Getting Started with Test Automation

If you’re new to testing and test automation and aren’t sure where to begin, you’ve come to the perfect spot. You will undoubtedly gain a thorough understanding of test automation here, which will be beneficial to your new venture into test automation. This article will go over the fundamentals of testing and test automation, which will help you build a solid foundation.

Let’s begin with some software testing basics and then deep dive into test automation.

What is Software Testing?

Different Types of Testing

Testing can be categorized into four main types of testing.

• Black Box Testing
• Integration Testing
• System Testing
• Exploratory Testing

Other types of testing include white box testing, unit testing, security testing, interactive testing, end-to-end testing, and a variety of others.

Black Box Testing

The goal of black-box testing is to evaluate the behavior of apps from the standpoint of the end-user. We just focus on how the application behaves in accordance with the requirements throughout this testing. For end-users, this is how it should function. It is uninterested in the specifics of how the program works internally or at the code level.

Black box testing can be further divided into Functional Testing and Non-Functional Testing

Functional Testing

Functional testing is being carried out to ensure that the program meets the requirements. A series of test cases covering the requirement is being run to confirm the application’s functionality and that it performs as intended. Functional testing includes smoke testing, regression testing, and user acceptance testing.

Smoke Testing: Smoke testing is often referred to as a sanity test. It is frequently a subset of Regression Suite and provides the application’s whole basic functionality. This testing verifies all major functions are functioning properly, allowing for additional testing. Build Verification Testing (BVT) is one example of how it is utilized in many organizations for various goals. Sanity suites are also known for doing Ready for Business (RFB) checks.

Regression Testing: The primary goal of regression testing is to guarantee that the entire program functions as intended and that nothing breaks as a result of a new modification in a specific module. Before an application is launched, it is frequently subjected to regression testing.

User Acceptance Testing: User Acceptance Testing, or UAT, is the final and most thorough examination of an application. The goal of this testing is to evaluate functioning and usability. After the testing is over, the program is distributed to end-users for acceptance testing. End-users use the software and provide feedback if they encounter any problems. UAT is carried out on two levels:

• Alpha Testing: acceptance testing being conducted within the to same organization with limited selected users evaluate the application and provide feedback.
• Beta Testing: this testing is being conducted after Alpha Testing. Its the final phase where it is released to a limited number of end users.

Non-Functional Testing

In Non-Functional Testing, the application is evaluated on parameters other than functional requirements, such as how the application behaves when several users access it at the same time. The following are examples of Non-Functional Testing:

• Performance Testing: Performance testing examines how a system performs under various operating situations. Its purpose is to ensure that the software system has no performance bottle response timely, the software system’s speed, responsetime, stability, reliability, and stability are all examined. Some types of performance testing include load testing, stress testing, volume testing, scalability testing, and resiliency testing.
• Usability Testing: Usability Testing ensures, how easy the application is to use for its end users. In other words, is also known as user-friendly or not. It is also know as User Expthe experience (UX) Testing.
• Accessibility Testing: goal of accessibility testing is to ensure thave the application is usable y the users who has any kind of disabilities like hearing, blindness, color blindness, or old aged people. You can also include this as part of usability testing.

Integration Testing

Integration Testing is to observe application behavior when the multiple modules of the application get integrated and eliminate discrepancies if any.

System Testing

System Testing is to ensure that the entire system works according to the specification including the technical, business, and functional requirements.

Exploratory Testing

It’s a unique form of testing in which no precise test cases or requirements specifications are followed. The testing is based on how a testTos the application’s functionality. In order to find loopholes in a particular timeframe, testers investigate the program by learning its functionality.

Different Ways of Testing

There are three ways you can carry out testing –

• Manual Testing: In this way of testing, test cases are executed manually without using any automation tool.
• Automated Testing: Automated Testing is carried out using a specific test automation tool. Test cases are automated and executed with the tool.
• Continuous Testing: Continuoucontinuously applying the test automation constantly lies the test automation.

