Providing a top-quality product has become a great challenge for software developers. Big competition between the companies has brought shorter deadlines and almost no space for errors in delivering the final product. The highly competitive market doesn’t accept even the smallest errors. So, to keep up with the pace of technology, developers had to find a way to speed-up software development.
Manual testing includes workers in front of the computer testing out all possible combinations of usage and inputs. They have to ensure that every option complies with the pre-established benchmark. Automation through the use of platforms like JFrog has helped companies increase efficiency and testing coverage, and even reduce the cost of the whole process by eliminating human factors.
Here are some of the biggest advantages automation has brought to the industry.
Increased Test Coverage
Automation testing has allowed some of the longer tests to be done in less time. It helped software development teams focus on more important projects, using the time more efficiently for creative work. All this is possible because now you can leave testing unattended, so there is no need for long working hours and all-nighters.
To manually test a large number of cases, there would have to be many assigned testers working in groups for each one, which often leads to big expenses for companies.
Distributed Test Execution
It’s not possible to run test cases through several machines, OSs, or platforms by manual. To do so you would have to test them one at a time. Automation has resolved this problem and allowed these distributed test cases to run everywhere at the same time. That’s why automation is one of the key factors in growing any modern business, and why these tools fork so well.
Improved Accuracy
In manual testing, there is always room for man-made errors. Automation completely removes this possibility, so you can rely on it more than you would on any high-level tester. However, there will always have to be a skilled person to run the tool.
Increased Scope of Software Testing
One of the best examples for this is Regression testing, one of the tests that are very difficult to do manually. They include a test against many sets of data or inputs.
Doing these tests manually can lead to issues like:
- It is nearly impossible to replicate the same results multiple time due to variables
- Software updates leave very little time, making this type of testing inefficient
- Congestion may occur during the release cycle, causing it to become inflexible
Because automated testing can run 24/7, it makes this process easy and fast.
Reusability
Developers can now save the previous set of tests and keep it for other similar projects or upgrading the finished software. To write effective test cases takes a lot of time and effort. Because some of the tests are repetitive, there’s no need to rewrite the same cases for similar projects once again.
Detecting Bugs Earlier
Costs of dealing with bugs can sometimes be huge. Automation detects bugs in the early stages, rather than fixing them later, which saves time and money. If there is a change to source code, the test will run by itself to ensure there are no bugs.
Fast Return on Investment
Because there is a significant increase in efficiency and product quality, Return on Investment (ROI) has been very high. This is the case every time. So, the companies look for a way to switch to automation rather than manual testing because it helps them avoid overpaying around-the-clock testers.
Morale Boost for Employees
Because developers now have this great tool, they can run many difficult tasks and tests without having to put in any extra work hours. It helps boost their morale because they can feel more accomplished and have a chance to improve their core skill set, instead of toiling away doing repetitive tasks. A happy and motivated workforce is a super productive workforce, so the benefits you get from this type of automation are obvious.
Conclusion
This kind of testing will give any company an advantage against the competition. Although we recommend automation as the best choice, we don’t consider manual testing to be obsolete. Manual testing is still needed for better automated test cases.
A pair of skilled hands could never be completely put out of use, and there will always be a need for testers who know how to run manual and automated testing. How successful your automated testing is will depend on the tools you use, so choosing your tools wisely is the key factor here.
