation_Testing">4 IoT Automation Testing</a></li><li><a href="#Robotic_Process_Automation_RPA">5 Robotic Process Automation (RPA)</a></li><li><a href="#Selenium_4">6 Selenium 4</a></li><li><a href="#In-Sprint_Test_Automation">7 In-Sprint Test Automation</a></li><li><a href="#Whats_Your_Personal_Trend">8 What’s Your Personal Trend?</a></li><li><a href="#Frequently_Asked_Questions">9 Frequently Asked Questions</a><ul><li><a href="#What_is_the_next_big_thing_in_software_testing">9.1 What is the next big thing in software testing?</a></li><li><a href="#Is_Selenium_used_in_2022">9.2 Is Selenium used in 2022?</a></li><li><a href="#Which_testing_is_most_demanding">9.3 Which testing is most demanding?</a></li><li><a href="#Which_Testing_Tool_is_in_Demand_2022">9.4 Which Testing Tool is in Demand 2022?</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Suggested_Reading">10 Suggested Reading</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="software-testing-trends-2023">Software Testing Trends 2023 </h2>



<h2 id="qaops">QAOps</h2>



A couple of years back a new term QAOps started picking up in the software industry. In 2021 it went a bit more into consideration and implementation. Today, QAOps is projected to seep more into the software development life cycle and will play an important role in 2023.&nbsp;



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/qeD8usX7LIYCS3u2CtIY_usfakFaYHCfICx2vydc3HvuAuAQcqwZco9pGRMBkocOn9tWGvachmWbz-mtQdDfbHfB9xHJ6rtwnjg16E-Nc8P4EkybrF3x2vp7-9MjKzHfPEMuQDIn" alt="QAOps" width="600" /><figcaption><a href="https://www.cognizantsoftvision.com/blog/how-qa-contributes-to-digital-transformation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Source</a></figcaption></figure></div>



QAOps is a term derived by combining the two processes &#8211; the DevOps and QA into one. QA is the final checkpoint that ensures that the software we are delivering is of high quality. 



DevOps aims at developing software and combining IT operations with it. When we fuse QA into the DevOps process the newly integrated process is called QAOps. With QAOps we are incorporating the <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/where-does-qa-and-test-automation-fit-in-devops/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">testing process into DevOps</a> and let QA engineers work with developers while the software is in development.&nbsp;



QAOps is projected to create a new software process model and increase the overall quality of the process.&nbsp;



<h2 id="ai-and-machine-learning-based-testing">AI and Machine Learning-Based Testing</h2>



Another software testing trend to watch out for in 2023 is artificial intelligence(AI) and machine learning(ML). AI and ML are no new words today. From mobile applications to chatbots to predictive systems, AI is growing its foot in every direction. This growth, as analyzed by <a aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/artificial-intelligence-ai-market" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">GrandViewResearch</a> has turned into a $62.3 billion industry in 2021 growing at a rate of 40%.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/Cf9ciZCvlgvUycr2kGrAr5LBSmAm4psHPlt32p1P2b4MX3XKV2p0Im20xCfg_cGvhNakUKIY_SyLAZpP-yXz_dbUUMHd22M7aRNsn9QLuxcfbxf9pwsp5PJj0HhS-OUK4n_74CnW" alt="AI and Machine Learning-Based Testing" width="600" /></figure></div>



All this implementation of artificial intelligence has been primarily into the development field. AI is used to predict and present but not to verify the predicted data etc. In 2021, AI began being implemented in the testing department and we believe that it will be as crucial to testing as it has been to the development world.



So, what could be good use cases in software testing that can attract AI and shed off the tester’s load? Even though business logic is something that is quite far from AI, generating test cases can be a reasonable use case to bet on. Similarly, AI can help in generating test case data that is specific to the module with varying fields and validations. 



AI can also be used in analyzing any leaks in testing, defaults, and predicting the test coverage even before running the test cases to save time. If you have something in mind, feel free to comment down below.



AI is coming to the deeper <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/positive-and-negative-testing-scenarios/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">scenarios of software testing</a> but one tool has been quick to pick up the trend and implement it in their DNA.<a aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://website.testsigma.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> Testsigma, a completely cloud-based test automation tool</a> uses AI technology in <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/common-software-testing-mistakes-beginners-make-how-to-avoid/">software testing</a> to save time, costs and smoothen out the learning curve of the testers. 



With AI technology, the tester can write the test cases in the English language that can be translated into programming language by the tool. Testsigma also comes with <a aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/self-healing-tests-maintenance-testsigma/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">self-healing technologies</a> that can detect changes in the user interface and change the test script corresponding to that element automatically. Such <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/how-application-of-artificial-intelligence-is-transforming-business/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">artificial intelligence</a> practices can improve the quality of processes and save time.&nbsp;



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<h2 id="iot-automation-testing">IoT Automation Testing</h2>



IoT (Internet of things) devices have been on an increase for a long time now. In 2021, <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1183457/iot-connected-devices-worldwide/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">more than 23 billion IoT devices were active</a> and connected to the internet. This number is projected to be around 50 billion by 2030.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/AYj-SLPFiY0Ggjiphrha9LjpZLx5R46kXmH10ltWhN9Me0QtXGmRfa7ID3xiky7QL8Et2bW16obqnw_FgPmv4UuxKBl9x0KnHPD4RbFBuOxuKsKzsNOSojH16XE3DmfCT2meYF5l" alt="IoT Automation Testing" width="600" /></figure></div>



<a href="https://advanced-television.com/2019/06/12/survey-awareness-of-iot-remains-low/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Metova survey describes</a> how people look forward to IoT devices and how 85% of them are interested to buy one for their daily use. With such growth comes a lot of responsibility for <a href="https://relevant.software/iot/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">IoT developers</a>, manufacturers, and testers.&nbsp;



IoT is used in sensitive data such as your video footages via CCTVs or your personal health data etc. Such sensitive data needs to be protected well before propagating it through the internet channels. 



Hence, a special focus remains on the automation testing of the IoT devices using appropriate data. For example, if we are testing a voice assistant, a lot of human-like sentences need to be constructed. With such a boom in the IoT industry, in 2023, it will definitely be one thing to look forward to&nbsp;for both consumers and <a href="https://webbylab.com/blog/where-to-find-and-hire-iot-developers/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">IOT developers</a>.



<h2 id="robotic-process-automation-rpa">Robotic Process Automation (RPA)</h2>



Robotic process automation has already been involved in the software testing process and we believe that it will continue to be in the trend for 2023 with an increased acceptance. 



<a href="https://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/5139946/robotic-process-automation-global-market" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Research and market survey</a> projects the revenue from RPA to be around 3.4 billion US dollars by 2027. With 28.2% year-on-year growth, RPA is always preferred to be the first choice for performing the automation of mundane tasks.



