The relationship between DevOps and QA considers the result of the evolution of software development work cycles. As IBM explains, previously there were only releases of extensive code changes that modified the operation of applications after several months or years. Now, there are updates that are rolled out weekly and even daily.

When we talk about DevOps, we mean a software development methodology that allows you to streamline your delivery cycle. Therefore, it seeks to integrate two usually separate work areas: Development and IT Operations.

But in a DevOps approach you don’t just work with these workgroups. Possible input from everyone involved in the design, creation, and use of the application is also considered. However, the relevance of connecting the DevOps and QA teams needs to be emphasized. The speed at which bugs are found and fixed has a profound influence on the creation of a product.

QA must verify that all development delivers acceptable results and, if not, find problems. Thanks to DevOps, the QA team can perform their tests in shorter times and at any stage of production.

QA considerations when using DevOps

The DevOps area can bring great benefits to the work done by QA. However, the QA / team has different roles to fulfill, even if the Devops methodology is chosen. The Test Lodge Blog refers to the following responsibilities related to QA:

• The objective of the QA area is to identify errors in the early stages of the software development process. In addition, you must ensure that such errors do not occur in other stages of production.
• Following the previous point, QA should not be limited to only controlling potential errors. It is also your duty to point out problems that arise in the processes and when necessary, recommend changes.
• QA has to verify that the test environments are standardized and that their executions are automated.

However, you also have to consider a responsibility towards the QA area:

• The role and authority of the QA team in the development and operations stages. One of your goals is to find a way to improve the product at any time. Your comments are important. By doing so, there is a quality check at all stages of production of the application.

Techniques for running tests with DevOps

To achieve the goals of using DevOps and QA, you need to automate your testing processes. Likewise, they must be scheduled to run automatically when there is an optimal quality control framework.

To do this, there must be an automated testing framework in which new scenarios to be tested can be implemented. Some of the tips that Software Testing Help provides for the design of this framework are:

• The testing methods have to be determined.
•  It is not recommended to carry out all regression test cases.
• Test environments must be standardized and their implementation must be automated.
• The tests must be adjusted. They cannot cover everything.
• Group test cases according to particular characteristics or objectives.
• Clear criteria must be defined to recognize which results are optimal and which are insufficient after each test.
• The application code must be robust enough to implement tests on it. Until then, QA will create the test scripts and run them automatically on provisioned builds.
• Running tests simultaneously reduces development and testing times, one of the goals of DevOps. QA, using automation strategies, might be able to carry out automated tests in different cross-platform scenarios. In turn, in web applications, you should also be able to do cross-browser testing.
• It must be verified that the solution to a critical error identified by some test did not affect the rest of the Code. Therefore, the new Code must be run on the entire chain of tests performed prior to the old Code.

The DevOps and QA areas should jointly identify the scenarios possibly affected by changes to Programmatic Codes. These modifications can be in the structuring of the base design or an update of the Software. After this recognition, the tests associated with these scenarios must be performed, followed by a sanity test.

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