Shift-Left Testing

Today’s software development world, producing high-quality products is not just a goal, but a key to staying competitive. With customer expectations rising and the market changing quickly, development processes need to keep up with this speed. This is where Shift-Left Testing comes in. Unlike traditional methods, Shift-Left Testing moves testing activities to the start of the development process, allowing bugs to be detected earlier and reducing costs.

Let’s understand what is Shift left testing and why it’s important in the Software Development Lifecycle.

How many times have you known situations of software projects, that had a budget overrun or missed deadlines? If you are wondering if it’s not normal, don’t worry. It is. What is funny is that the deep-rooted of all the problems above is not poor planning but it’s all about when software testing is done and how often it is done.

The idea of Shift-Left testing — a method that seeks to ensure software quality by integrating testing activities early in the software development lifecycle (SDLC) — arises. This way, we can catch and fix issues faster while maintaining high-quality code and smooth product delivery, the ultimate goal of software quality assurance.

Shift Left means moving testing earlier in the software development process. Instead of waiting until the end to test (like in traditional methods), testing happens right from the start, even during the planning, design, and coding phases.

The Relationship with Agile

Shifting Left testing approach is perfectly aligned with agile approaches in which every cycle involves individuals, interaction, feedback and rapid deployment. This is contrary to the traditional software development life cycle approach in which code review is done only when the end product is ready.

Some organizations take Shift Left even further by integrating testing into the coding phase itself, employing practices like Test-Driven Development (TDD) and utilizing static analysis tools to identify potential issues early on.

Benefits of Shift Left Testing

Early Bug Detection: Giving teams the chance to detect bugs and tackle them before they grow to a critical size and fixing is too costly and time-consuming. This helps to avoid fixes and saves time and money during the development process.

Cost Reduction: As mentioned earlier, finding out and fixing the defects in the early stage prevents rework and saves money that will be later used for the rest of the work (time and costs).

Higher Quality Code: Fewer reworkings of the previous code designs and the disappearance of last-minute fixes and patches would ultimately improve the end product quality, hence higher customer satisfaction. Also, the code will become more maintenance-friendly. Check my previous article on why clean code is important.

Improved Time Management: By simplifying the testing, teams can follow the scheduled timelines more strictly, and this procedure helps to avoid late implementation.

Implementing Shift Left Testing

Switching to Shift Left testing requires the developers’ focused efforts. Here’s how to begin: Agree on Coding Standards: Implement uniform guidelines for coding so that consistent practice is ensured and the chance of making mistakes is minimized.

Integrate Testing Early: Implement testing within the early stages of the project, either as part of the agile methodologies or by writing unit tests for every feature.

Test Automation: Use test tool automation to facilitate regular testing and give fast reactions about code stability.