Software Testing - Agile testing

Agile testing is a software testing approach that follows the principles of the Agile methodology, where testing happens continuously throughout development instead of waiting until the end.

1. Core Idea

  • Test early, test often — testing starts at the same time as development.

  • Testers, developers, and product owners work closely together.

  • The goal is to deliver working, high-quality software in short cycles (sprints).

2. Key Principles

  • Continuous feedback between team members.

  • Testing is integrated, not a separate phase.

  • Focus on customer needs and business value.

  • Flexibility to adapt to changes in requirements.

  • Automation is heavily used to keep pace with rapid releases.

3. How Agile Testing Works

  1. Requirements & Planning — Testers join sprint planning to understand user stories.

  2. Test Design — Tests (manual & automated) are designed alongside development.

  3. Test Execution — Testing happens during the sprint, often in parallel with coding.

  4. Feedback Loop — Bugs are fixed immediately or in the same sprint.

  5. Retrospective — Teams review what worked and what can improve.

4. Common Testing Types in Agile

  • Acceptance Test-Driven Development (ATDD) — Define acceptance criteria before coding.

  • Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) — Describe tests in business-readable language.

  • Exploratory Testing — Creative, unscripted tests to discover unexpected issues.

  • Regression Testing — Automated checks to ensure existing features still work.

  • Unit & Integration Testing — Automated developer-level checks.

5. Advantages

  • Early defect detection (cheaper fixes).

  • Continuous alignment with customer needs.

  • Faster releases with better quality.

  • Improved collaboration across the team.

6. Challenges

  • Requires high collaboration and communication.

  • Test automation skills are often essential.

  • Frequent changes demand adaptability.