RPA, also called robotic process automation, is a process of automating tasks that are repetitive and require no manual intervention as such. RPA takes down the actions of the tester for the first time to make note of what has to be done. 



Using artificial intelligence and machine learning, RPA then executes multiple scenarios using the same actions on the screen. Since it is automatic, it saves time and costs for the company.



From the above definition, you might think it resembles <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://website.testsigma.com/automated-testing" target="_blank">test automation</a> since it also talks about performing repetitive tasks as does test automation. It is a genuine confusion and therefore we have written a dedicated post on <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/rpa-vs-test-automation/" target="_blank">how RPA differs from test automation</a> with various use cases and examples.&nbsp;



<h2 id="selenium-4">Selenium 4</h2>



On October 13, 2021, Selenium released their fourth major version of the web driver tool which had been long waited for. It had been five long years since <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/selenium-4-automation-engineer-expect/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Selenium</a> 3 debuted in the market and in these five years, the technology has gone through a major evolution. 



This made the testers suggest and request improved functionalities of the software and since open-source works on people’s demands, Selenium 4 brought out commendable changes to itself.



<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img loading="lazy" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/9_8dVw0RH03D-cLSobk8nNDEaIm2IrVjIEJAVRWdbi8poMoUEAfnO-VHRtW1KnALKvHq54-mUp_luMu0ZdvrIBsZuyUx0Xnnjd1pxX0Le4IIo1kSGosDo9ItfdShb_0avv9kNC9h" alt="Selenium 4" width="600" height="600" /><figcaption><a href="https://twitter.com/SeleniumHQ/status/1448289975062220808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1448289975062220808%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fapplitools.com%2Fblog%2Fselenium-4%2F" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Tweet link</a></figcaption></figure>



The highlights of Selenium 4 were:



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>Relative locators are now sorted by proximity.</li><li>Selenium grid 4 has been introduced which is an optimized version of its predecessors.</li><li>Testers can now work in multiple windows and tabs using the single test flow.</li><li>Network interceptor is introduced for ChromeDevTools for the responses related to the network requests.</li><li>Debugging is improved and optimized with better logging facilities.</li></ul>



Selenium 4 has been widely appreciated and accepted as an enhanced version of the previous versions. Needless to say, it will be one of the testing trends that we should watch out for in 2022 as companies take advantage of it.



<h2 id="in-sprint-test-automation">In-Sprint Test Automation</h2>



<a aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://website.testsigma.com/ebook/in-sprint-test-automation-simplified" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">In-sprint test automation</a> is a software testing methodology that picked up as a trend in 2021 and will still continue to do so in 2023. Agile methodology forces organizations to work speedily and release new versions quickly. 



As a result, one sprint consists of 2 &#8211; 4 weeks of time after which there is no time left for testing the software. So testers are often found testing a previous version which has a major drawback. If your version is released with just regression and DDT methods, a few of the bugs might seep into the production which can <a href="https://www.celerity.com/insights/the-true-cost-of-a-software-bug" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">cost even 100 times more</a>.



In-sprint test automation changes this process by allowing the testers to work in the same sprint step by step. So a testing team need not wait till the complete development is over and can start during the development process. This keeps the quality of software on the better side while allowing testers to test the same version to be in sync.



<h2 id="what-s-your-personal-trend">What’s Your Personal Trend?</h2>



Each year and each passing day sees advancement in various technologies. Be it development, management, or testing, we research, test, and improve in all the segments. With this, we welcome some of the top things that we believe will shine through this year and will continue to be a deeper part of our testing lives.



But this post highlights all the software testing trends that we believe (through research obviously) will shine all along the 2022 year. However, being a tester yourself, I am sure you must be aware and be using some technology that could not make it to the list here. If such is the case, we welcome all the comments with technologies and use cases to help everyone in the community learn more trends.



<h2 id="frequently-asked-questions">Frequently Asked Questions</h2>



<h3 id="what-is-the-next-big-thing-in-software-testing">What is the next big thing in software testing?</h3>



Automation, no-code, and AI-assisted testing are the next big thing in software testing. Having mixed reactions to these technology trends, the impact of automation will significantly change and ease testing for everyone.



<h3 id="is-selenium-used-in-2022">Is Selenium used in 2022?</h3>



Yes, Selenium is the foundation for many testing technology and automation tools where the tool is built over Selenium making the tool more stable to use.



<h3 id="which-testing-is-most-demanding">Which testing is most demanding?</h3>



Organizations have adopted Agile in reaction to quickly changing requirements, and DevOps has been adopted in response to the desire for speed. The future of testing may change soon with NoOps and DevTestops.



<h3 id="which-testing-tool-is-in-demand-2022">Which Testing Tool is in Demand 2022?</h3>



Being built on Selenium and using English language NLPs to automate test cases, Testsigma is one of the finest automation testing solutions for 2022. With over 5M+ successful test runs and 2,000+ natural web browser settings to test on, Testisgma is your one-stop solution for all your end-to-end testing needs.



<h2 id="suggested-reading">Suggested Reading</h2>



<a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/software-testing-trends-2021-what-can-we-expect/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Software Testing Trends </a>



<a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/top-automated-testing-practices-to-follow/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">9 Top Automated Testing Practices to Follow</a>



<a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/software-testing-strategy/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Software Testing Strategy </a>



<a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/software-testing-errors-to-look-out-for-with-examples/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Software Testing Errors to look out for </a>



<a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/best-software-testing-tools-qas-are-using-in-2022/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Best Software Testing Tools </a>

Top Software testing trends to look out for in 2022

Top Software Testing Trends to Look Out for this Year

COVID-19 has changed our lives in so many ways. There is not a single aspect of our life that is untouched by it. The way organizations operate their work has also changed drastically. Before 2020 no one would have guessed that work from home will become such an internationally accepted phenomenon.



However, working from home has been a new experience for most of us, and there are times that we find ourselves struggling too. So, we thought of sharing some tips and tricks with the testing community that is working from home, aiming to improve their working experience overall.&nbsp;



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#Maintain_continuous_team_collaboration">1 Maintain continuous team collaboration</a></li><li><a href="#Robust_and_secure_infrastructure_saves_the_day">2 Robust and secure infrastructure saves the day</a></li><li><a href="#Meeting_tools_to_have_effective_global_meetings">3 Meeting tools to have effective global meetings</a></li><li><a href="#Keep_distraction_away_from_the_work_area">4 Keep distraction away from the work area</a></li><li><a href="#Tracking_the_processes_to_plan_better">5 Tracking the processes to plan better</a></li><li><a href="#Maintain_professionalism_at_all_cost">6 Maintain professionalism at all cost</a></li><li><a href="#Set_clear_boundaries_and_expectations_for_others_and_yourself">7 Set clear boundaries and expectations for others and yourself</a></li><li><a href="#Take_breaks_and_do_exercise_to_keep_the_spirit_high">8 Take breaks and do exercise to keep the spirit high</a></li><li><a href="#Conclusion">9 Conclusion</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="maintain-continuous-team-collaboration">Maintain continuous team collaboration</h2>



During regular office setup, any doubt clearance or communication can happen right away. However, in a remote working setup, smooth communication becomes challenging.



