Why must digital transformation strategies include continuous testing?

translator  |  Li Rui

Reviser  |  Sun Shujuan

In recent years , Enterprises IT The traditional way ( Often rely on time-consuming manual processes ) Has been made more agile 、 More efficient 、 Result oriented models .

With this shift, emphasis is placed on accelerating the development cycle of software products ,DevOps And agile methods are now essential for businesses that want to succeed through digital transformation initiatives .

therefore , People need to be familiar with DevOps And continuous delivery practices in agile , And create faster time to market for enterprise applications .

But many enterprises pay too much attention to this kind of speed , Therefore, the importance of quality assurance is neglected , Thus harming their own interests . Even for enterprises that have not made such mistakes , Maintaining the necessary level of quality and the speed of continuous delivery remains a major challenge .

The solution to this challenge is continuous testing . Develop software testing processes to simplify and integrate with their ongoing delivery pipeline , This is critical to the enterprise's digital transformation plan .

This article will explore what continuous testing is , How it can help the business of an enterprise , And how to test from a strategic perspective .

1. Keep testing  

Continuous testing ensures that product quality is deeply rooted in every part of the development process , This should be a priority for every enterprise today , And make the test consistent with the continuous delivery .

If the correct quality assurance measures are not taken , The risk of a developed product or application failing is greater , This means that the consequences for the business will be very serious .

Continuous testing will solve this problem , At the same time, it significantly reduces the time for developers to receive feedback . This is achieved by utilizing tests that are activated in a specific environment, as well as development and traditional tests that are manually executed at different stages .

ad locum , Testing is performed as a built-in part of the software delivery pipeline , To provide immediate feedback on potential risks associated with the product .

In practice , This means removing legacy processes from the enterprise's software development and testing cycles , And introduce new technologies and tools designed for more agile workflow , To achieve higher quality .

This is not as disruptive as it sounds at first . Testing and delivery will still be based on sequential processes , Use the test environment as a service , Where tests can be performed according to specific requirements .

therefore , Enterprises do not have to wait for functional testing to complete before conducting performance testing , So as to speed up the delivery time .

2. Why do companies need to make this change  

If the enterprise is adopting some continuous delivery methods , While maintaining the highest possible level of quality , Continuous testing is required .

Adopting this method will enable the team of the enterprise to completely guarantee the quality , And run each test as soon as possible throughout the application lifecycle . This will not cause delays in the project schedule , And it means that developers can't wait for potential problems to become serious , Be able to detect and solve these problems , So as to significantly reduce the risks in production .

This involves using tools that take advantage of automation and so on 、 often 、 Test as deeply and widely as possible .

When an enterprise begins to evaluate quality at every step of the development process , Positive results will be recognized immediately , Not only to improve the productivity and efficiency of the team , And there is the use of business operations .

This is especially important for large enterprises with a large number of users . If testing and quality assurance (QA) Not effectively embedded in the development process and continuous delivery pipeline , Then the risk will become great , Because once the application deployment fails , Will have a disastrous impact on their business .

3. The benefits of continuous testing  

When an enterprise successfully introduces continuous testing into its development strategy , You will see positive changes happen quickly . The advantages gained will bring it closer to the goal of digital transformation , for example ：

• defects 、 Mistakes and new risks are obvious as soon as they arise
• Release new updates and products more frequently  
• Reduce human resources and duplication of effort , So as to reduce the cost  
• Speed up development and simplify processes  
• Tools that are easier to use and more adaptable to the team  
• Improve product quality through more in-depth indicators and feedback  
• Significantly reduce business risk  
• Be able to quickly respond to new or changing business needs  
• Keep up with competitors  

4. How to introduce continuous testing  

Enterprises leading the digital transformation are those that adopt automation technology to help their software delivery become more effective and efficient .

The automated process in testing allows code to be checked for quality immediately upon submission , Its depth and coverage are much greater , Faster , The accuracy is also higher than manual testing .

As technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning come into play , The team of the enterprise will gain more innovation ability . 

5. Give priority to employees and culture  

Just like implementing any new technology , Enterprises should first obtain the approval and advocacy of stakeholders in senior leadership positions . At the same time, ensure that the affected teams are willing to adopt these new ways of working . 

Automation can be a terrible term for employees , Because it often causes people to worry about canceling manual work , The focus is on simplifying these tasks to make time for more creative tasks . 

Companies are transparent to their employees from the very beginning , And make sure to show them the value of these new processes , Show them the benefits that this will bring to their career, etc . This will help change the mindset of the team , And contribute to the smooth adoption of . then , Understand what the team needs by analyzing the current situation and studying the best tools to meet these requirements . Here's the thing to remember , Focus on providing employees with the tools they need to do their jobs better , And what kind of user experience they want from these tools .

Enterprises also need to choose technologies that can easily integrate with existing systems and processes and are compatible with their continuous delivery pipeline . 

It would be wise to use a gradual strategy , Gradually introduce new testing tools and processes , And review and optimize as often as possible . Enterprises seek the help of certain teams , Make it an early adopter , And allow them to provide feedback on their experiences , To ensure that the transformation achieves the desired results .

6. Conclusion  

Gone are the days of time-consuming and repetitive software testing processes . Those who have resisted or reacted slowly to this trend may not have taken action yet , You will soon find that you have already “ Out of style ”.

With the adoption of new technologies to provide better tools and more effective ways of working than ever before , As long as the testing strategy of the enterprise is given priority , We can better control the quality of software products .

Of course , The proposed changes above are challenging . Successful digital transformation requires the selection of complex moving parts to work harmoniously . 

Suppose the enterprise is uncertain about the best way to successfully introduce continuous testing into existing strategies . under these circumstances , Consider working with experienced partners , They can guide enterprises to take the right steps in the right order .

Link to the original text ：https://dzone.com/articles/why-your-digital-transformation-strategy-must-i

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