Shift Left

Shift Left is a software development and testing approach that involves moving testing activities earlier in the software development lifecycle (SDLC). Instead of waiting until the end of development to perform testing (traditional "shift right"), testing, quality assurance, and security activities are integrated into the development process from the very beginning.

Key components of Shift Left include:

• Early Testing: Testing starts as soon as possible, often alongside development, to identify defects early. This includes unit testing, code reviews, and static code analysis.
• Test-Driven Development (TDD): Developers write automated tests before coding to ensure that the code is designed to meet specified requirements and is testable from the outset.
• Continuous Integration (CI): Code is continuously integrated and tested in smaller increments, ensuring that issues are detected early and fixed quickly.
• Collaboration: Developers, testers, and business stakeholders work together from the beginning to define requirements, acceptance criteria, and test cases, ensuring alignment and reducing the chance of misunderstandings.
• Automation: Automated tests are used to facilitate faster and more frequent testing, enabling early detection of issues during development rather than waiting for later stages.
• Security and Performance Testing: These aspects are also addressed early, often through techniques like Static Application Security Testing (SAST) and performance testing during early development phases.

Shift Left improves software quality by identifying defects and issues earlier in the development process, leading to reduced costs, faster release cycles, and improved collaboration among development and testing teams. It fosters a proactive approach to quality, making it easier to address problems before they become critical.