No one wants to find bugs in their applications, especially customers. That's why testing is a necessary step in the software development lifecycle (SDLC). It ensures that the appearance and functionality of your application meet expectations, maintaining customer satisfaction.
There are two different methods for testing applications: manual and automatic. Continue reading to understand each method, some common testing misunderstandings, and how to start testing automation.
What is manual testing?
Manual testing refers to manually testing the functionality of software.
To achieve this, the tester enters the application and clicks on it in the user's mode. Manual testers also need to document their findings. This includes checking for errors in log files, external services, and databases. It requires actual time and effort to ensure that the software code completes everything it should do.
After a period of time, the process became tedious and repetitive. However, the advantage is that human thinking can gain insights from the tests that testing automation may miss.
What is automated testing?
Automated testing is the implementation of automated tools for executing test cases.
This is very suitable for large projects or projects that require multiple repeated tests. It can also be applied to projects that have already passed the initial manual testing process.
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By using automation, testers can spend more time on high-value tasks. Although this does require testers to maintain test scripts, it will ultimately help improve application quality, test coverage, and scalability.
Implement Test Automation Strategy
Many agile teams have adopted a testing pyramid strategy. This divides test types into four categories: unit, integration, API, and UI.
Unit testing accounts for the largest proportion in the strategy and should be completed first. UI testing has the smallest proportion in the strategy and should be completed at the end. Following this model can help agile teams prioritize testing strategies and provide quick feedback on application functionality.
Who should participate in testing automation?
Testing in short agile iterations usually means adopting a "left shift" approach.
In agile development, "moving left" means starting testing early in the application lifecycle. Therefore, developers often collaborate with testers.
When evaluating a testing tool, ensure that it meets the needs of all team members involved in the testing process. These needs may include:
Manual testing: recording and playback functions. This is a code free testing automation method that allows users to record manual operations and replay them as automated tests.
Automation engineer: Strong support for scripting languages, integration with CI/CD, and ability to extend testing.
Developers: Able to test in IDEs such as Eclipse and Visual Studio.
Common misconceptions about test automation
Before starting testing automation, it is important to understand what it is. But equally important is to know what it is not. This helps to set realistic expectations for your organization regarding what test automation can (and cannot) do.
Test automation eliminates the need for all testers
Manual testers spend most of their time on exploratory and functional testing to identify errors. Once this process is completed, they must repeat the same steps.
With automated testing, this time is greatly reduced. Once the testing is completed, it can be reused, so there is no need to repeat the process multiple times.