Regression Testing in Agile: A Complete Guide for Enterprises

To scale-up the employee and customer satisfaction levels, enterprises frequently roll features to their software and applications. For instance, ING — the Dutch multinational financial services company releases features to its web and mobile sites every three weeks and has reported impressive improvement in its customer satisfaction scores.

New releases and enhancements are integral to agile businesses. But with these, comes the requirement to ensure a seamless experience for the user while using the application.

Whenever there is a change in code across multiple releases or multiple builds for the enhancement or bug fix and due to these changes there might be an Impact Area. Testing these Impact Areas is known as Regression Testing.

Regression Testing Cases

Regression testing is a combination of all the functional, integration and system test cases. Here, testers pick the test cases from the Test Case Repository. Organizations use regression testing in the following ways-

Executing the old test cases for the next release for any new feature addition.
Only after passing new test cases, the system executes the old test cases of the previous release.

Mainly, regression testing requires 3 things-

Addition of new test cases in the test case repository.
Deletion or retiring of the old test cases which have no relation to any module of an application.
Modification of the old test cases with respect to enhancement or changes in the existing features.

Types of Regression Testing

There are 3 main types of regression testing in agile:

1. Unit Regression Testing

This testing method tests the code as a single unit.

It tests the changed unit only.
If there’s a minor code change, testing is done on that particular module and all the components which have dependencies between them.
Here, testers need not find the impact area.
It is possible to modify or re-write existing test cases.

2. Regional Regression Testing

It involves testing the Impacted Areas of the software due to new feature releases or major enhancement to the existing features.

It involves testing the changing unit and the Impact Area.
Regional regression testing requires rewriting the entire test cases as it corresponds to a major change.
It requires deleting the old test case and adding a new test case to the repository.
It may affect other dependent features. Therefore, it requires identifying the Impact Areas and picking up old test cases from the test case repository and test the dependent modules referring to the old test cases.

3. Full Regression Testing

It is a comprehensive testing method that involves testing the changed unit as well as independent old features of the application.

Here, the changed unit, as well as the complete application (independent or dependent), is tested.
Full regression testing is mostly applicable for LIFE CRITICAL or MACHINE CRITICAL Applications.

Regression testing is also done at the product/application development stage.

4. Release Level Regression Testing

Regression testing at release level corresponds to testing during the second release of an application.

It always starts from the second release of an application.
Usually, when organizations seek to add new features or enhancing existing features of an application a new release needs to go live, for which, this type of regression testing is done.
Release level regression testing refers to testing on the Impact Area and involves finding out the regression test case accordingly.

5. Build Level Regression Testing

Regression testing at build level corresponds to testing during the second build of the upcoming release.

It takes place whenever there’s some code changes or bug fixes across the builds.
QA first retest the bug fixes and then the impact area.
This cycle of build continues until a final stable build.
The final stable build is given to the customer or when the product is live.
QA is usually aware of the product and utilizes their Product knowledge to identify the impact areas.

The Process of Regression Testing in Agile

After getting the requirements and understanding it completely, testers perform Impact Analysis to find the Impact Areas.
One should perform regression testing when the new features are stable.
To avoid major risks it is better to perform Impact Analysis in the beginning.
3 stakeholders can carry out Impact Analysis:
- Customers based on Customer Knowledge.
- Developer based on Coding Knowledge.
- And, most importantly by the QA based on the Product Knowledge.

All three stakeholders make their reports and the process continues till achieving the maximum impact area.
Then the Team Lead consolidates all the reports and picks test cases from the test case repository to prepare Regression Testing Suite for QA Engineers. Post this, the final execution process starts.

The main challenges of Regression Testing is to Identify the Impact Area.

Challenges of Manual Regression Testing

Time-Consuming as the test cases increase release by release.
The need for more manual QA Engineers.
Repetitive and monotonous tasks; therefore accuracy is always a question.

This is where Test Automation comes into place.

Advantages of Test Automation

Time-saving: Test Automation executes test cases in batches making it faster. I.e. it is possible to execute multiple test cases simultaneously.
Reusability: It allows reusing the test script in the next release when the impact areas are the same.
Cost-effective: There’s no need for additional resources for executing similar test cases again and again.
Accurate: Machine-based procedures are not prone to slip errors.

It may look like Test Automation might replace manual QA Engineers, but that’s not the case. Regression testing in agile still requires QA in the following instances.

Limitations of Test Automation

It is not possible to automate testing for new features. Test Automation Engineers still need to write test scripts.
Similarly, it’s not possible to automate testing in case of a feature update.
There is no technology support such as Captcha.
It requires human involvement; such as OTP.
At times, certain test cases require more time in test automation. During such instances, one can go for manual testing. For example, 5 Test Cases require 1 hour to execute it manually whereas Test Automation takes a complete 5 hours executing it.

In agile, enterprises need testing with each sprint. On the other hand, testers need to ensure that new changes do not affect existing functionalities of the product/application. Therefore, agile combines both regression testing and test automation to accelerate the product’s time-to-market.

If you’re looking for Testing Services for your Enterprises, please feel free to drop us a word at hello@mantralabsglobal.com. You can also check out our Testing Services.

Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of intelligent effort.
John Ruskin

About the author: Ankur Vishwakarma is a Software Engineer — QA at Mantra Labs Pvt Ltd. He is integral to the organization’s testing services. Apart from writing test scripts, you can find Ankur hauling on his Enfield!

Regression Testing FAQs

Why do you do regression testing?

