Here is the fifth video in our series designed to jump-start your understanding of the core practices and principles of Agile Software Engineering (ASE). In this installment, Lean-Agile thought leader Ken Pugh talks about the significant advantages of an ‘always-think-testing’ approach.

By thinking about testing early in the development process (‘shifting testing left’), we can avoid the exponentially higher costs of finding defects late in the timeline from requirements definition to production. Shifting testing left also lets us develop tests that represent requirements already in testable form. Detailing requirements this way can help prevent some defects.

Ken starts this video by talking about the traditional V model of testing, where we don’t think about testing until development of a feature is complete, versus shift-left testing, which results in fast and continuous feedback. To shift testing left, Ken discusses how to apply Behavior-Driven Development to help detail a feature or story, and Test-Driven Development to write a test first, then write the code to pass that test.

Ken also explains how tests and requirements are related, and why every requirement should have a test for it. Using a test pyramid, Ken illustrates the different types of tests, and the value of executing smaller, faster tests in the shift-left-testing model to optimize the value stream.

Watch the shift-left testing video here.

Check back next week for the sixth video in the series about scenarios and discovering story details.

Go here to see the previous video on testability and test doubles.

Learn about the Agile Software Engineering course here.   

Stay SAFe, 

—Harry