Software Regression Testing: Start Here

What is Software Regression Testing?

Software regression testing makes sure that code changes do not break any existing application features. These tests catch bugs early on in new builds. Without regression testing, it is more difficult, time-intensive, and expensive to find defects. 

While regression testing is beneficial, there are also important best practices to keep in mind to manage your regression testing effectively.  

Why Automate Software Regression Testing? 

There are two ways to go about software regression testing: through manual tests or automated regression testing. Regression tests are prime candidates for automation, since automated regression tests are typically faster, more stable, and more cost-effective overall than manual tests.  

Automating regression tests also makes it simple to test cases repeatedly without a strain on existing organizational resources. Many organizations even opt to run automated regression testing suites overnight and analyze the test results the next morning, something that would be impossible with manual testing.  

Software Regression Testing Challenges & Considerations

When setting up your regression testing suite, there are certain challenges and considerations to keep in mind. Some important regression testing challenges include: 

• Regression testing scope & coverage. Teams must ensure that the regression suite covers the most important scenarios and platforms and keeps up with the latest software iteration. The regression suite must stay agile to stay up to date and provide the most value.
• Regression test execution time & cost. Without a stable regression testing suite, regression testing will both take a long time and be a financial drain on your organization.
• Regression suite analysis & visibility. Teams need to be able to easily see the results that come after running a regression testing suite, as well as parse through any available reporting both quickly and effectively. 

Teams also need to consider different regression testing types when it comes to incorporating these tests into your regression suite. As an example, mobile regression testing adds a whole new set of tests that are not needed for web regression testing. Teams need to keep these considerations in mind when building a regression testing suite. 

Tips to Reduce Regression Testing Time 

Regression testing can be a very time-consuming process. But reducing your regression testing time is crucial to keep up with release cycles and your competition.  

There are various strategies that teams can apply to reduce the time spent on regression testing and ultimately test at a higher velocity, including: 

• Building a comprehensive and organized strategy early on in testing.  
• Executing tests in parallel with proper infrastructure. 
• Analyzing failures and creating plans to avoid them in the future. 

In addition, it is important to create a culture of continuous learning. Incorporate and embrace feedback from stakeholders, colleagues, and all team members that work with automation, and adjust the testing strategy as needed to make regression testing even more efficient. 

Getting Started With Software Regression Testing With Selenium

While Perfecto supports a wide range of test automation frameworks for software regression testing, Selenium is an especially popular framework for web testing on both desktop and mobile devices. 

Using Selenium for regression testing helps developers find defects in their web apps before they impact customers. Strategically, these tests also help developers modify code and introduce new features. 

There are three ways to perform Selenium regression testing with Perfecto: code-based, low-code with Perfecto’s open-source Quantum framework, and scriptless. Each method of regression testing may appeal differently to different teams, but all are simple and scalable with Perfecto.