The traditional method of the software development process is slow and tedious. Different companies order software, and the design team takes up the task of developing them according to the needs of the client. They write the codes, which is a complex process and always needs a check before final delivery.
From time to time, the quality assurance team tests the software manually, and they have to pinpoint too many bugs and inconsistencies that have to be removed and corrected. The development phase might take a few days or weeks, but the QA phase can take several months.
The challenges of manual testing
Manual testing is a human-assisted testing procedure that is prone to errors. The process takes a lot of time which might make a company lose money and other key resources. the testing team carries out all the testing manually to find bugs or any inconsistencies in the software.
Due to these challenges, every QA tester had to innovate better ways of software testing. Every experienced software tester today understands well what automation testing is due to the benefits they have received from it. It is the best way to help minimize manual procedures in the software testing process. By integrating automated testing into the testing process specialists reduce the time that was spent on testing and concentrate their resources on other tasks. Check Codoid.com for more information
From manual testing to automated testing
Manual software testing has many challenges. It is not a reliable method because humans are bound to make errors. They might test and retest the software several times, but the client might still find irritating bugs once launched.
Manual testing has a higher risk compared to automated testing. The process takes a lot of time that the client might not understand. Nowadays, clients want things done fast because that is what the people they serve want. When the process takes too long, they will seek solutions somewhere else.
Manual testing has multiple procedures that might not complete the entire desired coverage. This makes the process repetitive as testers try to create codes that work to have productive software. Manual testers rarely meet deadlines, and they find their customers often complaining.
The solution is to move from manual testing to automation testing to overcome these multiple challenges. Testers implement an automation testing framework that can test small and major applications.
The frameworks are data-driven and enable testers to test multiple data sets for wider coverage while avoiding repetitive testing procedures. Automated testing tools are easy to use, even for inexperienced testers. They only need to have the testing keywords or codes for each testing function.
Continuous testing practices
Manual testing is done from time to time. Software is first developed and then taken to the testing phase. The testers take note of the bugs and inconsistencies and report to the developer. They remove the bugs and again give the software to the tester to run another process.
Automation testing helps software developers move away from manual testing procedures, allowing them to focus on improving the performance and efficiency of the software. Instead of stopping the development process every time to wait for testing results, the process is automated and the process flows seamlessly.
The automation testing tool algorithms are coded for a continuous testing strategy. That means there will be no time when developers will pause the development phase to wait for testers to test and give feedback.
The tool performs testing in each step of the development phase and generates automated results. Before the developer moves into the nest phase, they will have completed everything that is required for the current phase.
How companies benefit from automated testing
Better bugs detection
It is hard to remove all bugs in manual testing procedures. That is one of the reasons why it takes longer to complete manual testing processes. Testers spend more time on maintenance because customers still find bugs many days after they start to use the software. With automated testing, it is easy to detect every bug and remove it during the development phase.
Better accuracy
A software’s functioning accuracy is crucial for it to deliver the expected results. When accuracy is compromised, it can result in big losses to a company or giving wrong information to customers. This is one of the challenges that manual testers deal with.
They cannot attain the best accuracy level. Automated testing is AI-driven, which gives the highest accuracy levels. Some software achieves almost 100% accuracy with automated testing.
Wider coverage
Manual testing covers one part at a time in the testing process. For complex software, testers usually have too many units to test. Automated testing is easy and gives testers the widest coverage. They can perform multiple tests at the same time and get accurate results.
It saves time and money
Manual processes take a lot of time which, when translated into financial losses, might amount to a lot of money. Automated testing is done continuously throughout the development phase. By the time the process is through, the developers will have saved a lot of time and money. By saving time, a company launches its products into the market faster and gains a competitive edge.
Improved insights
Automated testing gives testers better insights into the software. The tools give reports on data tables, memory contents, file contents, etc. These insights help developers to have ideas on what could have gone wrong in the development phase and correct it.