Automating Software Testing: Benefits and Best Practices

Software testing automation is a process to test and validate software using specialized tools by following test automation frameworks.

The tools test the software to check if it meets the necessary requirements. And if it does, the software will be released for the next step or production.

The goal of automated testing in software development is to find errors, identify bottlenecks, check for missing requirements, and eventually improve software quality. The process is nothing new and has been used since around 1970.

With time and an increasing demand for software in the digital landscape, the process is now adopted widely to ensure faster production and delivery.

Understanding Software Testing Automation

Automated software testing involves testing software by using various software testing tools and frameworks without manual or human intervention.

The scope of automation is always evolving, and it is creating a fast-paced software development landscape with testing tools. These automated testing tools were limited to performing basic tasks in the beginning.

However, as the tools got more and more advanced, they became more capable. Eventually, they began enabling testers to write and perform automated testing scripts.

Now, there are many types of tools for automated test execution, such as,

• Functional testing,
• Non-functional testing,
• Unit testing,
• Smoke testing,
• Performance testing,
• Regression testing,
• Data-driven testing, etc.

Read More: Advantages of collaborating with a software house

But how is automated testing different compared to manual testing? Here are some of the differences:

Automated Testing

It eliminates boredom as a QA delegates the repetitive tasks to the computer.

Automated testing is done using software testing tools and following specific frameworks and scripts.

More reliable for repetitive tasks and ensures more accuracy.

Usually less time-consuming.

Cost-effective in the long run.

Manual Testing

It can be repetitive and boring.

Manual testing is done by humans without any scripts.

Less reliable as it is prone to human error.

Very time-consuming process.

Requires a higher budget for using the process for a long time.

Thus, it shows that test automation benefits the software development lifecycle by identifying bugs early, optimizing resource utilization, and accelerating development by automating repetitive tasks.

Benefits of Automating Software Testing

Increased Test Coverage

With the help of automated QA processes, automation tests execute a large number of cases of software testing.

Improved Accuracy and Consistency

Since no manual tasks are involved, the process is more consistent and error-free, and eventually, it ensures more accuracy than the manual process.

Early Detection of Defects

One of the particular benefits of automated testing is that it helps detect various defects, such as bugs, and reduces technical risks.

Cost-Effectiveness

Related to what we stated above, detecting bugs and ensuring fewer errors makes automation a cost-effective testing process.

Enhanced Team Productivity

Automated testing benefits the team by reducing repetitive tasks and taking workload and burdens off the developers’ shoulders. As a result, the process is highly beneficial to increasing team productivity and allows the team to focus on further development.

Faster Time to Market

Automation ensures a more continuous testing process, enabling faster deployment and market delivery.

Best Practices in Automating Software Testing

To ensure the best practices for automated testing, it is essential to start by selecting suitable test cases and then evaluating them to find the right cases.

Next, prioritize the tests that validate the core functionalities and offer long-term benefits. It also includes creating reusable automated test scripts that stimulate action and interaction.

Automation best practices also involve implementing continuous integration to reduce frequent errors, identify bugs, and reduce development costs. Then, there is DevOps, which is one of the significant automated testing best practices.

It encourages companies to foster cross-team practice to break down Silos and streamline the software-delivering process.

Then, monitor the test results and maintain automation suites in the following ways:

• Planning a test data management approach,
• Updating test cases,
• Refactoring test codes,
• Enhancing test coverage,
• Addressing test failure,
• Automate new test cases,
• Documenting everything.
• Choosing the Right Automation Tools

Evaluation Criteria Evaluate the automation tools criteria by asking necessary questions.

• What does the project require?
• Can your team utilize the required tools or are they skilled enough to utilize them?
• What is the team budget?
• What are the features you are looking for?
• What are the integration capabilities?

Open-Source Vs. Commercial Tools

Open-source tools are mostly free, whereas commercial tools are not. On top of that, open-source tools come with security vulnerabilities, lack stability, and offer limited features.

On the other hand, the benefits of test automation commercial tools are that they are more reliable and secure, designed to meet the needs, offer a wide range of features, and more.

However, these tools also have certain drawbacks other than the expense, such as lack of customization, limited platforms, and some even charging extra for customer support.

Some of the popular automation frameworks (open-source and commercial) are:

Selenium,

Appium,

Katalon Studio,

Cypress,

Robotium,

Watir,

JUnit,

OpenText UFT One,

Ranorex,

TestComplete, etc.

