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We'll discuss who is in charge of testing automation in modern organizations, and the answer might surprise you and also show you some ways to categorize the available test automation software.
We'll then show you some different test automation options, so you can make an informed choice. We'll share some tips about how to select the right tool. Let's get started.
Automate Everything That Is Automatable: Why Use A Test Automation Software
As software developers, we dislike the term "coder." We write code at work, yes. Writing code is not the goal. It's a tool to achieve a goal.
A developer is better described as "someone that uses automation to solve problems efficiently." You may wonder why we’re rambling on, but you'll soon understand. It's a fact: software developers have long figured out how to automate the development process itself. Why not automate the build process of your app? Why not automate your entire packaging? Why not automate even the deployment to end users?
All the above questions were answered with "Let's get started!” Automation is a critical component of modern Automating software development.
This applies to all aspects, from the source code analysis to finding errors to the testing, build, packaging, and deployment processes. In this scenario, a test automation tool is relevant. What is a test automation tool, as the title of this post already asks?
Define Test Automation
This definition would be simple, fast, and inadequate. This definition is shallow unless we define automation. What is automation? Automation is the process of automating tasks without human involvement.
This is done to increase efficiency and speed. Automating repetitive tasks is also common. They can be very error-prone if performed by humans. Okay, this is a good definition of automation.
Let's try to rephrase the first inadequate definition of test automaton in light of this definition:
Automating software testing is a way to increase speed by reducing or eliminating human interaction. It's important to remember that the part of the test is usually automated.
You must first create your test cases using a process. It could be writing code. It could be recording a task performed while using a particular window. Test automation is an extensive topic.
You have a number of tools and approaches available to you. Next, we will cover tools.
Define Test Automation Tool
We've already defined "automation" and "test automation." It doesn't seem like we will have a problem defining a test Automation Tools.
Here's how it works: Test automation tools are software programs that allow people to create software testing tasks that can be run without human intervention.
It's also important to note that many different types of automation test tools exist. The tools may differ in terms of the type of application that they test (web-based, desktop, or mobile), how the test cases are written (using scripting, programming, or recording the steps using a GUI), their licensing (freemium, commercial), and other factors.
Who Should Be Responsible For Test Automation?
A common question for newcomers in test automation is: Who's responsible? We have an entire blog post dedicated to this question, but here's a short version.
The Traditional View
In the past, organizations used to develop software in a more traditional way, i.e., "not agile," and they also tested it mainly manually.
In this scenario, creating a stark and clear separation of roles was logical. Software engineers created the code. Quality was the responsibility of testers and QA professionals. Sysadmins/operations had to keep the infrastructure running smoothly and ensure the deployed systems were stable.
But things have changed due to a combination of a cultural shift and a technological revolution. We live in a world defined by CI/CD and Agile.
The teams work in small increments and gain from shorter feedback cycles. Teams must begin testing as soon as possible. In this brave new universe, automation is a key component. Automation should extend to all aspects of the SDLC, not just testing.
QA strategies now include testing in production.
Welcome To The Future
The lines between the roles are blurred in this new scenario. Testing is no longer a privileged role but a shared responsibility of the entire team.
In reality, different professionals within the organization are responsible for different types of tests.
This is what it might look like:
- User-acceptance testing. The name says it all: user acceptance testing is performed by the end-user or someone on their behalf.
- Unit tests require engineers to maintain and write them, as they require coding knowledge.
- End-to-end (E2E) testing comes in different flavors. Some may require coding knowledge, while others do not. A third category could be a hybrid. Testers, developers, or QA professionals may conduct E2E testing with coding skills.
- UI testing is similar to E2E tests. It can be done manually or through automation. Some automated UI tools require coding knowledge, and others allow users to record actions, save them, and reproduce the test case.
How To Implement IT Process Automation
In 2023, 40% of large companies will use AI-augmented automation to improve productivity and scalability in their IT departments.
IT process automation can help enterprises reduce costs, improve efficiency and increase communication by letting digital workers handle routine tasks.
The first step is to identify which tasks should be automated. This will help you determine the best tool for the job and maximize the value of your automation effort.
Ensure all stakeholders understand your project's goals and benefits, including managers and staff.
Automating IT tasks, such as server provisioning and monitoring, software testing, and incident response, can improve service quality and help IT teams solve issues faster.
Continue reading to learn how you can successfully implement it.
Follow The Steps
Hardware and software are two of the most common ways to automate processes. Here are some steps you can take:
#1. List The Processes You Wish To Automate
You should identify the tasks and processes that can be automated. You can determine the most suitable candidates by using metrics or KPIs.
