Most modern Quality Assurance (QA) teams have adopted automation testing as their default.
The reason? No organization, small or large, should have to spend hours manually filling out forms, triple-checking for bugs, writing and executing repetitive test scripts, or clicking buttons.
Writing one test script should be enough to make the machine take over such tasks.
The question of the hour now is—what is automation testing, and why exactly should you use this technique?
The 2025 Quality Transformation Report from Tricentis states that software issues cost almost half of public sector agencies between $1 million and $5 million annually. An additional 3.2% are losing even more!
The only way out is to adopt testing automation.
Let’s look at why businesses are switching to automation and why it’s the right switch.
| TL;DR •Test automation: Using specialized tools and frameworks to automatically review software against quality standards, minimizing human intervention and improving accuracy and consistency, especially for repetitive tasks. • Manual testing vs automation testing: Automated testing offers superior speed, wider scope, greater scalability, and better long-term cost efficiency compared to manual testing, which is slower, error-prone, and best suited for evolving or one-off tests. • Benefits of automated testing: Early bug detection, streamlined releases, higher quality assurance, frequent feedback for Agile teams, and scalable testing capabilities. • Key levels of automation testing: Unit Tests, API Tests, and User Interface Tests. • Primary types of tests in software automation: Regression tests, vital security tests, preliminary smoke tests, cross-platform compatibility tests, and performance tests (load and stress). • Test automation frameworks: Keyword-Driven, Data-Driven, Modular, and Hybrid. • Automation testing process: Involves thorough planning (identifying tasks to automate), selecting the right tools/language, building a robust automation suite, automated execution, and continuous monitoring and maintenance. • Test automation best practices: Encompasses testing early and often, detailed planning, and continuous reassessment. |
What is Automation Testing?
Automation testing is an approach for automatically reviewing and validating software or a product to ensure it meets set quality standards. The process involves using special testing frameworks and tools to minimize human intervention. The test scripts manage the flow of test execution, which draws a comparison with the intended application reliability and quality.
Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) often have a restricted budget and can benefit from its cost-efficiency in improving the application’s consistency and accuracy. The growing adoption of DevOps and Agile has also pushed its popularity.
Before learning the phases and types of testing, let’s understand the difference between manual and automated testing.
Manual Testing vs Automation Testing
Automation testing in software development outweighs manual testing in numerous ways, for reasons like faster speed and better accuracy. That said, the advent of AI and machine learning (ML) has pushed manual testing even farther from consideration for most organizations.
AI-powered testing improves the efficiency of QA automation, and when combined with ML, these technologies prove to be useful through the testing phases.
Here is a comparison table highlighting the differences between manual testing and automation testing.
| BASIS | MANUAL TESTING | AUTOMATION TESTING |
| Scope | Limited. Requires human involvement, time, and effort | Much wider for full test coverage |
| Speed | Slower because of human efforts. May lead to errors, increasing time | Much faster. Automation tools simultaneously execute various test cases |
| Scalability | No. Time-consuming and error-prone | Yes. Requires proper design and implementation |
| Accuracy | Prone to human errors. Might negatively affect the accuracy level | Good accuracy level. Low chances of errors |
| Test Cycle Time | Initially longer (due to complex setup and script writing). Quicker turnaround time after establishment | Less time-consuming with faster execution |
| Skillset | Hands-on experience required | Good programming knowledge in languages (like Python, JavaScript) is required |
| Cost Efficiency | Less initial cost. Adds up quickly over time due to labor costs | Higher upfront cost. Cost-effective in the long run |
| Ideal For | Evolving features, ad-hoc, and one-off tests | Business-critical, determinant, tedious, and repetitive tasks |
Automation and manual testing are interlinked deeply, with organizations of all sizes and industries using them simultaneously. Despite the former seeing steady adoption, the latter excels in areas requiring manual intervention.
One brings efficiency and speed, while the other is essential for creativity, human insights, and experience. The best you can do for your business is to strive for an equilibrium.
automation testing services
to accelerate releases and cut QA costs.
Benefits of Automated Testing
Automation helps in the early detection of bugs to save organizations from unnecessarily spending human and monetary resources. To fully understand what automation in testing is, you must also learn about its benefits.
1. Streamlined Releases
The traditional approach states that the product should be tested upon completion. Automation testing, however, continually re-tests the app during production to streamline and systemize the release process. Smoke tests help determine the features for stability.
2. Quality Assurance
Automated testing reduces human intervention, eliminating judgment errors and the frequency of human errors.
3. Frequent Feedback
Automation testing frameworks like Cypress and Selenium are known to accelerate test case execution. A swift and uninterrupted test results in frequent feedback, which can be incorporated into the product to produce a better outcome. It is rapid and accurate, and helps agile teams through error-free and intricate feedback.
