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As Automation Testing is currently the emerging trend and one of the tactics that corporations use to lower the cost barrier and secure minimum leakage percentile in quality assurance, the universal questions lie upon “Why” and “How” to “From Manual to Automation Testing”.

Not as easy and simple as it appears to be, Automation Testing requires the whole transformation rather than just the transition itself. In this article, the prospects of Automation Testing and how to actualize it will be discussed.

Manual Testing is often the destination for quality control and quality assurance officers when it comes to software testing. As opposed to this, Automation Testing has been soaring in popularity with high-yielding prospects, despite many of its roadblocks and challenges.

 

Manual Testing Limitations

Manual Testing has been the most popular method of the quality assurance process in general, yet it exposes some limitations that cause many businesses to become testing-ineffective.

 

Tedious, timid and time-consuming executions

 

Manual software testing is carried out by a person sitting in front of a computer carefully going through application screens, aiming at various usage and input combinations, assessing outcomes of the expected action, and logging these observations.

 

Tests are redone often during the time of development cycles for source code adjustments, or other conditions such as changing operating environments or hardware configurations.

As in a software development life cycle, the quality assurance process has always played a vital role as this secures the well-rounded product release; hence the initial outcome of the project itself.

During software development, every developer analyzes their creations and strives for error-free scenarios. 

 

However, the reality has proven the other way round with high risks of error, and more importantly, the tedious, timid and time-consuming executions throughout the Manual Testing process.

As testers try to figure them out before the product release, they sometimes reappear no matter what they do to plan the test suites. As a result, the test executions have to be carried out in a regression manner to effectively test the software.

 

Resource-intensive process

The Manual Testing process is no easy task. It has not only unprecedented change but also a heavy emphasis on the quantity of many aspects, including:

• The data input
• The device being tested
• The popular operating system

The whole resource intensive-process of Manual Testing poses great challenges for businesses as this requires critical infrastructure with a large scope, resulting in a budget deficit.  

 

Prone to error

 

To err is human, not to mention the complexity and diversity of the testing process are always at a high level.

 

The main reason why Manual Testing is so error-prone is that the test cases might be too tedious and repetitive, causing the disinterest and focus of the testers themselves. 

One more reason for this is the misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the details of the test plans. As a result, the “cogs” in the machine now fell out of place, making the whole process dysfunctional.

With all of the factors above, the error-prone characteristics will eventually and ultimately affect the firm’s financial and reputation status.

 

Not systematic and synchronized documentation

In Manual Testing, synchronized documentation for further utility and education is not available. 

More often than not, test execution results are stored in Excel or Word files. Access to these files is restricted and not always available. The testing engineers may have difficulties in the working process, slowing down the whole operation and execution of the test cases.

 

Automation Testing Predominance

 

Software testing is the ever-evolving field of the market. It takes you to be ahead of the curve to capture the essence of the latest trends and eventually resonate with the core of your products through quality assurance.

 

Under this circumstance, Automation Testing emerges at the forefront of the software testing market, which can create and generate valuable assets for a firm. 

The 8 promising prospects of Automation Testing include:

• High yield of ROI
• Consistent regression testing
• Broad test coverage
• Accuracy and Reliability
• Faster pace
• Developers and Testers unburdened
• Reduce Human Intervention
• Records of measure quality metrics

The predominance of Automation Testing and the raise of open-source automation testing tools such as Selenium, Katalon, SoapUI, etc. encourages businesses to transition from Manual to Automation Testing.

Related articles:

How to do automation testing?

High yield of ROI

Perhaps the most important and impressive of Automation Testing is the high yield of Return on Investment.

To many business owners, the huge initial investment is an obstacle for them to implement Automation Testing. Nevertheless, it is undeniable that the investment in Automation Testing is both cost-effective and time-saving in the long run.

Testers often examine the software when changes happen in order to monitor technical quality. Whenever there is an update in the code, the software tests should be repeated. It may be analyzed on all operating systems and hardware configurations before each release of the software, which is costly and time-consuming.

