by Kishore Ambade, on Sep 16, 2019 8:24:13 PM
Estimated reading time: 2 mins
Agile demands that quality assurance be integrated into the software development life cycle (SDLC). The DevOps paradigm has already set the stage for an integrated software delivery thus encouraging Shift-Left at every delivery iteration. However, testing automation tools should be flexible enough to accommodate the requirements of a fast and dynamic development environment.
Accept it that Quality Assurance or more specifically testing is important for development. It is the fulcrum for tilting the balance in favor of a successful or an unsuccessful delivery. It is the biggest lever for a successful project. Testing helps find defects earlier in the SDLC. The test automation tools need to be equally robust to accommodate the entire testing continuum. SpecFlow is one such testing automation tool that has stood the trial of the DevOps expectations.
Why use SpecFlow?
SpecFlow helps to define, manage, and automatically execute human-readable tests in simple English language for .Net projects. It is similar to how Cucumber works in Ruby on Rails environment. Writing easily understandable test cases is the cornerstone of Behavior Driven Development (BDD). SpecFlow stands to the expectations of BDD. Due to the ability to integrate test cases in native language with the testing functionalities, even manual testers can contribute to automation testing.
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Benefits of using SpecFlow in an Agile environment:
As SpecFlow allows defining test specifications in simple language, it adds immense value to the development and hence the production instance:
- Native language:
Allows business users to read and understand the tests in their own language and provide instantaneous feedback on whether the tests are covering all the functionalities - Collaboration:
Reduces time for development by promoting a collaboration between business users, developers, testers, and quality assurance - Maximum participation:
Encourages participation of all team members including manual testers while creating the automation test cases in simple English statements - Optimal coverage:
Covers maximum dimensions while testing the application resulting in better utilization of efforts - Agile environment:
Creates dynamic and reusable test cases - Holistic development:
Enables visualization of the system while still in development phase - Automation:
Binds test specifications to the application code and thus automates testing - Optimal protection:
Automatically identifies breaking changes during testing thus ensuring fast and secure delivery - Automated documentation:
Generates system documentation in parallel
In summary:
SpecFlow helps to define, manage, and automatically execute human-readable tests in .NET projects. It facilitates collaboration between all business stakeholders. SpecFlow uses simple English language and acts as a bridge between business and technical languages.