4. Higher Delivery Speed
Your application must constantly release new features to stay ahead in the game, but a buggy one can do more harm than good. Automated testing accelerates regression testing, minimizing the time between integrating and releasing a new feature.
Churning out meaningful features at the right time will get you the maximum gain from the process.
5. Scalable Testing
Even a noteworthy team, in size and experience, lacks the agility and accuracy of automation frameworks for parallel testing, cross-browser testing, load testing, and more.
Levels of Automation Testing
A layered approach forms the basis of effective test automation, often categorizing testing efforts as per speed and scope. Unit tests are the base, as these are fast and numerous. API tests have medium speed and validate business logic. UI tests are few and much slower, positioned at the top.
Adhering to these levels enables immediate feedback on code changes, along with efficient resource allocation. The three levels are:
1. Unit Tests
Unit testing involves individual software units for early identification of issues by verifying the code’s authenticity, proper functioning, and defects.
2. API Tests
It works like a middleman for the systems that the software is using. They validate the reliability, security, and functionality of the application programming interface.
3. User Interface
It is the last test conducted after drafting the application’s interface as the intended user experience. The end-users see and interact with the UI.
Our software testing services are focused on building scalable automation frameworks that accelerate your CI/CD pipeline.
Types of Automation Testing
Test automation encompasses multiple disciplines to validate every aspect of the software. Thus, there are different types of automation testing to fulfill specific quality assurance goals.
While some of these types are more focused on the business requirements, others tend to the app’s overall resilience.
Choosing the appropriate type is critical in ensuring the software functions as desired. Here are the top test automation types to know about.
1. Regression Tests
Regression testing detects application deterioration, such as bugs or malfunctions, due to changes. Automation is important because the same extensive set of tests is run after every modification.
It is a high-frequency testing that rapidly detects regressions, which are a common result of code changes or enhancements.
2. Security Tests
Every system is prone to certain potential threats and vulnerabilities. Security tests ensure that the application can defend against malicious attacks by identifying and mending exposure. It simulates cyberattacks to expose flaws such as injection vulnerabilities or unauthorized access.
These include various tests, such as penetration testing, application security testing, ethical hacking, network security testing, and vulnerability scanning. The aim is to protect the application’s resources and data.
3. Smoke Tests [H3]
Also called build verification tests, smoke tests are preliminary assessments to explore the application’s functionalities according to the end goal’s desires. Once stability is confirmed, more rigorous testing is carried out. Such tests are done after every build or any important changes.
4. Compatibility Tests
An app must function smoothly across different browsers, operating systems, hardware, software, and network environments. These tests correspond to the desired functioning on various operating systems (like macOS and Windows), devices (like mobile and computer), and browsers (like Chrome and Firefox).
5. Performance Tests
These tests are conducted to check your system’s ability to perform and work under varying circumstances. It introduces various situations, including network environments, load conditions, and data volumes. They check the application’s performance scalability, reliability, bottlenecks, and responsiveness.
Load testing and stress testing are two commonly covered aspects.
Identify blockages and achieve sub-second speeds with our expert performance testing services.
Types of Test Automation Frameworks
Test automation frameworks are highly valuable developer tools. They are important in testing the software’s reliability and functionality. Many types of such frameworks automate time-consuming and repetitive tasks to highlight issues.
Organizations with tight deadlines, high-volume testing needs, multiple platforms/devices, and complex software benefit the most by adopting automation testing. Early detection can save resources and significantly improve product quality.
Here are the top types of test automation frameworks to learn about:
1. Keyword-Driven Framework
Different keywords or action words interpret and showcase an application’s common actions. Testers do not have to heavily rely on coding details because they get these keywords in the test scripts. There is minimal need for coding to improve readability, maintainability, and reusability.
2. Data-Driven Framework
Testers can work on different data sets in a single test because the data set is stored in another test script. It is beneficial when you need to test multiple input variations or have high test coverage requirements.
3. Linear Scripting Framework
A tester records the manual test steps, which are then replayed to automate the testing process. While you do not need high coding skills, it is also useless in complex scenarios. Businesses with limited test automation experience and straightforward, repeatable workflows benefit by adopting it.
4. Modular Framework
The testing process is split into smaller modules, and each module is tested separately. Separate outcomes are then put together in a single report. Organizations that develop mobile and web applications particularly adopt the Modular Automation Framework (MAF).
5. Hybrid Framework
The best aspects of different methodologies are combined for a highly adaptive and versatile testing environment. These elements are usually picked from data-driven and keyword-driven frameworks.
If you found this guide helpful, don’t miss our blog on Top Test Automation Frameworks, where we break down the most effective frameworks to choose for your projects.