 

When created, automated tests can be function and run over and over again at no additional fee. Moreover, these are much faster than normal tests. Automated software test applications can shorten the time to run repetitive checks from days to hours. That means time and resources saved are converted directly into cost savings.

 

Consistent regression testing

Regression testing is the act of running old tests to ensure that the updated software hasn’t introduced or re-introduced bugs.

The process is vital as it ensures that the validated features continue to function properly.

Over time, the test suites built in this process will grow and the amount of repetitive work builds up.

Being able to automate this can save time and reduce the amount of human work dramatically. Decreasing the amount of manual work means decreasing human error, increasing consistency; especially when it comes to large sets of tedious repetitive work.

This also means that not only do automation tests reduce the cost of running tests, but also ensure the quality of the testing process.

 

Broad test coverage

Letting machines do the work also means extending the scope and depth of tests to ensure software quality.

 

Automation tools can execute thousands of different complex test cases, providing coverage that is previously impossible with manual tests. They can look inside an application and check memory contents, file contents, data tables and internal program states to determine if the product is behaving as expected.

Even the largest QA departments cannot execute a controlled web application testing with thousands of users. However, automation tools can help simulate these virtual users interacting with the network.

This means the testers can cover more possibilities, have a better understanding of how the systems work, and later improve their performance.

 

Accuracy and Reliability

In Automation Testing, the test runs in precision according to the predefined test scripts, thus avoiding many human-related errors such as incorrect data entry.

More importantly, Automation Testing supports the programming of more sophisticated scripts to generate accurate test reports, which Manual Testing is incapable of. 

Thanks to the implementation of Automation Testing, the developers and testers are unburdened with timid, repetitive and tedious jobs, making it easier for them to focus on other aspects.

 

Faster pace

It appears that in every firm, the competition between firms not only revolves around the breakthrough of the product itself, it also depends on the time to market. 

With Automation Testing in hand, the outlook for a faster pace to put the product on the market is much more optimistic. Simultaneously, the constant pressure to release new features is also toned down as the regression testing can significantly speed up, thanks to the Automation Testing.

 

Developers and Testers unburdened

As in Manual Testing, the process and procedure always require many phases of tests. Accompanied with this is the work of the whole tester team, who constantly have to work under great pressure to release new products/features. Their work is timid, tedious and quite time-consuming. Sometimes, the scope of work overloads the capacity of one, exceeding the time allowance for the testing process.

With Automation Testing comes in handy, trivial and timid work like regression testing or performance testing can be executed with less headcount of manual testers, hence no more prolonged testing time.

 

Reduce Human Intervention

As Automation Testing has become a tactic for firms who want to step into the game of information technology, the limitation in human intervention poses vast opportunities for speed and accuracy through the enhancement in the workload of the IT team.

 

With repetitive, menial day-to-day tasks, the testing process is at high risk of mistakes and bugs due to overworked and tired testers.

 

With the help of Automation Testing, the IT team will no longer have to endure the trivial tests and be bogged down by the repetitive tasks. Instead, they can focus on other tasks which require a higher level of knowledge and skills, hence eventually improving overall performance and productivity.

 

Records of measure quality metrics

The measure quality metrics in Automation Testing requires test writers to carefully consider the unique aspects of the environment and the application of the products. 

With Automation Testing, metrics of the performances and functionality of the products are well-chosen and then stored in confidentiality for the later steps of the testing process.

Automation Testing is the on-trend way to go with the whole Quality Assurance process. Despite the misconception of the complete elimination of human touch in automation testing, manual testing is still of paramount importance for test cases and test scripts. 

Perhaps the execution of Automation Testing is a cross between strategic manual testing and high-technological automation testing. It is a tough trick to pull off, but once you successfully employ Automation Testing, the outlook for better ROI and vast opportunities is broadened. It is just a matter of time for your firm to resort to automation testing for higher revenue.