In teamwork, silence isn’t golden, it’s deadly &#8211; Mark Sanborn. This quote is absolutely true, when working in a team communication and collaboration is the key to success. Relying on text messages to communicate is not productive at all. Today, teams are relying on <a href="https://www.cloudtalk.io/phone-solution-for-remote-teams/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">communication tools</a> like Zoom, Skype, and Slack, etc. to keep team collaboration handy.&nbsp;



Also, the integrations with tools such as JIRA, Microsoft Teams, Sharepoint etc. keep the teams on the same page. This is critical since even if a small detail is missed the results can be catastrophic from a testing perspective.



A daily stand-up, even for 10-15 mins, is essential for smooth communication among the team members. You can have a daily stand-up at the beginning of the workday to resolve any roadblocks and define tasks for the day. A daily standup in the evening can help to communicate how much has been achieved for the day and plan the day ahead better.



<h2 id="robust-and-secure-infrastructure-saves-the-day">Robust and secure infrastructure saves the day</h2>



Today, when people are working from home, they are using personal or company-provided laptops to connect to the office network. In such a case, the infrastructure is required to be robust and stable to provide 24*7 available testing environments for automation testing.



Mostly we are using a virtual desktop to stay connected to the organization’s network. Any technical glitch such as a network bandwidth issue can impact the output of the whole organization. This can cause a huge negative impact on the employees and the clients as well especially in an agile environment. 



We cannot even afford a single day of downtime when working in sprints. Hence, it is imperative for organizations to have proper backup and plan to tackle such unforeseen issues.



From employees perspective, there are infrastructure issues that can impact the productivity for the day, they are:



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>Unstable internet connection</li><li>Video recording not working</li><li>Screen sharing lags in voice and screen</li></ul>



The most common and annoying is internet connectivity issues. Even a few packet drops in the internet connection can disconnect you from the virtual network. Hence, it is very important to choose a service provider which provides the best network and customer support in your area.



<h2 id="meeting-tools-to-have-effective-global-meetings">Meeting tools to have effective global meetings</h2>



This is an era of distributed teams across the World where their team members are sitting across continents. We know smooth and consistent communication is the key success factor for any team. First of all, a suitable time is required to be set up for these meetings. 



Obviously, the teams need to work in such a timing where the time zones coincide and overlap. The usual 9-5 office timings will not work, in a globally distributed team set up.&nbsp;



<a href="https://attrock.com/blog/slack-alternatives/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tools such as Slack</a>, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Skype, etc. help teams to share screens so that the whole team can view the same screen and provide inputs. This is really required when the testing team is demonstrating a defect during a defect triage call.



These tools help to keep the communication game up without any compromise on the quality of work.



<h2 id="keep-distraction-away-from-the-work-area">Keep distraction away from the work area</h2>



In an organization’s office setup, employees are focused on their work only. However, when we are working from home there are all sorts of distractions around. This is normal because it is home, not an office, but as an employee, this may impact our productivity.



&nbsp;Distractions like other family members working from home and having meetings or children having online classes are daily events. There may be guests visiting or your cat needs your attention. 



The list is endless, but there has to be a way to keep the distractions away and stay focused on work. Because you will not want to miss a defect anyway.



A solution is to have a separate corner in the home where you can set up your workstation away from these distractions. Choose a corner that is comparatively quiet and has a well-defined work routine. Create a to-do list daily, this plan will help you to achieve short-term goals and maintain mental peace.



<h2 id="tracking-the-processes-to-plan-better">Tracking the processes to plan better</h2>



During a testing process, you need to track and plan the testing activities such as:



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>Test planning</li><li>Test scripts writing</li><li>Test data creation and management</li><li>Test versioning, review, and approvals</li><li>Test case scheduling</li><li>Test reporting</li></ul>



Thankfully, we have many testing tools that are great for managing the above-mentioned testing activities. These testing tools are available on the cloud and can be accessed from anywhere, hence they promote work from home. Thus, out of all the tips we discussed above, the most important for the testing community is the adoption of testing tools during work from home &#8211; for managed and quality software testing.



One such <a aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://website.testsigma.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">test automation tool is Testsigma</a>, which is cloud-based, AI, and NLP-driven. It helps you to write your test cases in plain English and accelerates the test case writing by up to 5x speed. 



You can perform automated end-to-end testing of web, mobile, and APIs at ease. There is no need to write cumbersome code and framework any further.



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In a DevOps and Agile environment, teams are working on the cloud and the same version of artifacts are accessible to everyone. Without metrics, parameters, and tracking we can not have a successful scrum. 



Data such as how many test cases are executed, the number of unit/regression tests failed, which defects are new or fixed, etc. helps in having a clear picture of the testing process. 



This helps in tracking tasks such as who is writing test scripts for which module. This in turn enables proper planning of tasks for the whole team. The <a aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://website.testsigma.com/ebook/in-sprint-test-automation-simplified" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">in-sprint test automation</a> helps to achieve quick results with continuous testing and integration of code.



If there are any resource bandwidth issues, the testing activities can be quickly redistributed to the whole team to have minimum impact on the delivery date. This tracking and continuous status sharing to the higher management helps in making decisions and coordinating release management.



You can also use <a aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/what-are-the-kpis-of-software-testing-and-qa-testsigma/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">KPIs</a> to track the effectiveness of your software testing and <a aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://website.testsigma.com/automated-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">test automation</a> process, it can be as primitive as colour-coding. For example, you may keep this colour coding to determine how much the team has achieved out of the expected output. 



This can be applied on a daily/weekly basis to keep the team motivated to achieve their short-term goals. Green may mean awesome work, yellow may mean great work, etc.



<h2 id="maintain-professionalism-at-all-cost">Maintain professionalism at all cost</h2>



Although it may seem comfortable to work from bed, it is not a good idea to do so. You will agree that a proper work routine and ethics certainly help to achieve a better outcome. Maintain a proper workstation desk with all the technical essentials available right there.&nbsp;



There are steps that you can take to maintain professionalism during working from home:



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>Dress professionally: Working in a comfortable t-shirt and pyjamas is an advantage of working from home. However, when you have important meetings wearing a formal dress instils a sense of professionalism. </li><li>Video meetings: Make sure that you attend video meetings on a desk setup and not from anywhere. Also, try to keep background noise as minimum as possible, as we understand in a home we cannot totally avoid it.</li></ul>



<h2 id="set-clear-boundaries-and-expectations-for-others-and-yourself">Set clear boundaries and expectations for others and yourself</h2>



An issue which most people face during work-from-home is that the boundaries between working and non-working hours blur. People find themselves attending late-night work meetings. They complain about working longer than when they used to work at the office. Why is it so? The reason is a lack of proper boundaries and unclear expectations.



