QA Automation as a Key to Avoid Problems with Software in Production

Consider a scenario in which you design with the greatest architecture available, and have a development dream team, and the best designers, but for some reason, you don’t employ any qa automation. That may indeed be the case. Consider a scenario in which your product is constantly being improved and changes every sprint, month, etc. Your manual QA department or developers do manual testing exclusively (which is rarely enough in most circumstances) to verify these changes. Your application continues to grow. 

Your manual engineers must now manually cover an increasing number of areas. Regression testing should also be performed after each sprint to make sure the new features are operational and the old ones have not been impacted. Do you understand what I’m saying? With time, the amount of work required to manually perform regression will prevent your manual QA specialists from doing so. 

The partially included automated process, I can say the same: it just doesn’t work. Due to the dynamic nature of your application, you may unintentionally alter or damage current functionality, in which case outdated automation code won’t operate. Get it right away? You can check out our QA automation training and placement program to learn more. 

We could keep giving similar examples forever, but it’s obvious that the fundamental benefit of automation is found in the distinction between manual and automated testing. 

So let’s attempt to focus on the most important details: the dangers of using manual QA solely for projects that are constantly expanding.

1. Time-consuming Manual Testing 

A lot of human interaction is necessary for manual testing. Each test must be manually run, and the outcomes must also be carefully analysed. When testing complicated apps or big codebases, this can be very difficult. Human error can also occur during manual testing, such as failing to notice a flaw or carrying out a test case improperly. 

2. Failure to catch all Defects 

The capacity of manual testing to find all flaws in a software application is frequently constrained. It is impractical, if not impossible, to manually test every conceivable case. This implies that there is always a chance that a flaw won’t be discovered until it’s too late. 

3. Lack of Scalability

The number of tests necessary to make sure the program functions as intended increases as the codebase expands and new features are introduced. Because of this, manual testing may become a significant development process bottleneck. 

4. High Chance of Human Error.

Human mistakes are common in manual testing. QA engineers are susceptible to errors, faults being missed, and improper test case execution. Defects might then get it through testing and into production, which would lower customer satisfaction and reduce revenue.

5. Increased Costs

Manual testing is generally more expensive than automated testing. More people, money, time, and documentation are needed for the primer. Additionally, manual testing takes longer, which might increase development expenses and postpone the delivery of the product. 

6. Limited Test coverage

Manual QA experts can only test a certain number of scenarios because they can only execute a finite number of test cases at a time. Defects may thus go unnoticed until they are found by customers. 

7. Inconsistent Test results

QA engineers may run the same test case more than once and obtain various results because of human error, variations in testing environments, or changes to the codebase. Confusion and delays in the development process can emerge from inconsistent test results.

How Automated Testing Deals with Disadvantages of Manual Testing 

It is not necessary to go into great detail with examples to demonstrate how to tackle these issues. I believe I made my case, but let’s look at a more thorough justification for why QA automation in software development is advantageous. 

1. Improved Speed and Efficiency

Testing may be sped up and made more effective via automation. QA may be completed more quickly and an application’s release can happen more quickly with automated testing than with human testing. 

2. Early defect detection

Automated testing makes it possible to detect flaws early in the development cycle, lowering the likelihood that they will enter production. Automated tests may be run often and reliably, making it simpler to detect any potential flaws one may miss during manual testing. 

3. Improved Scalability and Test Coverage

By enabling QA engineers to run a lot of test cases quickly, automation can increase scalability and increase test coverage. As the codebase expands, this can assist guarantee that the application is adequately tested and scalable. 

4. Lessening of Human Error Risk

Human error is less likely to occur when testing is automated. If we’re talking about CI/CD in automated testing, an AQA engineer can schedule tests to begin at the desired time or when changes are made to the code. Such tests reduce the possibility of human error when carried out consistently and in accordance with preset scripts.

5. Lower Costs

While creating the test scripts for automated testing may need an initial investment, overall costs are reduced. Compared to manual tests, automated tests can be run more quickly and consistently while using fewer resources. Long-term costs can be decreased and the development process sped up by doing this. 

6. Consistent Test Results

By running the same scripts again and generating the same results each time, automation can produce consistent test results. Confusion and delays in the development process are decreased as a result. 

7. Better Quality

Test automation can improve software application quality by exhaustively testing the program and spotting flaws early. This can ensure that the app satisfies the users’ needs and expectations. 

Automated Testing in Different Product Areas 

Now that we are more aware of how automated testing operates, we can respond to the “why” queries: Why is it necessary to include automated testing in an SDLC? Why does it need to be carefully planned? Why is it so crucial to consider these issues before release rather than after? Finally, I’ll briefly describe how test automation functions in your industry and how it might be useful. 

• Marketing and Advertising: Marketing and advertising campaigns, including email marketing, social media advertising, landing sites, etc., can be tested using test automation. The effectiveness of links, the accuracy of form submissions, and the overall user experience may all be checked using automated tests.

• Human Resources: Automated testing can be used to examine HR software and solutions for hiring, onboarding, performance evaluation, etc. The tests can confirm that candidate data is entered into the system accurately, that users can log in and access their data, and that performance management routines are operating as intended. 

• Mental Health Care: Test automation can make it easier for you to examine applications for mental health care including teletherapy platforms, online counselling services, and mental health management systems. Automated testing can be performed to check the platform’s security, patients’ ability to log in and access their sessions, and the efficiency of the invoicing and payment processes.

• Retail: Automated testing is frequently used for retail applications, including point-of-sale systems, inventory management software, and e-commerce platforms. Such tests help you to check that the platform is user-friendly, payment and shipping operations execute as planned, and inventory levels are accurate. 

• E-Commerce: Online marketplaces, payment gateways, shopping cart software, and other e-commerce systems can all be developed using test automation. Automated testing can be used to check that the platform is safe, that the payment and delivery procedures work well, and that users can quickly identify and buy the products they want.

Conclusion 

If you discover dust behind your sofa after a cleaning firm has cleaned up your home, what would you think of them? Will you give them another call later? The same is true of software: your face is the quality of your product. Software testing automation makes it possible to produce high-quality results with little effort. Check out our QA training to learn more.