 

Ready for your journey in digital transformation? Contact us now for the optimal solutions of Automation Testing. Just a few touches and your firm is fully prepared for the transformation from why Manual Testing to Automation Testing with the support of LQA.

• Website: https://www.lotus-qa.com/
• Tel: (+84) 24-6660-7474
• Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/LotusQualityAssurance

 

The ever-growing development pace of information technology draws a tremendous need for better speed and flawless execution. So, Automation Testing vs. Manual Testing, which one to go with?

 

As a reflection of this, manual testing is still a vital part of the testing process, non-excludable from the field for some of its specific characteristics. 

Both automation testing and manual testing pose great chances of cost-efficiency and security for your firms. In this article, the three underlying questions of what approach should be applied to your firm for the best outcome will be answered:

• What are the parameters for the comparison between the two?
• What are the pros and cons of automation testing and manual testing?
• Which kind of testing is for which?

 

What is automation testing?

Automation testing is a testing technique utilizing tools and test scripts to automate testing efforts. In other words, specified and customized tools are implemented in the testing process instead of solely manual forces.

Up until now, automated testing is considered a more innovative technique to boost the effectiveness, test coverage, and test execution speed in software testing. With this new “approach”, the testing process is expected to yield more test cases under a shorter amount of time and expand test coverage.

While it does not entirely exclude manual touch within the process, automation testing is a favorable solution for its cost-efficiency and limited human intervention. To put it in other words, automation testing requires manual efforts to make automation testing possible.

 

What is manual testing?

Manual testing, as in its literal meaning, is the technique in which a tester/a QA executes the whole testing process manually, from writing test cases to implementing them.

Every step of a testing process including test design, test report or even UI testing is carried out by a group of personnel, either in-house or outsourced. 

In manual testing, QA analysts carry out tests one-by-one in an individual manner to find bugs, glitches and key feature issues prior to the software application’s launch. As part of this process, test cases and summary error reports are developed without any automation tools.

*Check out:

Why Manual to Automation Testing

6 steps to transition from Manual to Automation testing

 

Magnifying glass for differences between Automation Testing and Manual Testing

Simple as their names are, automation testing and manual testing seem easy to define and identify. However, when looking into the details of many aspects such as test efficiency, test coverage or the types of testing to be applied, it requires a meticulous and strategic understanding of the two.

The differences between automation testing and manual testing can be classified into the following categories:

• Cost
• Human Intervention
• Types of Testing
• Test execution
• Test efficiency
• Test coverage

 

1. Testing cost

For every company, when it comes to testing costs, it requires ubiquitous analysis to weigh in the cost and the benefit to choose a technique for testing.

With the evaluation of potential costs and revenue generated from the project itself, the analysis will determine whether the project needs automation testing or manual testing. As listed in this table, the initial investment, subject of investment and cost-efficiency will be addressed.

Parameters	Automation Testing	Manual Testing
Initial Investment	Automated Testing requires a much larger initial investment to really hit it off. In change for that is the higher ROI yielding in the long run. The cost of automation testing is to cover Automation Testers and open-source automation tools, which can be quite costly.	The initial investment in Manual Testing lies in the cost for human resources and team setup. This may seemingly be economic at first with the cost of just 1/10 of that with automation testing, but in the long-term, the cost can pile up to huge expenses.
Subject of Investment	Investment is resourced for specified and customized tools, as well as automation QA engineers, who expect a much higher salary range when compared to those of manual testing.	Investment is poured into Human Resources. This can be either in-house recruitment or outsourcing, depending on your firm’s request and strategy.
Test volume for cost-efficiency	High-volume regression	Low-volume regression

 

2. Human Resources Involvement

The whole picture of manual testing and automated testing does not simply indulge in the forces that execute the testing, whether it is a human being or a computer. However, there are some universal differences concerning human resources involvement.

