Automated Testing Goals & Objectives

Software test automation services are an essential part of the quality control process. Unlike manual testing, it uses special software for the implementation of test processes and assisting in test management, design, execution, etc. To run automated tests, QA engineers apply a ready-to-use tool or solutions that require writing additional code.

We’ve already told about the ultimate goal and key objectives of software testing in one of our previous blog posts. But what about automation? Are there any specific automation testing goals and objectives? Let’s figure it out.

Automated Testing Goals

A fast-paced software development environment requires dynamic testing solutions. Automation helps to speed up the process, covering more test areas in less time. As a result, QA engineers get more time to handle high-level tasks that require human input. This highlight defines the key automated testing goals.

#1. High quality of software & user satisfaction.

These two things that always go hand-in-hand define the main goal of software testing. All members of a QA team use different types of testing and tools to achieve the same goal: to release software without critical bugs and make sure users are happy with it. Automation testing contributes to it with its special techniques.

#2. Minimizing testing time & human effort.

Automation is applied where manual testing would have taken a lot of time. It helps to shorten test time and simplify testing of complex applications with many features. QA engineers can set up the system, and it will start running automatically at night. Every test scenario can be executed multiple times, making automation very useful for regression. Thus, automation optimizes the time and human resources.

#3. Increasing efficiency and quality while reducing costs.

Automation is always more advantageous over the long run. Timely releases and flawless performance require a lot of effort. QA engineers can execute tests during off-peak hours, distribute them across multiple servers, simulate different types of environments, etc. Carrying out all those tests manually will take much more effort. You will need to pay for more working hours and wait for a long time – not the best scenario for a dynamic project or tight deadlines.

Automated Testing Objectives

The objectives are specific actions that help to achieve bigger automation testing goals.

#1. Enhancing software quality after each iteration.

QA specialists apply automation to check software specifications after each iteration. Along with bug detection, they focus on bug prevention and localization. For this, it is necessary to cover all possible scenarios of software behavior. Well-written automation tests can work as bug-repellents and prevent mistakes that are expensive to fix.

#2. Improving stability and reliability.

Modeling stress situations and seemingly impossible scenarios (peak traffic, a huge amount of users requesting the same feature, etc.) helps to discover how an app behaves in unusual circumstances. It, in turn, allows preventing crashes and lags if such situations happen. To avoid introducing new risks, any test-specific code is plugged in by the test and only in a test environment.

#3. Helping to understand the system under test.

A system under test, or simply SUT, refers to the thing that is currently tested. Automated tests help to explore numerous “What if…” scenarios. Without them, the team would need to pore through code. Instead, a QA engineer turns on a debugger, runs a test, and sees how code works.

#4. Creating tests that are easy to run.

The tests should be fully automated so it is possible to run them without any effort. They should also be self-checking (detect and report errors without manual inspection) and repeatable (suitable for multiple uses). Ideally, QA engineers should be able to run each test independently.

#5. Creating tests that are easy to maintain.

When QA professionals write automated tests, they still need to focus on testing, not on the code for automation. Thus, tests should be easy to write, read, understand, and modify in the future. They should require minimal maintenance when the system evolves.

#6. Expanding test coverage.

QA engineers aim to cover the widest test area possible. To check all user scenarios, they need to execute hundreds of test cases, validate boundary and edge cases, ensure the compatibility with different devices and browsers. Automation can cover both functional and UI testing.

#7. Boosting QA engineers’ effectiveness and motivation.

First off, we aren’t trying to say that our QA engineers unmotivated or fail to work effectively 🙂 Still, manual testing is an error-prone job. Repeating the same test cases frequently with only slight changes can get frustrating. Needless to remind that there are many time-consuming low-level tasks. Automation leaves more time for QA engineers to focus on challenging and uncommon issues, like exploratory testing and risk analysis.

When to Use Automation

Test automation goals and objectives are centered around facilitating the test process and boosting its efficiency. The larger the project is, the more relevant it is to use automated testing. Usually, the most strategically important areas are subject to automation.

Remember that automated testing is not a substitute for manual testing – it is rather a powerful backup. It’s best to apply manual and automated testing in the proportions that work best for your project.