How regression testing is performed
While regression testing can be performed in a variety of ways, there are several essential steps that most testing protocols follow.
- Identify changes in the source code. Whenever code is modified or optimized, developers or testers must identify the components and modules that were changed along with any known impact on existing functionality.
- Prioritize changes and requirements. To make the testing process more efficient, developers should prioritize modifications and test cases based on product requirements, as well as on the modules and functionality that are most commonly affected by changes to the code.
- Build a regression test suite. A regression suite is a collection of test scenarios that address the various functionalities that are important to the software. Regression suites are typically created from existing functional tests, unit tests, integration tests, and other test cases that have already been executed.
- Select an approach to testing. While some testers use a manual approach, most development organizations will automate regression testing since regression tests must be repeated many times as software evolves. Automating the process accelerates testing and frees testers to conduct manual exploratory testing.