In the late 90s, IT became an important part of our lives. Since then, our software, applications, websites and devices have continued to develop at a lightning speed. Today, businesses and people today are working with very advanced and intelligent software on a daily basis. Especially when compared to only 30 years ago.
Within the majority of companies today that are developing new IT systems or software, there are different teams working together in developing and testing all these technologies.
Various methods of improving work processes (such as Agile and CICD) have been developed over the years. However, in practice it remains difficult to manage all the generated data and find all software bugs. Manual testing can no longer keep-up. That is why test automation plays such an important role for any business working with complex ICT systems these days.
What is Test automation?
When we talk about test automation, we are actually referring to the process of using different test tools that continuously and automatically run test scripts. Checking for bugs, errors or failures. By properly deploying test automation, focusing on the right requirements, and using the right tools, potential problems such as errors, failures and software bugs are quickly detected. In Agile development this is a crucial part of the process. Test Automation increases the quality, but also the security of the software considerably.
Why Test Automation Matters?
Test automation matters because it provides many benefits that can improve the software development process’s overall efficiency, quality, and cost-effectiveness. Here are some of the reasons why test automation matters:
- Faster Testing Cycles: Manual testing can be a time-consuming process, requiring human intervention to execute and report on test cases. Test automation, on the other hand, can execute test cases automatically, reducing the time and effort required to test software applications. This can lead to faster testing cycles, allowing software developers to release high-quality software products more quickly.
- Improved Test Coverage: Manual testing can be error-prone, and it can be challenging to ensure that all possible test scenarios are covered. Test automation can help improve test coverage by executing test cases consistently and repeatedly. This can help identify bugs and issues earlier in the software development process, reducing the likelihood of defects slipping through to production.
- Cost Savings: Manual testing can be costly, requiring a significant investment in time and resources. Test automation can help reduce the cost of testing by automating repetitive tasks, freeing up QA professionals to focus on more critical tasks. Additionally, test automation can help reduce the need for manual testers, resulting in cost savings over time.
- Consistent Results: Manual testing can be subject to human error, resulting in inconsistent results. Test automation provides consistent and reliable results with every test cycle, reducing the risk of errors and ensuring software quality.
- Improved Collaboration: Test automation can help improve collaboration between software developers and QA professionals. By automating test cases, developers can identify and fix bugs earlier in the software development process, reducing the need for rework and improving the overall efficiency of the software development process.
Popular test automation tools
There are many different test tools and test frameworks that are in use by testers and developers. Their goal is to provide valuable insights into the test results. Popular tools for automated testing include Open Source tools like Selenium and SoapUI, and commercial tools like Ranorex. Would you like to know more about the different test automation tools? View our page about the different test tools.
It’s a test automation tool jungle!
Testing tools are designed to make testing simple, more secure, and insightful. However, in practice we see a major pitfall for automated testing. With all the different test tools available in the market, it seems like we can automate almost everything and every step in the process.
There also seems to be a test tool solution for every problem. All test tools say they can provide new insights. And all tools deliver their solution in their own way. Not necessarily being able to work together with other tools and test automation solutions.
As a result, you have a lot of data from different test tools at your disposal that needs to be brought together and managed in a consistent way. We see that this management of test results is not happening because it is too complicated or simply takes too much time. This is often the bottleneck. How do you ensure that all data is correctly read out and used for improving the quality of the software?
Say goodbye to the test tool jungle!
Are you looking for clear and actionable insights into your automated test results? Do you like to see all test results presented in one clear way for the best overview of your testing and quality?
At Orangebeard we have many years of experience with software testing and mapping the generated data. We know what a struggle it can be to manage and prioritize all the data from your automated tests. We have used many different test and development tools and processed enormous amounts of data.
With our knowledge and experience, we have developed a platform that connects to all known test tools, collects the data and presents your test results in an uniform way for easy analysis and understandable reporting.
Want to know more about test automation provided by Orangebeard?
Orangebeard is an intelligent platform that makes it super easy to see the status of your automated software testing. Orangebeard connects to all your automation (test) tools. It auto-analyses, processes, stores, and visualizes all test result data in one place. Accessible to all. Providing you with all the details and data in real time from all your test tools. Giving you the control and insights needed to understand what is happening with your automated tests.
Do you want to know more? Read about how it works or just contact our expert Sam directly. We are happy to get to know you and your business!
