With expectations around quality and time-to-market soaring, test automation is on every QA team's mind. Effective test automation allows them to accelerate the testing lifecycle while also improving the quality, functionality, and reliability. But that doesn't mean they need to aim for 100% test automation.
100% Test Automation - Is That Needed?
With thousands of new apps and products being launched every day, testing teams are busy conducting different types and levels of testing. Since robust and rigorous testing has to be done before products are released to the public, automated testing is helping teams speed up the testing process and meet the quality and time-to-market expectations.
When it comes to enabling test automation, one cannot aim for 100% automation. Here's how the ideal way of approaching it:
- You identify your testing requirements
- Gather the required budget (and approvals), and
- Curate a test automation framework with necessary test cases and test suites for 100% coverage.
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Do not start with the aim of 100% test automation. Automation only works well on stable parts of an application. However, in today's real-world scenario, every app goes through an array of changes. This depends on various factors, including evolving market trends, customer feedback, defect reports, competitive pressures, and more. Constantly creating new test automation suites and maintaining scripts is time-consuming and also extremely expensive.
SUGGESTED READ - What is Test Automation? Types of Automation Testing
Why 100% Test Automation Is Not Advisable
Everyone in the software development world is talking about test automation these days. But only some realize the need or understand the benefits fully. Before taking the test automation leap, it is important to ponder over a few questions:
- Do you really need test automation?
- Do you have the right test automation strategies in place?
- Do you have the resources to work on your test automation project?
- Have you secured enough budget for test automation?
- Have you invested in the required tools/technologies?
100% test automation might sound good in theory. However, in practice, it might not result in the intended benefits. Let's look at five reasons why aiming for 100% test automation is not advisable:
1. Test Automation Tools Do Not Work Well with Legacy Software
Legacy software is often built with proprietary code and custom controls. But most test automation software packages have little or no idea how to deal with these controls. Having someone write code to manipulate these custom controls is not an easy task. Not only is it expensive, but it is also a futile exercise.
2. You Do Not Need to Test Every Aspect of Your Software
When you aim for 100% test automation, you end up unnecessarily testing every aspect of your software under test. Even those aspects that just do not need any testing. For example, in every test cycle, there is no need to test the background color of the app window or dialog box. To test such features, you only need to run the test once – but test automation will end up testing it again and again – adding no value to your test outcomes.
3. Not All Bugs Can Be Resolved via Automation
You might want to deliver a premium user experience to your customers, but remember, not all bugs are created equal. For example, a small typo will not impact the user experience the same way a security loophole would.
4. 100% Test Automation Might Drain Your Budget
If you think 100% test automation can result in a 100% bug-free code, think again. Yes, test automation can indeed and will improve the quality of your code, but it's also important to ask, "at what cost?". Aiming for 100% automation – especially for simple code - can drain your budget, leaving you with little or no money for other critical QA tasks.
5. A Decent Level of Manual Intervention Is Still Needed
Since any software is constantly in a state of change, it makes more sense to focus on the value your product delivers or the ROI it generates. There are several features and logic that need human verification and validation. Therefore, instead of aiming for 100% test automation coverage, you must understand your appetite for risk based on the type of software we are developing.
6. Automated UI Testing Is Not Easy
User expectations change all the time. To keep up, QA teams have to revamp the UI constantly. This means they must constantly maintain test automation. Unfortunately, there is no simple way around this. Since automated tests will only blindly follow a path covering pre-determined user behaviors, they cannot accurately verify how a human will interact with the application.
Test Automation Tips from the ACCELQ Team
If you've been in the QA business, you might have heard and experienced that implementing a test automation framework can bring ROI to the organization. But that doesn't mean you should target to achieve 100% automation.
As a company that has been helping organizations achieve comprehensive and continuous test automation, ACCELQ knows what it takes to drive the best outcomes. If you want to make the most of test automation, you need to:
- Focus on automating tests that are repetitive and require substantial manual test execution effort
- Take a risk-based approach to test automation; focus on the most critical pieces of software that need automation to generate the best returns.
- Invest in a codeless, cloud-based tool that makes designing and executing tests a cakewalk – without having to spend time writing countless lines of code
- Uncover ways in which you can seamlessly enable test automation across your enterprise tech stack – using a single, unified platform
- Use a combination of manual and automation testing for effective development and delivery.
Reach out to us to learn about our codeless test automation tool and how you can leverage the many features to drive the best test automation outcomes for your business.
Nidhi Achhaa | Content Specialist at ACCELQ
Nidhi specializes in technology-based content and strives to create a unique, customized, and compelling piece with a flavor of SEO. A writer with a love for words and a storyteller at heart.
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