How Automation Testing Works?
To effectively automate testing and gain the best outcomes, you must follow a set of tried-and-tested steps. Each step has a specific purpose that it fulfils.
Here are a few things you should keep in mind while carrying out automation testing:
1. Planning and Preparation
Address and outline your organization’s key problems. Getting to the root of the problem will help you understand what needs automation. It usually works best for repetitive, time-consuming, and high-risk tasks.
2. Opt for the Right Frameworks, Tools, & Programming Language
A well-crafted automation framework can improve the code’s structure and reusability. You can pick from the long list of frameworks, including data-driven, keyword-driven, linear, modular, and hybrid, as per your test cases and covering requirements.
Select the automation testing tools according to the factors suitable for your company. The key points of importance here are the technology stack of your application, licensing costs, integration capabilities, and supporting documentation.
After carefully picking the right tool, it’s time to select an appropriate programming language. JavaScript, Python, C#, and Java are among the most popular names.
3.Build a Robust Automation Suite
Establish and adhere to coding standards to promote collaboration. Test scripts and functions reduce redundancy while implementing comprehensive reporting mechanisms.
Locators (such as XPath and CSS Selectors) identify UI elements, and a version control system (like Git) manages and tracks changes.
4. Execution
The automation engine runs the scripts in batches, with the need for human intervention. The engine itself interacts with the application, feeds it data as essential, and waits for responses.
5. Measure & Analyze Automation Efforts
Measure the success of your automation implementations using different software testing metrics. Evaluate key points like test execution time, automation ROI, coverage, defect detection rate, and flakiness.
The script automatically generates a detailed report highlighting which tests the application passed and which it failed.
6. Improving & Maintaining Continuously
Your application’s UI and base technology are always changing, and call for test maintenance. Automation scripts require review, refactoring, and maintenance at fixed intervals for better readability and adaptation.
Test Automation Best Practices
Adopting proven strategies saves test suites from becoming brittle and expensive to manage. These also ensure that the automated tests offer maximum coverage and return on investment (ROI) while minimizing technical debt.
Let’s take you through a few essential test automation best practices that you must adopt for healthy software.
• Plan & Document
Make an elaborate automation testing strategy that outlines the scope, objectives, intended outcome, and required resources. Document the entire automation journey for case clarity.
• Set Up Alerts
Setting up alerts will inform you instantly about any test failures, giving you time to decide whether to pause or abort the test.
• Test Early & Often
Introduce testing as early as possible in the development process for premature detection of bugs and code errors. Conducting tests at every step of the development cycle to save wasted efforts in fixing them later.
• Reassess Test Plans
While testing is a fixed content, your test plans should not be. Keep revising and reassessing your test plans as your app developers and changes.
Limitations of Automation Testing
Test automation is not a silver bullet. To reap its actual benefits, you must first understand its inherent restrictions to be able to set realistic expectations and plan an effective QA strategy.
There are a few unmissable limitations of automation testing, such as scenarios where human judgment remains irreplaceable.
Here are the main challenges you might face during automating testing:
• High Initial Setup Cost
The initial cost of setting up can be significant, especially considering the investment in testing tools and infrastructure. However, with Aegis Softtech as your partner, you can save on most of these costs.
• Challenges with Complex Scenarios
Certain complex scenarios, especially applications with intricate workflows, may pose challenges. Such situations call for expertise and hands-on skills, which team experts at Aegis Softtech can offer unarguably.
• Not Knowing What to Automate
Without the right people by your side, knowing what you automate and what to carry out manually can be a challenge. Not every test needs to be automated and may hurt the test effectiveness and coverage.
Reliable Software with Aegis Softtech’s Automation Testing Expertise
Business operations and customer trust are two factors directly influenced by automation testing. Understanding ‘What is automation testing’ and why it is essential for your business success goes deeper is very important.
It boils down to having seasoned professionals on your side.
Aegis Softtech brings deep expertise in building complex automation testing ecosystems. Our engineers design frameworks that cover multiple platforms and seamlessly integrate with CI/CD pipelines, while evolving along with your application needs.
You could be launching from scratch or modernizing your existing legacy test suites, and Aegis Softtech will help you. We ensure you achieve higher coverage and consistency across every release.
FAQs
Q1. What is QA automation testing?
QA (quality assurance) automation testing is the process of designing and executing tests with automated scripts and tools, instead of being done manually.
Q2. What is an example of test automation?
Using Selenium for automating web app testing is a valid example. The same test scripts are run repeatedly on various platforms and browsers to confirm consistency.
Q3. What is an automation tool?
Tools that automate different repetitive, time-consuming, and manual tasks, usually through scripts and algorithms, are called automation tools. They are used to perform tasks without any human intervention to deliver more efficient results.