A time-consuming task that requires frequent communication among employees would be a good candidate.
#2. Determine The Process Requirements
You should be able to identify the tools required for each process. This includes hardware, software, and data. Consider who will use the automation and how they'll interact with it.
If you automate a process requiring input from several employees, you'll need to consider how they'll submit their data.
#3. Select The Right Tools
Research the different types of hardware and software available to your business. Consider the following factors:
- Easy to use: Your employees and team members should be able to use IT process automation with little or no training.
- Flexibility: Your digital workforce should be flexible enough to change with your business.
- Compatibility: Ensure your automation platform is compatible with the software and hardware you already have.
- Consider your budget when selecting tools.
#4. Set It Up
The hardware and software that you select will determine the next step. To configure and set up your devices, follow the manufacturer's instructions.
Use only tools that are compatible. You must also create all necessary data inputs, such as templates or forms.
#5. Test The Automation
Test all inputs and outputs and any rules and alerts you've set up before using automation in the live environment.
This will ensure that your automation works as you expect and prevent disruptions in your business.
#6. It Is A Good Idea To Implement It
Assist your employees in using automation. There will be bumps in the road with any new system. However, process automation can improve productivity and efficiency.
#7. Monitor And Optimize
As your business evolves or you receive employee feedback, you may need to make adjustments. Review the automation regularly to make sure it still meets your needs.
Read More:
DevOps Automation: Utilizing Automation to Streamline Software Development
Test Automation Tool: What Are The Different Types?
As mentioned in the article, there are many types of test automation tools. The sheer number of options available can make evaluating and selecting the best tool a daunting experience.
This section will help you by briefly describing some different ways we can classify testing tools:
- Codeless, Code-Based And Hybrid Tools: Some test automation tools require coding knowledge while others do not. Hybrid tools combine the best features of both. These tools allow testers and other professionals without coding knowledge to create test scenarios using a visual tool. Engineers can then enhance these test cases using a language like JavaScript.
- Open-Source Vs. Commercial: Pricing and licensing for test automation tools can differ greatly. Some tools are open-source and completely free. Some tools are closed-source but offer a free version or at least an initial trial. It's also becoming more common to find test automation tools offered as SaaS, where the client pays monthly or annually.
- Desktop, Web, And Mobile: Test Automation tools differ in the types of software they support. There are tools that target desktop applications (e.g., Windows) applications. Many people immediately think about web or mobile applications when testing tools are mentioned. Web testing is a vast field that can be divided into various types.
- Production Testing Vs. Non-Production Testing: Finally, it is becoming more and more common to test an application once it has been put into production. Some techniques that spring to mind are chaos engineering, synthetic and nonsynthetic testing, A/B tests, canary releases, and load and performance tests in production.
Test Automation Tools: Meet A Few Of Your Options
After we have finished defining all the terms, we will show you some of your test automation options. There are many types of tools, as we have said.
We will try to provide you with as many tools as possible so that you can explore the different options. Let's get started.
Katalon Studio
Katalon Studio, a Software development automation test, allows you to automate the testing of web and mobile applications and APIs.
This solution uses the Selenium and Appium engine, providing testers with an integrated environment to integrate different frameworks.
UFT
UFT was originally a commercial software that allowed users to test desktop apps, mobile apps, and web applications.
It currently offers API testing features.
Selenium
Selenium is one of the most popular tools for testing automation. Users can write scripts using a variety of languages, including Java, C# Python, Perl, and Ruby.
This tool runs on several operating systems, including browsers.
This tool is available in several editions. The first one is Selenium WebDriver, a web extension that allows the recording and playback of basic tests.
Selenium WebDriver is an API that lets you interact with a web browser using a programming language. The third is Selenium Grid. This solution allows you to test across multiple combinations of operating systems and browsers (aka grid testing).
TestComplete
TestComplete is also capable of testing for mobile and desktop. Users can choose between JavaScript (or VBScript), Python, C++Script, or VBScript.
It features an object-recognition engine that can accurately detect dynamic interface elements. This makes it useful for testing apps with user interfaces that change frequently.
Testim
Testim is an automated test tool that uses machine learning to assist developers with authoring, executing, and maintaining automated tests.
This tool enables developers to create test cases quickly and execute them across various web and mobile platforms. Every execution of the tool allows it to learn from data.
Testim uses this information to make itself better, making the test cases more stable. This results in a robust testing suite that does not break with every code change.
