The benefits of automated testing in software development

Automated testing is the implementation of software tools to automate human-driven manual testing. It is a process of reviewing, testing and authenticating a software product. It is used to compare outcomes with expected results.

WHY IS AUTOMATED TESTING IMPORTANT?

The essence of automated testing is to enhance productivity, quality and efficiency throughout the software lifecycle. Its ability to manage large applications accounts for its necessity among the numerous advantages it provides.

SKILLS REQUIRED FOR AUTOMATED TESTING

Mastering a diverse set of skills is important in executing automated testing which includes: a strong background in programming which encompasses languages such as Java, and Python, alongside a deep understanding of software development and QA (Quality Assurance) processing. Another important skill is analytical thinking and the ability to pay keen attention to details.

Difference between manual testing and automated testing.

However, manual testing was the norm before automated testing came into play. Manual testing involves testing the software for issues by engaging with it without automation tools and scripts. It also involves the human effort to write, execute and record test cases alongside outcomes.

TYPES OF AUTOMATED TESTING 

Automated testing consists of a number of types, each serving a different purpose in the software development cycle. Here, are the commonly used types:

• Unit testing: This involves testing the functionality of individual units of codes to ensure each program works as expected.

• Integration testing: integration tests verify that multiple components or systems interact as expected.

• End to end testing: this test simulates real human scenarios to test how the entire application functions in a production-like environment.

• Acceptance/ UI testing: this type of test interacts with the user interface to ensure that the system behaves as expected by the user.

1. Performance testing: performance tests assess the speed, responsiveness and stability of an application under different conditions such as different load levels.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF AUTOMATED TESTING IN SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT?

Automated testing offers many benefits that significantly enhance the software development process. Among the numerous, here are but a few important benefits:

• Better coverage: with automated tests, it is easier to cover more test cases than the manual testers  can possibly manage. This ensures that a wider range of potential challenges can be highlighted before the software reaches the end users.
• Cost effectiveness: Although automated tests require an initial investment during setup, over time the cost of repetitive manual testing is reduced.
• Early bug detection: automated testing plays a vital role in detecting bugs early thereby giving developers a chance to pinpoint and address issues before they become more challenging and complex. Bugs are detected earlier by leveraging tools, scripts and frameworks; by doing so there is also room for improving the software quality and reducing the cost of fixing bugs in later stages.

• Speed and efficiency : Automated testing can execute thousands of test cases in comparison to the amount of time it would take to carry out manual testing. Also, the ability of automated testing to run parallel testing; where multiple tests can be run simultaneously, reduces the time needed to perform extensive test scenarios.

• Reusability of test scripts: one of the outstanding benefits of automated testing is its ability to reuse scripts for different scenarios. This is done by parameterization of data that allows input of variable values to be passed without rewriting the scripts for each test case. Test scripts can also be reused through the modular test script design that allows a combination of several test scenarios.

• Improved testing accuracy and reduced errors:When using automated testing, the automated tools create comprehensive logs and reports that establish test results while highlighting failures together with the reasons for errors in the results. This enables the developers to address highlighted errors with better clarity on how to improve accuracy.

• Gives faster feedback loop: Automated testing provides consistent information on the quality of codes, their functionality and performance. This overall boosts the productivity in the work performance of developers in team projects and development processes.

CHALLENGES ENCOUNTERED USING AUTOMATED TESTING 

High initial setup costs: setting up an automated test framework requires a significant amount of resources and effort especially when creating a comprehensive testing suite for complex applications. Also, test scripts need to be updated as changes are to be reflected such as new features or UI changes.

Not all tests can be automated: some tests require complex user interactions that are difficult to replicate using automation tools. Other times, some tests require human expertise and human intuition that can not be simply automated.

False positives and false negatives result: tests may indicate a positive result (false positive) when the software is functioning correctly indicating a failure where there is none. There may also be negative results when the software is defected indicating false functionality(false negatives).

