September 23, 2024 
6 Min 
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In today’s dynamic software development landscape, maintaining the quality of a product is crucial, even after continuous updates and changes. Regression testing is a type of software test that helps to ensure features were not broken by changes in code. If you are a seasoned tester or just getting started, learning regression testing is very critical. Our guide will go over the basics of regression testing, its purpose, and some pro tips that might come in handy when starting with this important part of software quality assurance. In this guide, we’ll explore the fundamentals of regression testing, its importance, and how testers can effectively implement it.
What is Regression Testing?
🔍 Regression testing is the process of re-running previously completed test cases to ensure that new changes (such as bug fixes, patches, or new features) haven’t negatively impacted existing functionality. Regression Testing is a form of software testing that verifies new code changes have not adversely affected the existing features. Run the tests you have executed before, but this time on modified software to check your changes does not introduce any new bugs. The main objective of regression testing is to identify defects that may have entered the software unit, system, or product after a change. Essentially, it acts as a safeguard to ensure that your software remains stable after modifications.
LEARNING PROCESS: The process is usually done in the following steps:
Choosing Test Cases: Determining which test cases cover the modified parts of the software and fundamental functionalities which could be influenced due to changes.
Performing Tests: Running chosen test cases from the new build of software.
Results Analysis: Checking the test results for any new defect or issue.
Reporting Defects: Stating out new defects discovered while regression testing if any and bringing them to the notice of the development team for fixing.
Why is Regression Testing Important?
✅ There are several reasons why regression testing is crucial for software quality:
- Ensures Code Stability: New changes should not interfere with the functionality of existing code.
- Prevents Reintroduced Bugs: Past bugs can resurface due to new changes.
- Increases Release Confidence: Regular regression testing ensures quality and minimizes risk.
- Maintains Product Quality: Ensures continuous delivery of a stable product, even as it evolves.
Regression Testing Need and Importance? One of the main reasons regression testings is important and should be done is to make sure your software quality is maintained properly over time. This is where regression testing takes place, and today I shall tell you a few fundamental reasons why to do it.
Ensuring Stability: Regression testing checks the stability of your software by ensuring that recent changes do not break existing functionalities.
Realizes Unknown Problems: Tiny code edits may lead to unexpected results. This is the type of issue that should be caught by regression testing and hence fixed before it finds its way to end users.
Supports CI/CD: If you work in a continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) environment, regression testing is still important to make sure frequent code changes do not affect the quality of your application.
Preserves Maintenance: Over time, as software changes, regression testing will ensure that the integrity of the functionality is not broken so you can add new features or fix bugs without ruining what works.
When Should You Perform Regression Testing?
🕒You should perform regression testing whenever:
- Bugs are fixed: To ensure the fix didn’t cause side effects elsewhere.
- New features are added: Verify that new functionality doesn’t interfere with older parts of the software.
- Code is optimized: Performance improvements may inadvertently introduce errors.
- Software updates are made: After each major update, regression testing is vital to ensure overall system integrity.
How to Perform Regression Testing!
📋 1. Identify Test Cases
Choose test cases that focus on the area’s most likely to be affected by recent changes. Prioritize based on:
– Critical business functionalities.
– Recently updated features.
– Modules with a history of defects.
📋2. Decide: Manual or Automated Testing?
– Manual Testing: Best for complex, exploratory, or one-off scenarios.
– Automated Testing: Ideal for repetitive test cases and regression suites. Automation tools like Selenium, QTP, and Test Complete can save time and resources.
📋3. Run the Tests: Execute the selected test cases. For large applications, automation is highly recommended to streamline the process, especially in Agile or DevOps environments.
📋 4. Analyze Test Results: Review the outcomes to identify any failures or issues. Analyze whether any test case failures are due to the recent changes or pre-existing issues.
📋5. Maintain and Update Test Cases: As your software evolves, your test cases must be updated regularly to reflect changes in the system. Remove outdated test cases and add new ones based on the latest updates.
Regression Testing Challenges:
Regression testing is prone to its own set of challenges. Any wise tester would need to know these difficulties so they could develop plans to overcome them effectively.
Difficult: Regression testing is laborious and as the application grows, so do its sizeable number of test cases. Improper Management of this can delay the release cycle.
Sub-Optimal Utilization: In practice, running a full suite of regression tests is resource-intensive and can only be efficient if there are high volume automated testing systems.
Test suite maintenance: As software evolves, test cases may need to be rewritten or retired in response to changes in function. A test suite is only accurate as far back in time it was created, and regularly updating to ensure accuracy is a continual process.
False Positives and Negatives: Regression testing can often be the reason for false positives (reporting a defect where none exists) or sometimes, even lead to false negatives shutting their way into releases that could potentially go unnoticed.
The challenges of Automation: While automation can help in making the regression testing process fast, setting up automation and maintaining the automated tests take some special skills, and time investment. Automated tests are also brittle and can easily crash with just a slight amendment in the application.
Best Practices for Regression Testing!
⚙️ To maximize the efficiency of your regression testing, follow these best practices:
- Automate Where Possible: Automation speeds up testing and reduces manual effort.
- Prioritize Critical Areas: Test the most crucial parts of your application first.
- Run Tests Frequently: The more often you test, the sooner you can identify and fix issues.
- Integrate with CI Pipelines: Continuous integration (CI) ensures that regression tests are triggered automatically with each code change.
Conclusion!
💡 Regression testing is the backbone of a stable and reliable software product. By running tests frequently after every code change, you reduce the risk of introducing new bugs and ensure that your software continues to perform as expected. Whether through manual or automated means, thorough regression testing helps maintain the integrity and quality of your product.
For testers at TestSure Academy, mastering regression testing is key to delivering high-quality software and ensuring customer satisfaction. Explore more testing strategies and best practices at TestSure Academy to become a pro tester!