Testim can detect changes to the attributes of web elements using an innovative feature called Smart Locators so that an element's attribute (e.g., Testim) can still locate the element, even if you change the CSS class or id. Testim recently announced TestOps, which helps organizations overcome the challenges they face when trying to scale up their test automation methods.
How To Choose The Right Test Automation Tools: A Practical Guide In 5 Steps
You can see that there are many options available for test automation. You've only seen a small selection of tools available to you.
How can you make a decision? Here's a guide to help you. This guide contains five steps to help you understand the criteria needed when evaluating test automation tools.
Step 1: Determine The Testing Needs Of Your Project
The first step is to consider and evaluate your project's testing requirements when evaluating test automation tools.
Consider the type of application you are using and the test automation options available. Is your software, for example, a REST-based API? You're not performing GUI testing in this case. However, you may want to learn how to unit-test it.
You may want to know more about front-end testing if your app is a one-page application using a framework like React or Angular.
The testing pyramid is an important concept that you should be familiar with when trying to understand testing requirements for a project.
Martin Fowler originally proposed the testing pyramid. It is a mental framework or strategy you can use to think about the different types and proportions of test automation.
Take into consideration the particulars of your industry. Some industries, like healthcare and finance, are very regulated. Such software has to meet strict testing requirements.
This results in a longer process.
It's important to do this because if defects are allowed into production, they can have disastrous consequences.
There are other fields where bugs aren't as severe. They can send code faster to production and expect to roll it back if something goes wrong. Consider the type of software you create, the requirements of your industry, and mental models like the testing pyramid when determining the testing needs for your project.
Step 2: Assess The Testing And Coding Skills Of Your Personnel
Have you finished evaluating the project's characteristics? Good, you'll now do it again with your team. You must evaluate your team's skills, not just their coding abilities.
Test skills are also essential.
Imagine that your team is very small, and everyone is an engineer. You may be well-staffed in coding, but you cannot say the same for actual QA expertise.
Engineers, for example, will not have experience with formal testing methods such as session-based exploratory testing. You must understand your team's strengths and weaknesses, as you will need to consider them when choosing the right test automation tool.
Step 3: Filter The Pool Of Available Tools According To The Criteria Defined In Steps 1 And 2
Next, you should look at all the tools available and filter them based on what you learned from steps 1 and 2. Do you have a lot of people on your team who don't know how to code? Code-based tools will not work.
Your team would be better off choosing a tool that is either codeless or hybrid.
Imagine that everyone in your team knows C# and JavaScript, but no one knows Python. You wouldn't choose a tool requiring Python knowledge, would you? You can also filter your results based on the other criteria we have discussed: the type of application or domain.
Step 4: Assess The Return On Investment Of The Candidate Tools
To choose the best test automation tools, consider their ROI (return on investment). When you think about ROI, there is more than the price.
You should first analyze the curve of learning. If a tool is widely used and known but has a steep learning curve, it could be a negative sign. What is the problem with a steep learning slope? How quickly you need your team to get up and running depends on the situation.
Given its advantages, it may be worth your team's time to learn the tool. In general, we would not bet on this. Your mileage may vary.
You should consider the documentation when evaluating the tool. This includes its quality, availability, and up-to-date status. Then we have Priced. Again, it makes no difference how popular otherwise sophisticated a tool is if its cost exceeds your team's/department's/division's tooling budget.
Most of the tools are either paid or offer a free version, so you can at least test them before deciding.
Support is another important factor. It's possible that a tool is free (like beer), but if there is no support, it will be difficult to get help if something goes wrong or a team struggles.
A tool that is open-source might not be worth the effort if it requires a lot to configure and install it. When evaluating ROI for your tool candidates, you need to look beyond the cost. Considering the total cost ownership (TCO), which comes with the tool, is important.
Step 5: Start Small And Evaluate
Don't choose a tool for test automation all at once. Start small. Pick a simple and small project if your company has multiple projects.
As an experiment, start automating tests there. Build a minimal viable test automation strategy using the tool that you selected based on previous steps.
After a few months, you can evaluate your strategy and apply what you have learned to improve it. Repeat the process.
Try a different tool if necessary. These tools are free to use or have a trial period. You can start experimenting with them without paying a lot of money.
It's Over
Today's blog post has taught you about test automation. What is a test automation tool, and why would you need one? We haven't explained that.
We have also explained the importance of test automation in modern organizations. We've also discussed who is in charge of test automation and the various types of test-automated technologies.
We've now gone over a number of test automation solutions and provided some practical advice to help you determine which is best for you.
You should now better understand the benefits of test automation and what criteria to consider when choosing a tool.
