{"id":17661,"date":"2019-06-03T11:35:38","date_gmt":"2019-06-03T10:35:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.devopsonline.co.uk\/?p=17661"},"modified":"2019-06-03T11:38:09","modified_gmt":"2019-06-03T10:38:09","slug":"devops-and-the-shift-left-trend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/devopsnews.online\/devops-and-the-shift-left-trend\/","title":{"rendered":"DevOps and the shift-left trend"},"content":{"rendered":"
DevOps and the shift-left trend<\/em><\/p>\n
Businesses in every sector are undergoing a digital transformation in their quest to deliver services to consumers faster, and at a higher quality than ever before \u2013 and for good reason. According to market intelligence firm, IDC, by 2020 there will be over \u00a314 trillion in added annual economic value for companies that invest in digital transformation strategies.<\/p>\n
A digital transformation doesn\u2019t happen by itself though.<\/p>\n
Most enterprises have recognised the value that DevOps can bring them by applying continuous quality and security throughout every delivery pipeline, accelerating application and service delivery and ensuring better business outcomes. A key enabler of digital transformation is the DevOps practice of moving testing up in the development cycle, a concept known as ‘shift-left’.<\/p>\n
Testing must happen earlier<\/h3>\n
The closer to release that a defect is detected, the more expensive it is to fix. For example, reports indicate that the cost of a defect found in production can be 30 times more expensive than if it were detected \u2013 and resolved \u2013 during development. Moreover, if the defect remains undetected all the way out into production, the effects can be devastating when it finally comes to light.<\/p>\n
The number one objective of software testing and QA today is to ensure end- user satisfaction \u2013 a goal that can be hard to achieve when defects arise. And if the defect is security-related, or violates regulations such as GDPR, penalties could include heavy fines on top of a potentially irrevocably damaged reputation. But if we can detect a defect at the moment it is introduced, it can be fixed immediately and the damage will be inconsequential \u2013 or even non-existent.<\/p>\n
Shift-left is about continuous testing<\/h3>\n
Today, software is developed in a different way to the waterfall style of the past. Many teams now aim to deliver a \u2018minimally viable product\u2019, or MVP, as early as possible. They can then get early feedback on the MVP, and use that feedback to drive further incremental development of the product.<\/p>\n
To achieve incremental software delivery at high speed and quality, the software must be tested at the earliest opportunity, and the testing must be repeated every time a change is made. Although there\u2019s much talk about \u2018shift-left<\/a>\u2019, the term is actually somewhat misleading.<\/p>\n