Automated testing is the hottest trend in the QA world. Many software testing companies have in their arsenal, among many others, such service as automated software testing. It provides vast opportunities as tests that were previously conducted manually can be committed now automatically, continually, faster, and with low error rates. Actually, it can be compared with the invention of a conveyor belt in the time of the industrial revolution when machines started to perform routine, monotonous tasks instead of humans.
Implementation of automated testing requires changes in the business processes and considerable initial investments that are often a stumbling point for most companies. But experience has proven that such investments pay off quickly.
To figure out why automation testing is required for large businesses, let’s consider the main benefits of test automation.,
Cutting down of costs
As was mentioned, the initial implementation of automated testing is somewhat expensive. But automated testing is cost-effective in the long-term perspective, as once created, test scripts can be reused 24/7 without additional expenses. The more automated test scripts are generated and used, the higher the return on investment. Nevertheless, manual testing is essential in some situations and cannot be completely replaced by automated testing.
Besides, automated testing justifies itself due to a more effective and earlier bug finding. According to the rule of thumb, the earlier a bug is detected, the easier and cheaper it can be fixed. Therefore, with automated testing implementation, your company can avoid additional expenses related to post-release bug fixing and even possible loss compensations to end-users.
Quick development and delivery
Test automation can significantly save your time. Automated tests are carried out rapidly and repeatedly. Tests that previously took several days or even weeks now can be conducted in a few hours. High speed of test execution provides a shorter software development cycle, more frequent releases, and faster time-to-market. So, as you see, automated testing can considerably boost development.
Increased Productivity
Running of automated tests doesn’t require human encroachment. Therefore, the software can be tested at night, and the next morning a QA engineer can check results and take corresponding actions if needed. Due to test automation, QA engineers can spend less time on testing and instead concentrate on other important tasks like the creation of test cases, exploration of requirements, etc.
High accuracy
By repeating the same tests for a long time, a tester can easily get bored and distracted; it can lead to defect omitting. Automated scripts can be run hundreds of times with minimal effort and maximum accuracy. In such a way, automated tests reduce the risk of failure and provide more precise and effective bug detection.
Maximum test coverage
One of the main advantages of automated testing is that it can help you maximize test coverage. Implementation of automated testing lets QA engineers execute a higher number of tests, while manual testing would require the bulk of testers, limited severely with time. Besides, some types of tests cannot be committed manually at all.
High quality and performance
Due to the improved test coverage, automated testing can provide high quality and performance of a product. Numerous automation testing tools can help test your app against multiple platforms and on several devices simultaneously. Loading and stress testing can also be easily conducted due to automation, helping you assess product performance.
In addition, with automated testing, you can quickly conduct complex and lengthy test cases for which you may not have enough time using a manual testing approach.
Easy CI/CD pipeline implementation
If you consider the implementation of continuous integration (CI) and continuous delivery (CD), you cannot neglect test automation because it is compulsory for them. In the CI/CD pipeline, every change of the source code must be tested, and it can be done fast and efficiently just with the help of automated testing. That is why, having implemented automated testing, you will have an opportunity to shift to CI/CD pipeline pretty easily. Still, it might be challenging to manage test automation across the CI/CD pipeline, when code complexity and number of test cases increase. But this issue can be settled with effective AI-powered tools.
Fast Feedback
Fast feedback is also one of the most important automation testing benefits. Due to quick test execution, developers regularly receive testing reports and deal swiftly with detected bugs. This approach can considerably ease and optimize developers’ work as there is no need anymore to figure out the code written several weeks ago.
Conclusion
The automation testing advantages are obvious. Implementation of automated testing is inescapable if you are going to optimize your workflow and use the latest development methodologies. There is no doubt, the importance of automated testing will continuously be growing as each year more effective tools appear, and testing frameworks get more mature. So, if you do not want to lag behind your competitors, do not hesitate and work on automated testing implementation.
