Supportsoft Glossary

Regression Testing to Validate System Stability

The goal of regression testing is to confirm that new code changes (e.g., adding new features, fixing bugs, modifying configuration) do not cause existing functional failures. Over time, software can be significantly impacted by small changes to an area that is many steps away from the code change. Regression testing verifies that a system continues to function as designed after a change has been made through the repeated execution of previously validated test cases.

To do this, teams maintain large regression test suites that cover all of the critical workflows, integration points, and user scenarios they support. Most organisations utilise some form of automation to expedite the execution of regression test suites, particularly in organisations that have many release cycles or have large codebases. As a result, Continuous Integration (CI) pipelines automatically run regression tests whenever new code is committed to the repository, enabling teams to receive quick feedback on potential issues.

The primary benefit of regression testing is that it provides a mechanism to sustain quality and stability while incrementally enhancing an application over time. By minimising the likelihood of adding bugs during changes, degrading performance after changes, and negatively impacting the end user's experience after adds/changes, regression testing protects the business's assurance of reliability and assures that the business's improvements will not diminish or eliminate an application's current functionality. Many customers rely on regression testing to maintain and cultivate their trust with the vendor over time.