I test, therefore it works. Today most companies continue to demand faster releases and innovative software to stand up to the dynamic market scenario and steep competition.
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.
Developers are often reluctant to switch to automated processes, haunted by fear and uncertainty. However, the benefits beat the costs in the long run. And 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:
1. 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 on a regular basis, delivering accelerated results with no struggle and time wastes.
Take data normalization, for example. If programmers take the manual path, chances are, they fritter away priceless work hours on something as time-consuming as the main product. And, on the contrary, if engineering teams use a ready-to-go data importer like the Flatfile Portal one, they can supercharge the process and focus on the core product.
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 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 packed with data, then automated testing can ramp up your performance.
You can leverage your test coverage powers by automating:
Along the same lines, we'd like to express our thanks to Flatfile for sponsoring this newsletter. Flatfile Concierge seamlessly migrates customer data using a secure, collaborative, no-code environment. Ready to solve data chaos in minutes?
