No matter whether you are a developer or a software user, I can be sure of one thing – you don’t like bugs. Despite the best efforts of software engineers, bugs still make their way into software, causing unexpected behavior, crashes, and other frustrating problems. That’s where QA and test automation step in to help minimize the occurrence of bugs and quickly fix them if needed.
In this interview, we will talk with Andrii, a Test Automation Engineer at DreamProIT, to explore test automation in detail, identify its benefits and types of tests that can be automated, and define practical steps to set up test automation for a project.
What is test automation?
“Test automation, as is apparent from the name, refers to software testing that uses specialized tools and frameworks to perform the execution of tests automatically. It replaces human activity by executing scripts and test cases to verify that the application behaves as expected. Overall, its main goal is to increase the effectiveness of the testing process, enhance testing coverage, and reduce human errors.”
What are the primary benefits of incorporating test automation in a software development project?
“Although most tests can be performed manually, there are substantial benefits to automating various types of testing:
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Efficiency. Automated tests are executed much faster than their manual counterparts, which enables quicker feedback on the software quality and results in faster releases.
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Reusability. Once you’ve created a test script, you can reuse it across different stages of the development cycle. This saves you a lot of time and effort in the long run.
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Consistency. Automated tests perform the same set of steps and checks consistently, minimizing the variations and errors that can be introduced by a human tester.
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Parallel execution. Test automation enables the parallel execution of tests on several machines or environments simultaneously. In this way, it speeds up and improves the overall testing process.
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Increased test coverage. Automated tests can cover a large number of scenarios, configurations, test cases, and user interactions, ensuring that the software is tested under various conditions.
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CI/CD integration. Automated tests can be seamlessly integrated into CI/CD pipelines to ensure continuous testing of every code commit and provide rapid feedback to the development team on the impact of the code changes.”
How do you determine which test cases are suitable for automation?
“Deciding which types of testing to automate depends on various factors, including the nature of the project, its requirements, and the available resources. Not all tests can and should be automated, as some do require human involvement to get better results. Here are some criteria that I typically consider while selecting scenarios for test automation:
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Repeatability: Test cases that need to be performed frequently.
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Stability: Testing the features that are not likely to change frequently.
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High-risk scenarios: Testing business-critical functionality.
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Data-driven tests: Tests that require using multiple sets of data and are often run on different environments, which often takes a lot of time.
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Regression testing: Test cases that have to be re-executed after each code change.”
What types of testing should be automated?
“Taking into account my above-mentioned criteria, I suggest automating unit tests, integration tests, regression tests, and performance tests in your projects. These tests are usually time-consuming and repetitive. Automating them helps to ensure compatibility between different software components, validate the overall system performance under various conditions, or catch and resolve regressions quickly. In addition, load testing and API testing are also frequently automated to evaluate how the system handles specified loads and proactively identify integration issues.”
Are there any scenarios or types of testing that are better suited for manual testing rather than automation?
“While automation is excellent for repetitive and predictable testing, it still cannot replace manual testing completely, especially when it comes to scenarios that require human intuition and a deep understanding of user behavior.
For instance, exploratory and usability testing are perfect candidates for manual testing. Both types of testing require human touch and intuition to explore the application, assess the user interface, and make real-time decisions based on observations.
On-the-fly and spontaneous tests, like ad-hoc testing, that do not have predefined scenarios are also better handled manually. By performing random tests and scenarios, testers can quickly identify critical issues and provide prompt feedback especially when the time is limited.
Lastly, User Acceptance Testing (UAT) also cannot be automated. This testing involves manual testers who often represent the end-users to evaluate the software. Since end-users are likely to interact with the software in diverse and sometimes even unexpected ways, the results of UAT will provide valuable insights into how real users will interact with the software and uncover hidden issues that automated tests often overlook.”
How do you set up test automation for a project? What specific steps do you take?
“Setting up test automation for a project requires careful consideration and planning. Here’s the outline of the steps I typically follow:
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Defining objectives. To ensure the effectiveness of the test automation, you have to clearly understand what you aim to achieve and determine the areas of the project that need to be tested and the type of tests that you need to run.
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Selecting the right tools and frameworks. Choose the appropriate automation tools and frameworks that align with the project’s requirements and technology stack.
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Environment setup. Prepare a dedicated test environment, including the necessary hardware, software, and configurations for testing.
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Identifying test cases for automation. Based on the previously mentioned criteria, define test cases that should be automated and identify the ones that will remain manual.
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Scripting. Start creating automated test scripts for the defined test cases using the selected tools and frameworks.
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Data Management. Create a strategy for test data handling and management during test execution to ensure that tests are run with reproducible and consistent data sets.
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Execution and Reporting. Run scripted tests and generate detailed test reports for analysis to identify failures and investigate issues promptly.
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Integration with CI/CD. Integrate test automation into the CI/CD pipeline to ensure the automatic execution of tests after each code change.”
What test automation tools or frameworks do you find particularly effective?
“While the choice of test automation tools will highly depend on the specifics of your project, I can recommend a few popular solutions that I find effective:
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Selenium – a great platform for web application testing that integrates well with various browsers.
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Appium – a robust testing tool used to automate mobile application testing.
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JUnit/TestNG – widely used testing frameworks for Java-based projects.
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PyTest – a popular testing framework for Python projects.
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Cucumber – a versatile testing tool used for behavior-driven development (BBD) testing.
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Jenkins – a crucial component in CI/CD integration.
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Postman – a powerful solution for testing APIs.”
In summary, test automation is a critical aspect of the development process, enabling the team to optimize test coverage, improve efficiency, and significantly enhance the quality of applications. Although not all tests can be automated, implementing a test automation strategy can relieve the pressure of performing repetitive tests manually, ultimately resulting in reliable testing results and quicker software release cycles.