Benefits of Automation Testing for Software Development

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Automation is necessary for keeping test cycles running at the speed of development and software release. As a tester, achieving comprehensive test cases with perfect accuracy through manual testing is challenging.This is why I started learning and implementing automation testing to keep up with the pace of agile software development. In one of my previous companies, I was working on a project which required a secure web application. When we implemented automated testing, we reduced the regression testing time from a week to barely a few hours compared to manual testing. This made me incline my interest further towards it. Let me first explain the basics to help you understand ‘what are the benefits of automation testing’.

What is Automation Testing?

If I put this across simply, automation testing is a technique for automating software validation and ensuring it meets the requirements before release. It allows me to focus more on other complex aspects such as performance testing. It also lets me detect bugs early in the development cycle. We generally use programming languages such as C#, JavaScript, and Ruby. We create an automated script once and then use it repeatedly. This simplifies much of our manual effort into a chunk of scripts.

Also Read: Automation Tester Roles and Responsibilities

How does automated testing work?

Here’s how we approach automation testing:

We first select the tool that supports the platform on which the software is being developed.
The next step is to define the automation scope. This means we define how much of the software testing is automated.
We then plan the automation strategy and develop a test script.
Then comes the primary step. We test the software using the created automation scripts.
Finally, we modify automated test scripts and update them with newer versions of the software build.

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Manual vs Automated Testing

In my typical work settings, manual testing involves me and my team running test cases and interacting with software applications to identify bugs, whereas automated testing uses scripts to write and run pre-defined tests.

Though manual testing may provide flexibility, it is slower and more prone to errors when compared with automated testing. I will now explain their key differences to put across what are the benefits of automation testing:

Sr. no	Manual testing	Automated testing
1	We execute test cases	Test cases are executed by automation tools
2	Time-consuming	Faster than manual testing
3	Suitable for small to medium sized projects	Suitable for complex and large projects
4	We need investment for human resources	We need investment for testing tools as well as automation engineers
5	We don't need a programming language	We need a programming language
6	This can be repetitive, which could lead to boredom	This helps to avoid repetitive tasks as we delegate those to a tool

Also Read: Why Automation Testing

Core Benefits of Automated Testing

It is always asked ‘what are the benefits of automation testing’ by everyone. The main advantage of automation testing is its speed. However, I want you to know it has numerous other benefits to offer, which makes the software development process more accessible and more efficient. I will now explain the core benefits of automation testing, making it a must-have in all modern development ecosystems:

1. Speed and efficiency

When I carried out test automation using frameworks such as Selenium and Cypress, I was able to accelerate test case execution. Owing to faster tests and quicker results, our teams got more frequent feedback, which helped us improve functionality and detect issues.

In every sprint, there is an iterative process wherein the developers of a team push code, get feedback, and constantly refine the code. Automation allows me to run faster tests in shorter sprints, which is not possible with manual testing.

2. Cost-effectiveness

How often have we heard that automation testing can be expensive to set up and implement in the primary stage? Let me add a twist to this tale.

Manual testing costs far more than automated testing in the long run. We cannot perform regression testing manually. With the software expansion, we have to test more features, eventually putting more pressure on manual testers. With the aid of automation, we test more, making fewer errors. My team and I achieve all of this in less time, thus saving costs.

Also Read: Roadmap for Automation Testing

3. Accuracy and reliability

To err is human, as with me and my team. No matter how dedicatedly we worked, we made mistakes, leading to a lack of 100% accurate results. Our testers get exhausted, might miss some steps, and make other errors. On the other hand, the scripts we create with automation tools like Selenium, cucumber ets.... run perfectly and record exact results, providing more accurate and reliable data.

4. Enhanced test coverage

Thanks to the power of automation, we are able to execute a more significant number of test cases. The more tests we run, the more we cover the requirements and features in every test cycle. We prevent avoidable issues from escaping into production with enhanced test coverage, as it increases the chances of identifying bugs.

