Should you Shift-Left or Shift-Right?

In an SDLC lifecycle, testing comes far to the right. Shifting left focuses on high-quality performance within the software delivery pipeline; therefore, one can easily detect and fix issues early in the software lifecycle rather than delaying higher risks when deployed in production. 

The shift-left approach may not always be able to give optimal performance and functioning in the real world. The shift-left approach primarily focuses on testing, securing the application, maintaining quality. Testing starts at the requirement analysis and planning stage during the shift left operation. 

Within an SDLC, security may not always be integrated therefore leaving vulnerabilities to be handled differently. There is a need for high-priority security checkpoints at every stage of the SDLC. It allows agile software development without compromising security measures. 

So how to Shift-Left?

Demand planning: It is essential to have a forward view of demand like budget, resources, test Strategies

Static testing: Testing is carried out in the early cycles of the project and includes validating the requirements and design. The purpose is to find early defects so that the process is not very expensive.

Unified test strategy: Unified test strategy will allow analyzing dependencies in the environments, stubs, automation, and test data. The risk-based analysis determines the impact and likelihood of failure for each test scenario.

Benefits of Shift-Left.

Automation: Left shift gives a more remarkable ability to have automated testing. There are significantly fewer humans errors. 

Increased test coverage (Multiple tests at a time): Increased testing means bugs are fixed at the early stages before they ever reach the production or end-users. It decreases production issues and improves overall design implementations. 

Increased delivery speed: If you find defects earlier, you can fix them faster. It improves not only the quality of software but overall throughput as well. 

Increased Satisfaction: The shift-left approach allows developers to focus on from the early stage and concentrate on quality. It massively saves time and efforted and reduces the gaps between development and testing. It also helps perform daily tasks such as testing, providing feedback, and reviewing changes & progress.

What is the difference between Shift-Left and Shift-Right? 

The Shift-Right approach is the exact opposite of the Shift-Left Approach. Shift-right focuses on testing once the software is in production, where one can test user behavior. The shift-Right approach encourages enhanced end-user experience and customer feedback. It enables automated testing and high test coverage. Shifting left has inevitable downgrades because no matter how much one thinks ahead and tries test scenarios, it can never predict and cover the different permutations and combinations that actual user behavior can generate at a mass scale. 

Should one choose Shift-Left or Right? 

Shifting both ways is a good and robust practice to maintain security and confidence. Shifting both ways can help companies fix bugs and code errors before they reach end-users and compliance concerns in the cloud.