Digital software is now deeply ingrained in business operations in a way that they have become a major need for survival. The business success quotient relies on user experience, performance, security, and stability that software offers. That’s why businesses favor software testing companies for testing purposes to get quality, bug-free software delivered.
The growing need for quality delivery despite diverse hardware, software, and network configurations is uplifting the testing needs in the market. This is why the software testing market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 15.37% during 2022-2028.
Various types of testing are performed by software development companies to ensure high-performant, secure software delivery. However, when there’s a need to build the software in reduced time, testing timelines are automatically trimmed.
The high volume of repetitive manual testing increases the workload and even major bugs or issues remain uncaught.
The need for speed, efficiency, high test coverage, accuracy, and reusability has made businesses favor automation testing rather than manual testing.
Automation testing involves using specialized tools and scripts to automate the execution of test cases and compare the actual results with the expected results. Instead of manually running each test case, a tester writes test scripts that can perform the testing automatically.
It makes perfect sense to transition from manual to automation testing or strike the right balance between automation and manual testing. In this blog, we will discuss extensively how the testing team can ensure a smooth transition from manual to automated testing. Let’s dive in!
8-step process to transition from manual to automation testing
Transitioning from manual to automated testing can be a significant change for a software testing team. Here are the steps to help you smoothly make this transition:
Understand the Scope and define goals
Start by understanding the scope of the software application and the areas where automation can be most beneficial. Not all aspects of testing need to be automated, so identifying the right areas to make the transition more focused. Also, define clear goals for the automation testing effort and establish key performance metrics to measure the effectiveness of automation.
Choose the Right Tools
Research and choose appropriate automation testing tools based on your software product’s technology stack, project requirements, testing goals, and team expertise. Popular choices include Selenium WebDriver, Appium, Cypress, and JUnit for Java projects. Also, ensure the team has a good understanding of the selected automation tools and frameworks.
Identify Test Cases for Automation
Start by selecting test cases that are repetitive, time-consuming, and stable. Automated tests are ideal for tasks that need to be executed frequently and consistently, but you should define the test types such as acceptance testing, regression testing, and API testing that need to be automated.
Create a test Automation Framework
Design a test automation framework that includes reusable components, libraries, and utilities. The framework should provide a structured approach to writing, organizing, and executing automated test cases. Thereafter, begin building test scripts using the automation tool and the chosen programming language. Try focusing on creating modular, maintainable, and scalable test scripts.
Run Tests
Automation allows the execution of tests in parallel, significantly reducing the overall test execution time. Configure automation setup to take advantage of parallel execution capabilities. Also, don’t forget to integrate your automation tests into the CI/CD pipeline to automatically trigger test execution on code changes. This ensures quick feedback on code quality.
Maintenance and Updates
Automated tests require regular maintenance to keep them up-to-date with the software application changes. Create a process to update the test scripts whenever there are changes to the software. Gathering feedback from testers helps improve the automation process continually.
Gradual Transition
Plan for a gradual transition from manual to automation testing. Start with a smaller set of automated tests and expand coverage gradually to build confidence in the automation process.
Measure and Improve
Continuously measure the benefits of automation testing against your defined metrics. Identify areas for improvement and invest time in enhancing the automation suite. When the best practices and knowledge are shared among team members, it encourages the team to use and improve automation testing.
By following these steps and being patient with the learning curve, the team can successfully transition from manual to automated testing, improving the overall efficiency and reliability of the software testing process.
Conclusion
Software testing has become an inescapable step of software development that largely decides the business destiny. When there’s a need for a quick software launch, testing requires to be done at a speed and efficiently, but a lot of software testing myths around make the team skip this step. That’s where automation testing can help in getting bug-free software with no missed deadlines followed by a range of benefits. The 8-step guide would help in seamlessly transitioning from manual to automated testing.
Well, both manual and automated testing have their place in the testing process. For small projects or exploratory testing, manual testing might be more appropriate. Hire manual software testers if user experience, human intuition, and short-term projects are required to be tested, and early feedback needs to be identified.
On the other hand, for large, complex projects with repetitive testing needs, automation testing can bring significant benefits. In many cases, a combination of both types of testing (using a balanced testing strategy) can yield the best overall results, ensuring comprehensive test coverage, efficient testing processes, and improved software quality. It’s best to consult the software testing team to know where to use and how to use the combination of manual and automation testing followed by a smooth transition.
EuroSTAR Huddle shares articles from our community. Check out our library of online talks from test experts and come together with the community in-person at the annual EuroSTAR Software Testing Conference. The EuroSTAR Conference has been running since 1993 and is the largest testing event in Europe, welcoming 1000+ software testers and QA professionals every year. We also have a new Test Automation Conference – AutomationSTAR taking place in Germany.
