As the name suggests, End-to-end testing literally means a software testing methodology where the software is tested right from the start to the end of the software development lifecycle to ensure that the product is up to the mark, it is usually referred to as the ‘extreme limit’ of software testing.
In this methodology, the software is tested through the perspective of a real user, where daily life scenarios are implemented, and then validating the integrity of the system.
Benefits of using end-to-end testing are:
- Test coverage areas are expanded
- Time-to-market is reduced
- System flow can be verified
- Helps in identifying system issues
- Overall cost of software testing is significantly reduced
The methodology consists of five main components:
- Agility Test Planning
In the first stage, the relevant stakeholders assemble to plan out the appropriate process of testing, the number of tests to be conducted and the deliverables of the project.
- Daily Scrums
The next step would be the daily morning meetings needed to monitor progress and set objectives for the day.
- Agility Review Meeting
Daily scrums will be followed by weekly meetings where the week’s progress will be reviewed meticulously and new milestones will be set according to results.
- Release Readiness
The quality of the product will be tested in this stage and the team will determine if it is ready for launch or not.
- Impact Assessment
In the final stage, the relevant data and information will be gathered from the team as well as the users as feedback and key learnings will then be implemented in the next deployment stage.
IGT recommends the best time to implement end-to-end testing is when the product is gearing up for launch as it replicates live settings and gives a closest sense of how the product will perform in the real world.