Embracing the Shift-Left Approach: Revolutionizing Quality Assurance in Software Development

Welcome!

Today, our focus will be on the Shift-Left practice and the reasons behind its necessity.

In the constantly evolving landscape of software development, the traditional approach to Quality Assurance (QA) has undergone a significant transformation. This metamorphosis has been spurred by the advent of the "Shift-Left" approach, a paradigm shift that has redefined the QA landscape by advocating for early and continuous involvement of QA processes throughout the software development lifecycle.

Here, you can observe the expenses incurred by dependency bugs based on the phase in which we detect them. As evident, the sooner a bug is identified, the lower the cost incurred. Rectifying an issue in documentation before the commencement of development proves more economical than dealing with complications during the post-release phase.

But what Shift-left exactly?

The essence of Shift-Left lies in its fundamental departure from the conventional linear progression of development followed by testing. Instead, it espouses the integration of QA practices right from the initial phases, embedding testing into every stage of development. This proactive strategy aims to detect and rectify defects as they emerge, drastically reducing the likelihood of issues compounding and becoming entrenched in the software's later stages.

The early involvement of QA practices offers manifold benefits to organizations. Foremost among these is the acceleration of time-to-market. By identifying and rectifying issues early in the development cycle, the approach mitigates the accumulation of defects, reducing the need for extensive rework during later phases. Furthermore, Shift-Left promotes a culture of continuous improvement, enabling iterative enhancements and a more adaptable development process that aligns closely with evolving user needs.

Shift-Left on practice

This is a development process that was implemented by me.

Product specification Phase:

• Sometimes, QA involvement starts after this phase. With Shift-Left, QA joins discussions to understand requirements early on. Collaboration with the feature owner gives QA understanding of the feature and QA can start writing test documentation.

  
  

Technical specification Phase:

• QA collaborates with designers/developers/system architects to review the design, communication between services (in other words, API contracts).

Coding Phase:

• QA and developers need to establish happy path scenarios. Only once developers have successfully navigated these scenarios should QA undertake the task.

• Developers and QA work closely to establish automated testing frameworks alongside code development.

• All regression autotests should be successfully passed before passing a task to QA.

  
  

Early Testing:

• QA starts executing tests on developed features in parallel with ongoing development.

• Continuous feedback and bug reporting to developers allow for immediate fixes.

  
  

Testing phase:

• Test plans should be written for every feature. This document should contain all answers - what is the current feature status:

  • What is the test coverage (unit / integration / e2e)
  • How many open bugs? (prioritized and grouped by criticality)
  • What do we need to do in case of rolling back?
  • Non-functional testing (what is the expected load on the server and will we be able to quickly recover if the service goes down?)
  • Do we have all the needed technical metrics and alerts?

• Documentation should be actual after finishing with developing and testing.

• All features should be reviewed by the feature owner before deploying on production.

  
  

Deploy Phase:

• Verify functionality on production
• Monitoring for anomalies with developers (for example using Grafana and other instruments)

Challenges and conclusion

However, the successful implementation of Shift-Left is not without its challenges. Embracing this approach necessitates a cultural shift within organizations, demanding investment in tools, training, and a reorientation of mindset (not all developers like writing autotests 😀 ). Additionally, the early detection of issues requires a robust test automation framework and a proactive testing strategy, striking a balance between automated and manual testing to achieve optimal results.

Amidst these challenges, the allure of Shift-Left remains compelling. Its proactive nature aligns seamlessly with the demands of modern software development, fostering a paradigm where quality is not an afterthought but an integral part of the entire development journey.

In conclusion, the Shift-Left approach represents a pivotal transformation in QA methodologies, redefining the contours of software quality. As organizations grapple with the complexities of delivering flawless software in a rapidly evolving landscape, the adoption of Shift-Left emerges not merely as an option but as a strategic imperative. Embracing this approach heralds a new era—one where the pursuit of quality converges with the pulse of innovation, driving organizations towards excellence in software development.