It is advisable to be firm and assertive about the office timings, mention clearly how many hours per day you can invest. Do not accept more work than you can execute in designated working hours. The reason is that blurring these boundaries is toxic for your family. Losing on family time can negatively impact your mental peace and work eventually.



It not only applies to you, but it also applies to others as well. When you are defining daily tasks or other assignments, meetings, etc. for your team members, stay empathetic about their family life. If you&#8217;re struggling with working overtime, use a <a href="https://www.timecamp.com/blog/2021/05/best-weekly-schedule-templates/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">weekly schedule template</a> or simply use <a href="https://apploye.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">time tracking software</a> to keep track of the overtime and plan your work ahead.



<h2 id="take-breaks-and-do-exercise-to-keep-the-spirit-high">Take breaks and do exercise to keep the spirit high</h2>



Due to COVID-19, people are already feeling low globally, because everyone is missing the life they had pre-Covid. The monotonous life with no fun may become outright boring. To come out of negativity it is really important you take mini-steps to elevate your mood and feel refreshed.&nbsp;



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>Do not sit for long hours at a stretch, take mini breaks in between to divert your mind from stress and work pressure.</li><li>Play with kids or pets, it is the easiest mood refresher.</li><li>Exercise or take small walks, releases endorphins in the body and makes you feel happy and good.</li><li>If you love playing games, you can&nbsp;<a href="https://im-a-puzzle.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">play jigsaw puzzles</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="https://www.solitairebliss.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Solitaire games</a>. It will help you refresh your mind as well help you improve cognitive and learning skills. Taking breaks and staying active during the day is essential, Working late into the night can disrupt your sleep, leaving you tired the next day. Remember, taking a break at night is just as important as daytime breaks. So, invest in a peaceful night&#8217;s rest on a <a href="https://eachnight.com/mattress-guides/best-mattress/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cozy mattress</a> to boost your spirits and energy for the next working day.</li></ul>



<h2 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h2>



“I discovered that a fresh start is a process. A fresh start is a journey – a journey that requires a plan.” – Vivian Jokotade



So, for the testing community and also in general &#8211; consider work from home as a new beginning which has its perks such as work-life balance, the flexibility of work timings, and no need to travel for work, etc. However, it has its share of limitations as well. Technical and personal aspects of work from home need to be sorted out for a seamless work experience by proper planning and vision ane we hope that this tips will help.




PC: <a href="https://www.freepik.com/vectors/people" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">People vector created by goonerua &#8211; www.freepik.com</a>

Working from home - tips and tricks for the testing community

Working from home – tips and tricks for the testing community

What to gift your software tester friend if you were the secret Santa?

What to gift your software tester friend if you are the secret Santa?

Since the beginning of the internet era, browsers and websites have lived co-dependently. Starting from the internet explorer, then to the Mozilla project and now to at least six major browsers in the market, we have evolved quite well. But browsers and web development technologies do not seem to be in a happy relationship. 



To ease out the web development, developers think of new ways to have a dedicated and organised system of sustainable websites such as subgrids. Result? Better improved and optimised libraries for web development in the future library release cycles. But the problem is, our stubborn browsers are not always ready to incorporate these changes and they literally work of their own will. 



This results in cross-browser compatibility issues and testing them out is cross-browser testing. But just like any other testing paradigm, cross-browser testing is full of challenges and we will explore them in this post along with some arrangements that can help smoothen the ride a bit!



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#What_is_Cross-Browser_Testing">1 What is Cross-Browser Testing?</a></li><li><a href="#Challenges_In_Cross-Browser_Testing">2 Challenges In Cross-Browser Testing</a></li><li><a href="#Combination_is_too_large_for_testing">3 Combination is too large for testing</a></li><li><a href="#How_To_Perform_Cross-Browser_Testing_on_Every_Combination">4 How To Perform Cross-Browser Testing on Every Combination?</a></li><li><a href="#Regular_Browser_Updates">5 Regular Browser Updates</a></li><li><a href="#How_To_Deal_With_Regular_Browser_Updates">6 How To Deal With Regular Browser Updates?</a></li><li><a href="#Maintaining_the_infrastructure">7 Maintaining the infrastructure</a></li><li><a href="#How_To_Maintain_Cross-Browser_Testing_Infrastructure">8 How To Maintain Cross-Browser Testing Infrastructure?</a></li><li><a href="#Conclusion">9 Conclusion</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="what-is-cross-browser-testing">What is Cross-Browser Testing?</h2>



To understand the challenges of cross-browser testing, understanding cross-browser testing briefly will help us deeply understand the issues. Cross-browser testing is just what its name suggests: testing on multiple browsers or across different browsers. 



The browsers work differently because of their different base engines. This creates certain issues for the web developers as the developers do not know what browser our user will be using. Let alone browsers, the website may get into trouble for different resolutions, different operating systems and different browser versions too!! 



&nbsp;Let&#8217;s say you have an important element which uses subgrid. But since subgrids are not yet incorporated in Google Chrome, your element either would be dislocated or work differently altogether. Cross-browser testing deals with all those things by running the websites on different browsers, their versions, operating systems and on different resolutions. There are a lot of ways to perform cross-browser testing but the most efficient is to go for a unified<a href="https://website.testsigma.com/cross-browser-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> cross-browser testing</a> platform such as Testsigma. Such tools are feasible, remove infrastructure maintenance and have a huge browser matrix already set-up for the users for test execution.&nbsp;



<h2 id="challenges-in-cross-browser-testing">Challenges In Cross-Browser Testing</h2>



Cross-browser testing might sound like an easy process of running your website on different browsers. Maybe just changing the code according to browsers and operating systems. But it is a lot more complex than that. Cross-browser testing is prone to some complex situations. These kinds of situations become a challenge in the field which are very hard to overcome. Ample knowledge is required for the domain to tackle issues appropriately. In this section, we shall throw some light on the same. 



<h2 id="combination-is-too-large-for-testing">Combination is too large for testing</h2>



Cross-browser testing requires a lot of browsers along with their versions for the website to be tested upon. Maybe the CSS element you are using does not work two versions below the one you had. Now combine each browser and version with different operating systems and resolutions. And yes, did I mention that mobile operating systems, resolutions and browsers would also come into the picture? I don’t even want to calculate such a huge combination of things let alone sit down and test it. 



The good news here is that even though there are 80+ chrome versions and 75+ Firefox versions and a lot of organisations still use internet explorer in their systems, you just need to extract the upper layer of this messy mousse cake and tackle this issue in a very simple way. 



