The benefits of employing automated testing for mobile apps during product development are numerous; increased test coverage, faster releases, frequent execution of test and faster feedback to the development team are a few to name. Nevertheless most organizations are yet to make the move with many of them defying to invest in test automation.
We would unveil a few common myths associated with test automation and how they prevent firms from taking the plunge.
1. Test automation is here to replace manual testing
Manual testing and automation testing are two different branches of the testing process. These processes do not dominate each other but together form efficient and effective testing processes. Either of them cannot replace each other. While manual testing is an absolute essential, automation testing follows suit to embody the perspective.
The debate on which testing procedure, whether manual or automated, dictates the current trends to accomplish an efficient testing process is futile because these procedures together form and set standards for resourceful testing methodology.
2. Immediate ROI from automation
Test automation is a huge investment because of the various costs involved in developing, maintaining and operations. However, one has to be cautious while treading this path in order to make it a good investment with better returns.
3. Automation testing aids in finding more bugs
It is the test case that finds bugs and not the test scripts.
4. All test cases can be automated
There is a cost factor associated with automating each test case. One has to weigh these against manual costs for performing the cases. Besides product maturity is another factor that needs to be considered. Differentiating the impact of product changes taking into account the maintenance cost without overshadowing the benefits of test automation is vital.
5. Anyone can automate
Scripting is nothing but a software code. Thereby one has to be equipped with development skills backed with having a software engineering approach. Thus not everyone can automate because scripting in a computer language is different from crafting a test case.
Test automation is an investment for the future. It takes time and requires the right expertise to develop and maintain test automation frameworks and scripts. Besides it is also not a one-time effort where you let run a solution and deliver the outcome. Automation needs regular monitoring and also needs to be timely updated.
Instead of aspiring to replace manual testing or expecting automated checks to find all the flaws and defects, we need to rather embrace the benefits test automation can bring. It adds value to a QA’s job by liberating their time and aiding them perform more exploratory testing or creating data for manual testing.This can majorly help in the mobile app development process.
Setting up realistic expectation and understating the drawbacks is important to overcome the myth associated with test automation.
