5 Testing Strategies for Improving App Release Cycles

Introduction

Software applications have become an indispensable part of everyone's lives in today's fast-paced digital world. Apps help us in various ways, from booking a cab to online shopping to banking transactions. To make these applications run smoothly and provide an exceptional user experience, it is essential to test them thoroughly before their release. Also, in the current economic condition, it is more critical than ever for organizations to optimize their processes and streamline their operations. This is very true in terms of application releases, which can make or break a company's ability to stay competitive. With the right testing strategies in place, organizations can improve their release cycles and bring their products to market more quickly and efficiently. 

This blog highlights various testing strategies that organizations can adopt to improve their app release cycles. The objective of these strategies is to ensure that applications are thoroughly tested and released faster, with fewer defects and fewer chances of post-release failures.

Empower DevOps & QA teams with test automation and data science insights. Know more.

Important Testing Strategies to Achieve Faster App Release Cycles

1. Automation Testing 

Automation testing is a testing strategy where test automation software tools are used to perform tests on applications. This testing strategy helps organizations achieve faster app release cycles by providing several benefits:

• Improved Speed: Automated tests can run much faster than manual testing, freeing up time for testers to focus on other tasks. This means that tests can be run more frequently, and new releases can be deployed faster.
• More Consistency: Test automation tools are consistent and repeatable. They will give the same results every time they are run. This eliminates the risk of human error, thus, ensuring that the same tests are run every time, and the results are always accurate.
• Increased Coverage: Automated tests can cover a much more extensive range of scenarios and test cases than manual testing. This helps identify potential issues early and leads to faster resolution and quicker release cycles.

Read: What is End to End Testing

With the implementation of automation testing, companies can streamline their testing processes and get new releases to market faster, thus improving overall efficiency and competitiveness. Automated tests can also be run 24/7. This allows teams to identify defects and bugs early in the development cycle and reduces the time and resources required to fix them.

‍2. Parallel Testing

Parallel testing is a software testing strategy that involves executing multiple tests simultaneously in different environments or on different devices. By executing tests in parallel, businesses can achieve faster app release cycles, as it reduces the time required to complete all the tests. Parallel testing enables QA teams to run tests simultaneously, with multiple tests completed in the same period of time it would take to complete just one test sequentially. 

Also, by executing tests in parallel, organizations can simultaneously test their applications on multiple environments, devices, and configurations, offer comprehensive test coverage and increase the chances of detecting any potential issues. Parallel testing reduces the time and effort required to complete tests, which, in turn, reduces the overall costs associated with the testing process. With parallel testing, businesses can optimize their development processes and deliver high-quality applications to their users promptly and efficiently.

Also read: Top 10 Ways to Accelerate the Software Testing Cycle

3. Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery

Continuous integration and continuous delivery are testing strategies that help businesses achieve faster app release cycles. These strategies help companies automate the software development process, minimize manual errors, and improve collaboration among various teams.

• Continuous integration is the practice of merging code changes into a single repository multiple times a day. As soon as a change is done, an automated build and test process is triggered to ensure that the change does not break the existing code. This technique helps developers catch bugs and errors early in the development cycle and reduces the time needed to fix them.

• Continuous delivery is the practice of automatically deploying code changes to production or other environments as soon as they pass the tests. With continuous delivery, companies can eliminate the need for manual deployment processes, reduce human error risk, and accelerate the delivery process.

Check out: A Complete Guide to Continuous Testing

CI/CD can help businesses achieve faster app release cycles by streamlining the development and deployment process. Automated builds and tests mean that code changes can be delivered to customers faster and with higher quality. This enables companies to quickly and frequently deliver new features and improvements to their users.

4. Real Device Testing

Real device testing is an app testing strategy of testing software applications on physical devices, such as smartphones and tablets, rather than simulators or emulators. This type of testing strategy provides a more accurate representation of how an application will perform in real-world scenarios, helping companies achieve faster release cycles. By testing on real devices, companies can identify and resolve compatibility issues, performance issues, and device-specific bugs that might not be caught through simulator testing. With this data, developers can make changes early in the development process and reduce the risk of unexpected problems and delays when deploying software to users. Faster and more reliable release cycles are essential for businesses in today's fast-paced, technology-driven landscape. By incorporating real device testing into their software development processes, companies can minimize risks, reduce the time it takes to bring products to market, and improve overall customer satisfaction.

