Which of the four options contains a pair of solutions that will BOTH help to solve this problem?

Your Agile team is developing a web-based system that will allow users to browse and buy online from a store’s shopping catalogue. Continuous Integration has been implemented and technically it is working well, running several times per day, but each run is taking almost as much time as the team is prepared to allow. It is clear that after a few more iterations, as the number of tests needed grows with the product, it will be taking too much time.

Which of the four options contains a pair of solutions that will BOTH help to solve this problem?

a) Only include unit and component integration tests in the automated Cl runs.

b) Schedule low priority tests to be the first ones executed in each run, in order to provide rapid build verification.

c) Reduce the extent to which the automated tests go through the user interface, using technical interfaces instead.

d) Reduce the number of Cl cycles run each day.

e) Select a subset of automated tests for the daytime Cl runs, and run as many of the other tests as possible in an overnight cycle.
A . d and e
B . b and d
C . c and e
D . a and c

View Answer

Answer: C

Explanation:

The correct option for addressing the issue of increasing test run times in a Continuous Integration (CI) environment is option C: reducing the extent to which automated tests go through the user interface, and selecting a subset of automated tests for the daytime CI runs while running many of the other tests in an overnight cycle.

Reducing User Interface Tests: By reducing the extent of tests that go through the user interface (UI) and using technical interfaces instead, you can significantly decrease the time each test takes. UI tests are generally slower due to rendering and user interaction simulations.

Optimizing Test Scheduling: By selecting only a subset of tests for daytime CI runs and scheduling extensive testing for overnight runs, the team can manage the test load better without compromising the frequency of integration, thus ensuring continuous testing does not become a bottleneck.

This dual approach effectively manages both the execution time of individual tests and the overall test process across the development cycle, maintaining the agility of the CI process without sacrificing the breadth of testing necessary for quality assurance.