<h2 id="how-to-perform-cross-browser-testing-on-every-combination">How To Perform Cross-Browser Testing on Every Combination?</h2>



The simple answer to the question stated above is, you don’t have to. The first thing to remember here is, people keep their browsers updated. Therefore, testing on older versions will not prove anything except wasting your time and efforts. Today, you will hardly find anyone using Google Chrome 60. Therefore, you can just eliminate a lot of the versions like that for every browser. 



Now comes the testing part. Installing dedicated systems or going for virtual environments is a hectic job and will dig deep into your pockets. To tackle the issue, the best choice is to go for the cloud-based online cross-browser testing systems that have everything set up for the users beforehand. The user is required to just select the system specification and execute the tests. <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/cross-browser-testing-manual-vs-automated-browser-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="These tests could be run manually or could be automated (opens in a new tab)">These tests could be run manually or could be automated</a>. 



There are <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/8-essential-elements-automated-cross-browser-testing-tools/" target="_blank">certain tools that allow these test cases to be automated</a> without any hassles and then can be easily executed on multiple browsers. Using such systems also gives you the advantage of being integrated with various tools for other functionalities such as bug tracking, raising issues and a lot of other workflow integrations. All the user needs to do is select the browser and the type of tests he wishes to run. There are a lot of tools online for the same purpose, one such tool is <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://website.testsigma.com/automated-cross-browser-testing-tool" target="_blank">Testsigma</a>. Testsigma is used by a lot of wealthy customers, has a very easy learning curve and is feasible to all. Testsigma also comes with a free trial period ensuring the users enrol only after they trust the tool.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/TppymycnpqvRQ73P9xV572-UnInyMtNqJha0KddlJGJ0qaUEPRsuI2nTWLm2Vf9P3jjnhAnIaR_P3XhH1Za6ozzxPFHW9j2Jm0UfNZ-PiBDgiaz6YX59UK--oku0fg0dWKRfkC_t" alt="How To Perform Cross-Browser Testing on Every Combination?" /></figure>



The above image shows the ease of running cross-browser tests with the help of online tools.



<h2 id="regular-browser-updates">Regular Browser Updates</h2>



Another challenge in cross-browser testing is the regular browser updates. Although our operating systems and resolutions remain standards for a long time, browsers get updates regularly in 6 to 8 weeks. This has been due to their working methodology of Agile development. This means that in every six to eight weeks, the tester is required to run the tests again. These tests should consist of all the combinations in this version. Running the tests on newer versions helps analyze the newer features and what all has been incorporated from <a href="https://www.spaceotechnologies.com/services/web-application-development/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">web development</a> languages etc. 



This creates an issue as some elements are deprecated in the newer versions and some are incorporated. The website elements are required to change accordingly since most of the users like me, do not even realise that our browsers get updated automatically behind the scene. It is therefore important to deal with such challenges. 



<h2 id="how-to-deal-with-regular-browser-updates">How To Deal With Regular Browser Updates?</h2>



The answer to this question is similar to the answer to the previous one. Using an online cross-browser testing tool sheds off this load off your shoulder. The installation and maintenance part becomes a responsibility of the tool provider to keep the browser versions updated. So whenever a new browser version comes into the market and we get updated automatically, so do these tools. 



Such an approach also saves your time installing a newer version and memory space. With updated browser versions, it is just a matter of a few clicks to run your tests again. When your tests are automated, it is really just a matter of starting the test case execution and waiting for the reports to know what needs to be fixed.



<h2 id="maintaining-the-infrastructure">Maintaining the infrastructure</h2>



Infrastructure maintenance is a very time-consuming job. There is a lot of infrastructure maintenance required for cross-browser testing. For example, a <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/selenium-based-automated-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">selenium grid infrastructure</a>, device infrastructure, browser maintenance, integrated tools etc. The manual maintenance of such an infrastructure is very tough and running the automated tests through a series of scripts, even tougher. Then comes the tools through which a tester intimates his team members about the issues raised during the testing. This may include Slack or JIRA for quick on-the-go collaboration and communication between the teams. Even thinking about the magnitude of such a thing it makes us wonder, is it a challenge that can’t be tackled? 



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/R02JAy5RnBt1IRYwWesnlpH1V0Q7PJ9WkCgZyPO7YP5nEwZyxZx-LJZD_ibjc-L_Z-g-BTwZdBd3wZIc4TkhrC0QzPksJf2OWUYmv3CWTlrd8v8SuWrDoZOq8IlOpmbL0qhCHSis" alt="Maintaining the infrastructure" /></figure></div>



Image Source: <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/selenium-based-automated-testing/" target="_blank">https://website.testsigma.com/blog/selenium-based-automated-testing/</a>



<h2 id="how-to-maintain-cross-browser-testing-infrastructure">How To Maintain Cross-Browser Testing Infrastructure?</h2>



Maintaining the infrastructure for cross-browser testing becomes a problem or a challenge only when you are testing through the manual process. Manual processes include setting your own lab or virtual systems etc. When you opt for an online cloud-based tool, you get the benefit of a well maintained and efficient infrastructure on the cloud. For example, creating and maintaining the selenium grid, you can leverage the servers of this tool online and just focus on writing the tests.&nbsp; 



This kind of approach is although a victim of latency and delayed execution. No matter what kind of cloud-based tool you are using, the latency is bound to happen since there are too many requests involved in between. The latency problem can sometimes be tackled by providing a clear metric by the online tool but definite numbers are hard to achieve. Although these kinds of issues are nothing in front of infrastructure maintenance. Therefore, a recommended path is to go for an online tool such as Testsigma for an easy and hassle-free automated cross-browser testing.



 <button class="btn bg-primary cta-btn" style="margin: auto"><a href="https://website.testsigma.com/automated-cross-browser-testing-tool" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color:#fff"> Automate cross-browser tests 5x faster &#8211; on the cloud </a></button> 



<h2 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h2>



As browsers have evolved in recent times, so has the cross-browser testing processes. Starting from manually installing all the browsers or maintaining multiple devices for the same, we have come a long way with online tools that work on the cloud. But still, a few challenges do remain such as a long list of browsers to test with their operating systems mixed with all those resolutions and responsive behaviours. 



Although, there are a few turnarounds available but most of them ultimately intersect at using a cloud-based tool for the same purpose. The first thing in an online tool is that computer power is superb in such a tool. I mean, they are made just to perform these tests quickly and efficiently. Installing such powerful computers cost a fortune on an individual level.



 Secondly, these tools are equipped with all the browsers and their combinations pre-installed. This leaves the developer and tester with just selecting and analyzing the website on these browsers. 



