With automation rising in every industry, software testing has also implemented it on different scales. Starting from smaller implementations in the software development life cycle to bigger uses in the testing process. Though the implementation is quick, the quality is not always good.
Poor implementation of test automation does not help in building a good testing system. Rather it blocks the way to execute many things smoothly. Many big organizations fail to do it smoothly and this is a bad thing because if used rightly, Automation technology might be the future of software testing.
So, what are the factors to attempt a successful execution of automation testing? In this article, we will discuss 10 things to consider while automating any testing process.
1. Build a Dedicated Team –The first thing one needs to start with is building a dedicated team. A team that devotes its total creative and intellectual energy to the testing process. Employing newly graduated smart students’ local institutes might help. Younger employees like these students have more theoretical knowledge and have a knack of the ongoing digital scene.
The staffing must be preferably flexible as it gets easy to make changes in the team as per the business demands. For reference on solutions to eliminate the recruiting process, check out various sites that offer this. These sites will offer you the best people in business at an affordable price.
2. Selecting Tool:A selection method that is completely tailored as per your needs is the best way to go forward. If you don’t evaluate and analyze the utility of the automation testing tool beforehand, it may have poor consequences on selecting a tool that is not compatible with your requirements. Identifying the needs and requirements and then choosing the best tool accordingly is one of the essential things to do in the testing process. If a wrong tool is selected, it will cost you money, time, and efforts.
Wait, Apache JMeter, Selenium, Wapt, etc. are some of the best automation testing tools in the market right now. Look for these tools as per your requirements, and you will get the best suited for your process right away.
3. Automation Framework:Even if one selects the right tool, the process doesn’t end. You cannot automate anything even with the correct tools. Just like all other processes, a proper framework must be made to implement the tool.
Ina framework, there are certain guidelines by which one should execute the process of automation. It is like a rule book. It maintains testing consistency and hence minimal changing of code. Reusability is improved by this.
There are 4 types of frameworks in automation testing –
Choose the appropriate framework, and you are good to go.
4. Measure Metrics:To measure the success of automation by comparing it with the manual work is pointless. It should be measured in different variable metrics like Productivity improvement, percent of errors found, etc.
These things matter to industry persons and all the people as it justifies investments and Quality assurance.
Initially, the analysis of the amount of time one gets from a manual test and the money saved per annum should be done. After that, there are certain things that one must look for. Such as –
When anyone thinks about automated testing, selecting the right tool and framework is the topic that takes up most of the focus. Choosing the correct framework and tools is the basis for a healthy automation process.
There is hardly any example of a company that aims at full automation and is successful. One must have a good plan with balancing strategies.
Hence, one must think properly and take the time to decide how automation is going to help their particular testing plan. It will make the whole process more optimum and valuable and will increase the success rate.
6. Budget Cost and Process:Going over budget or having a surplus amount at the end are both signs of a bad costing plan. Budgeting should be precise in the case of automation testing, involving costing for different aspects including development, training, test tool, and resources.
Also, a maintenance cost is involved while we talk about automation testing. As the testing process defines test-coverage, it must be well-defined and precise in defining the quality control and process and execution of the test. Also, the test criteria must be defined at each stage.
7. Preference of Tool Selected:The technology used for the development of the application is one of the major impacting factors in the selection process of the testing tool.
To take an example, Informatics won’t be supported by QTP, hence it won’t be used for testing informatics applications. To conduct proof of concept of the respective tool on AUT sounds like a sensible idea.
Many a time, choosing the right tool can be a complex and tricky task. If you do the research right, you will find some essential criteria that will help you in selecting the best tool. Which scripting language the tool uses is one of them.
Also, it will support numerous types of tests including test management, Functional, mobile, etc. and will sustain the support for different testing frameworks.
8. Automation cannot be Done for Everything:Before initiating the process, the scope of automation must be determined in detail. To select which test cases are to be automated, there are certain criteria. Check out the list below.
However, for eliminating the tests from the automation list, there are other criteria. These factors determine which tests are not suitable for automation. Check out this list below.
Another important goal of the software testing process is to reduce the testing time. But generally, the part of the process which is time-consuming does not have anything to do with automation.
The main time-taking task in the testing process is the detection of bugs. The detection and correction of bugs take place in a repeated manner. In the case of automation testing, maintenance, Execution, and Step-up may take longer compared to manual testing. Also, Analysis of Clear-ups and failures may take more time. In an ideal scenario, all these activities will take less time if the right kind of matured automation process is executed.
All in all, it is not easy to reduce the testing time using automation, but it is not impossible. One must consider it as a long-term goal to achieve.
10. Automated Maintenance:The scripts of these automation tests must be added to the system that is under test with successive cycles. For each release cycle, they have to be thoroughly verified and maintained.
Maintenance is one of the primary factors that help improve the effectiveness of automation scripts.
Try using automation in simple routine tasks like cleaning out temp files, Restarts, and Defrags. Assurance of the up-to-date nature of your client’s machine with the latest software patches and assurance of a stable system can be confirmed by automating patch management.
You can either upload your script or run scripts from the library. Plan a proper schedule to execute tests on a certain date. You can also trigger them to run automatically after a failed monitoring check.
Even if anyone is not familiar with these scripts, various communities provide useful scripts like Fixit scripts, etc.
ConclusionConsidering all the aspects of software testing, one must figure out the prominent factors that play into the process of automation testing. The testing process, Selection of the right and most compatible automation tool, etc. are some of the crucial factors that matter.
How VTEST can helpBy researching and executing both the software testing methods with perfect balance, VTEST carries out the automated tasks with fine precision. Knowing the Pros and cons of automation testing, VTEST executes it on the right processes and in the right amount.
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About VTEST
VTEST is an independent software testing company catering to product and service teams across the globe. We are a team of software testers who are passionate about quality and love to test. We develop an in-depth understanding of the applications under test and include software testing services strategies that deliver quantifiable results.
In short, we help in building incredible software.