Software testing is a very vital process of the software development life cycle.
It helps to detect bugs before the new software updates are delivered to the clients.
This guarantees the quality of the software.
This process can either be automated or manual.
Automated testing involves using automation tools to validate if a software is working correctly and meeting its requirements.
Testers use scripted sequences that are executed with the help of different tools.
Software test automation is very different from manual testing in various ways.
In terms of test coverage, you can cover more test cases with the automated testing method than when using the manual approach.
The manual approach is prone to errors due to the high involvement of human beings in the whole process, while automated testing that is done with software test automation tools is less prone to errors due to low level of human participation in the process.
It’s possible to carry out automated testing without proper programming knowledge.
On the other hand, it’s impossible to carry out manual testing effectively without an appropriate programming language.
How Automated Testing Works
Any organization can implement automated testing using a framework that includes several practices, automated testing tools, and other standards.
In most cases, data-driven and keyword-driven test automation frameworks are used for modular testing and linear scripting.
Linear scripting frameworks mostly suit small software applications as it involves using test scripts with very little planning.
You must remember that linear scripting frameworks don’t support reusable scripts.
The scripts created for the modular testing frameworks are independent and small to reduce redundancy issues that may affect the whole process. So, the entire process takes more time to set up.
When working with data-driven frameworks, testers create scripts that would work for several data sets.
The test scripts should provide more comprehensive coverage with just very few tests than with any other modular options.
Opt to use the keyword-driven approach in your organization.
You will have to use the table formats to define several keywords for different specific functions and execution methods.
If you don’t have extensive programming knowledge, you can work with the keyword approach to create several test scripts.
They usually use several open-source test automation tools the testing process.
They include Robotium, Selenium, and Cypress.
Benefits of Automated Testing
Test automation is the hottest software testing trend of 2022.
It’s a key enabler of several advanced development and deployment of several practices in the test process.
Below are the several benefits of test automation.
Cost-Saving Approach
Every organization out there aims to maximize profits; your case is no different.
Contrary to the popular notion that automation tools are costly, the whole process is more cost-effective than manual testing.
With the manual approach, running repetitive tests is impossible, increasing the cost of testing the software application as you need more time and resources to carry out all the processes effectively.
Once you have created your scripts in the test automation, you can reuse them 24/7 without additional cost.
Of course, the initial adoption cost is always expensive, but it will pay off after some time.
You need to understand that the size of return on investment in automated testing depends on the level of adoption.
Fast Development and Delivery
Automated testing helps to save the time that you need for the development and delivery of the software you are testing.
One can copmlete most tests rapidly, and you can run as many repetitive tasks as possible.
Unlike the manual testing approach, you don’t have to wait several weeks to execute all these tests.
You have to schedule the process, and you can even let it run 24/7 without close supervision.
With faster test execution, you will achieve frequent releases, a shorter software development cycle, more immediate time-to-market delivery, and quick changes and updates to the application.
Increased Productivity
The level of test automation adoption will directly affect the rate of production.
You don’t need human intervention when running several automated tests, so you can leave the process running and get results early in the morning.
In addition, many test cases can repeatedly run on their own, and you will end up spending less time supervising the software testing process.
Testers can then focus on more critical tasks that ensure that processes run effectively at the end of the day.
More coverage of the test scripts will lead to increased productivity.
You will fix more issues with the software application as you can create new features quickly, increasing overall productivity.
More Accurate Results
The more accurate the results of the software testing process, the higher the efficiency of the whole process.
Test automation ensures that you will have more error-free releases within a short time. T
his ensures you won’t spend more time correcting errors made during the testing.
With the minimized human intervention, there are more accurate results with the test automation than when testing your applications manually.
All the generated test cases are more precise than when using humans to test various functionalities of the software application.
Petr is a serial tech entrepreneur and the CEO of Apro Software, a machine learning company. Whenever he’s not blogging about technology for itechgyan.com or softwarebattle.com, Petr enjoys playing sports and going to the movies. He’s also deeply interested in mediation, Buddhism and biohacking.