The top 10 benefits of Test Automation

Gartner placed Hyperautomation amongst the top technology trends for this year. We are moving toward a future of everything-autonomous and everything-fast. In order to match the pace of this fast-moving ecosystem, software delivery times will have to be accelerated, but not at the cost of quality. As ‘quality at speed’ becomes an imperative, testing and quality assurance get an important seat at the table. For fulfilling the demands for faster time to market and exceptional quality, test automation will assume priority. 

It is becoming necessary for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to automate their testing processes. Let us understand the key benefits that test automation brings along: 

The key benefits of test automation 

Test automation increases the overall software efficiency and ensures robust software quality. There are specific tools that can effectively execute automated test cases and help in comparing actual and expected results. In this manner, test automation can guarantee software proficiency without involving repeated and manual intervention. One of the biggest business perks of test automation is that it can be implemented time and again with minimal effort and maximum accuracy. 

1. Faster feedback: Automated testing comes as a relief for validation during various phases of a software project. This improves communication between coders, designers, and product owners, and allows immediate rectification of potential glitches. Automated testing assures higher efficiency of the development team by facilitating quick feedback cycles. 
2. Accelerated results: Owing to the quick implementation of automated testing, plenty of time is saved even for intricate and enormous systems. This allows for the testing to be carried out repeatedly, delivering faster results each time with lesser effort and time. 
3. Reduced business expenses: It is of no surprise that, while the initial investment may be on the higher side, automated testing saves companies many a penny. This is predominantly due to the sharp drop in the amount of time required to run tests. It contributes to a higher quality of work, thereby decreasing the necessity for fixing glitches after release, thereby reducing project costs. 
4. Testing efficiency improvement: Testing takes up a significant portion of the overall application development lifecycle. This goes to show that even the slightest improvement of the overall efficiency can make an enormous difference to the entire timeframe of the project. Although the setup time takes longer initially, automated tests eventually take up significantly lesser amount of time. They can be run virtually unattended, leaving the results to be monitored toward the end of the process. 
5. Higher overall test coverage: Through the implementation of test automation, higher number of tests can be executed pertaining to an application. This leads to a higher coverage, which in a manual testing approach would imply a massive team, limited heavily with their amount of time. An increased test coverage leads to testing more features and a higher quality of application. 
6. Reusability of automated tests: Due to the repetitive nature of test cases in test automation, software developers have the opportunity to assess program reaction, in addition to the relatively easy configuration of their setup. Automated test cases are reusable and therefore, can be utilized through different approaches. 
7. Earlier detection of defects: The documentation of software defects becomes considerably easier for the testing teams. This helps increase the overall development speed while ensuring correct functionality across areas. The earlier a defect is identified, the more cost-effective it is to fix the glitch. 
8. Thoroughness in testing: Testers tend to have different testing approaches, and their focus areas could vary due to their exposure and expertise. With the inclusion of automation, there is a guaranteed focus on all areas of testing, thereby assuring best possible quality. 
9. Faster time-to-market: Test Automation greatly helps reduce the time-to-market of an application by allowing constant execution of test cases. Once automated, the test library execution is faster and runs longer than manual testing. 
10. Information security: The effectiveness of testing will be largely dependent on the quality of the test data you use. Manually creating quality test data takes time and as a result, testing is often performed on copies of live databases. Automation solutions can help with creating, manipulating, and protecting your test database, allowing you to re-use your data time and again. The time and cost savings in this area are potentially huge. 

To sum up 

The most promising aspect of the test automation process is the value it adds to all of the stakeholders involved. It improves brand image, generates higher revenue, increases brand recall, and ensures higher customer retention. As a result, there is an increase in the investment on product research and process innovation, thereby helping the organization to scale new heights and establish superiority in the market. 

This will eventually yield in permanent fixes of issues being faced by the organization and will help raise industry standards altogether. It is up to business leaders to recognize the importance of quality assurance, and ultimately make it a part of the core business strategy. Employees need to be effectively trained and explained the necessity of quality assurance as well as the advantages of test automation. 

In essence, it can be established that automated testing results in cost reduction, time and effort saving, quicker feedback, consistency, and quicker results, thereby directly contributing to increase in productivity and leading to maximization of profits. Advantages such as these can make all the difference as SMEs constantly endeavor to gain a sustainable competitive advantage. They can directly contribute to the success level of the enterprise. 

Although test automation is hugely recommended, not all organizations readily embrace it in its entirety. A huge reason for this is the initial cost that comes with the configuration of the automated testing process. In addition, most organizational leaders tend to overlook this aspect and continuously place the issue on the back-burner. There is a certain resistance to change that they face before implementing it, sprouting from a place of fear, uncertainty, and doubt. 

Businesses still need to be cautious while approaching test automation vendors when dealing with test automation, irrespective of the benefits. Here at Cigniti, our automation is highly customized and can cover more than 50% of the testing process. With Agile testing and DevOps methodologies being widely followed in the IT industry, we guarantee that you can start to automate the testing even with a minimum viable product. We respect the budget constraints of our customers and we have plans and tools suitable for investment by phase. Talk to us today!