Tooling and learning curve: developers always  need tools and  there are so many tools which can be overwhelming to select a tool that aligns with a particular test. It can also be demanding in cost to acquire a tool.

BEST PRACTICES FOR AUTOMATED TESTING 

• Write clear tests that are understable and easy to maintain with a clear understanding of the purpose and function.
• Keep the tests small and focused by focusing on one thing at a time to easily detect potential problems in future.
• Run tests frequently to detect issues early on.
• Test in isolation from external dependencies to avoid flaky tests.
• Use mocks and stubs to stimulate external dependencies to run tests consistently and frequently.
• Prioritize tests by ranking them from critical tests to end to end tests for core functionality.
• Each test should be run independently of the other without depending on the other for functionality

TOOLS AND FRAMEWORKS FOR AUTOMATED TESTING 

Automated testing tools and frameworks are essential in providing functionality designed for each need. Below are some significant frameworks:

1. Unit testing framework: this type of framework makes provision for  predefined structures used in creating test cases. Examples; Jest, Mocha and Jasmine.
2. Integration and API testing framework: supports building enterprise solutions. Example is Postman, Cypress.
3. UI testing framework: creates tests for visually appealing user interface for users. Examples; Cypress, Playwright, Appium.
4. Performance testing framework: evaluate user load under various conditions. Examples; Apache jmeter and Gatling.
5. Continuous integration testing framework: automated testing in deployment pipelines. Examples; Travis Cl, Github Actions and Jenkins.

Examples of tools for automated testing are selenium, cypress and Katalon Studio (functional testing tools).

INTEGRATING AUTOMATED TESTS INTO A CI/CD PIPELINE 

Continuous integration (CI): this has to do with developers constantly merging code changes into a shared repository.

Continuous Deployment(CD): this focuses on deploying high quality builds to production.

TEST DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT AND BEHAVIOUR DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT

Test Driven Development( TDD): is a software development that emphasizes on writing the tests before applying the codes. This a rundown on the mechanism:

• Write a test that defines what to be implemented
• Run the test
• Write the code essential to pass the test
• Run the test to check for functionality
• Refactor for optimization
• Repeat the cycle for each new features

Behaviour Driven Tests(BDD): Behavior Driven Test is an extension of TDD(Test Driven Development) that consists of the collaboration of testers, developers and non-technical stakeholders.The aim of BDD is to understand the application from a user’s perspective.

This is how it works;

• Behavior focus; by specifying the behavior of the system from the user’s perspective. This specifications are written in a natural language such as “ Give-when- then”
• Automation of the tests; by technical and nontechnical team members.
• Continuous development of the application
• Feedback loop for further improvement and development

COMMON PITFALLS TO AVOID IN AUTOMATED TESTING 

• Overautomating: this usually happens when there is an attempt to automate every possible test case including those that could be easily manually tested. This can be avoided by automating only high value and high frequency tests.

• Flaky tests: a flaky tests is a test that creates inconsistent results even though the the underlying code is constant. This could be avoided by running tests with mock and stub alongside a controlled environment where resolving them is prioritized.

• Not updating tests during code changes: this leads to broken tests and incorrect coverage. This can be avoided by adopting test driven practices and enforcing code reviews

THE FUTURE OF AUTOMATED TESTING IN:

• Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: the evolution of automated testing allows Test case generation which minimizes manual efforts and speeds up the process of development of comprehensive test suites. Artificial intelligence will make automated testing faster and efficient while enhancing the adaptation to application changes.

• Low code testing: the use of low code tools will reduce the barrier for testing automation leading to wider adoption and faster delivery of software.

• Shift left testing : this refers to the early  testing in the software development cycle. This has significantly brought changes by delivering faster and high quality changes.

In today’s world where customer expectations are over the rooftop, automated testing is not just a luxury, but a need. In adopting Automated testing, there would be improved reliability and the ability to execute multiple tests while reducing the occurrence of errors and absolute precision.