7 Test Automation Benefits
Test automation is a critical part of software development. That's because there are a lot of benefits to test automation. Here are some of the biggest ones.
7 Test Automation Benefits
1. Faster Feedback Loop (Quicker Time to Market)
The biggest benefit of test automation is a faster feedback loop (which enables a quicker time to market).
Test automation allows teams to work more closely and efficiently. When test teams can execute many functional tests on multiple devices in just hours, the feedback to developers flows fast. Developers can then do their work and return code quickly to the testing team. This can't be done with manual testing.
Test automation done right will be integrated into a CI (continuous integration) workflow that can be triggered upon each code commit.
Fast feedback must be part of the SDLC. The only way to address market changes is through faster release cycles. And test automation enables quicker times to market.
2. Increased Coverage
The next biggest automated testing benefit is increased test coverage (which allows teams to test more, faster).
Test automation allows teams to scale up their suite and run tests in parallel on multiple devices and operating systems. Manual testing only allows each tester to test on one platform at a time and only do one single test.
For example, there are tests that perform 100 login scenarios one after the other or in parallel on 10 devices. It would make no sense to assign this to a manual tester — it's simply too time-consuming.
Automation also enhances test coverage by executing more and different tests — such as functional tests, performance and stress tests, unit tests, and others — on real devices.
A single test suite can be launched against various devices and OS versions at once with automated testing. This increases the coverage as well as your team's confidence in the quality of the app. For companies that have customers in various geographies and have to test on different sets of devices or operating systems, this is a huge advantage and time saver.
3. Reduced Testing Fatigue
Test automation limits the potential for human error — especially for those mind-numbing tests that have to be repeated over and over again.
4. Faster Bug Discovery
Test automation gives developers the chance to see problems while code is being written, not just at the end. Coding this way helps eliminate duplicate code and keeps code simpler, cleaner, and easier to scale. Test automation allows shifting more testing into the build cycle and early in the development phases to uncover defects as early as possible.
5. Improved Risk Mitigation
If an automated test fails, code can be fixed immediately — well before it makes its way to production. This not only keeps costs down, but it helps DevOps managers make better decisions before releasing software updates.
6. More Efficient Software and App Testing
Test automation allows testing on multiple platforms in parallel. This is especially beneficial for batch testing at night or other types of time-intensive, high-volume testing.
7. Better Manual Testing
As we’ve already mentioned, test automation gives real-live humans more time to test parts of software that machines can’t.
Highly-targeted manually testing brings critical, human intuition to the table. Manual testing is done only where it’s needed — such as ad hoc/exploratory testing, visual and UI testing, and reviewing test results.
Experience Automated Testing Benefits Yourself
While not every test can or should be automated, digital teams should not rely on manual testing for quality. They should make the shift to test automation with the goal of reaching 70–80% automation coverage. There are a variety of commercial and open-source tools that are up-to-date with mobile platforms. Teams need to take advantage of these tools and grow into them.
It's also worth noting that automation is not a one-off activity. It requires continuous monitoring, maintenance, and debugging to keep running against every build, code commit, and regression cycle.
You can do all of that and more with Perfecto. Start automating your mobile and web app tests in our cloud-based lab today. Start your free trial.