Regression testing is done to ensure that any new feature or enhancement in the existing application runs smoothly and any change in code does not impact the functionality of the product.

Is regression testing part of UAT?

UAT corresponds to User Acceptance Testing. It is the last phase of the software testing process. Regression Testing is not a part of UAT as it is done on product/application features and updates.

What is Agile methodology in testing?

Agile implies an iterative development methodology. Agile testing corresponds to a continuous process rather than sequential. In this method, features are tested as they’re developed.

What is the difference between functional and regression testing?

Functional testing ensures that all the functionalities of an application are working fine. It is done before the product release. Regression testing ensures that new features or enhancements are working correctly after the build is released.

Related:

In healthcare, field sales is more than just hitting quotas—it’s about navigating a complex stakeholder ecosystem that spans hospitals, clinics, diagnostics labs, and pharmacies. Reps are expected to juggle compliance, education, and relationship-building—all on the move.

But, traditional systems can’t keep up.

Only 28% of a rep’s time is spent selling; the rest is lost to administrative tasks, CRM updates, and fragmented workflows.

— Salesforce, State of Sales 2024

This is where mobile-first sales apps in healthcare are changing the game—empowering sales teams to work smarter, faster, and more compliantly.

The Real Challenges in Traditional Field Sales

Despite their scale, many healthcare sales teams still rely on outdated tools that drag down performance:

Paper-based reporting: Slows down data consolidation and misses real-time insights
Siloed CRMs: Fragmented systems lead to broken workflows

According to a study by HubSpot, 32% of reps spend at least an hour per day just entering data into CRMs.

Managing Visits: Visits require planning, which may involve a lot of stress since doctors have a busy schedule, making it difficult for sales reps to meet them.
Inconsistent feedback loops: Managers struggle to coach and support reps effectively
Compliance gaps: Manual processes are audit-heavy and unreliable

These issues don’t just affect productivity—they erode trust, delay decisions, and increase revenue leakage.

What a Mobile-First Sales App in Healthcare Should Deliver

According to Deloitte’s 2025 Global Healthcare Executive Outlook, organizations are prioritizing digital tools to reduce burnout, drive efficiency, and enable real-time collaboration. A mobile-first sales app in healthcare is a critical part of this shift—especially for hybrid field teams dealing with fragmented systems and growing compliance demands.

Core Features of a Mobile-First Sales App in Healthcare

1. Smart Visit Planning & Route Optimization

Field reps can plan high-impact visits, reduce travel time, and log interactions efficiently. Geo-tagged entries ensure field activity transparency.

2. In-App KYC & E-Detailing

According to Viseven, over 60% of HCPs prefer on-demand digital content over live rep interactions, and self-detailing can increase engagement up to 3x compared to traditional methods.
By enabling self-detailing within the mobile app, reps can deliver compliance-approved content, enable interactive, personalized detailing during or after HCP visits, and give HCPs control over when and how they engage.

3. Real-Time Escalation & Commission Tracking

Track escalation tickets and incentive eligibility on the go, reducing back-and-forth and improving rep satisfaction.

4. Centralized Knowledge Hub

Push product updates, training videos, and compliance checklists—directly to reps’ devices. Maintain alignment across distributed teams.

5. Live Dashboards for Performance Tracking

Sales leaders can view territory-wise performance, rep productivity, and engagement trends instantly, enabling proactive decision-making.

Case in Point: Digitizing Sales for a Leading Pharma Firm

Mantra Labs partnered with a top Indian pharma firm to streamline pharmacy workflows inside their ecosystem.

The Challenge:

Pharmacists were struggling with operational inefficiencies that directly impacted patient care and satisfaction.
Delays in prescription fulfillment were becoming increasingly common due to a lack of real-time inventory visibility and manual processing bottlenecks.
Critical stock-out alerts were either missed or delayed, leading to unavailability of essential medicines when needed.
Additionally, communication gaps between pharmacists and prescribing doctors led to frequent clarifications, rework, and slow turnaround times—affecting both speed and accuracy in dispensing medication.

These challenges not only disrupted the pharmacy workflow but also created a ripple effect across the wider care delivery ecosystem.

Our Solution:

We designed a custom digital pharmacy module with:

Inventory Management: Centralized tracking of sales, purchases, returns, and expiry alerts
Revenue Snapshot: Real-time tracking of dues, payments, and cash flow
ShortBook Dashboard: Stock views by medicine, distributor, and manufacturer
Smart Reporting: Instant downloadable reports for accounts, stock, and sales

Business Impact:

2x faster prescription fulfillment, reducing wait times and improving patient experience
27% reduction in stock-out incidents through real-time alerts and inventory visibility
81% reduction in manual errors, thanks to automation and real-time dashboards
Streamlined doctor-pharmacy coordination, leading to fewer clarifications and faster dispensing

Integration Is Key

A mobile-first sales app in healthcare is as strong as the ecosystem it fits into. Mantra Labs ensures seamless integration with:

CRM systems for lead and pipeline tracking
HRMS for leave, attendance, and performance sync
LMS to deliver ongoing training
Product Catalogs to support detailing and onboarding

Ready to Empower Your Sales Teams?

From lead capture to conversion, Mantra Labs helps you automate, streamline, and accelerate every step of the sales journey.

Whether you’re managing field agents, handling complex product configurations, or tracking customer interactions — we bring the tech & domain expertise to cut manual effort and boost productivity.

Let’s simplify your sales workflows. Book a quick call.

Further Reading: How Smarter Sales Apps Are Reinventing the Frontlines of Insurance Distribution