Software testing agile testing tutorials and videos

Story Maps and Behavior-Driven Development (BDD)

Software Testing Magazine — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 17:36:13 +0000

This is a hands-on practical session about agile testing where participants split into groups and learn how to do story mapping and how to write Given-When-Then Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) tests. This workshop by Jon Kern covers the use of Story Mapping and BDD-style techniques to break down feature requests for Agile Testing. Behavior-Driven Development is an Agile software methodology that enhances collaboration between developers, testers, and business stakeholders. It is used to define system behavior through concrete, plain-language examples (Given-When-Then). It bridges communication gaps by focusing on user-centric functionality and business outcomes, reducing waste and producing automated, “living” documentation. Story mapping is an Agile technique that visualizes a user’s journey through a product by arranging user stories on a two-dimensional map. It organizes tasks chronologically (horizontal axis) to show the workflow, while prioritizing, detailing, or grouping functionalities (vertical axis) for release planning. This collaborative, user-centric approach provides a holistic view of the product, fostering a shared understanding and preventing feature-driven, disjointed development. These two videos emphasize the importance of collaboration between Business, Dev, QA, UX, by lowering organizational boundaries, silos, and spheres of traditional organizational influence, command & control. The presenter explains how BDD starts, as a means of expressing requirements (defining what “done” looks like) and feeds into the actual development life cycle. Jon Kern explains why he insists that teams should use BDD and TDD with test automation. Video producer: https://agile-serbia.rs/

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4 Reasons Why QA is Essential in Agile Development

Software Testing Magazine — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 21:38:20 +0000

There is a lot of debate around whether QA and Agile are compatible. Some say that QA (quality assurance) is often compromised during Agile’s quick sprints. Yet, foregoing QA altogether will not set a solid foundation for a project. There’s always a need for balance and it’s all relative. Author: Vesselina Lezginov, Scopic Software In 2022, Agile was the 2nd most practiced methodology for software development at 31.8%. There’s no arguing that it is a dominant framework, and testing is one of its essential steps for many reasons. With Agile, testing is usually done sooner and more often in the development process. But where does software QA fit in? This guide will explain the importance of QA, why it is fundamental in Agile development, and more. Let’s get started and discover how QA helps create superior products rather than act as a bottleneck. What is QA? QA is a procedure that helps guarantee that products and services meet quality standards by testing for defects at every stage of creation. QA is more proactive than QC (Quality Control), which concentrates on identifying flaws only after manufacturing. Some of the key QA processes include: Understanding the scope, establishing goals, and organizing testing Testing functionality both manually and automatically Managing defects by tracking, reporting, and resolving bugs Within the methodology of Agile, QA fits with iterative development, making sure each sprint produces high-quality work. 4 Reasons Why QA is Essential in Agile Development The synergy of QA and Agile development gives teams the [...]

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Mastering Agile Test Management with Jira: A Comprehensive Guide

Software Testing Magazine — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 17:32:56 +0000

Fed up with chaotic test management and scattered QA processes? Transform your testing workflow with Jira’s powerhouse features. This guide reveals battle-tested strategies that go beyond basic issue tracking, showing you how to build a robust testing ecosystem that scales. From automated backups to security implementations, discover the techniques that top-performing QA teams use to stay ahead. Remember the last time a critical bug slipped through because of disorganized test cases? Or when your team spent hours searching for test evidence during an audit? These scenarios are all too familiar in software testing. But here’s the thing: Jira isn’t just another project management tool – it’s a sophisticated platform that can transform your testing chaos into a well-oiled machine. Let’s explore how to harness its full potential for test management, starting with the foundations that many teams overlook. Setting Up Your Testing Framework The foundation of successful test management in Jira begins with proper configuration. Teams must establish clear project structures and custom fields that align with their testing methodology. Workflows should reflect your specific testing processes and approval gates, while ensuring scalability for future growth. All test information can be saved using an external solution for Jira cloud backup and restore, ensuring data security and business continuity. Tools like GitProtect.io provide automated backup solutions that safeguard your testing artifacts, configurations and historical data while maintaining Jira security standards. Regular audits of these backup processes help maintain data integrity. Managing Test Cases and Execution Creating and organizing test cases in [...]

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Open Source .NET Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) Tools

Software Testing Magazine — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 12:00:13 +0000

Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) is an Agile approach that mixes requirement gathering, documentation and acceptance testing. You write human-readable sentences describing the features of your application and how they should work. Then you implement this behavior using a tool that produces automated acceptance tests to verify that the feature is implemented correctly. Open source .NET BDD tools like SpecFlow are used to store the requirements as live documentation and to perform functional or acceptance tests. This article presents a list of open source software testing tools to perform Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) for the .NET platform and the C# language. For each tool, you will get a small description of its features. Feel free to suggest any additional .NET BDD framework or resource that you think should be included in this article. The tools, listed here are BDDfy, BDD toolkit for .NET, Concordion.NET, Kekiri, LightBDD, Machine.Specifications (Mspec), Nbehave, Nspec, Reqnroll, SpecFlow, SpecsFor, Storyteller, TickSpec, Xunit.Gherkin.Quick. Updates * December 2 2024 removed: xBehave.net (archived) added: BDD toolkit for .NET, Kekiri, Reqnroll, Xunit.Gherkin.Quick BDDfy BDDfy is a simple open source .NET BDD framework that is easy to use, customize and extend. It can run with any testing framework and you can just apply it on your POCO (test) classes. BDDfy doesn’t need a separate test runner. You can use your runner of choice. For example, you can write your BDDfy tests using NUnit and run them using NUnit console. BDDfy is very extensible: the core barely has any logic in it and delegates all [...]

