In the , we discussed how businesses can improve software quality, deliver at a fast pace, and increase customer satisfaction levels by relying on such significant QA trends as... first part of the article Test automation Quality engineering for emerging technologies Value stream management Sustainable quality engineering. Today, I suggest having a closer look at three more significant trends to help you enhance the efficiency of your current QA strategies. Trend 5. Frequently deploy sound functionality at speed with Agile-driven QA Organizations continue to embrace Agile- or DevOps-based transformations to reap multiple benefits ― seamless customer journeys, accelerated digitization, and more efficient and optimized processes, just to name a few. While adjusting business models to fit changing requirements and the growing need for speed, quality assurance plays a pivotal role, as it Due to its implementation in Agile and DevOps, companies can continue attaining well-timed delivery, release faster, enhance software quality, and boost productivity. helps provide excellent customer satisfaction and derive desired business outcomes. For the Agile adoption path has just begun because of the overall complexity of their architecture and challenges with dividing voluminous business workflows into minor sections to fit them into small development sprints. enterprise systems, As a way out, the World Quality Report 2022-23 (WQR) suggests applying the following test approaches: packaged enterprise system-specific tools for automation, prebuilt test case repository for certifying a sprint, performance testing for all releases, impact analysis solutions, test integrated as automatic quality gates in the CI/CD pipeline. How can organizations overcome challenges with infusing Agile QA workflows into the SDLC? Among other things, they can who combine both business and technical cross-functional skills and have experience in test automation, CI/CD, performance, cybersecurity, programming, and other high-priority directions. bet on people ― full-stack quality engineers Regarding seeing the big picture, why not stick to the following best practices to reach higher adoption rates of Agile- and DevOps-based QA processes? to cut testing time, boost test coverage, and increase process accuracy. Also, do not bail on performance, cybersecurity, usability, integration, and other verifications to enhance software soundness and operation speed. Expand test automation usage across CI/CD pipelines Utilize best-of-breed to ensure efficient QA processes and support business owners in case they’d like to get involved in software testing activities. industry toolkits and frameworks Engage who are proficient in Agile methodologies, understand customer demands, IT products, and business specifics, as well as regularly upgrade their technical skills to provide unmatched quality in the production environment. accomplished QA experts Apply to track the slightest changes in the software quality level, provide visibility for all team members, and take appropriate action in time. diverse metrics Trend 6. Adopt cloud servers for test environment provisioning Cloud servers provide organizations of any size with great opportunities to move faster, increase flexibility and scalability capabilities, save costs, improve collaboration between team members, ensure disaster recovery and data loss prevention, and enhance security levels. No wonder that for more than 50% of their non-production environments, the WQR admits. In addition, 44% of companies apply a hybrid environment strategy involving on-premises and a single cloud provider, while 21% utilize only a single cloud platform. 49% of the interviewed organizations utilize the cloud Due to this shift, more opportunities occurred for for which organizations prefer a combined toolkit ― open-source, commercial off-the-shelf, cloud. automated provisioning of test environments, Another rising tendency concerns of diverse application aspects. The WQR mentions that almost all the respondents made it a part of their testing life cycle. However, cloud testing only 1% of the interviewees find their cloud testing strategy to be highly efficient for all projects. the choice should fully depend on business specifics. For instance, a cloud server can be a perfect match for a growing business when the number of end users is increasing and the requirements for a cloud server are changing. Under these circumstances, it is more cost-effective as it can just be supplemented with novel virtual machines, IP addresses, etc. While an on-premise server is more suitable for companies that have a permanent number of users and therefore constant demands for servers. In this regard, I advise the following: Trend 7. Place more emphasis on test data provisioning and validation The supply of quality, realistic test data to ensure that tests accurately reflect the correct system behavior often is a challenging and time-consuming process ― of all WQR respondents have an enterprise-wide strategy that is fully implemented. only one-fifth Although 89% of companies must store all test data on-premises according to their policies, is picking up steam. For instance, 83% of respondents are currently developing an effective cloud data strategy, 82% ― already stick to using a secure cloud platform for storing all de-sensitized data, while another 78% ― prefer private cloud to keep test data only during the project duration. Considering the prevalence of remote work nowadays, this trend can simplify and secure processes of operating with data. cloud usage However, is far from being highly successful, at least yet ― only half of the surveyed organizations replaced manual workflows with automated ones, and they are a part of an independent process rather than a CI/CD pipeline. automation of data provisioning Taking into account that data provisioning tools can be complicated and have their technology requirements, remains topical. To overcome it, the WQR respondents design partnership strategies with tool vendors or system integrators and train their staff internally. the problem with test data skills is another vital aspect that helps organizations ensure that they meet business requirements, spot duplicated, cluttered, or invalid data, etc. This is proved by the results of the WQR survey ― almost half of all the interviewed consider it to be highly important as they can attain better productivity, customer satisfaction, and decision-making. Validating the accuracy and quality of test data The lack of automated tooling and necessary skills, the presence of diverse and complex databases, outdated data, and the high complexity of the overall process impede the application of data validation approaches. To streamline and simplify working with data, companies can develop a holistic data provisioning approach for the whole organization, opt for multiple tooling opportunities to cover diverse needs and keep data updated. To summarize To embark on a journey of innovation and growth, companies use such emerging technologies as Web 3.0, blockchain, AI/ML, metaverse, digital twins, AR/VR. Due to overall complexity, their implementation and further usage can place a burden on project teams. QA and software testing activities help ensure their proper operation, thus simplifying the adoption across enterprises. To better cope with this task and add value to the testing process, organizations can focus on important industry trends. Sustainable quality engineering, value stream management, quality engineering for emerging technologies, test automation, a shift to Agile- and DevOps-driven QA, best practices for test environment and data management are among them. By making them a part of the testing strategies, companies can increase customer satisfaction, enhance software quality, accelerate time to market, and optimize costs.

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