Automated testing is a powerful tool that can assist you and your team in achieving a variety of objectives, including the creation of better code and reducing the likelihood of regressions. Unfortunately, it is possible for some developers to misunderstand automated testing and not see any value in it.
There are some misconceptions about automated testing that relate to issues like developer productivity, cost-effectiveness, and reliability.
What is automated testing?
The method of automated testing allows software tests and other sets of repeatable tasks to be performed without human intervention. In order to ensure that your application works as expected, these tests can be run frequently.
What are the pros of automated testing?
Increased accuracy
The primary benefit of automated testing is its ability to improve accuracy. In fact, automated testing is less likely to be affected by human error.
When tests are automated, they run more often and more consistently than when tests are run manually. The ability to leverage this approach can be advantageous when dealing with a large codebase or when introducing new features. It is important to have automation testing to identify and fix any errors or defects in the code.
Faster execution
Testing automation can also lead to faster execution of tests. Because the tests will run concurrently instead of serially. More tests run in a shorter amount of time if they are run concurrently.
Reduced costs
Automated testing can also result in reduced costs. When tests are automated, the need for manual testers will be reduced. Furthermore, the time required to execute tests is reduced, which results in both time and money savings.
It is possible to reduce the cost of software development by detecting and fixing errors early in the process. Automated testing will reduce the time required to identify and resolve issues, thereby reducing support costs.
More trustworthy results
Furthermore, automated testing can enhance the reliability of the results. This is because tests are run automatically and more often. Automated software testing helps you find any issues or problems with your application quickly, so you and your team can fix them as soon as they happen.
Increased efficiency
Automated testing can help developers work more efficiently by taking care of tasks that would otherwise have to be done by hand.
For example, you can set up your continuous integration (CI) system to automatically run and monitor your automated tests each time a new feature or change is made to your application. This will help make sure that any issues with the recent changes are fixed as soon as possible.
Increased collaboration between developers
Using automated testing methods can help to improve collaboration between developers. With a set of computerized tests, other developers on your team can use them to make changes or add new features. This makes sure that the code is well covered and reduces the chance of bugs in new code.
Improved scalability
Automated tests are capable of spanning a wide range of devices and configurations, facilitating simultaneous testing.
For example, tests can be written to see how well your application works on different devices or browsers. This lets you test your application more easily and make sure that it works well on a variety of end-user devices.
What are the cons of automated testing?
Complexity
The development of automated tests can be more time-consuming than manual tests, particularly if the design is inadequate. They can also be harder to add to your development workflow.
If your tests are complicated or hard to keep up with, it could make your test suite less good. This approach may have adverse consequences for achieving continuous testing throughout the entire application lifecycle.
It needs to be rewritten for every new environment
When you change something in one environment, your automated tests will need to be updated to make sure the results work. Unfortunately, this will require the rewriting of automated test scripts in multiple locations within your local development, continuous integration, and production environments in order to ensure their functionality.
Generates false positives and negatives
Sometimes automated tests fail even when there is no real problem. The presence of an error or a lack of comprehensiveness in the test may indicate a lack of coverage for the intended use cases. Also, your tests may give false negatives if they are only meant to check that something exists and not to make sure that it works as expected.
Difficult to design tests that are both reliable and maintainable
It is not a small task to design a comprehensive suite of automated tests. It’s important that they be reliable enough that they can be run frequently and consistently without giving you false positives. Also, your test scripts must be easy to change to keep up with changes to your application. The development of this solution requires a high level of technical proficiency and meticulous planning and execution.
Cannot be used on GUI elements (e.g., graphics, sound files)
While automated tests are capable of assessing the majority of the application features, they are not suited to testing graphics or sound files. The reason for this is that textual descriptions are commonly employed in computer-based tests to verify the output. So if you try to use an automated test on a graphic or audio file, it will probably fail every time, even if the content looks correct.
Final thoughts
Using automated testing will ensure that your web application or website is fully functional and user-friendly. The more automated the process is, the better it will be for developers and testers.
The primary benefit of automated testing is its ability to continuously assess the performance of an application and ensure that it meets expectations. Also, automated testing saves you time because you don’t have to test the same functionality again and again.
The main drawbacks of automated testing include the high initial investment in software, the high initial effort required to implement the test, and the ongoing maintenance required.