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Unpacking Shift-Left Testing Benefits: Key to Reducing Costs and Boosting Collaboration

Software Testing Magazine — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 14:52:20 +0000

Software testing typically starts once the code is fully developed or in the later stages of development. With this approach, when QA’s role begins at that time, most of the development is already done, and identifying defects at this timeframe means rework for the developers, which is quite costly in terms of time and money. It also impacts project production delivery. Author: Gaurav Mittal With the introduction of Shift Left Testing, there is a significant shift in incorporating testing activities earlier in the development life cycle, starting from the design phase. This initiative-taking strategy enables quicker defect detection. By identifying issues early on, Shift Left Testing notably reduces the chances of rework, enhances software quality, and improves team collaboration, resulting in more efficient project delivery. Shift Left Diagram This diagram illustrates the concept of shift left testing with: Two curves showing testing effort distribution: Blue solid line: Shift left testing approach (earlier testing) Red dashed line: Traditional testing approach A timeline showing the software development lifecycle phases: Requirements Design Development Testing Production The diagram shows how shift left testing: Moves testing activities earlier in the development cycle. Distributes testing effort more evenly. Reduces the testing burden in later stages. A legend to distinguish between the two approaches. What is Shift-Left Testing? Shift-left testing involves incorporating testing activities early in the software development lifecycle (SDLC). Instead of waiting for the development phase to be completed, testing is carried out in the initial design and coding stages. This early involvement enables quicker [...]

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Effective Enterprise Testing Strategy

Software Testing Magazine — Fri, 26 Jul 2024 17:29:25 +0000

In today’s fast-paced and competitive business landscape, enterprises must ensure their software applications are reliable, scalable, and performant. A robust enterprise testing strategy is crucial to achieving these goals, ensuring that software meets quality standards before it reaches end-users. This article explores the key components of an effective enterprise testing strategy, the benefits of implementing such a strategy, and best practices for maintaining it. Key Components of an Effective Enterprise Testing Strategy 1. Comprehensive Test Planning Test planning is the cornerstone of any testing strategy. It involves defining the scope, objectives, resources, schedule, and deliverables for testing activities. A comprehensive test plan should include: Scope and Objectives: Clearly define what needs to be tested and the goals of the testing process. This includes identifying the features and functionalities to be tested and the types of testing to be conducted (e.g., unit testing, integration testing, system testing, acceptance testing). Resources and Responsibilities: Allocate resources, including human, hardware, and software resources, and assign responsibilities to team members. Ensure the team has the necessary skills and tools to carry out the testing effectively. Schedule and Milestones: Develop a detailed testing schedule with key milestones, ensuring alignment with the overall project timeline. This helps in tracking progress and making necessary adjustments to stay on track. Risk Management: Identify potential risks and develop mitigation strategies. This includes technical risks, such as software defects, and non-technical risks, such as resource constraints. TEKLYNX has successfully implemented an effective testing strategy by incorporating comprehensive test planning and test [...]

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Innovative Approaches to Software Testing and Quality Assurance

Software Testing Magazine — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 15:02:49 +0000

In the dynamic and fast-paced world of software development, the significance of robust software testing and quality assurance (QA) practices cannot be overstated. These processes are vital for ensuring the reliability, performance, and user satisfaction of software products. With the advent of new technologies and methodologies, innovative approaches to software testing and QA are reshaping the landscape, moving beyond traditional paradigms to embrace more agile, efficient, and effective practices. Leading the charge in this transformative era are companies like Relevant Software, integrating the latest innovations to elevate software quality to new heights. Traditional vs. Innovative Approaches in Software Testing Historically, software testing was often an afterthought in the development process, typically executed linearly and manually after most of the development work was completed. This Waterfall approach, while structured, was often slow and inefficient, struggling to keep pace with rapid development cycles and evolving customer demands. In contrast, innovative approaches to software testing are characterized by their agility and integration within the entire software development lifecycle. These methods are proactive rather than reactive, focusing on preventing defects rather than merely detecting them post-development. Automation is a cornerstone of these modern methodologies. By automating repetitive and time-consuming tasks, testing becomes not only faster but also more accurate, reducing the likelihood of human error. This shift from manual to automated testing is not just a change in technique; it represents a fundamental shift in the testing philosophy, emphasizing efficiency and continuous improvement. Emerging Trends in Software Testing Emerging trends in software testing are reshaping [...]

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How to Integrate Testing at Every Stage of Development: An Agile Example

Software Testing Magazine — Wed, 16 Aug 2023 12:00:46 +0000

This article discusses how to organize software quality assurance in line with Agile principles to help software development team tackle everyday software testing tasks with Agile testing. Author: Nikita Klimov, Senior QA Engineer, ADP Inc. In the work hierarchy of an IT company, a senior quality assurance (QA) engineer holds the responsibility for testing processes. This means that such specialists not only solve complex tasks related to software testing but also collaborate with various professionals, including developers, product owners, business analysts, and stakeholders. Seniors also supervise a team of less experienced testers – juniors and mid-level specialists. Thus, the role of a senior QA involves not just software testing but also communications, strategic process management, team coordination, and more. A system of ideas, methodologies, and principles – Agile – helps establish effective project execution. Testing at Various Stages of Software Development The full work of a QA engineer starts at the stage of drafting technical documentation: the senior not only tests and checks the software requirements for errors but also interacts with the product owner to define the business requirements for the software. Moreover, a senior develops testing scenarios at all stages of development, including checking the MVP (Minimum Viable Product) – the initial version of the product that can attract early users. Essentially, testing is the verification that the real and expected program behavior aligns with the parameters outlined in the technical specifications. It begins in the early stages of development to prevent potential issues that could increase the [...]

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