A cloud-based automated cross-browser testing tool such as Testsigma is a good choice. Testsigma has 2000+ browsers, will help generate precise reports, provide infrastructure, powerful systems and a whole bunch of integrations for your team members to communicate. All this will cost you less than the price of systems alone. Hence, it is always recommended to go for a cloud-based tool and fight with those challenges as if they never existed in the first place.

Top 3 Challenges in Cross-Browser Testing and How to Tackle Them

Top 3 Challenges in Cross Browser Testing and How to Tackle Them

<a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/author/adil/"></a>An effective test automation system is necessary for today&#8217;s agile software development environments. Automation works excellently, especially in the case of smoke and regression tests, and helps the QA teams to create and execute test cases that complex easily. To ensure efficient automation deployed in your software testing it is important to know the challenges in automation testing before you start.



Though automation can act as a power booster for your product pipeline of development projects; certain pitfalls in automation slow down the automation pipelines if not tackled upfront.



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#Why_is_Automation_Testing_Important">1 Why is Automation Testing Important?</a></li><li><a href="#7_Common_Challenges_in_Automated_Testing">2 7 Common Challenges in Automated Testing</a><ul><li><a href="#1_Network_Disconnections">2.1 1. Network Disconnections</a></li><li><a href="#2_Test_Script_Issues">2.2 2. Test Script Issues</a></li><li><a href="#3_Fixing_Code_Smell">2.3 3. Fixing Code Smell</a></li><li><a href="#4_Testing_Against_Wrong_Data">2.4 4. Testing Against Wrong Data</a></li><li><a href="#5_Upfront_Investment">2.5 5. Upfront Investment</a></li><li><a href="#6_Stability_Issues">2.6 6. Stability Issues</a></li><li><a href="#7_Picking_the_Right_Automation_Tool">2.7 7. Picking the Right Automation Tool</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Conclusion">3 Conclusion</a></li><li><a href="#Frequently_Asked_Questions">4 Frequently Asked Questions</a><ul><li><a href="#What_is_one_of_the_biggest_challenges_in_automation_testing">4.1 What is one of the biggest challenges in automation testing?</a></li><li><a href="#What_are_the_major_limitations_of_test_automation">4.2 What are the major limitations of test automation?</a></li><li><a href="#How_to_overcome_technical_challenges_while_doing_the_test_automation">4.3 How to overcome technical challenges while doing the test automation?</a></li><li><a href="#What_are_the_real_time_challenges_in_selenium_automation">4.4 What are the real time challenges in selenium automation?</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Suggested_Reading">5 Suggested Reading</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="h-why-is-automation-testing-important">Why is Automation Testing Important?</h2>



When you&#8217;re developing software, it&#8217;s important to automate testing. Automation allows you to run tests more quickly and efficiently, and it can help to reduce the risk of human error. Automated testing is important because it saves time, reduces costs, and improves quality. It also allows developers to conduct more frequent tests on their software, which can lead to faster feedback and early detection of bugs and issues. Automated tests are also a much cheaper alternative to manual testing by humans. Overall, automated testing is an essential component of modern software development, helping to improve quality and reduce costs while increasing efficiency.



<h2 id="7-common-challenges-in-automated-testing">7 Common Challenges in Automated Testing</h2>



Here are the 7 most common test automation challenges that teams usually face while adopting automation testing, along with the best solutions to overcome these pitfalls.



<h3 id="1-network-disconnections">1. Network Disconnections</h3>



Network disconnection is a common automation challenge that a QA team faces wherein they find it hard to access databases, VPN, third party services, APIs, specific <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/test-environment/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">testing environments</a>, etc. due to unstable network connections. These network disconnections cause unnecessary delays and hinder the testing process.



Apart from disconnections, another cause of worry is the inability to access virtual environments which are generally used by the testers for <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/desktop-application-testing-vs-web-application-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">testing applications</a>. QA teams need to have a good monitoring solution in place that can help fix the issue as soon as it occurs and prevent the whole software delivery pipeline from getting affected.



<h3 id="2-test-script-issues">2. <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/test-case-vs-test-script/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Test Script</a> Issues</h3>



QA teams may face various problems related to test scripts if they lack the coding related skill sets. Teams facing these issues can leverage reusability (reusing test scripts) to solve the problems and maintain their code. They can maintain the code in a better way by treating test code as production code. Apart from this, periodic testing of the code should be done along with scheduling debugging sessions and identifying key issues with object identifiers.



<h3 id="3-fixing-code-smell">3. Fixing Code Smell</h3>



A code smell is basically any characteristic in the code of a program that has a negative impact on the design quality. Maintaining the code quality is not only important for the programmers but also for the testers.



Fixing code smell can help a QA team achieve:



<ol><li>Faster test results in lesser execution time</li><li>Help make the automation test suite more robust</li><li>Reduce maintenance cost and effort significantly</li></ol>



It is not possible to find most of the code smell by manual reviewing. In many cases, automated code review tools are used to identify all the bad smell present in the source code.



<h3 id="4-testing-against-wrong-data">4. Testing Against Wrong Data</h3>



In most of the cases, the QA teams are found to be testing against wrong data as it sometimes becomes difficult to get the right data. This right data is the one that the application will be processing in production.



Data relevancy and data accuracy are the two most important prerequisites for automated testing to give good results. Complicated processes and communication gaps can also prevent the testing teams from getting the updated and most relevant data.&nbsp;



The QA teams should use a robust reporting and analytics solution in order to achieve fast feedback and enhance the overall productivity of the team by working on the data lags.



Read here &#8211; <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/test-automation-team/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Different test automation team structures</a>



<h3 id="5-upfront-investment">5. Upfront Investment</h3>



One of the most common concerns, especially for teams not having big budgets, is the high investment required at the initial phase of implementing automation. The investment in setting up a test automation suite prevents the testers from implementing automation testing. On top of operational costs, you may also have to bear licensing costs.



Even if you are considering using an open-source tool such as Selenium or Appium, a level of investment is required to train the testers to use these frameworks. Here&#8217;s a good read on the<a href="https://www.stickyminds.com/article/hidden-costs-automation" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow"> hidden costs of test automation</a>. So, it is better to choose a tool that gives you ROI. Choose an automation tool that helps reduce costs in all areas of your concern.



<h3 id="6-stability-issues">6. Stability Issues</h3>



The stability of the devices is one of the key issues with device labs, as mobile devices are unstable. There are many elements in mobile devices that are subject to constant change, including operating systems, regular updates, performance, etc.



The solution is to keep updating and maintaining the labs to ensure the stability and testability of the devices, or use a cloud-based lab with real devices to test applications. Cloud-based labs can cost a fraction of the cost of setting up a real device lab at your location. If you are looking for a test automation tool, go for one that supports cross-browser testing by default and allows plug in and do that when needed. An example of this is <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/">Testsigma</a>, which lets you create test cases on the web and mobile and APIs in one place and execute them on real devices of your choice.



