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Today’s fast-paced software development environments often trigger cost and time constraints which make it difficult to test an application thoroughly prior to release. And if defects remain undetected during the production phase, the result can be increased maintenance costs and customer dissatisfaction.

Manual software testing is done by someone pouring through application screens carefully, trying different input and usage combinations, comparing the outcomes to the anticipated behavior, and recording those observations. Often manual tests are repeated during development cycles for situations like source code changes, multiple operating environments etc. However, manual testing may lead to situations like service delays, performance issues etc. To avoid these, a huge number of organizations are leaning toward automated software testing where the testing is done by a machine quickly and with fewer errors.

If your business still runs manual tests only, here’re the key benefits of performing automated software testing that would help you to make a better decision.

Major benefits of automated software testing

Test automation lets your team perform more tests in less time, increase coverage, and free up human testers for performing more high-level testing. Automated testing is particularly beneficial for test cases which are repeatedly executed like for cross-device and cross-browser compatibility. Let’s have a detailed look at the key benefits of automated testing.

• Saves time and money

Software tests need to be repeated frequently during development cycles in order to ensure quality. These tests should be repeated every time source code is altered. For each of the software’s releases, you may need to test it on all supported hardware configurations and operating systems. Manually repeating those tests leads to an increase in cost and time. Once created, you can run automated tests over and over again without any additional cost and they’re much faster compared to manual tests. Automated testing can lower the time drastically that directly translates into cost savings.

• Improves accuracy

Sometimes, even the most conscientious tester may make mistakes during tedious manual testing. On the other hand, automated tests precisely perform the same steps every time they’re executed and detailed results are recorded always. Testers freed from monotonous repetitive manual tests can focus on dealing with complex features.

• Increased test coverage

Businesses can execute more tests pertaining to an application by implementing automated tests. This results in a higher coverage which in a manual testing approach, would need a huge team heavily restricted with their amount of time. This increased test coverage results in higher quality applications.

• Reusability

Automated test cases can be reused and thus can be utilized through many different approaches. With automated testing you don’t need to develop new scripts every time, even if the version of the device or OS changes. You can also redo the test in exactly the same way without forgetting any steps.

• Automated testing helps developers as well

Developers can use shared automated tests to identify problems quickly before sending them to QA. Tests can automatically run whenever source code changes and notify the developer or the team if they fail. These features help developers save time and boost their confidence.

• Tests can run 24/7

Regardless of the place where a tester is, the tests can be initiated. In addition, there’s no need to monitor them as automated testing can be performed remotely.

• Information security

The effectiveness of testing depends largely on the test data’s quality. Manually developing quality test data takes a significant amount of time, and therefore, testing is done on copies of live databases often. With automated testing implemented, you can get some great help in creating, manipulating as well as protecting the test database.

Final Takeaway

Apart from the above benefits, automated software testing helps businesses to increase the morale of QA and developer teams. Executing repetitive tasks with automated testing provides the teams with time to spend on more rewarding and challenging projects. As a result, team members tend to improve their confidence and skill sets which, in turn, pass on to the organization.

In order to achieve the best result, businesses should use a combination of both types of testing: manual testing for reproducing certain bugs, complex use cases, and to make sure the highest possible level of user experience, and automated testing for simple, repetitive use cases.