What is Automated Software Testing, and How Does It Benefit Software Development?

Automated software testing is a process where software is validated to know whether it is functioning appropriately and thus is able to meet functional and business requirements, before it is released into production. A broad range of applications can be applied through automated tests such as regression, API and unit testing. In this article, you will get to know about the relative importance of automated software testing in the software development process.

What is automated software testing?

It is a software testing method where automation tools are used to automate the testing process and thus validate and review the software product. Scripted sequences are executed by software testing tools. Automation testing tools compare results with earlier test runs, report outcomes and execute the software. At any point in time, automated tests can run repeatedly.

Following are the seven key factors that depict the significance of automated software testing in the software development process:

1. Testing resources are enhanced: Although most of the tests are taken care of by test automation, but, it cannot entirely replace manual testing. There are many scenarios where automation does not work because a clear idea of user behavior cannot be obtained. But, with the implementation of test automation, the tester’s time is saved to a great extent, which can in turn focus on forming new test cases and working on advanced testing activities.

2. The testing process is shortened: Software development requires the tactical implementation of software testing in order to come up with a great quality software product. Depending upon the code complexity, it may take weeks or months for manual testers to test a software product or application. The time spent on test implementation is drastically cut down by the test automation process to a few days or weeks, as the automation program can continuously run throughout the day without any manual interventions.   

3. Test suites can be easily reused: Creating a testing schedule needs meticulous efforts to be invested by the team, as every organization and its programs have its own testing suite. For varied projects, an automated testing suite is considered to be a viable option. In order to automate the process, specific tools can be used. In this manner, testing suites can be easily setup and reused for any of the project, regardless of the project size and scope.

4. Rapid development is possible: Accelerated coding is required to release an accelerated product. Every aspect of the code can be tested by agile development teams through the automation testing platform rapidly in order to make sure that the product or application is fully functional at the time of release. Features can be updated and fixed by agile teams.

5. Accurate and in-depth reporting: Automated testing comes with an accurate reporting feature. Through this, one can analyze which bugs were found and fixed, what tests were performed, which scripts were written and what other engineers have done in line with testing activities.

6. Cross-browser testing is carried out at a rapid pace: Manual testing has a crucial issue of redundancy as cross-browser testing cannot be performed on different browsers. The exact same tests can be run by automation tools across multiple browsers simultaneously and the test markers can be adjusted for software updates. The required number of tests can be completed by automation testing in a very short span and that too for several OS combinations.

7. Optimal test coverage: The number of tests that can be verified by manual tests is limited. But, with automation testing, new tests can be easily written by engineers and then tests can be added to the automated test suite. The testing time is reduced to a great extent and upon that businesses will be able to test consistently in an easier manner.

Conclusion: If you are looking forward to implementing automated testing for your specific project, then do get connected with a premium software testing services company that will provide you a meticulous plan of action in line with testing, that is in accordance with your project specific requirements.