Shift Left Testing
Shift left testing is a software testing strategy that involves moving testing activities to earlier stages in the development process. The goal of shift left testing is to identify and fix defects as early as possible, thereby reducing the overall cost and time required to test the software.
Traditionally, testing activities are often left until the end of the development process, after all the code has been written and the software is ready to be released. However, this approach can be inefficient and costly, as defects discovered late in the process are often more expensive to fix. Shift left testing aims to shift testing activities to the left of the development process so that defects can be identified and resolved earlier.
Shift left testing can be achieved in several ways, including:
- Automated testing: Automated testing tools can quickly and consistently run tests on the software as it is being developed, allowing defects to be identified and fixed early on.
- Continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD): CI/CD pipelines can automatically build, test, and deploy software, allowing defects to be identified and fixed quickly.
- Collaboration: Developers and testers can work closely together to identify and fix defects as they are introduced into the codebase.
Overall, shift left testing is a proactive approach to software testing that aims to identify and fix defects as early as possible in the development process, thereby improving the overall quality of the software and reducing the cost and time required to test it.