Agile and DevOps are changing the way we deal with quality and testing, right down to the foundations. Anyone who builds software today is on a journey where quality is no longer a “check at the end” but part of every step from the very start. Agile and DevOps have repaved the roads of development and put testing right in the middle. That is what agile software testing means: testing isn’t a phase at the end, it goes along with every sprint from day one.
Quality as the Common Denominator
Testing used to happen at the end of a project. The developers wrote the code, and then, if at all, a tester got it for testing. Sometimes that worked well. Often, though, bugs turned up too late, changes were expensive, and confidence in the final product was … well, let’s put it this way: there was room for improvement. Agile and DevOps turned that model upside down. Suddenly we’re expected to care about quality throughout the whole process, not just at the finish line.
And Agile has a strong argument for it: there’s simply no other way!
So what’s the best way to do it?
Agile Software Testing: A Mindset, Not a Phase
I believe we have to change how we think. In an agile environment, testing isn’t a phase, it’s a mindset. There’s no “testing stage.” Every sprint, every iteration carries testing and quality work within it. And it’s not only about finding bugs. We also have to check whether we’re still heading in the right direction. Tests are built into development early and ideally run automatically alongside it. That way we catch bugs and security holes before they ever reach the next stage.
How Agile Testing Works in DevOps Pipelines
DevOps takes this one step further. With automation in CI/CD pipelines (continuous integration, continuous delivery), tests run continuously and without interruption. The goal: code that goes live without defects.
“Agile and DevOps are a turbo boost for quality, because there’s simply no other way!”
(Richard Seidl)
In really good DevOps teams, quality is a matter of attitude. It’s no longer about fixing mistakes but about getting things right from the start. The processes are so well thought through that everyone knows exactly what to do, and every step has to be clean. Everyone on the team, from developers and testers to the ops specialists, is responsible for getting the quality right.
How to Get Started with Agile Testing
I help companies make this journey, and getting started is actually pretty simple. First, lay the groundwork, for example with ISTQB and A4Q. Then the team works out which quality activities make a difference in each phase, from the first project idea through production and maintenance, and how big that difference is. And then you start working through the backlog. It isn’t always easy, but it’s absolutely worth it!
A Revolution in Mindset
The revolution in testing is a revolution in mindset. For me, quality shouldn’t be an afterthought. It should be built into the development process. Agile and DevOps have shown us that quality isn’t a state, it’s an attitude. By tearing down the walls between development, testing and operations, we make room for a culture that puts quality first. And in the end, that makes the whole product stronger.
For me as a tester, it’s a dream come true!
