What is Test Automation? | Benefits of Automated Testing

Test Automation is a method in software testing that makes use of special software tools to control the execution of tests and then compares actual test results with predicted or expected results. 

When we chooses to build and host a Web application; automated regression testing becomes a responsibility for accomplishment. As the need of Web applications are growing, with each subsequent release, testing needs to grow tremendously. Test automation with an efficient test strategy & right set of tools can relieve the manual testers of mundane labor intensive, repetitive time consuming tasks & allows them to concentrate their efforts on more value-added testing such as –  enhanced user experience testing and functional testing of both new and  changed features.

Benefits of Automation Testing

1.Performing Tests 24/7

No matter where you are in the world. You can start the tests when you leave the office and when you get back in the morning you can see the results and keep on working. You can even do that remotely if you don’t have a lot of devices or you don’t have the possibility to buy them.

2. Early Bug Detection

Automation helps you find bugs in the early stages of software development, reducing expenses and working hours to fix these problems as well.

3. Reusability

Well, this goes perfectly very easy to understand with automated testing. When you have your test scripts prepared using test automation tools, they are saved for the future requirements. So, you can utilize as many times as you want especially for automating regression testing.

4. Easy & Robust Reporting

Automation testing tools have this amazing benefit of tracking each and every test script. Each and every test script executed can be seen in visual logs. These reports can clearly show the no. of test scripts already executed, scheduled, their reported bugs and how they had been fixed.

5. Improves Accuracy

Here, no tester is being blamed. A tester with more than 10 years of experience can also make mistakes when they have to prepare the same old boring manual test scripts again and again. When this done with automated testing, not only the results are accurate, but also saves time.

6. Testing Capabilities

When it comes to capabilities, automated testing tools can test the web applications on the various browsers available in the market via browser testing automation.  Also, when it comes to mobile application testing, you can test them on various devices. This is next to impossible to achieve with manual testing.

7. Distributed Test Execution

Automated testing comes with distributed testing feature. You can easily execute your test scripts on more than one computer on a shared network or server simultaneously. So, you don’t need more than one tool, but only one automated testing tool will be all that you need.

8. Manpower Utilization

If you are implementing test automation in your testing processes, you will require less manual efforts. Thus, it will decrease the no. of people on just one particular project and you can utilize them in the various testing projects.

9. Testing Flexibility

The automated testing tools are developed by the teams who have been into manual testing for years. So, these tools are going to be flexible to match the future testing specifications. You can utilize these testing tools for longer periods of time — say for years.

10. Improves ROI

The most important benefit is the Return on Investment. Obviously, when you are planning to invest in automated testing tools, first you need to figure out how you are going to be benefited with those tools in terms of ROI.

The cost of manual testing includes the time, cost of manual hours and the efforts of the testers, QA managers, etc. And, if you have automated testing tools, you are going to test faster, easily, efficiently, accurately and would be delivering bug-free application within the delivery time period.