Create simple English automated tests and run your tests on the devices of your choice. No setup or ramp-up delays!



Testsigma lets you create test cases on the web as well as mobile and APIs in one place and execute them on real devices of your choice.



<div class="bg-primary cta">

 Create simple English automated tests and run your tests on the devices of your choice. No setup or ramp-up delays!
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<h3 id="7-picking-the-right-automation-tool">7. Picking the Right Automation Tool</h3>



The <a href="https://www.capgemini.com/news/press-releases/quality-assurance-must-shift-to-smarter-solutions-as-the-complexity-of-applications-and-need-for-speed-increase/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Gemini World Quality Report</a> in 2018 found that over 50% of IT giants lacked suitable automation tools for their testing teams. This is due to lack of knowledge, lack of expertise, and tool costs exceeding the budget, which are the most common reasons for automation failure. Therefore it is one of those challenges in automation testing that is essential for successful automation efforts.



<h2 id="h-conclusion">Conclusion</h2>



You can decide the best-suited one based on the nature and extent of your automation testing, whether the automation tool falls in your budget, and it matches your organization&#8217;s technical and business-related requirements.



When choosing a test automation tool, it is important to consider the nature and extent of your automation testing, budget, and the organization&#8217;s technical and business-related requirements. To some extent, QA teams face test automation challenges and failure, so it is essential to start early and watch for these top common test automation challenges. We have compiled a<a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/10-points-to-help-you-choose-the-right-test-automation-tool/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> list of tips for choosing the right tool</a> for test automation.



If you are looking for a one-stop test automation tool to speed up test case creation and execution, try Testsigma. It offers a <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/unified-test-automation-for-agile-and-devops-testsigma/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">unified end-to-end test automation</a> ecosystem that helps you run automated tests in a giant test lab on the cloud.



The robust reporting and analytics facility helps get dynamic test reports at all levels to analyze the test case results and mitigate the key issues as soon as they are found.



Testsigma also saves significant time and effort in setting up test cases through its scriptless creation in simple English.



Book a <a href="https://calendly.com/testsigma/demo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Demo </a>or <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/signup" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sign Up for Free</a>



<h2 id="frequently-asked-questions">Frequently Asked Questions</h2>



<h3 id="what-is-one-of-the-biggest-challenges-in-automation-testing">What is one of the biggest challenges in automation testing?</h3>



Generally automating flaky tests are the most difficult difficulty in automation testing that generates inconsistent results or fails intermittently. These tests also takes time and effort while also eroding the trust in the process of automation.



<h3 id="what-are-the-major-limitations-of-test-automation">What are the major limitations of test automation?</h3>



The high initial expense of setting up automation infrastructure, as well as the necessity for experienced employees to build and manage automated tests, are two important limits for test automation. The inability to automate certain forms of testing, such as exploratory testing and <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/mobile-usability-testing-what-is-it-and-how-is-it-done/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">usability testing</a>, is another constraint.



<h3 id="how-to-overcome-technical-challenges-while-doing-the-test-automation">How to overcome technical challenges while doing the test automation?</h3>



To overcome technological problems during test automation, it is critical to have a thorough grasp of the technology stack being tested, as well as qualified automation engineers capable of creating robust and maintainable <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/when-to-choose-test-automation-framework-over-manual-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">automation frameworks</a>. It is also critical to employ the appropriate automation tools and technology for the job, as well as to have a well-defined testing strategy that considers the limitations of test automation.



<h3 id="what-are-the-real-time-challenges-in-selenium-automation">What are the real time challenges in <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/selenium-automation-testing-pros-cons/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">selenium </a>automation?</h3>



Selenium automation faces real-time challenges such as dealing with dynamic web content, synchronization issues between the automation tool and the application being tested, and <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/most-common-issues-encountered-during-browser-compatibility-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cross-browser compatibility issues</a>. It also requires maintaining test suites and integrating automation testing into a <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/enhancing-robustness-ci-cd-pipeline-test-automation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">continuous integration and delivery pipeline.</a>



<h2 id="suggested-reading">Suggested Reading</h2>



<a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/rpa-vs-test-automation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">RPA VS Test Automation</a>



<a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/in-sprint-test-automation-agile-devops-speed/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Insprint Test Automation at Agile DevOps Speed</a>



<a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/how-to-choose-the-right-open-source-test-automation-tool/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Choose Right Open Source Test Automation Tool</a>



<a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/automation-testing-tools/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Top Automation Testing Tools</a>



<a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/best-automation-testing-practices-agile-continuous-delivery/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Best Automation Testing Practices</a>

Top 7 test automation challenges to look out for

Top 7 Challenges In Automation Testing

If you are working in an agile environment, you may have come across the term ‘code review’. It is a strategic operation where you break the source code into snippets in order to audit the code before it moves to the testing phase.



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#What_is_Code_Review">1 What is Code Review?</a></li><li><a href="#Why_are_Code_Reviews_Important">2 Why are Code Reviews Important?</a></li><li><a href="#What_are_the_Benefits_of_Code_Reviews">3 What are the Benefits of Code Reviews?</a></li><li><a href="#What_are_the_Disadvantages_of_Code_Reviews">4 What are the Disadvantages of Code Reviews?</a></li><li><a href="#Role_of_a_Software_Tester_in_Code_Reviews">5 Role of a Software Tester in Code Reviews</a></li><li><a href="#4_Different_Code_Review_Approaches">6 4 Different Code Review Approaches</a></li><li><a href="#Conclusion">7 Conclusion</a></li><li><a href="#Frequently_Asked_Questions_FAQs">8 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)</a><ul><li><a href="#What_is_Code_Review_in_SDLC">8.1 What is Code Review in SDLC?</a></li><li><a href="#What_are_Code_Review_Tools">8.2 What are Code Review Tools?</a></li><li><a href="#What_is_a_Good_Code_Review">8.3 What is a Good Code Review?</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Suggested_Readings">9 Suggested Readings</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="what-is-code-review">What is Code Review?</h2>



Short definition: It is a two-way communication between a coder and a reviewer. The agenda is to learn from one another, understand the application, detect bugs, and ensure that the code follows quality standards.



Long definition: It is a quality assurance process in which a tester analyzes the source code of the application under review. You can either perform this manually or with the help of automated tools. The process ensures that bug detection and resolution happen early to give the best possible code quality.



<h2 id="why-are-code-reviews-important">Why are Code Reviews Important?</h2>



You may wonder why you would need code review when you have a <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/test-plan/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">testing plan</a> in place.<gwmw style="display:none;">



Following are the key benefits that will enable you to understand the importance:



1. Find More Bugs: It lets you detect bugs at the primary stages of development. As a result, you save a lot of hours and effort during testing. True is the fact that automation testing will help you do the same thing. However, a human perspective is sometimes necessary to find and fix logical errors.



