Exploratory Software Testing in Scrum: A Qualitative Study

Exploratory Software Testing in Scrum: A Qualitative Study

연구 분야: Verification

학회: International Conference on Agile Software Development

Exploratory Testing (ET) is a dynamic software testing approach that emphasises creativity, real-time learning, and defect discovery. The integration of ET into structured frameworks like Scrum remains insufficiently explored and presents distinct challenges. This qualitative study investigates how ET is implemented in Scrum workflows and identifies key factors enabling its effective application. Interviews with 20 industry professionals highlight ET’s role in enhancing test coverage, uncovering usability issues, and addressing edge cases often missed by automated or scripted tests. The results demonstrated that the critical enablers of effective ET are the tester’s eagerness to learn about the system under test and the ability to adopt a user-centric perspective. Other key factors include testers’ curiosity, creativity, domain knowledge, and organisational support. Participants noted that ET complements Scrum’s iterative cycles, enabling teams to identify defects dynamically and improve software quality. Despite its advantages, ET faces challenges within Scrum, including time constraints and the need for traceability. Lightweight documentation practices, such as annotated mind maps and screen recordings, emerged as effective strategies to bridge these gaps. This study underscores ET’s potential to enhance Scrum workflows, providing actionable insights for optimising testing strategies in Agile environments.