In the not-so-distant past, Amazon made waves by rolling out software updates at an astonishing rate of every 11.6 seconds. How did they achieve such breakneck speed? Amazon attributes it to their adept utilization of DevOps principles and highly effective test automation (TA) strategies.

It's hardly surprising, then, that a staggering 40% of companies surveyed in the State of Test Automation 2021-2022 invested up to 50% of their entire QA budget in automation, with 20% going even beyond that mark. Furthermore, nearly 38% of these organizations regard test automation as an integral component of their quality assurance process.

Having previously delved into the significance of the DevOps strategy in one of our previous articles, today, we aim to shed light on the manifold benefits that automated testing brings to the table. Drawing from the wealth of experience accumulated by QA Genesis in providing automation testing services, we assert that test automation presents a wealth of opportunities.

So, what does test automation offer to companies that invest in it? Let's delve deeper into this question.

 

8 Key Benefits from Automated Testing

When executed proficiently, automated testing yields an exceptional return on investment (ROI). Here are the primary advantages of test automation that have been observed across our projects:

Reduced Costs

Automated testing doesn't eliminate the need for manual testing but it delivers savings through early bug detection and reduced testing hours.

Early Bug Detection

Developers spend 620 million hours annually fixing software failures, incurring costs of $61 billion. Fixing a single software bug typically consumes 13 hours of developer time. Automated unit testing facilitates early defect discovery, resulting in substantial cost savings. IBM's Systems Sciences Institute noted that the cost to fix an error post-product release is up to 100 times more than one identified during design.

Reduced Testing Costs

Automation allows automated tests to run five times more tests, significantly enhancing test coverage without increasing costs.

Enhanced Test Coverage

As products evolve, maintaining test coverage for new features and ensuring existing functionality remains intact becomes crucial. Automation provides an effective solution for expanding test coverage with each new release.

Improved Test Accuracy and Elevated Morale

Automation ensures consistent, error-free test executions and enables QA engineers to focus on more challenging tasks, elevating job satisfaction and product testing depth.

Accelerated Testing for Faster Delivery

Manual testing becomes costly, time-consuming, and lengthy as projects expand. Automation aligns with the objectives of Agile projects to reduce testing time, facilitating faster product delivery.

Discovery of Elusive Bugs

Automated testing uncovers bugs often overlooked by manual testers, including memory leaks. Such issues accumulate over time and may remain undetected during manual testing. Automated testing mitigates this by running tests rapidly and repeatedly.

Streamlined Reporting

Automated testing tools provide comprehensive reports, enabling team members to swiftly identify bug origins and obtain real-time insights into application performance.

 

Choosing Which Tests to Automate

 

While the advantages of automated testing are evident, the question arises: where to begin and which tests to automate? An essential consideration in creating a successful test automation strategy is to align with project requirements. A recommended approach is to adopt the Automated Testing Pyramid, which encompasses various levels of test automation:

Unit Tests 

Found at the base of the pyramid, unit tests focus on testing the smallest components of the application, known as units. These tests, created by developers, are cost-effective, fast to develop, and easy to maintain, providing high ROI.

Integration Tests

Positioned in the middle layer, integration tests handle business logic and connect the UI to a database. Automation of these tests is increasingly beneficial, especially in modern software with distributed system architectures and external API integrations.

GUI Tests

At the pyramid's peak are GUI tests, designed to ensure the interface functions correctly. While these tests are essential, automating them should follow automation of unit and integration tests. GUI tests are relatively time-consuming and maintenance-intensive and may require additional exploratory testing to validate results.

 

Conclusion

Embracing automated testing can transform your Quality Assurance efforts. The value of automated testing is evident in the hours saved on repetitive manual tasks, the early detection of defects to safeguard your reputation, and substantial cost savings from prompt defect resolution.

The potential for a high ROI in test automation is substantial, whether for early-stage projects or established software in production. Success lies in implementing automation effectively and ensuring the right expertise is at your disposal. For insights into creating a successful test automation strategy, feel free to explore our article on the subject.

Ankur Shrivastav
Ankur Shrivastav
CEO
Ankur is a seasoned entrepreneur with more than a decade of experience in developing successful web and app products for startups, small and medium enterprises, and large corporations. He is passionate about technology leadership and building robust engineering teams.
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