Top 5 Reasons To Use Automated Testing Tools

From the point of view of integrating software, test automation is the reduction to a manageable level, the recurring manual processes performed subjectively by humans. The definition of “manageable level” is unique in every organization because an actual process will have many considerations – cost, risk, technical complexity, etc. As software applications become more complex and more interconnected, the task of testing software products becomes harder. Manual test engineers struggle to keep up with the growing cycles of development and testing. Automated testing tools allow testers to establish both essential testing infrastructure and repeatable processes. 

Test automation is the art of verifying that an application or system does what it is expected to do automatically. The main goal of test automation is to decrease time spent on testing and increase the number of test cases executed. However, choosing the right tool is a complex decision, entailing numerous factors such as the type and quantity of code, the level of test coverage required, and whether or not people, as well as software ‘bots’, will execute the tests. Smart companies are testing their products more and more, but despite every improvement in their test processes, defects are still creeping into their delivered code. Automated Software Tests offer a cost-efficient solution to ensure quality software delivery and saving time & money for the company.

Introduction to Test Automation

Test automation refers to the use of software to control the execution of tests, the comparison of actual outcomes to predicted outcomes, the configuration of test environments and the storage of test data. Test Automations is often used in the wide range of computer applications that can be found in banks, trading systems, stock exchanges, medical data systems, telecommunications, military and aerospace equipment, air traffic control systems, power utilities and so on. 

• Test Automation is the process of automating any or all of the ‘tests’ your organization runs. You may be surprised that many manual tests need to be automated even if they are as simple as clicking through screens. Automating these tests through automated testing tools allows them to be run repeatedly and consistently, which increases the efficiency of both manual testers and test automation engineers. 
• Manual testers can concentrate on more complex testing, while test automation engineers spend less time maintaining existing automation scripts and more time developing new tests for new features. Test automation software is the most efficient and effective way to dramatically increase the pace, efficiency, effectiveness and coverage of your testing. 
• Test automation also creates a self-correcting mechanism for regression testing that not only detects existing problems with high accuracy, but also prevents them from recurring in the future. Test automation frees up test engineers from spending their time recreating defects by providing a fast, reliable and repeatable regression test suite. 

The purpose of automated testing is to validate that software meets its intended requirements. There are many types of testing, and one of the most popular among software developers is manual testing, usually called simply ‘testing.’

Why to use Automated Testing Tools

It has long been considered that automated software testing is critical for large software development organizations and while small companies may not be able to afford or have the resources to have an ‘automated’ system, they can certainly implement some form of basic testing in order to reduce the risk of bugs and errors. Automated testing tools are part of a huge software development industry segment known as test automation. “Automated Testing Tools” comes from a regular everyday definition of the word “test”. 

A tool is an object or device used for a specific purpose. Automated testing tools therefore, in this sense, are the kind of software that allow recording and playback of predefined actions. One can hardly imagine any industry without such tools as they save hundreds of hours every year. But not enough is said on how to choose the right tool, what are the main characteristics to look out for and how to implement it in order to maximize its benefits.

• Automated Testing Tools improves the accuracy of the results

When running a manual test each tester uses his own individual setup. The complete picture of the end-user behavior is hard to visualize for the test leader and he misses some details that could be important for the final decision. 

• Automated tests create an objective picture of what the user sees and checks from different points of view. It makes it easier to make decisions on features that need more attention or if a feature is ready to be released or not.
• Automated testing tools are a significant contributor to making a mobile development project effective, easy and fun for all. Whatever the size or pace of development it is always important to test the software that so many people depend on. 
• Automated Testing tools play an important role in quantifying the progress and streamlining the process of testing. They help to verify the quality of an independent software component or the whole system. They can detect errors and reveal information about performance and reliability without direct human participation.

With the automated testing tools, the accuracy of the testing results is improved which makes it easier for the organization to understand the area where they are lagging and hence, they can improve accordingly.

• Automated Testing Tools helps in saving time

Manual Testing involves a hectic and time taking process which makes it difficult for the testers to run several tests at once. Moreover, it is costly as the organization has to hire experts for manual testing. But with the automated testing tools, the process gets easier and the testers can easily test the performance of their software.

