The Art of Software Testing, 3rd Edition

Chapter 9

Testing in the Agile Environment

Increased competition and interconnectedness in all markets have forced businesses to shorten their time-to-market while continuing to provide high-quality products to their customers. This is particularly true in the software development industry where the Internet makes possible near-instant delivery of software applications and services. Whether creating a product for the masses or for the human resources department, one fact remains immutable: The twenty-first century customer demands a quality application delivered almost immediately. Unfortunately, traditional software development processes cannot keep up in this competitive environment.

In the early 2000s, a group of developers met to discuss the state of lightweight and rapid development methodologies. At the gathering they compared notes to identify what successful software projects look like; what made some projects succeed while others limped along. In the end, they created the “Manifesto for Agile Software Development,” a document that became the cornerstone of the Agile movement. Less a discrete methodology, the Agile Manifesto (Figure 9.1) is a unique philosophy that focuses on customers and employees, in lieu of rigid approaches and hierarchies.

Figure 9.1 Manifesto of Agile Software Development.

We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it. Through this work we have come to value:

Individuals and interactions over processes ...