Parameters	Automation Testing	Manual Testing
User Interface observation	Automation Testing is basically executed by scripts and codes. Therefore, it cannot score on users’ interaction and opinions upon the software. Matters such as user-friendliness and positive customer experience are out of reach in this case.	The user interface and user experience are put into consideration. This process usually involves a whole team.
Staff’s programming skill requirement	Automation testing entails presets of Most In-Demand programming skills	Manual testing does not necessitate high-profile programming skills or even none.
Salary range	As estimated by Salary.com, the average Automation Test Engineer salary in the United States is approximately 4% higher than that of a regular Software Tester.	The salary range for manual testing is often lower because automated testing requires fluency in different coding languages, which manual testers are incapable of.
Talent availability	It is quite hard for talent acquisition with automation testing engineers.	It is easier for talent acquisitions as the training and coaching for manual testers are easier.

 

3. Testing types

While software testing breaks down into smaller aspects such as performance testing or system testing, Automation Testing or Manual Testing are too general and broad an approach. For each type of testing, we have different approaches, either through an automated one or a manual one. In this article, the following types of testing will be disclosed:

• Performance Testing (Load Test, Stress Test, Spike Test)
• Batch Testing
• Exploratory Testing
• UI Testing
• Adhoc Testing
• Regression Testing 
• Build Verification Testing

Parameters	Automation Testing	Manual Testing
Performance Testing	Performance Testing, including Load Test, Stress Test, Spike Test, is to be tested with Automation Testing.	Manual Testing is not feasible with Performance Testing because of restricted human resources and lack of necessary skills.
Batch Testing	Batch Testing allows multiple test scripts on a nightly basis to be executed.	Batch Testing is not feasible with manual testing.
Exploratory Testing	As exploratory testing takes too much effort to execute, automation testing is impossible	Exploratory testing is for the exploration of the functionalities of the software under the circumstance that no knowledge of the software is required, so it can be done with manual testing
UI Testing	Automated Testing does not involve human interactions, so user interface testing is not feasible.	Human intervention is involved in the manual testing process, so it is proficient to test the user interface with manual testing.
Adhoc Testing	Adhoc testing is performed randomly, so it is definitely not for automation testing.	The core of Adhoc Testing is the testing execution without the instruction of any documents or test design techniques.
Regression Testing	Regression testing means repeated testing of an already tested program. When codes are changed, only automation testing can execute the test in such a short amount of time	Regression testing takes too much effort and too much time to test a changed code or features, so manual test is not the answer for regression testing.
Build Verification Testing	Due to the automation feature, Build Verification Testing is feasible.	It was difficult and time-consuming to execute the Build Verification Testing.

 

4. Test execution

When it comes to testing execution, the expected results are correlated with the actual ones. The answer for “How are automated testing and manual testing carried out?” is also varied, based on the scenario of actual engagement, frameworks, approach, etc.

Parameters	Automation Testing	Manual Testing
Training Value	Automation Testing results are stored in the form of automated unit test cases. It is easy to access and quite straightforward for a newbie developer to understand the codebase.	Manual Testing is limited to training values with no actual documentation of unit test cases.
Engagement	Besides the initial phase with manual testing, automation testing works mostly with tools, hence the accuracy and the interest in testing are secured.	Manual Testing is prone to error, repetitive and tedious, which may cause disinterest for testers.
Approach	Automated Testing is more cost-effective for frequent execution of the same set of test cases.	Manual Testing is more cost-effective for test cases with 1 to 2 test executions
Frameworks	Commercial frameworks, paid tools and open-source tools are often implemented for better outcomes of Automation Testing.	Manual Testing uses checklists, stringent processes or dashboards for test case drafting.
Test Design	Test-Driven Development Design is enforced.	Manual Unit Tests do not involve coding processes.
UI Change	Even the slightest change in the user interface requires modification in Automated Test Scripts	Testers do not encounter any pause as the UI changes.
Access to Test Report	Test execution results are visible to anyone who can log into the automation testing system.	Test execution results are stored in Excel or Word files. Access to these files is restricted and not always available.
Deadlines	Lower risk of missing a deadline.	Higher risk of missing a deadline

 

Also read: Essential QA Metrics to Navigate Software Success

5. Test Efficiency

Test Efficiency is one of the vital factors for a key person to decide whether their firm needs automated testing or manual testing. The fast-paced development of information technology, in general, has yielded more demands in the field of testing, hence skyrocketing the necessity of automation testing implementation.

