Shift Left Testing: What it Means and Why it Matters

The world of software testing is constantly changing to meet the demand for high-quality software delivered quickly. Traditionally, the Waterfall Model was used for testing applications, but the need for faster release cycles has led to new approaches. One effective method gaining traction is Shift Left Testing.

This guide will explain what Shift Left Testing is, why it’s important, the benefits it offers, and how to implement it successfully.

What is Shift Left Testing?

Shift Left Testing is a software development approach that involves starting testing activities early in the development process. This strategy aims to identify and fix defects sooner, improving overall software quality and reducing costs.

Think of traditional software development models for a second. Here’s what they usually look like:

Testing enters the picture at the very end or to the extreme right of the pipeline. Shift Left Testing literally pushes testing to the “left,” i.e., to earlier stages in the pipeline. The Shift Left approach intends to identify and resolve bugs as early as possible in the development process. This improves software quality and reduces time spent in resolving issues (which usually magnifies as development progress) later in the pipeline.

In practical terms, this translates to more tests being run by developers themselves before they push their individual code units to version control. There are a number of tests every developer should run to contribute to the success of Shift Left Testing and push better products.

For a holistic deep dive into shift-left testing, check out this webinar on Shift in Testing and Continuous Delivery, in which Kavitha Appakayala (Senior Manager, Quality Engineering, eBay) will break down the industry-wide shift in testing to achieve continuous delivery.

Why Adopt a Shift Left Strategy?

When testing is paused until the end of development, any bugs that do show up will usually be more difficult to fix. Their resolution needs the software to be reworked in its entirety since all the code has already been created. Consequences of such an approach would be:

• Increase in cost, since the software needs to be sent back and reworked from scratch
• Increased time to market since such reworks will take longer to complete

When it comes to fixing bugs, the earlier, the cheaper. According to the NIST, resolving defects in production can cost 30 times more and up to 60 times more in case of security defects.

Source

The Shift Left Testing approach implements a process that lets developers find bugs early and often. Bugs identified when code is being written or reviewed by devs are the easiest to fix because these code units are small and infinitely more manageable. Once merged into the main development branch, the breadth of code widens, and so does the effort required to find anomalies within it.

Types of Shift-Left Testing

Shift-left testing emphasizes early involvement in the development process. Here are the key types of shift-left testing:

1. Unit Testing

Unit tests verify the functionality of individual modules within an application. Each module is tested in isolation, with interactions with external processes simulated or mocked. Unit testing, often linked with Test Driven Development (TDD), represents the initial phase of shift-left testing.

2. Integration Testing

Integration tests check the combined functionality of services or applications, including any side effects. While important, this testing approach can sometimes become an anti-pattern, which will be discussed further.

3. API Testing and Contract Testing

API tests verify the external endpoints of a service. Their scope aligns closely with integration tests, but in a Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) or microservices context, they can be viewed as the new unit tests, focusing on interactions between services.

4. UI Testing

UI tests validate the complete functionality of an application from the user interface perspective. Tools like Selenium make it easier to automate these tests, ensuring a smooth user experience.

5. Automated Testing

Automated testing plays a significant role in both verification and validation. Technologies like Cucumber, driven by Behavior Driven Design (BDD), help automate parts of the validation process. This article will primarily focus on automated testing for verification.

Benefits of Shift Left Testing

Some benefits include:

1. Cost Savings: Early detection of defects through automated unit tests is cheaper than fixing issues that reach customer environments.
2. Increased Efficiency: Continuous testing leads to quicker issue resolution and a smoother development cycle.
3. Early Bug Detection: Finding bugs early in development minimizes costs and effort.
4. Faster Development: Testing alongside development reduces delays from last-minute fixes.
5. Developer Wellbeing: Effective automated testing and Continuous Integration (CI) give developers confidence to deploy frequently, reducing stress and making error resolution faster.
6. Resilient Architecture: Prioritizing testability leads to better software design and easier maintenance.
7. Greater Overall Quality: Enhances customer experience by reducing incidents and improving software health through continuous feedback.
8. Better Collaboration: Encourages communication between developers and testers from the start.

Limitations of Shift Left Testing

Some limitations include:

• Increased Initial Investment: Requires significant upfront costs for tools and training, which may be a barrier for some organizations.
• Quality of Automated Tests: Over-reliance on automation can lead to issues if tests are not well-designed, resulting in false positives or negatives.
• Limited Scope: Focuses on early detection but may overlook aspects like usability and accessibility, which need different testing methods.
• Resource Intensive: Continuous testing can demand significant resources, including skilled personnel and infrastructure, which may not be feasible for all teams.
• Code Audits: Code auditing is essential before implementing shift-left processes. Regular code audits during software development help ensure quality; if done poorly, they can hinder the smooth execution of code testing and ultimately impact overall software quality.
• Difficulty in Managing Test Data: Creating and maintaining relevant test data can be challenging, impacting test effectiveness.

How to Implement Shift Left Testing Approach?

• Bring developers into testing activities

When developers test their code before pushing it to the main branch, the merged code is cleaner and less error-prone. Individual code units are easier to test because they are smaller and more navigable.

• Introduce testers to coding

Agile in its best avatar (which is usually synonymous with DevOps) requires developers to test and testers to code. Obviously, neither is expected to be an expert at something that is not their primary domain. But devs should be able to run intermediate-level tests, and QAs should know enough coding to implement some quick fixes wherever possible.

Basic coding skills help testers be effective at code reviews and enable them to be valuable contributors in sprint teams. Testers need to be proficient enough to be able to read and modify simple code – such as an automated test or rework fundamental methods.

