DevOps and QA synergy for outstanding project journeys: 10 tips to bear in mind
Considering the fast evolution speed of modern technological ecosystems, DevOps is turning into an irreplaceable part of an effective, value-driven development process. This methodology helps streamline processes, meet growing customer needs, improve team interaction, save costs, and enhance a company’s competitive capabilities.
It’s no wonder that the popularity of this approach is growing by leaps and bounds. Experts state that worldwide DevOps market size which was $9.47 billion in 2023 will reach $19.46 billion in just six years.
QA and software testing activities should play a specific role within DevOps as they contribute to increasing confidence in the developed complex software due to early identifying issues that could spoil correct software operation. But how to successfully integrate QA into DevOps? How to establish effective collaboration between teams? In this article, I’ll provide answers to these questions.
Forming a view of a DevOps model
DevOps values free and open interaction between all project members, the implementation of test automation, CI/CD as well as ongoing monitoring to increase development velocity and roll out more robust IT products. Within this methodology, teams often merge, and specialists possess cross-functional skills to be able to perform diverse tasks (e.g., developers can be involved throughout the entire life cycle).
As for the benefits of this development style, I’d highlight accelerated development speed due to continuous delivery, boosted deployment because of frequent releases, failsafe software operation due to ongoing quality control, and good opportunities for scaling as automation simplifies managing systems.
QA and DevOps: what’s the deal?
Despite the growing adherence to the DevOps methodology, some people may misperceive its essence and place of QA within it. Most common misconceptions are that DevOps:
I think this is largely inaccurate. Companies should never underestimate the value of software testing specialists in the development process. Let me explain why:
Therefore, when QA supplements DevOps and is set up in the right way, all project stakeholders can be certain that they will release top-tier software or can easily integrate it into their existing IT ecosystem.
How to seamlessly blend QA into DevOps?
DevOps and QA synergy is essential for ensuring outstanding quality and reliability of software products while maintaining efficient development processes. To successfully integrate QA into DevOps and pave the way for productive collaboration between QA teams and other project specialists, I suggest the following steps.
The earlier issues in software behavior are identified, the easier, faster, and cheaper it is for DevOps teams to fix them. Therefore, the shift-left testing approach is a great option as it allows QA activities to start at the earliest project stages (e.g., during planning and work with requirements), thus minimizing the costs associated with bug fixes and boosting quality, which leads to a more stable and reliable final product. So, when introducing shift-left testing in DevOps, companies can foster a culture of quality, collaboration, and efficiency throughout the software development lifecycle.
2. Decrease on manual testing efforts
Automated testing is a perfect match for DevOps-driven projects. It can significantly economize efforts, establish consistent software releases, and reduce human factor problems. Also, it can be seamlessly integrated with CI/CD pipelines, enabling the automated validation of each code change.
The earlier test automation is introduced, the better. The scope may encompass a diverse range of tests, including time- and effort-consuming regression testing. To increase QA efficiency, companies may leverage AI-driven test automation frameworks that accurately define the reasons of test failures and shorten time on decision-making.
3. Standardize processes and tools
When the project is large and multiple teams are involved, there’s always a possibility that each team sticks to its own tools or procedures, which can lead to the lack of coordination, waste of time, and falling efficiency. That’s why it’s recommended to select a unified set of tools and processes that will be used by all project members.
This provides many benefits. First, consistency in everything reduces confusion and misunderstandings thereby streamlining collaboration. Second, teams can mitigate risks associated with mistakes or project delays by ensuring that critical steps are consistently followed and that problems are identified and addressed sooner. Third, it’s easier to share resources and collaborate on tasks. In addition, unified processes and tools are easier to scale as the project grows or as new team members join.
4. Execute tests concurrently
When QA engineers run tests simultaneously, they can ensure a swifter and more streamlined project course. How? This way of running checks expedites testing cycles, thus providing faster feedback for software engineers resulting in streamlined deployments. In addition, it helps broaden test coverage within a shorter time frame. And of course, all these advantages lead to declining costs due to the absence of long testing phases, delayed releases, or post-deployment defect fixing.
5. Do not forget to keep track of progress
When infusing QA into DevOps, it’s important to rely on diverse metrics as they provide feedback on IT products’ operation across the entire DevOps pipeline, reduce risks, ensure alignment with business needs, and give a detailed view of the success of QA adoption on the project. For that, companies can utilize an extensive set of metrics, such as defect density, test coverage, mean time to detect and resolve, and others.
6. Emphasize open interaction
It’s crucial to maintain open channels of interaction between project teammates. Daily stand-ups and regular meetings can help ensure that everyone is aligned and informed about project progress, issues, and changes. It's also important to utilize special tools that facilitate communication, documentation, and knowledge sharing. This could include issue tracking systems, version control repositories, wikis, and diverse chat platforms.
7. Foster aspiration of constant improvement
Cultivating adherence to continuous learning takes time and effort. However, I think it's a good idea to start by sharing best practices, lessons learned, and insights gained from testing and deployment experiences. Regular meetings to review progress and identify things that can be enhanced serve as a great chance to course-correct and adjust strategies as needed.
8. Be specific on your QA objectives from the get-go
During the project course, it’s essential to define, always keep in mind, and stick to set QA purposes as well as make sure it aligns with the client's and business’ needs. In addition, this vision must be clearly conveyed to the entire QA team to make sure everyone keeps abreast of it at any given moment.
9. Bring your teams to a new level
It's a good idea to switch to another way of composing teams, when software and QA engineers constitute a single entity that is aimed at reaching the same goals. In addition, they can interact with each other more by tearing down any roadblocks.
10. Cultivate a culture of shared responsibility for quality
Yes, culture does matter. When everyone in the team, including software developers, clearly understands why they need to prioritize quality, they begin to perform their duties more effectively, they are more motivated to follow set project standards, thus rolling out reliable IT products that can improve end-user satisfaction.
Conclusion
Henry Ford once said: "If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself." I believe it’s true. It’s always important to remember that within a DevOps project, all members follow the same goal - releasing failsafe software within set time and budget.
QA’s role in a DevOps project is essential as it allows enterprises, mid-sized business, and start-ups to release failsafe IT products, ensure boosted customer experience, and reach desired business goals.
To make sure QA is smoothly introduced into DevOps projects, it’s important to shift testing left, rely on test automation, standardize processes and tools, run tests simultaneously, track progress, think about enhancing communication and ensuring continuous improvement.