Regarding test efficiency, automation testing seems to be a more viable and practical approach for a firm with fast execution and sustainability.

Parameters	Automation Testing	Manual Testing
Time and Speed	Automation Testing can execute more test cases in a shorter amount of time	Manual Testing is more time-consuming. It also takes much effort to finish a set of test cases.
Sustainability	Usually, test scripts are written in languages such as JavaScript, Python, or C#. These codes are reusable and quite sustainable for later test script development. Any change can be easily altered with decent skills of coding.	Manual testing does not generate any kind of synchronized documentation for further utility. On the other hand, the skillsets for coding are not necessary.

 

6. Test Coverage

Error detection with Automation Testing is covered more thoroughly. Approaches like reviews, inspections, and walkthroughs are done without leaving anything behind. On the side of manual testing, the numbers of device and operating system permutations are limited. 

 

What are the advantages and disadvantages of automation testing and manual testing?

Automation testing and manual testing both pose great opportunities for the testing industry. For each approach, you have to put many aspects into consideration. In general, automation testing and manual testing have their merits and demerits.

 

Automation Testing pros and cons

Advantages of automation testing

• Reduced repetitive tasks, such as regression tests, testing environments setup, similar test data input
• Better control and transparency of testing activities. Statistics and graphs about test process, performance, and error rates are explicitly indicated
• Decreased test cycle time. Software release frequency speeds up
• Better test coverage

Disadvantages of automation testing

• Extended amount of time for training about automation testing (tools guidance and process)
• The perspective of a real user being separated from the testing process
• Requirement for automation testing tools that can be purchased from third vendors or acquired for free. Each of them has its own benefits and drawbacks
• Poor coverage of the test scope
• Costly test maintenance due to the problem of debugging the test script

 

Manual Testing pros and cons

Advantages of manual testing

• Capability to deal with more complex test cases
• Lower cost   
• Better execution for Ad-hoc testing or exploratory testing
• The visual aspect of the software, such as GUIs (Graphical User Interface) to be covered

Disadvantages of manual testing

• Prone to mistakes
• Unsustainability
• Numerous test cases for a longer time of test execution
• No chance of load testing and performance testing execution

Should you choose automation testing or manual testing?

For each approach of automation testing or manual testing, the question of what to choose for your firm cannot be answered without considering the parametric, the pros and cons of the two.

If your company is a multinational corporation with a vision for large-scale digital transformation, having huge revenue and funds for testing, automation testing is the answer for you. 

Automation testing is sustainable in the long run, enabling your corporation to achieve a higher yield of ROI. It also secures your firm with better test coverage and test efficiency. Automation testing will be the best solution for regression testing and performance testing.

 

If your company seeks a cheaper solution with test case execution under a smaller scope, you should aim at manual testing for a smaller testing cost. User Interface, user experience, exploratory testing, Adhoc testing have to be done with manual testing.

All in all, although automation testing benefits many aspects of the quality assurance process, manual testing is of paramount importance. Please be noted that under the circumstance of frequent changes in test cases, manual testing is compulsory and inseparable from automation testing. The accumulation of the two will generate the most cost-effective approach for your firm.

For the best practices of testing, you should see the automation approach as a chance to perform new ways of working in DevOps, Mobile, and IoT.

 

Want to dig deeper into automation testing vs. manual testing and decide the one for your business? Contact LQA now for a FREE consultation with our specialists and experts.

• Website: https://www.lotus-qa.com/
• Tel: (+84) 24-6660-7474
• Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/LotusQualityAssurance