How can you ensure reliable and consistent CI testing across different builds and versions?

In my experience defining clear goals & criteria needs to be part of test plan document, make sure that below points are considered for CI testing: - Mention Testing environment, device, OS details - Prepare a BVT(BuildVerificationTest) suite to execute after every build - If the BVT suite is pass then only trigger Regressions suite as it will help to manage the executions efficiently. -If you have a large number of test cases in the BVT suite, ensure that you execute them in parallel. This is important because after every build deployment, the test execution results should be generated as soon as possible. This allows the development team to promptly address any blocker issues. Keep Learning

Excellent points. As software development is happening so rapidly and multiple tech stacks, multiple devices, environments on which they run makes things complex. Especially, CI and delivering quality products. To improve the efficiency, we must adapt to leverage automation testing as much as possible that will significantly reduce the mundane and repeatitive cycles of manual testing. The testers can focus on business and functional testing aspects and leave the scripts and automation process to handle the rest. It's a continuous improvement process to deliver quality products to the end customers.

Build out a Sanity test suite covering the major functionalities (functional tests and API tests) and get it automated using any automation solution available which can be easily integrated with the CI pipeline and configure the test to run when a new build is pushed in the CI pipeline.

The Test concept and the Test plan should be comprehensive and should give a clear picture about the testing goals within the project and it should be rightly followed by the test team

1. Use version control for code. 2. Automate testing and build processes. 3. Containerize applications with Docker. 4. Manage configurations as code. 5. Maintain consistent test data. 6. Parallelize test execution. 7. Version dependencies. 8. Monitor and document CI/CD processes.

Automate your testing processes to save time and reduce human errors. Integration with CI systems like Jenkins and using automation tools such as Selenium or Cucumber streamlines unit, integration, and regression testing. Automation ensures consistent and efficient testing across builds.

When working in scaled scrum environments, integration with CI tool like Jenkins is a great way to deliver the accurate results, give confidence and freedom of working every individual if thinks from a scrum framework perspective yet collective and collaborative way of working on a Definition of Done ✔️

This is an integral part of automation testing.. Implementing robust version control and a well-defined branching strategy greatly enhances the clarity and efficiency of the CI testing process. It promotes code cleanliness and ensures disciplined control over code changes.

It's important to have the target software or system to evolve with a clear versioning number. Ideally, a version string should have at least major.minor.bug (here just to hint an idea) where major part is to track major changes (needs definition), minor changes (needs definition), and bug fix (just a suggestion here). This way, it helps code reviewers to check whether the version file needs to be modified accordingly at a code commit. This new version can impact whether test commands must be changed accordingly or not, or to have additional test behavioral changes to be commited to ensure reliability of the test in the pipeline downstream.

Other proposals are package based testing, where not only version control and branching schemes can help but having tests delivered and integrated into CI in a package way would definitely help to support different product variants and easier maintenance. Common 📦 schemes are debian and Conan

Automation is a cornerstone of reliable CI testing. It not only enhances efficiency but also provides a level of consistency that manual testing can't match. By automating repetitive test cases and integrating them seamlessly into your CI pipeline, you ensure that every build and version undergoes the same rigorous testing process. Additionally, automation allows you to catch issues early in the development cycle, enabling faster feedback and quicker bug resolution. This not only boosts the overall reliability of your software but also contributes to a more agile and efficient development process.

One thing that I found helpful is by building solid testing strategy that covers all steps in your pipeline. That way you can easily pinpoint what part of pipeline needs improvement

Implement automated tests, including unit, integration, and end-to-end tests. These tests should cover critical functionality and edge cases. Use testing frameworks like JUnit, Selenium, or Jest, depending on your tech stack. Set up a CI/CD pipeline using tools like Jenkins, Travis CI, or GitLab CI. Automate the build, test, and deployment process for every code change. Use containers (e.g., Docker) to isolate each build environment. This ensures that each build runs in an identical and reproducible environment, reducing inconsistencies.

Maximize automation in your testing process, strategically curating your test suite rather than filling your repository with an abundance of test cases. Before crafting them, discern which should seamlessly integrate into the CI pipeline. For E2E tests, tailor them to fit specific journeys, preventing unnecessary repetition within your suite. Maintain clarity and a sharp focus on the objective for each test case, ensuring a streamlined and effective testing approach.

