QA Automation Testing | A Brief Guide

 Software is getting more and more complicated as user demand rises. Developers are thus under increased pressure to provide new applications and upgrades quickly, yet in-depth testing is still required to find defects and guarantee software quality.

Therefore, it is not unexpected that many businesses employ automated testing to streamline processes and enhance the effectiveness of the quality assurance (QA) procedure. While manual testing is always essential, automation may help small firms and established corporations save time and money.

In this article, we'll look at automated quality assurance (QA), how it works, and how it might help your business.

What is automated QA?

The software development life cycle includes QA as a subset (SDLC). Automated testing tools are used in quality assurance (QA) to execute tests on the program under development and record the findings.

Many time-consuming procedures formerly performed by manual testers are now handled via automation testing. Additionally, it helps with continuous integration and delivery, discontinuously developing, testing, and deploying software rather than in phases.

In conventional software development, the coding and testing phases were handled separately. Nevertheless, automated QA makes testing more regular, making it simpler to identify issues as you go.

Difference between manual and automated QA testing

While human testers adhere to a written test plan and notify developers of any bugs, automated QA testing completely depends on specialized tools to carry out test cases and produce findings. Although the two approaches may coexist, each works better in a particular situation.

Manual testing is suitable for evaluating an application's user experience (UX) and look and feel, which can only be done by a human. Therefore, it is most frequently applied to newly created and ad hoc test cases with flexible criteria.

Testers' frameworks serve as the foundation for automated testing. Large-scale software testing is appropriate and is typically more accurate than manual testing. The main advantage is time savings, particularly in regression testing, which can be tiresome for manual testers.

The human testing method cannot be recorded. At the same time, automation test scripts may be used repeatedly, making automated quality assurance beneficial for repeated execution testing and subsequent development cycles. Additionally, computerized tests may be conducted continuously without human input, while you can use manual testing techniques to cross-check findings.

How does QA automated testing work?

Parallel to the software development life cycle, the automated QA testing process goes through many crucial stages.

1. Establish the scope

Consider the goals of the testing process first, then do a feasibility study. Which tests can be automated, and which ones need human intervention? Additional considerations include finance, workforce, and expertise.

2. Select a tool for automation

You must choose a tool that meets your needs, but your decision will also be influenced by the technology of the web application you are testing. There are many options for automation solutions, so weigh cost, usability, intuitiveness, and adaptability before making your decision. Ensure the QA staff is instructed to make the most of the tool.

3. Create a plan.

The QA team should develop a test plan outlining the project's strategy and end objective and select an appropriate framework for the test cases. Standards, testing equipment, and common procedures should all be included in the framework. Examples of popular test automation frameworks are data-driven, keyword-driven, linear scripting, and modular testing.

4. Create the environment:

You must establish the appropriate environment to increase test coverage across many situations. The test team will plan and keep track of environment setup tasks, including setting up hardware and software and creating test bed scripts. Consider using a company like Global App Testing to assist with this process, as it can be time-consuming.

5. Compose a play.

At this point, QA engineers will create scripts based on actual requirements and scripting standards to execute the tests. Scripts must be organized, reusable, and simple enough for a third party to comprehend.

You may write automated test scripts and test online apps across many browsers using open-source tools like Selenium WebDriver, Appium, and Android Monitor. These tools support several programming languages, including Java and Python.

6. Carry out the tests.

GUI (graphical user interface) testing and API testing are the primary methods for automating QA testing. With tools like TestComplete, GUI testing tries to replicate the user experience. For example, each iteration might test a distinct program feature or operate the same way every time.

The application programming interface is tested using APIs. It also evaluates internal and external APIs, focusing on individual components and end-to-end transactions.

We'll look at a few of the many software test types in the section after this.

7. Research and analyze

The automated program will produce a report once the tests have been run. The outcomes will demonstrate whether parts have faults or flaws and whether more testing is necessary.

Types of software test

Which software test to choose will depend on the program being tested and your development techniques. Different software tests are suited for different circumstances. You can employ some of the most well-liked approaches we've chosen alone or more frequently in combination.

Prioritizing the tests that will be executed often throughout the project makes sense when deciding which tests to automate. By automating the simplest tests, the team will have more time to focus on the more complicated tasks.

1.  Unit tests

Unit testing involves putting an application's parts (or units) through their paces to ensure they function as intended. They are among the simplest QA tests to automate since they are frequently created by the same programmers who created the unit's code.

Unit testing is specific enough to identify problems, which facilitates bug detection. In addition, because just the most recent modifications need to be corrected when a test fails, debugging is very straightforward. Typically, errors are corrected as soon as they are discovered.

2.  Integration tests

To verify how the software functions as a whole or how it interacts with hardware, integration tests handle numerous components simultaneously. For instance, it may determine whether an eCommerce software sends a purchase confirmation email to the consumer.

Instead of focusing on the already-tested unit functions, integration testing primarily examines the interfaces and information flow across the modules.

3.  Functional tests

Functional tests assess whether the program can carry out tasks described by the necessary documentation. Whether using automated tools or manual testers, you can make that the outcome is what you want.

Black-box testing methods, in which the tester is unaware of the underlying code, are used for functional testing.

4. Smoke tests

Smoke testing is another evaluation that testers employ to check the functionality of the software's core features. Because it examines the reliability of the software build, it is also known as build verification testing. Before moving on to the next round of testing, developers may immediately address any problems.

5.  End-to-end tests

This more thorough test verifies the seamless operation of all the corresponding parts throughout the software package. It emphasizes system elements that are difficult to accurately assess with smaller tests and attempts to recreate genuine user experiences.

6.  Performance tests

Performance testing is a set of non-functional tests intended to evaluate the software's responsiveness, dependability, and capacity under a certain load, such as the simultaneous usage of many users. The program must meet performance requirements, and performance-related bottlenecks must be found and fixed.

7.  Regression tests

Regression tests show that an update to the code or program hasn't negatively impacted the app's current functionalities. Before the product is made available, it entails conducting functional and non-functional tests for a final review.

What can you get from automation?

Overall, automated testing is a terrific approach to speed up the testing process and provide greater accuracy while saving your business time and money. Additionally, it allows you to increase test coverage and frees up the QA team to conduct more sophisticated testing, which results in higher-quality products.

You will still need to choose the appropriate tools and design, build, and manage the tests; automation will only handle some things for you. Also, keep in mind that manual testing will always be required to some extent.

You have the highest chance of finding numerous flaws and faults if you combine automated and manual testing. Visit the website to learn more and talk with a helpful representative. Professionals like CodeAutomation can assist you in connecting the two ways for the best results.