‍5. Agile Testing 

Agile testing is a software testing strategy that aligns with Agile software development methodologies. It emphasizes collaboration between developers, testers, and stakeholders and encourages continuous testing and feedback throughout the software development process. With Agile testing, companies can achieve faster app release cycles by enabling the following:

• Early and frequent testing: Agile testing enables organizations to start testing early in the development stage and be performed continuously throughout the process. This means that any issues or bugs can be identified and addressed quickly, reducing the risk of delays later in the process.

• Flexibility and adaptability: Agile testing is flexible and adaptable to changes in the software development process. In the Agile testing environment, testing can be quickly adapted to ensure that the software still meets the needs of the stakeholders.

• Collaboration and communication: Agile testing encourages collaboration between developers, testers, and stakeholders, thus ensuring that everyone is aware of the status of the project and any potential risks. This is very critical for a better understanding of the requirements and improves the overall quality of the software.

Read: 10 Ways to Accelerate the Software Testing Cycle

Complement Testing Strategies with HeadSpin for Faster App Release Cycles

The HeadSpin Platform enables organizations to collaborate seamlessly to accelerate the app release cycle with intelligent automation and data science insights. Here are some of the advanced features of the Platform that helps companies improve their app release cycle.

1. Deep Data on App's Performance

The HeadSpin's data science-driven Platform enables QA teams to gather a large set of data related to the app being tested. Using HeadSpin data science capabilities, businesses can get a number of secondary metrics, like code, packet, and network visibility details, page load time, third-party SDKs, CDN, and API. Data points collected with the help of the HeadSpin Platform can help companies enhance their app's performance effectively.

2. Actionable Insights from the AI Engine 

Organizations can use HeadSpin's AI engine to evaluate end-to-end user journeys, identify areas of poor performance, and suggest how to improve the app's performance. HeadSpin's AI-based actionable insights help QA teams identify the possible errors a customer can face and fix them proactively. This unique feature of the HeadSpin Platform can help enterprises enhance their apps' digital experience.

3. Global App Testing in Real Devices 

HeadSpin has a global infrastructure of devices, like mobile and desktop browsers, OTT devices, game consoles, smart TVs, and more, deployed across 50+ locations worldwide. HeadSpin's AI-based Platform enables companies to test websites, native applications, and hybrid applications from various geographies and access thousands of real mobile and browser testing devices. Global device infrastructure with physical devices worldwide also helps the testing of different distributed edge nodes or "edges."

Examples of HeadSpin Helping Global Enterprises Improve App Release Cycles

Example 1

A business analytics segment of a leading US multinational technology company was in search of a test automation tool to reduce the time to market for its new feature release. HeadSpin supported the company in performing 10,000 end-to-end test cases, including all user scenarios with its AI-based Platform. Using the HeadSpin Platform, the business analytics segment of the company was able to reduce the time to market for its new feature release by 75%.

Example 2 

One of the most admired peer-to-peer hospitality companies in the world was looking for a tool to support them in developing a native app and performing testing of the app’s features and functionality as quickly as possible. HeadSpin assisted the company in performing automated and manual functional testing of its app on Android, iOS, and mobile web. The company was able to test its app’s new features and functionality faster with the HeadSpin Platform’s unique capabilities.

Also read: Automated Agile Testing in the BFSI Sector

Conclusion

The current economic climate has put immense pressure on global companies to release their applications as quickly and efficiently as possible. Effective testing strategies play a vital role in ensuring the success of app releases and improving the release cycles. By implementing techniques such as continuous integration and testing and automation testing, companies can overcome the challenges posed by the economic recession and achieve their desired outcomes. It is critical for organizations to stay adaptable and continuously evaluate and refine their testing strategies to gain a competitive edge and improve their overall business.

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FAQs

Q1. What are the stages of the software release life cycle?

Ans: Pre-Alpha Version, Alpha Version, Beta Version, Release Candidate, General Availability, and Production Release.

Q2. What is the most critical step in the mobile app release process?

Ans: The most critical step in the mobile app release process is app testing, as testing improves the quality of the product.

Q3. What is a test harness?

‍Ans: A test harness is a tool that helps QA teams automate the testing process. A test harness contains stubs, drivers, and all tools necessary to perform test cases.