Common Challenges with Regression Testing

When a new feature is added to a software application, the modified code can sometimes cause errors and affect functionality in other parts of the software. Additional testing is then required to make sure that new code changes don’t have negative side effects.

Regression testing is the software testing that confirms whether a program or code change hasn’t adversely impacted existing features and functionality. Simply, it’s a selection of test cases that are re-executed to make sure everything still works.

Evaluating the functionality of new code is an essential box to check in the software development lifecycle (SDLC). There is always the chance that updating the code will create bugs or interrupt coding features that are already established.

Even small changes to code can have a domino effect across an application, so regression testing is another great way to ensure bugs are identified and fixed early on in the development cycle. To put it in perspective, opting out of this testing could jeopardize the success of the product and the satisfaction of the customer.

While regression testing is an important part of the SDLC, it’s not always perceived as the most critical testing to perform.

Here are a few common challenges with regression testing:

It Requires More Resources. There’s no doubt that regression tests should be run after every development iteration, but justifying the time required to recreate and run the tests makes it that much harder to make the case for this testing. Having crowdtesters or external teams execute these test cases can help take the burden off the internal team.

It is Inevitably Complex. Over the course of a development project, regression tests tend to become big and complicated. There could be potentially thousands of test cases, functions, and processes to check—making it unrealistic to expect QA engineers to perform these tests manually without taking up considerable resources. Many companies will opt to automate regression testing for this very reason.

It Requires Buy-in From the Development Team. Regression tests necessitate running tests that have previously passed, which can be difficult for development teams and quality assurance (QA) engineers to embrace. Often, management and stakeholders would rather invest the time and money in developing new features that they think will bring in new revenue, as opposed to testing the same features that have already been built and tested once before.

Test automation is a great solution for several functions. But, when coupled with manual testing, it becomes even more powerful as humans can pick up on subtle test nuances. Crowdtesters might find hidden defects or be able to suggest specific areas for improvement, which can save coding time during future development. To learn more about using crowdtesters for regression testing, sign up for a free demo.