Software testing has seen many revolutions and dramatic changes. Each of these changes has left a mark on the work culture of the industry. Automation testing is one of those revolutionary changes that had completely turned the industry upside down. Its massive advantages changed the application development ethics forever. For instance, automation testing helped to bring down the app testing period to just under 2 days. Previously, the developers spend over 5days completing this process. These were the times when the developers used complete manual test cases. However, the developers cannot overlook certain sets of challenges that come with automation testing. These challenges can be frustrating for all the developers who are new to this industry.
With the help of this article, we’ll try to explore all the common challenges faced during automation testing. We will also try to find simple solutions that can help you to solve these issues. However, before that, we need to have a proper understanding of all the basic concepts of automation testing.
The Basics of Automation Testing
The concept of Automation Testing is very simple. It is the process of conducting multiple test cases with the help of predefined automation scripts. The developers can customize these test scripts according to all the factors that they will consider during the testing process. One of the major advantages of Automation Testing is the easy maintenance of test scripts. It also allows the developers to reuse a massive portion of existing test cases on other development projects as well. However, one of the major drawbacks of automation testing is the initial investment charges. This is also one of the major reasons why individual creators and startup companies are still hesitant about this wonderful Technology. One thing that a company must remember is that automation Technology will return 10 times the initial investment over the long run.
Primary Areas that Benefit from Test Automation
To realize the full potential of test automation, the developers must be aware of the core areas that can benefit from it the most. For this process, the deciding factor will be the return on investment. The higher return on investment, the more chances of earning a profit for a company. Multiple researchers claim that small and individual test cases benefit the most from automation testing. Based on these claims, let us look at three of the most beneficial testing processes for automation testing:
Unit Testing: Performing test cases in bulk is often frustrating and creates unnecessary complexities. So, one of the common practices in the Automation Testing industry is to divide various components of the web application into small fragments. These fragments are commonly known as units of a web app. Experts believe that unit testing provides the highest return on investment.
Regression Testing: Regression of a web application consists of all the repetitive elements that are present in it. This means that with every updated version, the total amount of regression will continue to rise. Performing regression testing with manual test cases is not only time-consuming but also exhausting. So, the developers can benefit a lot by introducing automation test cases in this segment.
Data-Driven Testing: In this test, the developer has to analyze the change in behaviour of the web application according to user interaction. It helps to understand how a web application reacts to various sets of data. The Automation testers can use conditional automation test cases in this segment.
How can tools Improve the Test Automation Experience
Various automation tools and frameworks can help the developers to simplify Automation Testing processes. However, developing companies must be careful while choosing the perfect tool for the company. This is because the wrong selection can negatively affect the testing capabilities of a developing environment. The developers can use various factors to understand the requirements for the tool selection process. For instance, it is a good idea to understand the requirements of the particular development budget and also the preferences of the developing team. Having a proper idea about the modern Automation Testing trends can also influence this process. We can use the example of Lamdatest to understand the role of a test automation tool or platform.
It is a platform that uses cloud-based services for verifying the cross-browser compatibility of web applications. Using this platform the developers can run tests on Virtual machines, emulators and real devices. It also helps to ensure the peak performance of native web applications and local web pages. LambdaTest offers live and automated browser testing across an online browser farm of 3000+ browsers and OS combinations.
It supports parallel testing to reduce the overall testing period for the web application. Using parallel testing the developers can initiate multiple instances at the same time. It also helps to run the testing processes on different browsers, devices and operating systems simultaneously.
Reasons for the Failure of Automation Testing and Overcoming Them
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Improper Attempts for Replacing Manual Testing
Manual testing was once the only way to verify the proper functioning of all applications and software. However, companies began to realize that it was an exhausting and time-consuming process. Various studies have also proved that manual testing harmed the mind of the developers thereby affecting their innovative ideas. Thus, companies started replacing manual testing with automation testing. However, the superiority of Automation Testing left a negative impact on the minds of the developers. They began to think that Automation Testing will completely replace manual testing in the software development life cycle. In reality, it’s practically impossible to conduct all the testing processes with automation testing alone. This is because certain testing processes are completely dependent on human interaction. The two best examples of these testing processes are exploratory testing and visual testing.
Exploratory testing is completely dependent on the knowledge and experience of a human developer. In this form of testing, he has to find out all the critical errors in the web application. These errors are often overlooked by the automation test cases. On the other hand, visual testing involves verifying the proper placement of all the media elements on the web. The media elements of a web application can include images, videos and gifs. Automation testers must remember that they have to maintain a proper balance between automation testing and manual testing. They should also choose the tools that help them to combine both of these testing processes.
2.Not Having a Clear Idea About the test Priorities
Testing parameters is one of the important aspects that will have a direct impact on the quality of the web application. Most of the new testers mistreat this process and put a high value on irregular test cases including the low-value use cases. The new testers also put an unnecessary value on irregular test cases. These test cases are unnecessary as they do not have any link with the core functioning of the application. The logical explanation for this process is that the developers want to show good progress during the early steps of the development project. However, in the long run, it will have massive negative impacts on the proper functioning of the web application.
To solve this process the developers should consider the benefit of the business in the long run. They should align proper tools and priorities that can help them to achieve this goal.
3. Ignoring the Importance of CI/CD Pipeline
The primary objective of continuous delivery and continuous integration is to ensure a steady and quick delivery process for the company. It also ensures that different teams of the developing project can work in close coordination. Using this process, a developer can test all the changes in the web application quickly during the development process. Thus, they can roll out the final web application to the end-users in a short period. The developers should integrate automation testing in this process. By using this feature, they can utilise the full potential of automation testing. The primary goal of CI/CD is to reduce the gap between the teams. Developers must remember that fragmentation of test processes will negatively impact the CI/CD Pipeline.
4. Maintenance of The Test Automation Cases
Test cases are the backbone of App development. It is impossible to conduct automation testing without a proper test case. For the maintenance of test cases, the developers have two primary options. They can either opt to maintain them manually or choose a tool that can update these scripts automatically. Developers must remember that the improper maintenance of test cases will harm the efficiency of the test environment. This is because the automation test cases were never created for low maintenance or no maintenance at all. This is yet another aspect that requires proper departmental training. Developers can look for tools that come with self-healing features. This feature helps to keep the test cases up to date. For instance, Lamdatest regularly monitors all the incoming changes in the core test framework. It also removes any discrepancies that remain in the main script.
5. Insufficiently Validating the Test Automation Processes
Developers should pay proper attention to the data validation process. Using this process, they can maintain a smooth functioning in the overall development environment. One of the common mistakes in the automation testing industry is the failure of validating the data during the entry-level. For example, a feature in the web application might work completely fine in the user interface. However, on a critical investigation, the developer will find it fails to bear the Data integrity at the enterprise level. A variation in this form of data can lead to drastic failure in the overall performance of the web application.
To solve this issue, the developer must create the test cases in such a way that it validates the data at every stage of the development project.
The Conclusion
Automation Testing is one of the primary pillars that supports the modern web application Development Industry. Considering the current market conditions, it is impossible to maintain a company stand without using test automation. This is because the only way to retain customers is to quickly deliver high-quality web applications. A company cannot afford to hold its customers just because of brand loyalty in the present time. So, we can easily conclude that the automation testers must have a clear understanding of this technology. They should also continue to update themselves according to the changing times. This is one of the critical factors that will ensure a successful future in the coming years.
Hi there! I’m Sethu, your go-to guy for all things tech, travel, internet, movies, and business tips. I love sharing insights and stories that make life more interesting. Let’s explore the world together, one article at a time!
