10 Tips For A Good Continuous Testing Environment

A right and rich test environment will always ensure the success of the software but any flaws in this process can lead to a failed test.

Hence, it is necessary to maintain a good continuous testing environment to ensure that the apps are being tested in the best possible way.
What is Test Environment?
Test Environment is generally a platform where all the applications undergo tests and procedure to ensure the detection and removal of bugs and error.
It is a setup of both the software and hardware for the teams to test the software applications. A test environment is built on some key principles which ensure the success of the software application.
Test environment consists of activities which make application testing feasible. It is the place where all the action takes place such as experiments, fixing, retesting, identification or regression.
10 tips for the good continuous testing environment
Quality Assurance department ensures that the testing process of application is done properly. But, would that be enough? If you are using a good testing environment process,
It will eventually eliminate the chances of an application failure in the future. Here are 10 tips which will help you in the sustainable testing environment.

In this video, Margaret Lee, SVP Product Management for CA Continuous Delivery, explains the motivations and challenges to gaining a competitive edge in the application economy and why Continuous Testing serves such and important role
1. A Good Knowledge of Testing Environment
If you want to have a good testing environment, you should have a good knowledge of this process. knowing all the process and deep knowledge of the testing environment will always help you to step up your processes and methods.
How can you start with different methods? Or how can you use your knowledge to make testing processes better? Have detailed knowledge of how test environment works or what is the process that undergoes in the testing of software applications?

Also Read : Software Testing: Meeting The Customer Expectation

These are a few questions that if asked, can facilitate in optimizing the testing environment. Few topics that you can unravel while learning about the testing environment:

• How is testing environment processed?
• What are the major setups which need to be involved in the testing environment
• How can you improve the methods of testing?
• What are the major aspects that need to be cover while testing applications?

2. Usage of Production Environment
This might sound awkward but it is the tip to start your testing. Your production environment can also be used as testing environment too. There is no need for you to replicate your production environment if you want to use your own. But before you start using your production environment, you need to make sure to:

• Backup all the data of the real production environment so that you can revert it to original process once testing is completed.
• Disable the 3^rd party applications while testing using your production environment.
• Use made up user accounts while testing the user entities.

3. Build Your Own Real Environment for the Test Application
If you do not want to use or you don’t have a real production environment, you can either create one.
You need to build your own real environment from scratch to build applications. Possibly, you are in the early stage of developing software that does not have production environment yet or maybe you don’t have access to real production environment due to security issues.
In such scenarios, you need to make sure to:

• Take into consideration, every aspect of real-time environment production such as different types of accounts and deployments which you want to test. For instance, small, medium, large etc.
• Add 3^rd party applications into your testing environment.
• Use automated scripts to represent the real environment.

4. Establish Methods to Quickly Set up your Test Environment
While testing applications, you should be able to reuse your test environment as quickly as possible.
Hence, you need to make some procedures to easily and quickly access your test environment. You can re-create your load test environment by taking snapshots or images which can be used later. Also, you can reconfigure with the help of IT automation tools which give you access to quickly set up your environment. Automated tools such as Puppet, Chef, Saltstack or Docker can be used for this purpose.
5. Simplify Tools, Process or Methods to Test Applications
If you want to stimulate your test quicker with higher accuracy, you need to simplify your process and try finding out different methods to test applications.

Whether you want to achieve higher accuracy or you want to make your test process quickly, you need to alter your methods of operating test environment.
Try finding another way through which you can target two or more activities at the same time with higher accuracy.
6. Build a Committed and High Performing QA team
You need to build a dedicated high performing QA team who will ensure every activity during the test process is implemented and is made better. You need to make sure that every stakeholder involved in the team is a fully committed and high performing person.
Try picking skilled and experienced QA testers in your team. Also, you can introduce incentives which will promote their efficiency and performance. It will also help you to manage the test environment as you will be assigning complete ownership of the test to a dedicated team.
7. Operationalize and Automate Repeatable Tasks
Most of the companies use a manual testing process which can consume a lot of time and is generally inefficient. Hence, it is important that you operationalize and automate repeatable tasks to minimize your efforts and time consumption.
Many companies are focusing on automating their processes. Automating tasks will eventually increase the efficiency of work and with more accuracy. Automation can also be used for tasks, such as test data creation or test lab management tasks.
8. Early Detection Via Early Involvement
Early involvement of the QA team in the development cycle of the software can be useful to early detect any defects in the software application.

Also Read : Difference Between Verification and Validation in Software Testing

Defects and errors caught in a time of development cycle can cost substantially less than the costs incurred due to defects and errors detected in the production cycle. It eliminates the chances of getting a serious issue while running software tests in a test environment.
9. Focus on the Customer Experience
Sometimes it can be tough to find out the defects or bugs in the application. At the same time, you need to ensure that your customer is satisfied with the application and doesn’t find any defects.
You can generate a good customer experience if you test your application in real time customer environment. Try creating scenarios and action plans where you can test your application while keeping customer’s point of view in mind.
10. Isolating the Test Environment
It is important to isolate your test environment while other users are currently active on the system.

It is important because the results of different test performance may vary from each other and sometimes it can get really difficult to implement a new method if other users are working on the same test environment.
You need to ensure that no other activity is undergoing while you are using the test environment.