2. Stay Agile: Given the strict quality guidelines and timelines we need to work in, you must have, or would soon be adhering to, the agile methodologies. This means you need to deliver the best results while meeting the cost and time constraints. With code review, you can create bug-free prototypes and share them with the stakeholders.



3. Quality Compliance: It let you abide by the predefined coding rules and standards.



4. Collaboration: Frequent review sessions will bring out the best in your developers and testers. Team members can discover their peer’s strengths and also assist them in improvements.



<h2 id="what-are-the-benefits-of-code-reviews">What are the Benefits of Code Reviews?</h2>



When you think about it, it is just another set of eyes looking for possible human error. But for just one benefit, is it advisable to spend time and more resources on this practice?



Well, here are a few benefits :



<ul><li>Identifying code issues early</li><li>Ensuring to comply with standard code regulations</li><li>Increasing software security</li><li>Implementing a consistent design and development process</li><li>Improving team collaboration and cohesion</li></ul>



<h2 id="what-are-the-disadvantages-of-code-reviews">What are the Disadvantages of Code Reviews?</h2>



With every advantage comes a few disadvantages that you must know about. Only looking at the benefits and deciding on starting code reviews will do your business more bad than good. If you don’t prepare your team to tackle the issues related to code review, they are more likely to stay oblivious to the problems.



Know about the disadvantages here:



<ul><li>Time and resource constraints</li><li>Not every developer consists of knowledge about every project</li><li>Not necessary for every feature or simple applications</li><li>You cannot do a code review when developing a prototype product.</li></ul>



<h2 id="h-role-of-a-software-tester-in-code-reviews">Role of a Software Tester in Code Reviews</h2>



A software tester might find the code a bit intimidating in the beginning. It is best to pair up with an experienced developer for code reviewing. Gradually, when the tester is able to identify the patterns and business logic, things start making sense eventually.



It enables the testers to understand the core functionalities of the project and share their wisdom to resolve the bottlenecks.



Here are a few tried-and-tested ways by which you can begin your code-reviewing experience:



1. Synchronous Review: An informal review where the developer stands next to the reviewer.



2. Asynchronous review: Specialized tools are used to review the code.



3. Instant Review: Developer and reviewer pair-up on a single system.



4. Once-a-while: Developer shares the code with the reviewers who meet and discuss the updates.



As a software tester, you would ask the following questions during your code reviewing session:



1. How was this code written?



2. Are there any patterns used for coding?



3. Is the code easy to understand?



4. Are there any logic errors?



5. Is the code secure?



6. Is the log file for debugging available?



7. Are there any third-party integrations?



8. Are <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/unit-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">unit tests</a> included?



9. What amendments are being made?



The best part is that you don’t have to be an expert in order to take part in a code review session. You can review a code even if you are at the basic level of coding. What would be your role? You need to see what changes have been made to ask questions.



Before you dive in, get used to the process by initiating with minimal changes.  Understand more about them and when you doubt any change, add your comments and question the coder. Given the benefits, you would want to include code reviewing as one of the key phases of the process. This will ensure that you deliver a quality product that adds value to your end-users.<gwmw style="display:none;">



<h2 id="4-different-code-review-approaches">4 Different Code Review Approaches</h2>



Get to know about different approaches in detail.



Formal 



It&#8217;s based on a formal process where testers follow a structured process to find issues in the code. It is also used to <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/7-top-tools-for-responsive-web-design-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">find design defects</a>.<gwmw style="display:none;">



Under formal review, one of the most popular adoptions is the Fagan inspection. It follows a six-step process: Planning, Overview, Preparation, Inspection Meeting, Rework, and Follow-up. This holds the basic idea of defining output requirements for each of the steps mentioned. And while executing the process, you check each step&#8217;s output and compare it to the expected output. Subsequently, you decide to move on to the next step if the current step is working properly.



Lightweight 



These reviews are mostly followed by developers, not testers, when they are reviewing a code that is not life-threatening in nature, I.e., it does not impact the software quality to a great extent.



There are four types of lightweight reviews:



<ul><li>Instant code review or pair programming</li><li>Synchronous or over-the-shoulder code review</li><li>Asynchronous or tool-assisted code review</li><li>Code review once in a while or meeting-based code review</li></ul>



We have discussed these four types above.



<h2 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h2>



If review is done right, can prove to be an effective way to share knowledge and understand your application. With time and experience, you will eventually start realizing the patterns, know more about the nuts and bolts of the codebase, and have a comprehensive perspective of the application.



Just like code reviews, tests are also reviewed. <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/manual-testing-vs-automation-testing-which-one-should-you-choose/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Manual test</a> cases can be reviewed by peers, developers, and managers. Similarly, <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/how-to-convert-manual-test-cases-into-automated-test-cases-and-why/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">automated test cases</a> can be reviewed too. Sometimes, the processes for reviews of automated test cases are the same as that for code reviews, as automation may also be done via code. You can also read more here on <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/how-to-convert-manual-test-cases-into-automated-test-cases-and-why/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">how to convert manual test cases to automated ones</a>.



<a href="https://website.testsigma.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Testsigma, a cloud-based test automation tool</a>, has also simplified the process of test reviews. In addition, it also simplifies the process of test automation. Thus, in <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/software-test-automation-what-to-expect-near-future/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">test automation</a> and reviews – non-technical members of the team can be involved too.



<h2 id="frequently-asked-questions-faqs">Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)</h2>



<h3 id="what-is-code-review-in-sdlc">What is Code Review in SDLC?</h3>



In SDLC it is a critical part that attempts to identify and resolve code issues before the testing phase. It involves going through the developer’s code to find mistakes and fix them before moving on to testing the application.



<h3 id="what-are-code-review-tools">What are Code Review Tools?</h3>



A code review tool is usually an online tool that integrates seamlessly with Engineering Workflow Management source control and work items. It offers you the capability to add output to your work items to present it to your team and stakeholders.



<h3 id="what-is-a-good-code-review">What is a Good Code Review?</h3>



It observes all the code changes and looks at the reasons why this happened. It is clear and does not overlook even the slightest of mistakes that are common when writing code. It covers code correctness, test coverage, and functionality changes and follows the coding guides and best practices.







<h2 id="suggested-readings">Suggested Readings</h2>



<a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/software-testing-strategy/">Software Testing Strategy</a><gwmw style="display:none;"></gwmw>



<a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/top-software-testing-trends-to-look-out-for-in-2022/">Top Software Testing Trends</a><gwmw style="display:none;"></gwmw>



<a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/software-testing-interview-questions/">Software Testing Interview Questions</a><gwmw style="display:none;"></gwmw>



<a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/the-different-software-testing-types-explained/">Different Software Testing Types</a><gwmw style="display:none;"></gwmw>

Role Of A Software Tester In Code Reviews