Author : Rohan Ambasta
Date : Apr 05, 2023
Overview:
Getting test automation right is becoming increasingly critical for success of businesses. Moving from manual testing to automated testing is a big change in itself. What makes this change even more difficult is the confusion around test automation. If an organization decides to move towards test automation, the first step itself is critical as well as challenging – selecting a right test automation tool.
The test automation market is crowded with a large number of players – of different sizes, capabilities and technologies, each of them claiming to be the ‘best test automation tool’. If one is looking to move to test automation, how should one identify which tool is the right one for them?
Test automation can have a large number of associated overheads – salary, training costs, licenses etc. To select the ‘right’ test automation tool for one’s needs, cutting through all the noise on the internet is very critical. In this article, we try to clear the sky for you so that you can find the best test automation tool for your requirement.
Different types of automation technics/ tools/ methodologies
When we talk about test automation, we look at it as a singular object. In reality, test automation is actually a spectrum. Depending upon how much and which part of the testing process is automated, there can be multiple levels of maturity among the test automation itself. There are different tools which are designed for different levels of maturity.
For instance, at its very beginning, test automation could be limited to automating the UAT test cases through scripting methodologies. Test automation at this stage has its benefits as well as disadvantages. The capital investment is low but managing changes in the application or automating complex scenarios is impossible. At a slightly advanced stage, where the coverage for automated tests ranges from 30%-40%, one gets higher reusability and maintainability but at this stage, the test automation will be heavily dependent on skilled resources which will increase the operational cost. The next step in the maturity of test automation is achieved when the mature framework scales across the applications. At this stage, reusability is even higher but manual test engineers cannot contribute to the testing process.
The most advanced level of test automation is scriptless test automation where highly intuitive GUI acts like an interface between the framework and the users. Scriptless test automation can scale across complete QA teamed can handle any complex testing scenario. Scriptless test automation provides highest test coverage and maximum ROI.While evaluating different test automation tools, it is important to see where do they fit in this spectrum of test automation maturity.
What makes the selection difficult?
What makes selecting a test automation tool a confusing and tiring process? The reasons are many and understanding them can simplify the process considerably.
Factors to consider while choosing the tool:
To select the right test automation tool,
All encompassing pricing: Not every solution provider will give you all encompassing prices. Ask pointed questions to arrive at the actual cost of owning, using and maintaining the tool
Support: No matter how perfect any tool is, there will always be that moment when you need someone to get you out of a jinx quickly. Almost every provider would claim that they have exceptional support. The only way to find out is actually talking to their customers; not just one or two, but at least five to six.
Knowing the people: If you like the people who have built a product, there are far more chances that you will end up liking the tool. Go beyond the tool, understand the team that built it and why did they build the tool. Try to gauge how committed they are to keep the end user satisfied with the product
Summary:
Selecting a test automation tool is difficult and confusing. Begin with understanding the existing challenges and the priority in which you want to overcome them. Don’t get sold by just reading the website. Talk to people, talk to customers and ask them specific questions. Finally, look beyond the tool. Try to know the people behind it as that will ensure that you are not just buying a tool but an experience.
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