The application of normal business procedures to the development of software applications is known as the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). Software testing and Shift Left testing is a crucial part of the SDLC since it controls the quality of the application being produced. Testing needs to ensure that all dimensions of the application are according to client specifications and that no logic oversights enter the production environment. Traditionally, software testing would occur shortly before the final delivery into production. This means that if defects were discovered, the release would be postponed until those issues were resolved. Testing became a bottleneck, impeding projects’ ability to be delivered on time.

Defining Shift Left Testing

The Shift Left principle is to execute a process, that is normally performed at a later level of the process, at an earlier stage. Shift left testing is an example of this. This implies that the big issues that would have been discovered late in the game could result in major rework and lengthy delays. This is delayed rework addressed by shift-left testing, which involves testing teams early in the process. Design and code flaws can be fixed before they become serious problems. Shifting to the left is more about preventing problems than it is about detecting them.

Instead of having a phase of the SDLC exclusively dedicated to testing, shift-left testing advocates that testing needs to apply to any part of the development workflow. Through automation testing can be done after each developmental phase, with ease. 

Benefits to Shift Left testing.

Adopting the shift-left testing strategy holds various distinct benefits for software development. Here are three of the most impactful benefits: 

Testing Automatability

Shifting to the left improves your ability to automate testing. Test automation can greatly increase the overall test coverage, considerably reducing human errors during a test cycle. Test automation allows testing to be applied to as many iterations as necessary to resolve application defects. Increasing delivery speed and allowing applications to go to production sooner with fewer production issues.

Application Delivery Speed Increase

Earlier testing translates into faster development. When developers can detect application defects earlier in the SDLC, they can also fix them much earlier. The impact can be seen in a shorter period between releases and the overall quality of the application increases after each release.

Value-Driven User Satisfaction

The overall value of applications can be determined by multiple heterogeneous factors including customer satisfaction. If nothing else, the grins on your business colleagues’ faces should be enough to persuade you that this is a smart decision. Shift left testing allows production environments to receive reliable, efficient, high-quality software. Driving value for the client through satisfied patrons and business users. 

Steps to implement Shift Left Testing.

Engaging Testers in Early Planning

Project stakeholders need to include testing teams as part of the initial planning and project analysis. When testers understand the components of an application during this phase any future ambiguity can be resolved, and confusion eliminated. This will allow for the testing demands to be met after each development cycle, where the next cycle cannot start if testing was not successful at end of the previous cycle. 

Develop a Strong Application Testing Strategy

The testing team must create a strong test strategy to catch most errors early on and avoid serious issues during the actual testing phase.

Design a Unified Test Approach

A unified test approach aids QA teams in analyzing environment dependencies, automation, test results, and other factors, as well as overall readiness. 

Risk-based Analysis

Once the test plan is complete, the testers must prioritize the test cases and discuss the possibility of failure and the impact of failure with the developers, as well as the project manager.

Introduce Test Automation

Because the shift-left testing procedure involves continuous testing, it can be difficult for both developers and testers to repeat tests in each cycle. As a result, both teams should embrace test automation solutions that can aid in the execution of tests and improve code coverage and product quality.

Shift left testing enables development and testing teams to collaborate throughout the entire SDLC, improving the overall quality of the product with each phase.