What is Test Automation?

Test Automation or Automated Testing is the testing process in which test engineers use a specific specialized test automation tool to carry out testing. Automated testing helps to improve testing coverage by automating more and more test cases. in Test Automation, automation engineers write test scripts in such a way that it carries out steps the same way as improves requirement or test cases. It is to only improve testing coverage, also helps in reducing testing cycle time as automated tests get executed faster.

Definition of Test Automation

as per Wikipedia

In software testing, test automation is the use of software separate from the software being tested to control the execution of tests and the comparison of actual outcomes with predicted outcomes. Test automation can automate some repetitive but necessary tasks in a formalized testing process already in place, or perform additional testing that would be difficult to do manually. Test automation is critical for continuous delivery and continuous testing.

Importance of Test Automation

Test Automation helps to increase testing effectiveness, improve test coverage, and reduce cycle time. The importance of test automation can be understood with the below points –

• Automated testing makes your manual tests more efficient.
• Manual testing becomes iterative and boring over time and thus becomes error-prone. Test engineers get acquainted with the same tiring steps and the chances to miss out or ignore a functionality and thus miss out on a critical bug is high.
• Automation testing minimizes the time it takes to complete a test. Because automated testing is more efficient than manual testing. As you can complete the test execution faster, the overall time taken to test the application gets reduced.
• It is because of the organization. This is due to the fact that a script created once can be made to execute an unlimited number of times. this can happen if the application remains unchanged, or with minor script modifications for the changes.
• Test automation enables testing on multiple browsers or platforms simultaneously
• Test automation can be executed in unattended mode.

Common Myth About Test Automation

Myth 1: All tests can be or should be automated

This is where everyone goes wrong. No, every test can not be automated. Even if they were, testing efficiency would substantially drop, producing unfavorable results. Test automation was never intended to completely take the place of manual testing. For the best Return on Investment(ROI), manual and automated testing must work together.

Myth 2: Automation testing is better than Manual

There will always be a test in which you will need to manually intervene. It’s very difficult to say you are 100% automated. Automated and Manual testing complement each other, not replace. Although the majority of automated tests are highly developed and capable of carrying out complex processes, their usefulness is constrained.

Myth 3: Automated Testing is expensive and losing faith in it quickly

Many companies tend to think that automation testing will pay off right away. While this is true for some businesses, the majority must wait months or even years to see real results. A proper implementation roadmap, well-defined testing methods and frameworks, suitable automation technologies, practical testing objectives, and quantifiable success KPIs are necessary. Test automation won’t produce the anticipated ROI without these settings.

Challenges of Test Automation

1. Selecting the Right test automation tool
2. Demanding Skilled Resources
3. The high initial cost of automation and investment
4. Choosing the right testing and test automation approach

Getting Started with Test Automation

below points should be considered while/before start automating your manual functional tests –

• As mentioned earlier, Not all tests can be automated. do not strive for 100% test automation
• Decide what to automate and what not. Choose the scope wisely considering priority, effort, and ROI
• Create shorter test scenarios that are simple to reuse for upcoming software testing. Better test coverage can be achieved by mapping test cases to their associated functions.

What to Automate and What Not!

Recommended below tasks to be automated

• repetitive, manual tasks
• things with high volume
• processes prone to human error
• tasks that require several people
• time-sensitive tasks
• audit-sensitive processes

What not to Automate :

• Do not automate everything!
• Low ROI tasks
• Highly complex processes

Implementing a Test Automation Strategy

You must be certain about your test automation’s long-term and immediate aims before you begin. The road map should be presented in a clear manner, and stakeholders and upper management should be consulted. You might find some of the advice useful in defining your objective.

• Define Testing Approach and Scope
• Select the best suitable test automation tool
• Select the best suitable test automation framework
• Setup Test Automation Environement
• Risk and ROI analysis
• Test Automation Execution and Maintenance planning
• Integrations with different systems and devops pipeline
• Reporting