Support for Various Testing Types

The selected tools must support a wider range of testing types, such as security testing, smoke testing, ROI testing, unit testing, regression testing automation, etc.

It is also necessary to check whether the tools are compatible with the existing system and organization environment. Look for tools that offer scalability and flexibility because that will allow the tools to adapt to new changes in the software while testing.

Overcoming Common Challenges

Configuring a stable environment when initiating automation setup is one of the best ways to implement QA automation successfully.

Handle dynamic interfaces by leveraging stable locators, using more robust XPath and CSS Selectors, regulating maintenance and updates, etc. If there are flaky tests or tests that fail for no apparent reason, here is what you can do:

Identify the root cause of failure,

Repeat the test execution,

Prioritize stable tests,

Eliminate the flaky test,

Take preventive measures, etc.

Overcoming automation in software testing challenges also requires regular maintenance of test scripts, test data management and environment, and proper collaboration among the teams.

Integrating Automation into Development Processes

Implementing agile and iterative methodologies is the best way to integrate automation as it promotes adaptability and increases flexibility.

Integrating test-driven development or TDD ensures faster debugging, modular development, cross-team collaboration, clear documentation, etc.

There is also behavior-driven development or BDD, a software development approach that emphasizes user behavior based on interaction and helps cater to the target audience.

Continuous testing pipelines help automate the test execution in every stage of the cycle, while the shift-left approach identifies and resolves bugs to speed up the development process.

Feedback loops and retrospectives are also essential for automation integration as they improve team performance.

Ensuring Test Quality and Reliability

Implementing Effective Test Design - is necessary for early bugs and defect detection.

Regular Reviews and Refactoring - helps identify development gaps and ensure they are more maintainable.

Incorporating Exploratory Testing - allows the tester to test the system on the fly and note down ideas before executing them.

Regression Testing Strategies - using the process, quality testers test the functional and non-functional aspects to identify bugs and errors.

Performance and Load Testing - focuses on the scalability, resource utilization, and the system’s behavior to check performance when multiple users access it simultaneously.

Test Environment Management - helps organizations speed up the software release.

Scaling Automation Efforts

Parallel test execution - Reduces overall test execution time by allowing the execution of multiple tests in different browsers.

Distributed testing environments - Increases workload efficiency and enables faster feedback cycles.

Cloud-based solutions - Increases test coverage, offers access to a wider engagement of browsers and devices and ensures faster test execution.

Containerization and microservices - Boosts and fastens up development and ensures resource utilization.

Automated provisioning and deployment - With the help of these due, teams can secure faster time-to-market and stay ahead in the digital landscape.

Monitoring and optimization - It is necessary to improve quality and increase reliability and efficiency.

Measuring Success and ROI

Defining Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

KPIs help companies or organizations measure and track their software development progress and organization’s performance.

Tracking Test Execution Metrics

Tracking test executive metrics provides deeper and better insight regarding the test cases and shows the percentage of successful test execution.

Analyzing Defect Rates

Tracking and analyzing the number of defects helps identify the most frequent defects and root causes, which in turn helps improve software quality in the future.

Calculating Time and Cost Savings

Calculate the time and cost saved by automation implementation boosting testing efficiency and improving web application quality.

Stakeholder Reporting and Communication

Reporting test automation stakeholders must give a clear visual and highlight the efficiency. It is vital to encourage stakeholders to share feedback or concerns and improve communication.

Continuous Improvement Initiatives

Along with the above metrics, make sure to conduct regular assessments to identify bottlenecks, train the employees, and upgrade the tools regularly for continuous improvement.

Future Trends and Innovations

AI and ML have been adding revolutionary changes in test automation implementation by optimizing efficiency. And self-healing test automation uses the same algorithm to detect test failure and eliminate the problems.

Automated testing tools use predictive analytics features to review test data history, previous failures, and defect records to help improve future results. On top of that, autonomous test generators minimize human intervention by creating and managing AI and ML automatically.

Adapting augmented reality testing enables seamless and more responsive testing. Moreover, blockchain-based testing frameworks ensure a standardized testing approach and a more secure way to automate software testing.

Summary

Automation software testing is the best way to improve software quality, increase productivity and reliability, and better testing coverage. It also requires selecting the right tools and cases, adapting to DevOps testing automation, and conducting continuous monitoring.

Implementing test automation strategies is the best solution in the ever-evolving digital landscape. Because of the way this landscape is shaping, keeping up with future trends is the best way to stay ahead in the game.