Regression Testing

New product features can bring new problems during product development. An alteration in logic to one of the functionalities could affect another. An error handling standard may not have been followed when creating a new page with data entry forms. There will always be defects not captured during testing, and one of a product owner’s worst nightmares is seeing critical defects existing in the production environment.

Quality Assurance is a key component in any project, and it is especially in the forefront of all Agile projects. It is not enough to simply test an enhancement as it comes along. As a sprint draws closer to its end, there is a mass of changes big and small, each of them tested separately or together with a certain set of other features. It may or may not be enough, but there is always a risk in interacting with these changes and the application as a whole. There is a way to minimize those risks, and ways to strategize around it.

The Importance of Regression Testing

Delivering potentially releasable increments means that the team should ensure that the sprint didn’t cause snags in already existing features. This is what regression testing essentially is: an activity where the team checks how the current build affects the previous builds and the overall system. Whether it’s a bug fix or a new functionality, the team needs to guarantee that no new defects are introduced.

Recommended Further Reading

The following materials may assist you in order to get the most out of this course: