QASymphony Releases Survey on TestFirst Methodologies for Software Testing

QASymphony has released the results of a survey of more than 200 software testers as part of QASymphony’s first “State of Test-First Methodologies” report. The survey was conducted online in February.

Among the key findings from the survey was that Test-First methodologies – though still in their infancy from a global adoption perspective – have the potential to significantly improve software release outcomes. 

According to QASymphony, Test-First methodologies – Behavior-Driven Development (BDD), Test-Driven Development (TDD) and Acceptance Test-Driven Development (ATDD) – are built around the notion that moving testing further up in the development process can improve software quality. 

Supporting this claim, 48% of respondents to the survey reported that increased software quality was the top benefit driving them to adopt a Test-First approach, followed by enhanced collaboration and requirements clarity (23%). Forty-four percent of survey respondents said their biggest fear about moving to a Test-First approach was forcing developers to contribute tests prior to completing code, and 19% said they were fearful about removing traditional testing checkpoints on the way to production.

Additionally, 38% of respondents said they would shift to a Test-First approach this year, and another 25% of testing practitioners said it would happen within the next three years. Other findings from the QASymphony survey include:

- 55% of respondents said their testing process was Scrum/Kanban Requirements driven before transitioning to Test-First, while 21% said their approach was Iterative Requirements driven and 18% were Waterfall Requirements driven.

- 52% of respondents said that a developer and tester would be jointly responsible for automation test creation within their organizations. This represents a shift in thinking. Until recently, testers alone have mostly shouldered the testing burden.

- 51% of respondents said they have implemented Test-First methodologies already, including 37% in the past year. Another 6% were early adopters, adopting a Test-First approach more than three years ago.

- 42% of respondents said they learned about Test-First through online blogs or forums, while 25% said they heard about it through an agile coach or consultant.

- 33% of respondents said it took them less than three months to complete the transition to a Test-First approach, while 30% said it took less than one year.

- Among persons who have not yet implemented a Test-First approach, 16% of respondents said they’d choose Behavior Driven Development while an equal amount said they preferred Test Driven Development. Twelve percent said they’d choose Acceptance Test Driven Development, and 57% were uncertain.