• Include testers early on

Shift Left Test in Agile works best when QAs come in from the first brainstorming session. When developers throw around ideas on how to build a website or app, QAs must be present. This helps them understand the fundamental concepts, allowing them to design better tests for the Continuous Testing stage. Additionally, having QAs in the room can give devs a clear image of what bugs would be likely to emerge and how they can be avoided.

Successful DevOps hinges on automation. QAs need to know how the code is being shaped and what is expected of the final product to create relevant test cases. They cannot be expected to comb through every line of code, looking for every semicolon out of place. Additionally, when devs run tests on their code, they might need input from QAs who can guide them on what to check for.

• Keep testability in mind while coding

Like everything in Agile processes and DevOps, collaboration is the key to success. Successful Shift Left Testing also requires a team effort. It can’t be something done only at the end of a sprint by particular individuals (designated testers). When writing code, developers should ask themselves, “How do I make it more testable?”

This might mean exposing a hook or creating a unique ID for an element. Additionally, this way of thinking makes developers aware of issues that can break functionality or cause operational issues. When software is created with its suitability for testing in mind, Shift Left Testing becomes far more effortless.

Shift Left vs Shift Right

Shift Left and Shift Right are complementary approaches in software testing that focus on different stages of the development lifecycle.

Shift Left emphasizes early integration of testing and quality assurance, allowing for early bug detection and better collaboration among developers and testers. In contrast, Shift Right involves testing software later in the process, typically in production environments, to identify issues before customers do.

Together, these strategies enhance software quality by addressing different phases of development and testing, with Shift Left providing quick feedback to help resolve problems identified during Shift Right testing.

What Changes after you Shift to The Left?

After your organization embraces shift-left testing, you can expect several significant changes that enhance the overall development and testing process:

1. Reduced Waiting Times: Testing occurs continuously throughout the development process, minimizing idle time and enhancing efficiency.
2. Increased Customer Involvement: Customers actively participate in writing test cases and specifications, ensuring the software meets their needs.
3. Adherence to the Testing Pyramid: Emphasis on unit tests leads to a structured testing approach, with more unit tests written early in the development cycle.
4. Diverse Team Involvement: Everyone in the organization contributes to testing, utilizing modern tools that empower non-coders to create robust tests.
5. Increased Test Coverage: More frequent and earlier testing results in a larger portion of the application being covered by tests.
6. Focus on Test Maintenance: With a growing number of tests, organizations prioritize effective maintenance strategies to manage fragile tests and reduce failures.

Best Practices for Shift-Left Testing in Agile

Here are some of the best practices to follow during Shift Left Testing:

1. Plan for it

Shape development in a way that is friendly to Shift Left Testing. Once requirements have been established, devs and testers should ideate how to shape coding and testing as early and incrementally as possible. Depending on product expectations as well as the limitations of the team, specific strategies might have to be crafted to accommodate the Shift Left approach. Test planning and creating test strategies early on are recommended in Shift Left Testing.

2. Use Static Code Analysis

Static code analysis is the practice of checking the code without executing it. It runs through the basic code structure and ensures that the code is aligned with a number of standards and guidelines. Generally, the static analysis looks for the following issues:

1. Programming errors
2. Violations of commonly followed coding standards
3. Syntax anomalies
4. Security issues

Static code analysis is best done via automation; otherwise, it is impossibly tedious. The software should scan all untested code in a project before it moves to QA. A static code analyzer checks code against a set of predefined standards and rules to determine if the code complies with them.

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If the analyzer does flag any issues, a human developer/tester will have to examine them to verify that they are not false positives. Then, devs can fix apparent mistakes and send the code to testers.

3. Offer continuous feedback

As far as possible, devs and testers should be offered feedback across the software lifecycle. This lets gaps be addressed immediately and offer everyone involved a better perspective on any major trends popping up during testing. It can also help them with future projects, especially ones that would be similar to the current ones.

4. Specify Quality Standards

Remember that devs are not usually trained in testing from scratch. Therefore, they cannot be expected to intuitively figure out the finer points of testing. QAs and QA managers should outline the level of quality, performance, and operational success expected from the code so that devs running tests know what bugs to look for. They need to have a clear idea of what may be non-negotiable and what issues can be forwarded to QAs (preferably with a few lines of context). Clarity on software quality standards also helps tests apply the right kind of rigour to ferret out bugs in their own code.

The Role of Real Device in Shift Left Testing

All tests, starting from developer testing, must be conducted on real devices. Software testing can only be effective when tests are being run in real user conditions. Running tests on emulators or simulators cannot provide 100% accurate results, and therefore developers won’t be able to evaluate the quality of their code adequately. Any results yielded from tests on emulators or simulators would be only partially correct, and thus development activities based on these results will not ensure high-quality software.

Whether manual testing or automated Selenium testing, real devices are non-negotiable in the testing equation. In the absence of an in-house device lab (that is regularly updated with new devices and maintains each of them at the highest levels of functionality), opt for cloud-based testing infrastructure. BrowserStack provides 3000+ real browsers and devices that can be accessed for testing from anywhere in the world at any time.

Users can sign up, select a device-browser-OS combination, and start testing for free. They can simulate real user conditions such as low network and battery, changes in geolocation (both IP and GPS-based), viewport sizes, and screen resolutions.

Try Testing on Real Devices for Free

Conclusion

By running tests on a real device cloud, Shift Left Testing can be conducted with the assurance that they are getting accurate results every time. Comprehensive and error-free testing, starting at the dev level, prevents bugs from showing up (usually magnified) at later stages, which reduces the time and effort required to handle them. It is almost always easier to fix the bugs that devs discover before pushing code. It also allows the software to hit the market faster and reduces the possibility of lost revenue and credibility due to entirely avoidable bugs.