Today most companies continue to demand faster releases and innovative software to stand up to the dynamic market scenario and steep competition.
With companies leaning on DevOps and the agile philosophy of software development, tech testing constitutes a crucial part of it.
The once-popular manual testing doesn’t do the trick for some modern connected devices and intricate architecture applications.
Can a software test another software? Yes. Let us tell you about automation testing.
What Is Automation Testing
Automation testing (AT or TA) is exactly what the name implies. Instead of a human sitting computer-hunched, the process in question is, well, automated.
From a technical standpoint, it is the act of assuring software quality by running tests automatically, managing test data, and analyzing test results.
This is usually done by writing test scripts or utilizing any automation testing tool.
To put it simply, programmers make it work and testers make it break.
Overall, TA is used to automatize monotonous tasks and other testing tasks which are beyond human capabilities.
Why Test Automation: Benefits
Developers are often reluctant to switch to automated processes, haunted by fear and uncertainty. However, the benefits beat the costs in the long run.
If you are not into testing your product, chances are, your customers won’t bother to test it either.
Automated testing is an indispensable technique due to the following reasons:
- Faster Feedback
AT is a magic bullet for validation during different cycles of a software project. It facilitates communication among specialists and Product Owners and helps with fixing potential glitches.
2. It Improves Precision
You should never underestimate the human factor. Even the most meticulous tester is mistake-prone while performing humdrum manual testing.
Minimized human intervention in test automation contributes to more accuracy compared with testing applications manually. Automated tests follow the same procedure precisely and never forget to register detailed results.
3. Fast-track Results
Thanks to the immediate implementation of AT, priceless hours are saved even for elaborate and huge systems. This also means that tests can be executed on a regular basis, delivering accelerated results with no struggle and time wastes.
4. Cost-effectiveness
Regardless of the initial funding, automated testing allows companies to save for a rainy day. Thanks to the sharp drop in the time needed to run tests, automation testing adds to high-performance processes and pares down the amount of bug fixing post-release.
5. Higher Test Coverage
The more tests are executed, the higher your test coverage is (flawless logic, right?).
With that being said, maximized test coverage is no longer a far-fetched dream with the implementation of automated tests.
Automated testing doesn’t call for a massive team, so more tests can be executed pertaining to an application.
However, we are not talking about eliminating manual testing. Ideally, you should combine manual and automated tests, as certain apps may be too complex and not suitable for automated testing (besides, you don’t want a machine to evaluate usability and look-and-feel).
After all, the whole point of automated testing is to bring down the number of test cases run manually (and point out someone’s mistakes, of course). This brings us to our next part.
When To Automate Your testing
The whole point of using TA depends on the number of test rounds.
Thus, it’s better to leave tests that need to be run a few times for manual testing.
But if you are dealing with test cases that are run frequently and are packed with data, then automated testing can ramp up your performance.
You can leverage your test coverage powers by automating:
- Repeated tests
- Error-prone tests
- Tests filled with data
- Time-wasting tests
- Regression testing
- Advanced GUI testing
To cut it short, test automation is great for reducing overall test execution time and the overall cost of the project.
Bottom Line
Test automation is a surefire tool to increase the productiveness and number of tests covered.
It came on stage to accelerate execution cycles, rid testers of mundane tasks, minimize human efforts, and guarantee instant feedback.
However, automated tests are not universally valid for all kinds of tasks. Sometimes, you are better off letting QA specialists do their job.
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