Adopt a TDD approach by writing test cases before code. TDD enhances code quality, design, and alignment with testing objectives. Embrace best practices like writing small, simple test cases, regular code refactoring, and frequent test execution to maintain reliability.

One challenge of the Test-Driven Development approach is balancing the need for immediate code coverage with the risk of writing tests that may become overly complex or unnecessary as the code evolves. To overcome this challenge consider these strategies: Refactoring: Regularly review and refactor your tests and code to keep them simple and maintainable. Test Review: Conduct peer reviews of test cases. Test Prioritization: Prioritize writing tests for critical or high-impact areas of the code. This ensures that essential functionality is thoroughly tested, while less critical parts may have fewer tests. Test Design Guidelines: Establish clear test design guidelines and best practices to maintain consistency and simplicity in tests.

The best way to embrace TDD approach is to let the test engineer start writing test cases from the user story card after the conversation with the product manager and then get the confirmation before a developer starts development.

Think Big, Act Small Begin with a small, well-defined piece of functionality. Don’t try to write a comprehensive test for a large feature right away. Write tests for the behavior or feature you’re implementing, not more. Over-testing can make your code brittle and hard to maintain.

TDD and BDD approaches depend on the project and situation, each with its own pros and cons. In TDD, there's a tendency to overlook code maintainability and reusability. Embrace Test-Driven Development (TDD) in software development, where tests are created before the code. TDD fosters a cycle of envisioning, crafting tests, coding, and refining, ensuring a robust, well-tested codebase that aligns with desired functionality from the outset.

Initial ways to get started with CI testing is - 1. Identify APIs which would cover core functionalities 2. Build a test script with Jmeter having functional test cases of these APIs 3. Parameterize & correlate test data, many times unique test data is required to test the functionality, example - OTP based login 4. Use version control tools like github or bitbucket and with help of jenkins create a CICD pipeline 5. Whenever there is a new version available in main branch of version control tool, your jmx file should get executed 6. Test result can also be prepared using maven library which will let us know pass/fail percentage

Implement code reviews and feedback loops as essential steps for reliable CI testing. Code reviews involve evaluation by peers, while feedback loops collect and act on input from reviews, testing, and users. Use review tools, establish clear feedback guidelines, and promote collaboration for continuous improvement.

Code reviews and feedback loops are pivotal in the software development process, offering several significant benefits: - Error Detection and Prevention - Improved Code Quality - Knowledge Sharing and Learning - Consistency and Standardization - Collaboration and Team Building There are many more benefits to this. Incorporating regular code reviews and effective feedback loops into the CI testing process is a fundamental practice that ultimately leads to increased reliability.

Ensure you are taking the time to put work in up front to save time down the line. If you let your CI pipelines become flaky or unreliable it will start a cascade of harder to fix problems. Such as distrust from developers and the rest of the team. Therefore respect others and your own time by trying to notice issues with your CI process early and taking time to fix these. Also notice how long your CI process is taking. In my opinion if it is long enough that a developer has to context switch to another task it is too long. Always be thinking how to optimise and reduce this time whilst maintaining quality.

The final crucial step in ensuring reliable and consistent CI testing is to actively monitor and optimize your testing process. Monitoring involves tracking key performance indicators like test coverage, execution time, failure rates, and test quality. Optimization entails continuous improvement efforts, such as expanding test coverage, resolving more bugs, and reducing errors. By monitoring and optimizing your CI testing, you can achieve your testing objectives, deliver high-quality software more efficiently, and at a faster pace.

CI testing isn't just about the code; it's also about the culture. Building a culture of collaboration, where developers, testers, and other stakeholders work closely together, can greatly enhance the effectiveness of your CI testing process. Encourage open communication, knowledge sharing, and a shared commitment to quality. When everyone is on the same page and values the importance of CI testing, you'll find that achieving reliability and consistency becomes not just a process but a shared goal.

Think about your CI test integration architecture end-to-end, for example: should these tests run at every development build/Nightly? Moreover, the architecture relies heavily on the need. You should research the different tools for what you wish to do, and see if it covers your needs, for example: do you want to have a pretty report at the end of the CI test run? Do you want this report only attached to the build as an attachment, or do you want it to show visually when looking at the build info? Researching and choosing the right tools for the job can save you many headaches later on.