Shift Left but Right

The integration of Shift Left and Shift Right into the development process offers holistic quality assurance. Shift Left promotes early testing to avoid bottlenecks and increase development efficiency. Shift Right complements this with monitoring in the production phase to analyze real-world usage data and enable continuous improvement. Together, these approaches ensure robust and reliable software quality.

Podcast on Shift Left and Shift Right

Today I’m talking to Björn Scherer about shift left and shift right. We look at how to efficiently distribute testing activities across the entire development process and why it makes sense to test intensively in the production phase too. Björn shares valuable insights and concrete examples from his work, such as the use of synthetic monitoring for proactive error detection. Our conversation shows how a holistic approach can significantly improve software quality. An inspiring episode for anyone interested in advanced testing methods!

“If things are going great and something falls over, we have fixed it before the first customer has noticed that something is broken.” - Bjoern Scherer

Björn Scherer has been passionate about software quality assurance for over 18 years. For more than 10 years he has been working in the Generali Group, where he helps development teams to use test automation as a booster for their software development process through sustainability, stability and insights from the test results. For several years he has been working as Lead Test Engineer for CosmosDirekt, where he supports the transition to a DevOps organization by further developing the test methodology and automation. Previously, Björn helped many projects with load & performance tests to achieve stable load behavior in the service of the T-Systems TestFactory.

Highlights of the Episode

• There are challenges when test activities are bundled at the end of the development process.
• The shift-left principle recommends starting test activities early in the development process and parallelizing them.
• The shift-right principle includes testing and monitoring in the production environment.
• Acceptance Test Driven Development (ATDD) is important for parallel development and testing.
• Synthetic monitoring makes it possible to continuously monitor the user experience.

Synthetic monitoring and shift right

Shift Left: Early testing for greater efficiency and quality

At the end of a development process, there are often bottlenecks in testing activities. Despite agile methods and DevOps practices, this problem persists. The shift-left principle aims to carry out tests as early as possible in the development process. This approach allows potential problems to be identified and resolved early on before they become costly. It is crucial to design tasks in parallel to avoid bottlenecks and ensure an efficient workflow.

Shift Right: Quality assurance in production

In contrast to the shift-left approach, shift-right aims to carry out quality assurance measures after the go-live. Often, not all tests can be fully completed before going live, so a minimal test set is sufficient to enable the go-live. This is where increased monitoring in production is added to monitor the system under real conditions and react to potential problems at an early stage. This approach enables continuous improvement of application quality through actual usage data and direct feedback from production.

Combination of Shift Left and Shift Right for comprehensive quality assurance

Both approaches - Shift Left and Shift Right - offer valuable advantages and, in combination, can ensure more comprehensive quality assurance. While Shift Left enables parallelization through early testing and detects errors at an early stage, Shift Right provides valuable insights into the actual use and stability of the application in productive operation. An integrative approach, for example through the use of Acceptance-Test-Driven Development (ATDD), closely links development and test processes and thus promotes end-to-end quality assurance.

Synthetic monitoring: proactive early problem detection

A central component of the shift-right approach is synthetic monitoring. This proactive test procedure comprises regularly executed scenarios that ensure that the system functions properly even without active users. Synthetic monitoring plays a particularly important role in user interfaces (UI-based applications), as these are often more prone to errors. It helps to identify and resolve potential problems before they have a negative impact on users and therefore contributes significantly to the stability and reliability of the application.

Test data management in productive environments

A particular challenge in synthetic monitoring is the management of test data in production environments. It is essential to create synthetic test data that resembles real customer data but does not contain any real personal data. Careful handling of this data enables real use cases to be tested realistically without compromising the user experience or operational data. Effective test data management thus ensures the consistently high quality of the tests carried out while protecting the integrity of the production environment.

Frequently asked questions about Shift Left and Shift Right

How does Acceptance-Test-Driven Development (ATDD) influence the shift-left strategy in software development?

Acceptance-Test-Driven Development (ATDD) promotes the shift-left strategy by defining test requirements early on in the development process. This enables early feedback and reduces misunderstandings between developers, testers and stakeholders. By incorporating acceptance criteria at an early stage, potential problems are identified and resolved more quickly, which increases the quality and efficiency of development. ATDD thus leads to continuous improvement and shortens the time it takes to deliver a functional product as part of shift-left practices.

What advantages does the combination of Shift Left and Shift Right offer in the software development process?

The combination of Shift Left and Shift Right improves the software development process through early error detection and continuous feedback. Shift Left focuses on quality assurance at the beginning, which saves costs and time. Shift Right makes it possible to make adjustments after the release through monitoring and user feedback. Together, they ensure more robust software that is user-friendly and responds more quickly to changes, which increases user satisfaction.

What is the difference between the shift left and shift right approach in software development?

The key difference between Shift Left and Shift Right in software development lies in the timing of the tests. Shift Left emphasizes early testing during the development phase to identify bugs early and minimize costs. In contrast, Shift Right focuses on post-deployment testing to analyze user behavior and promote continuous improvement. The two approaches complement each other, with Shift Left ensuring quality from the start, while Shift Right provides valuable insights after release.

What are the main differences between Shift Left and Shift Right in software development?

Shift Left focuses on performing tests and quality checks early in the development process to identify and fix bugs early. In contrast, Shift Right refers to post-deployment testing to analyze user feedback and performance in real time. While Shift Left proactively ensures quality, Shift Right aims to continuously improve the application during operation.

How does Shift Left influence security practices in software development?

Shift Left significantly influences security practices in software development by integrating security early in the development process. This means that developers take security considerations into account during the planning and design phase instead of testing them at the end. As a result, potential security vulnerabilities are identified and fixed early on, reducing the cost and effort of subsequent adjustments. In addition, Shift Left promotes a culture of shared responsibility for security throughout the team.

How does the Shift Left strategy support DevOps implementation?

The Shift Left strategy supports DevOps implementation by integrating quality checks and tests early on in the development process. As a result, errors are identified and rectified more quickly, which shortens development time and improves software quality. Teams work more closely together, which promotes the exchange of information. This leads to faster delivery of features and increases flexibility to respond to change requests. Overall, Shift Left increases the efficiency and effectiveness of the entire software delivery process.

What is the Shift Left approach and how does it work?

The Shift Left approach is a method that aims to integrate testing and quality assurance early on in the development process. Instead of testing at the end of the development cycle, attention is paid to quality as early as the planning and design phase. This allows errors to be identified and rectified more quickly, saving costs and time. The Shift Left approach encourages collaboration between developers and testers to deliver a better end product and improve overall quality.

What does shift left mean in software testing and why is it important?

Shift left in software testing means integrating testing activities early on in the development process. As a result, errors are detected and rectified more quickly, which improves the quality of the software and reduces the costs of subsequent bug fixes. This approach promotes collaboration between developers and testers and speeds up the delivery of software. Shift Left is important for increasing efficiency, minimizing risks at an early stage and achieving greater customer satisfaction.

What is the Shift Left strategy and what advantages does it offer in software development?

The shift left strategy in software development means integrating quality assurance and testing early on in the development process. This allows errors to be identified and rectified more quickly, which reduces time and costs. The benefits of shift left include better product quality, faster time to market and greater team collaboration. By addressing problems in the planning phase, a more efficient development cycle and smoother workflow is created.