Continuous testing and solutions for testing problems in continuous delivery : a systematic literature review

Abstract

Continuous Delivery is a software development discipline where quality software is built in a way that it can be released into production at any time. However, even though instructions on how to implement it can be found in the literature, it has been challenging to put it into practice. Testing is one of these biggest challenges. On the one hand, there are several Continuous Delivery testing problems related to Continuous Delivery reported in the literature. On the other hand, some sources state that Continuous Testing is the missing element in Continuous Delivery. In this paper, we present a systematic literature review. We look at proposals, techniques, approaches, methods, frameworks, tools and solutions for testing problems. We also attempt to validate whether Continuous Testing is the missing component of Continuous Delivery by analyzing the different definitions of it and the testing stages and levels in Continuous Delivery. Finally, we look for open issues in Continuous Testing. We have found 56 articles and the results indicate that Continuous Testing is straight related to Continuous Delivery. We also describe how solutions have been proposed to face the testing problems. Lastly, we show that there are still open issues to solve.