The Impact of Test Automation on Software Quality

What are Test Automation and Its Benefits?

Test automation refers to using specialized software tools and frameworks to automate the execution of test cases, thereby reducing the time and effort required for manual testing. This approach ensures that automation tests run quickly and consistently, allowing development teams to identify and resolve defects more effectively.

Test automation provides greater accuracy by eliminating human error. It also increases testing coverage and speeds up the quality control process through parallel testing. The McKinsey & Company study found that businesses implementing smart quality approaches have reduced overall quality costs by up to 50%.

Here are some more benefits of automated testing:

• Improved test coverage, increased test reliability, and consistency

As development teams execute a wider range of test cases with greater consistency, it helps them thoroughly validate software and identify defects earlier in the development cycle, providing a solid basis for ongoing quality control.

• Faster feedback loops and reduced time-to-market

With immediate feedback on software quality, development teams can resolve issues faster, reducing the time it takes to bring new products or updates to market.

• Achieved cost savings with early defect detection

The costs of one software bug can be equal to $10K. Direct costs are not only associated with bug fixes made by QA engineers but also arise in other phases such as production and post-release. The negative impact may include a loss of productivity as errors lead to downtime, disruptions, employee delays, and finally financial and reputation losses.

Running automation tests at various stages of the development process, including unit testing, integration testing, and system testing, helps companies fix defects much earlier, minimizing costly and time-consuming efforts of fixing problems later in the development lifecycle. 

• Reduced human error and cognitive bias

Automated tests eliminate the potential for human errors and cognitive biases that can arise during manual testing, leading to more accurate and reliable results. With automated testing, QA engineers can move from spot checks to 100% quality control where the risks of human error rate decrease to nearly zero.

How to Move From Manual Testing to Automation? 

Forward-thinking automation testing companies invest in dedicated QA teams that work closely with developers early on. This proactive, cross-functional approach helps reduce costs while improving overall product quality—a key goal for any software company.

It is important to note that combining the test automation process with specialized tools is critical to achieving a collaborative QA workflow. The right automation software helps companies continually test and validate their products at scale, providing greater efficiency, coverage, and reliability. 

Here are a few steps to help you get started with automation tools and start transforming your testing strategy:

• Identify the right testing areas for automation

Successful test automation requires a strategic approach when development teams carefully evaluate the test areas most suitable for automation based on factors such as test case complexity, execution frequency, and expected return on investment.

• Select the right test automation tools and frameworks

Your development and QA teams should carefully select the right test automation tools and platforms that suit their specific needs, technology stack, and development processes. Factors to consider during the selection process include ease of use, integration capabilities, and vendor support.

• Design maintainable and scalable automation scripts

Creating well-structured, modular, and reusable automation scripts is critical to ensuring your test automation infrastructure’s long-term sustainability and scalability. This involves following software development best practices such as code organization, documentation, and version control.

• Integrate test automation into the CI/CD pipeline

Effective test automation requires seamless integration with the continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipeline, running automated testing as part of the build and deployment processes.

• Organize collaboration between developers and testers

Successful implementation of test automation requires close collaboration between development and testing teams as they work together to identify the right test areas, develop effective test cases, and continually optimize automation scripts.

• Consider low-code testing

If you need to move from manual testing to automation quickly and your QA team has a low level of coding experience, then low-code solutions may be the best choice for you. These platforms can help businesses reduce the cost of hiring top-notch automated testing engineers as professionals with less technical skills can now develop great software in a short time.

As we discussed the benefits and ways to shift to automated testing, another question we were to answer was how to measure success.

How to Measure the Test Automation Success

As you know, implementing test automation means using tools or frameworks. You need to know whether your investment in automated testing will produce the results you want. So how do you assess the effectiveness of your test automation initiatives? Let’s find out below:

• Track key quality metrics

You can establish a set of key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the impact of test automation on software quality, such as the defect detection rate, defect density, test case execution time, code coverage, code complexity, the reduction in post-release bugs, etc.

In a recent ResearchGate study, researchers looked at whether there is a difference between teams implementing automation and teams using manual testing. They utilized the following software quality metrics: defect density, code coverage, and code complexity. 

As you can see in the table below, the results showed significant differences, highlighting the impact of automated testing, proving it significantly improves software quality. 

• Analyze the reduction in post-release bugs and customer-reported defects

It is one of the most tangible metrics to measure the impact of test automation. It directly reflects improvements in software quality and how defects impact end users and their perception of the software. 

At first, companies collect surveys, feedback ratings, or results from other feedback mechanisms. They then use a formula to calculate the percentage of defects (Defect Escape Rate) found by end users after the software is released. This rate shows the effectiveness of testing in identifying defects before deployment.

Tracking these metrics can help organizations quantify the broader business benefits of the test automation process: test case execution productivity, test data preparation time, test case reusability, test automation coverage, defect leakage, etc.

• Evaluate the test automation return on investment (ROI)

You can evaluate the overall ROI and justify the resources allocated to test automation initiatives by analyzing the cost savings, productivity gains, and quality improvements that test automation provides. Here is the ROI formula to use:

Tools and platforms are certainly central to the automation testing landscape. Yet, the project type and budget also matter. 

As a rule, QA engineers, CTOs, and managers name these things to consider when shifting to automation:

• Assessing initial investment and setup costs

Implementing effective test automation requires an upfront investment in tools, infrastructure, and automation script development, which can be a barrier for some companies.

