Testing in the development stages of software is a chore. You want to root out all the bugs and release the best possible version of your product to the world but the testing stage can be both inefficient and time-consuming. Amid developer frustration, automated testing is presenting a new way to test that leads to a much more agile ecosystem.
Why Automated Testing?
Better ROI
If you are currently operating on a fully manual basis, the initial investment to implement automation could be significant. Many developers have been put off by fully automated testing but it will save you money in the long run simply by being more cost-effective.
Instead of having to hire numerous manual testers to undertake tedious and repetitive manual tasks, you only need to hire a test automation engineer to create the automation scripts. The cost of your automation is easily recouped when saving on multiple monthly salaries.
Faster Feedback
A computer can work much faster than a human with a mouse. Test automation allows tests—particularly repetitive tests such as regression tests—to be run in a fraction of the regular time. This accelerates the entire feedback cycle and allows code to be refined to a much higher degree.
This enhanced speed of testing allows development teams to detect issues in the earliest stages, thus reducing the time and costs that are involved in addressing them. A shorter feedback cycle also means that each phrase of your product push can be validated quicker.
Increased Accuracy
To err is human. Manual testing is liable to errors, especially when it comes to complex use cases and mind-numbing monotonous tests. On the other hand, computers never get bored or tired and will always execute their scripts down to the smallest instruction with 100 percent accuracy.
While lengthy and complicated tests are often excluded from manual testing, automated testing allows developers to thoroughly test complex use cases with a substantial number of instructions. Wider test coverage helps identify sneaky bugs and create a better user experience.
Superior Scalability
As your software expands, your testing needs will increase. Unless you are willing to hire a team of manual testers to work 24 hours a day, an automated framework is the only option that can offer accurate and swift testing that can grow with your project.
In certain cases, such as load testing, it could take the efforts of hundreds or thousands of manual testers as opposed to a handful of machines. Automated testing also allows you to undertake simultaneous testing, which provides you with comparative insights into how your product performs on various devices within the same parameters.
Clear Reporting
The reporting end of automated testing is invaluable as well. Automated testing environments come with a myriad of recorded data including bug reports and a list of tasks that software engineers have performed, enabling other engineers to have a clear view of changes and script status.
In addition, failure reporting in the case of automated testing can be accompanied by other diagnostic data such as memory contents and internal program states. This deeper insight into the operating environment can help developers to figure out and address errors rapidly.
Cons of Automated Testing
While there are several advantages to test automation, there are a couple of disadvantages as well. The first is the above-mentioned cost. Although test automation results in a much higher ROI in the long-term, companies limited to a smaller budget may not be able to afford the initial set-up costs.
The second con of test automation is that it requires the recruitment of skilled staff who can write the automation scripts as opposed to manual testers who do not need special training. Test scripts can also be tricky to debug and can become notoriously difficult to maintain as they increase in number.
An Elegant Solution
Test automation has so many benefits for developers that are seeking faster, more reliable, and more accurate testing. However, automated test engineering and maintenance can be a nightmare in itself. And if you already have a team of manual testers, firing them and hiring new staff may not be ideal.
Test automation tools like testRigor have the perfect solution. Instead of removing all manual testers and replacing them with automation script programmers and starting all your testing from scratch, the tool allows developers to transform your untrained manual testers into automated test creators.
The intelligent test automation tool enables manual testers to create test cases in natural language. Because manual testers are driving these tests, they are reflective of real-world user interactions. The tool can even learn from user actions and improve test coverage or automatically create new tests for common end-to-end test cases.
Although testing is an essential step in producing quality problem-free products, it can take a lot of time and effort. By leveraging test automation tools, developers can create refined and user-friendly products with ease and achieve CI/CD more efficiently.