Inna Feshchuk in Testing

Misconceptions of the Automated Testing Debunked

Recently, automated software testing has been widely identified as game-changer for software projects. With artificial intelligence quickly gaining traction, total automation sounds like an inevitable reality.

Yet those jumping to conclusions gave birth to more common misconceptions related to the way automated testing is applied today. We`ve already debunked some of the myths about test automation. You`re most welcome to read the new.

Myth 1: Automation isn`t about cost-efficiency.

Fact. At the starting point, automated testing does require considerable investment.

Since the price covers both QA expertise and the set of required tools, the costs might be unexpectedly higher. Yet companies ripe long-term benefits of well-thought-out automation.

The point is that this approach is quite effective for the routine iterative tasks (e.g. functional checks). While manual QA takes much time to cover each test, automation helps to effectively manage human resources for the sake of more complicated and strategic goals.

It is better off to extend testing coverage, mitigate the risks of failure, and accelerate the whole quality assurance process in the long run.

Myth 2: Automated testing is more effective than manual.

Fact. These tests are different, both of them are equally crucial to achieving the desired software quality.

Despite the rise of artificial intelligence, it is still impossible to conduct a fully automated QA strategy. Usability, smoke, exploratory tests often require user-perspective and expert view on the way the software works.

Regression QA is, by contrast, a set of repeating tests, and automation helps to run them every time the software features undergo modifications. A happy medium is a key 🙂

Myth 3: Automation brings perfect software coverage.

Fact. A 100% bug-free software is a fiction, regardless of the testing type applied.

For sure, with the help of data and configurations, automated tests do increase the test coverage with a variety of browsers, operating systems, etc. In fact, automation is often a part of a full-scale QA strategy. When effectively combined with manual, the whole process leads to high-standard software quality.

Anyway, the idea of testing is to focus on the core issues that would influence business success and customer satisfaction. Some of the minor defects would never impact software performance, while critical errors are always a matter of attention for QA engineers.

Myth 4: Automated testing is a developer`s job.

Fact. Developers often do unit testing, the way to isolate the smallest piece of code and verify if it functions correctly.

Unit tests provide developers with a clear picture of a code base and enable them to introduce the required changes quickly. This is a routine part of a programming process, yet isn`t related to software testing.

The role of a QA Automation Engineer is different. Although the tests they perform do require programming and coding background, their prior task is to build automated test scripts with the help of development frameworks and tools.

The scripts would later define the errors if any. Yet don`t get frustrated if the tests find no bugs. This means a “well-done” job for the developers who have been working on your software.

Myth 5: Automation is a universal means of success.

Fact. For now, it is impossible to fully apply the automated QA strategy and reach the desired level of quality.

There is no technical alternative to the human factor, user-perspective, analytical approach that remain the key drivers of efficient software testing. Although you`ve heard about the AI advances too often recently, the test scripts work well when integrated with manual.

Today, exploratory testing is a crucial precursor to automation, since it requires an inherently biased approach to checking the software.

The truth behind automated testing is its significant contribution to software quality. However, this is not the time to consider it as the basis for a project QA strategy. We hope the myths above will help you to be informed and ripe the advantages of automated tests while working on the project quality.