• Maintaining and updating test automation scripts

Ensuring that test automation scripts are continually maintained and updated as the software scalability can be a significant challenge that requires ongoing effort and resources.

• Keeping test automation meeting changing business requirements

As businesses and their requirements change over time, it is critical to adapt your test automation strategy to ensure it matches the latest business needs and software features.

• Overcoming cultural resistance to change

Implementing test automation can sometimes face resistance from teams or individuals accustomed to manual testing methods. Effective change management and training are essential to overcome this cultural barrier.

Effective Test Automation Tools

Test automation is now available to most businesses. Many of them adopt low-code tools today because of their flexibility and low learning curve. Here is a list of the top 5 tools you can adopt now:

Testlum

Testlum is an all-in-one testing solution that has everything QA teams need under the hood and doesn’t require strong coding expertise. The tool’s simple onboarding brought by the linear, logical XML-based command structure makes the transition to automation easy. 

The simplicity, clarity, and readability are just a few of the many advantages over traditional solutions like Selenium. With Testlum, both business owners and QA teams can switch to automation fast and:

• Run their first autotest just in 15 min.
• Benefit from an easy learning curve and simple onboarding for automation testing specialists.
• Test even the smallest elements within the system.
• Conduct UI & multi-API testing within one test scenario.
• Get a dedicated team to set up, customize Testlum, and create testing scenarios.
• Monitor QA teams’ activity and track their performance in real time with reports.
• Add unlimited integrations or access to 40+ integration libraries.

Selenium

Selenium is one of the most common automated testing tools with a market share of over 28%. It is an open-source framework designed for web applications. With it, you can write and run automation tests across multiple browsers, operating systems, and devices. 

Selenium’s flexibility and broad language support (Java, Python, C#, Ruby, etc.) make it an attractive choice for teams looking to build a comprehensive automated testing suite.

The main advantages of Selenium include:

• Comprehensive testing of web applications in browsers and platforms.
• Ability to record and playback user actions for regression testing.
• An extensible framework that can be integrated with other testing tools.
• A large and active open-source community providing support and resources.

However, Selenium is not without limitations:

• Requires significant technical knowledge to set up and maintain.
• Lacks built-in support for testing mobile applications (additional tools required).
• It can be difficult to debug complex or unstable tests.

Playwright

Playwright is an open-source automation framework with over 2% market share in the testing and QA category, developed by Microsoft. 

Like Selenium, Playwright allows you to write tests that can run on different devices and supports multiple browsers such as Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit, enabling cross-browser testing with a single API. It allows developers to write tests in various programming languages, including JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, C#, and Java.

The main advantages of Playwright include:

• Auto-waiting to reduce the need for manual wait statements and make tests more reliable.
• Headless and headed modes without a graphical user interface for fast debugging and better flexibility in testing scenarios.
• A comprehensive API for advanced interactions, such as capturing screenshots, recording videos, and simulating network conditions.
• Debugging tools and features like tracing and detailed error messages to identify and resolve issues quickly.
• Parallel execution to reduce overall test runtime and accelerate the feedback loop.

Playwright limitations are:

• The steep learning curve for those unfamiliar with testing frameworks or JavaScript.
• Fewer third-party plugins and resources compared to more established frameworks.
• Resource-intensive, requires a robust testing infrastructure, particularly for large test suites.
• Browser-specific issues happen, requiring additional work to ensure consistency across different platforms.

Cypress

Another popular automation testing tool is Cypress. It is an open-source, end-to-end framework specifically for web application testing. It is built to provide a more developer-friendly experience, allowing users to write tests in JavaScript and run them directly in the browser. Cypress operates in the same run-loop as the application, enabling real-time interaction and debugging.

Key benefits of Cypress include:

• Real-time test execution in the browser.
• Easy setup when users can get started quickly without extensive configuration. 
• The built-in time travel feature allows users to see the app’s state at any point during the test execution.
• Supportive community and good documentation with ample resources to learn and troubleshoot.
• Stubbing and intercepting network requests to test various scenarios without relying on the actual backend. 

Cypress limitations are as follows:

• Primarily supports only Chrome, Firefox, and Electron.
• JavaScript-only, teams using other programming languages may find it challenging to adopt.
•  Can become resource-heavy as test suites grow, potentially leading to longer test execution times if not managed properly.
• Runs tests in a single tab instance, which can limit scenarios that involve multiple tabs or windows.

Test Automation Tools Comparison Matrix

Here is the comparison matrix to compare the test automation tools and frameworks we discussed above:

We’ve reviewed some of the most popular tools. As you see, traditional solutions often require coding skills. No wonder their popularity declined over the last few years due to the emergence of low-code testing tools like Testlum, a centralized solution from one of the leading automation testing companies. 

Final Thoughts

Delivering high-quality products has become a critical differentiator for all businesses. Today’s customers demand reliable, user-friendly, and feature-rich products. Any compromise in software quality can lead to customer dissatisfaction, decreased brand reputation, and significant financial consequences.

To take full advantage of test automation, you should take a strategic and collaborative approach that starts with carefully selected tools and frameworks to develop maintainable automation scripts that can evolve with the code base, and seamlessly integrate test automation into the CI/CI pipeline. 

Low-code development platforms such as Testlum are likely to be such a powerful solution, allowing both technical and non-technical team members to quickly design, deploy, and test complex software with less complexity. What’s more, Testlum QA experts adopt efficient quality approaches and can help reinvent critical processes with automation. And you can download Testlum and try it for free. To learn more, please contact us at contact@testlum.com