The cost of complexity: Seasonal regression testing
Why this deserves attention
Regression testing should concentrate on high-impact journeys, custom automation and integration boundaries. A sound design makes this explicit before implementation begins.
Attempting to retest everything spreads effort thinly while complex dependencies remain under-tested. On 4 November 2025, this archive entry records the principle as a practical design concern rather than a product announcement.
Simplify the moving parts
Look at seasonal regression testing through where unnecessary components and customisation create recurring operating cost. The objective is not to introduce more process; it is to expose the few decisions that determine reliability, ownership and future change.
Rank journeys by customer, financial and compliance impact, automate stable checks and reserve people for judgement-heavy scenarios. Record the decision close to the solution so that delivery, support and future architecture reviews work from the same intent.
What good looks like
The release decision is supported by meaningful coverage and visible residual risk. The team can describe the expected behaviour, the owner, the evidence of success and the response when reality differs from the design.
A useful next step is to review one live implementation against this principle, identify the largest unowned assumption and turn it into a bounded improvement with a measurable outcome.
Official reference
Official Salesforce Release Notes