5. Improved accuracy in reporting

Reporting can be as tiresome and boring as test execution in manual testing. We, testers, have to provide constant updates on the number of test cases being executed, the number of bugs being fixed, etc., each dependent on the other. With test automation, we get screenshots, videos, and other reports catered to our specific needs and software, providing the desired frequency of reports.

Also Read: Manual Testing vs Automation Testing

6. Resource optimization

Thanks to automation, we are able to devote our time to other activities that require human engagement. For instance, we spend more time on generating new test cases, pre-deciding advanced testing metrics, reviewing automated test results, and running test cases such as usability tests and the ones that cannot be automated. Moreover, with less monotonous tasks, we are more productive in our day-to-day work. This contributes to striking a work-life balance, and raises team morale, which eventually leads to better quality of work.

7. Early detection of defects

In my career as an automation tester, one of the biggest advantages has been incorporating automation testing for detecting early defects. This not only enhances the quality of our tests but also reduces the time and effort required for fixing bugs in the later stages of development. In one of my projects, automation testing helped us resolve bugs in time, which further led to client satisfaction and client retention.

Also Read: Risk Management in Testing

8. Support for agile and devops practices

We align test automation perfectly with agile and DevOps methodologies. In the CI/CD pipeline, we attach automated tests to the build process. This runs the tests automatically for each code change commit, providing immediate feedback about the change's impact. Tools such as Jenkins and Gitlab CI/CD support the integration of test automation frameworks within the CI/CD pipeline.

9. Enhanced testability

The largest QA teams must match an automation framework's speed, range, and accuracy worldwide.In my recent project, we used automation to simulate the load-testing activity of a thousand visitors to a site. Any QA team that falls even one short of 1000 members could not have achieved this. Likewise, more than manual testing may be required to perform cross-browser testing on multiple browsers. Automated testing has been our best bet to run the necessary tests quickly. As test automation supports parallel testing, we are successfully able to run multiple tests simultaneously.

10. Return on investment

As faster test cycles ensure faster results, we can speed up product release with no need of compromising on software quality. This accelerated time to market further leads to increased Return on Investment(ROI) for businesses. Thus, automation testing also helps us ensure a higher return on our initial investment

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Also Read: Bug Report in Software Testing

Key Take Aways

Overall, I have tried to explain what are the benefits of automation testing while comparing it with manual testing. Despite being advantageous, I have observed a considerably large number of companies still run manual testing procedures. Investment in automated testing is a must to keep up with the quality of product while maintaining timelines of release cycle. Test automation efforts continue to accelerate. You also have a great scope in terms of career in the automation testing industry. With the evolution of automation tools, more tests will be automated. This means the demand for automation testers like us will continue to increase. Testers skilled to perform automation as well as manual testing will be in greater demand. Automation testing is not a replacement of manual testing, it is rather used to complement the latter. To achieve maximum efficiency and quality, it is extremely important for you to combine and take the advantages from both automation and manual testing. Testers taking up the automation testing course or automation testing certification will know the benefits of automation testing and get more opportunities.

Also Read: How to Learn Automation Testing?

FAQ

Now that you have grasped the concept of automation testing and its benefits, I will answer some frequently asked questions.

1. Is automation testing reliable for regression testing?

Automation testing is extremely reliable for repetitive tasks that are critical for regression testing. It reduces the possibility of human errors, which are likely to happen with manual testing. It results in improved application performance and stability.

Also Read: Automation Testing Metrics

2. What is the main goal of automation?

The main goal of automation is to improve accuracy, speed and reliability in the development cycle. This ensures increased productivity and reduced costs. It also aims at enhanced data management and improved decision-making through faster access to accurate information.

3. How does automation testing benefit cross-platform testing?

Manual cross-platform testing can be highly time-consuming and tiresome. With automation, we eliminate the need to repeat the same tests on various devices. The speed of automated tests is critical for agile development, which allows us to test our apps on multiple platforms quickly. Besides, we can run tests on various platforms simultaneously.

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What are the Benefits of Automation Testing?