Shift-Left Testing: How to Get Started

Shift left testing is a software test approach that emphasizes early and continual testing throughout the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC). Shift-left testing aims to detect defects as soon as possible. Here are a few steps to getting started with Shift-left Testing:

Be familiar with the shift-left testing concept: Understand its benefits and understand its principles before engaging in shift-left testing in the SDLC. This means integrating testing into the development process and starting early.

Engage stakeholders. Engagement of stakeholders involves gathering inputs from developers, testers, and business analysts to establish a clear understanding of requirements, expected outcomes, and quality goals for the product or service. Cross-functional cooperation should be encouraged as well to ensure all viewpoints can be represented.

Test Early. Engage in SDLC activities as soon as possible. Participate in the requirements gathering and analysis process to detect any defects or ambiguities. Review user stories, requirements documents, and other artifacts to ensure their clarity and feasibility.

Adopt Test-Driven Development Practices. Adopt test-driven techniques where developers first write tests before writing any code. This ensures tests are considered in the early stages of software development and helps drive software design and implementation.

Implement Continuous Integration Testing. Create an automated testing pipeline to detect defects quickly while providing timely feedback for the development team. Automate integration tests, unit tests, and other types of testing as part of this initiative.

Use test automation tools. Test automation can be a great tool to help you with your shift-left testing by automating repetitive tasks, decreasing manual work, and increasing testing efficiency. Selenium JUnit TestNG Cucumber and JUnit are some examples of tools that can be used.

Encourage exploratory tests. Encourage exploratory tests alongside scripted testing. Exploratory tests combine learning, design, and execution. This can reveal defects missed by scripted testing and is especially beneficial in agile environments with changing requirements.

Prioritize defect prevention. Shift-left testing aims to identify early and prevent defects. Promoting proactive practices such as code review, pair programming, and static code analysis can reduce the risk of defects and improve software quality.

Continuous Improvement and Adjustment. Shift-left testing is an iterative process. You should regularly evaluate and refine the testing strategies you use based on feedback.

Monitor and Measure. Establish metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs), such as defect detection rates, defect escaping rates, test coverage rate, etc., to accurately gauge shift-left success. Analyze these data to identify improvement areas and make informed choices based on the numbers.

Remember that shift-left testing requires a cultural and mental shift in both development and test teams. It also requires collaboration, learning, and commitment to the quality of an organization. By adopting this method, defects can be detected early, rework time is reduced, and better software can be produced.

I recommend visiting OWASP and Zimperium’s Mobile Security Glossary to learn more about mobile security.