• Automated software testing tools automate repetitive tasks related to software testing. A person writes a test case that describes an objective to be accomplished by an application under test. A test script is created to execute that test. Depending on the tool, either URIs or APIs can be used to control program execution. 
• The tool will run the test thousands of times without human intervention until all combinations of paths are executed and all conditions are tested. If any bugs are encountered, special controls in the tool allow the developer to quickly pinpoint them so they can be fixed.
• Automated software testing tools can also help you improve the quality of your software products. Once you have created your automated tests, they will provide consistent and reliable feedback on the quality of every new release of your software product. 

This means that you can get a high level of confidence that your application is ready to be released to the marketplace, reducing both the time and cost required for integration and release management activities. 

• Automated Testing Tools cover all the points

Automated testing tools include features that enable tests to be rerun whenever there are functional, performance or UI changes to ensure release integrity. Fully automated tests can reduce manual testing costs by more than half the cost per test and over time the reduction in errors found before deployment will repay the cost of applying this technology.

• Automated software testing can take the mundane out of software testing. Some automated testing tools allow for the execution of tests during every build. This type of automation works in a fully unattended fashion, and can capture deep trouble and performance issues that never would have been caught otherwise.
• Automated software testing tools can be engineered to split thousands of complex tests into simple subsets and then execute them in quick succession.
• Furthermore, each testing tool available in the market will cover all the points available in the testing and hence after it will give the proper results. 

Test automation gets through thousands of different complex test cases every time, providing coverage that is impossible with manual tests. Apart from it, these tools always go into the depth to find out where the problem lies. Currently, Testers’ time is better spent in exploring new ways to find defects and spending quality time with the development team rather than doing mundane and repetitive tasks.

• Reduces Pressure on the Automated Testing Team

Automated testing has become an essential part of the software development cycle. Test Automation tools help developers to quickly create and maintain an aligned, continuous testing process for their applications early in the development life cycle. Furthermore, these tools allow the testers to easily test the software available with them.

• Implementing a testing automation strategy helps you set up an efficient software testing process. Automated testing takes the repetitive tasks out of the mix, leaving QA engineers free to do more hands-on work with end users and developers.
• With automated testing tools, all stakeholders are able to test their software with minimum resource consumption, so that maximum production time can be spent on adding value to the business for which the organization is established.
• The main objective of the tools is to reduce the amount of manual testing while ensuring that you are achieving a good level of quality in your software. The concept explains the cases where it is necessary to automate test cases, as well as how to write them and what tools can be used for it.

When automated testing goes beyond simple checks for regressions and expands to include system, integration and acceptance testing you will have a continuous delivery pipeline which allows quick and easy release of software. 

• Test Suites can be used again and again

In continuous testing, you don’t have to worry about tests not being run. In fact, multiple teams can run their tests in parallel now. When a defect is found, you can work with the team that owns that component of the application to fix the bug without worrying about failing other test suites.

• Continuous integration is the process of automatically checking out code from a source control repository, compiling the code if necessary, running automated tests on the code, and generating test reports. 
• However, with the help of automated testing tools, the use of Test Suites again and again gets easier and hence the developers can easily get through the process without worrying about anything.
• Automated testing tools can be a huge test suite saver. Running through test cases manually is often tedious and error prone. This has led to the rise of software testing tools aimed at making testing easier, faster and more effective. 

Recording your test cases is also a good way to understand your business domain. The test cases capture the information that reflects your understanding of the business domain. When later you come across a discrepancy between what the business wants and what you’re building, you can easily readjust these test cases and bring your product back on track.

LambdaTest is a cloud-based cross browser testing platform where high-end test automation on the cloud helps you speed up your releases. It provides a wide range of frameworks and tools integration for web testing and appautom ation, such as Selenium, Cypress, Playwright, Puppeteer, Taiko, Appium, Espresso, XCUITest, and more

Wrapping Up

Organizations should use automated testing tools in all phases of their software development lifecycles. These tools can not only save you time but also deliver a higher quality product, while increasing the overall benefits that the organization receives. They not only reduce your testing costs but their effectiveness can be measured and analyzed as well, helping you to improve on both the process and overall software health. Automated testing tools reduce the cost and complexity of software testing, allowing developers to make faster progress with more confidence. 

If you’re into industrial Internet of Things, eCommerce, big data, mobile applications or even cloud computing, you’ll find test automation tools in the market. However, they are costly and require a considerable amount of time to implement and maintain. Hence, if your product is still under development and isn’t yet generating revenues, you can opt for tools that have been developed as one-time investment products or open-source tools. Furthermore, the testing makes sure that the product is made according to the user’s point of view and hence the features in it are developed accordingly.