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Software Testing Before Launch: 5 Tips for a Smooth Launch Experience

All software must be tested before launch. If this part is omitted, a whole host of bugs and security gaps in the code remain undiscovered.

We at testup.io have already been involved in many projects and can confirm this: Problems can always be found before the release. And the more complex your product is, the more bugs there will be (best example: Windows). That’s why testing is a central part of software development. And this part has to be done right.

Here we share with you 5 tips on how to ensure a smooth launch experience with tests.

Tip 1: Test Right from the Start

This tip comes first because it is the most important.

If your software is already “finished” and you want to start testing it quickly before the launch, you have already made a critical mistake. Because testing software is not something that should only be done shortly before the launch. It has to be done right from the start. And on a regular basis.

Software products work in much the same way as buildings: there is a structure. Each building block builds on another. And if the foundation is not built properly, everything that builds on it has to be demolished.

If you find out 2 weeks before the rollout that the entire structure of your code needs to be reorganised, there is always the same consequence: a headache.

Employees have to work overtime, your superiors are stressed, clients are dissatisfied and the company builds up a bad reputation. Early testing prevents this.

Integrate Testing into the Product Roadmap

If you want to plan your testing strategically right from the start, you need to integrate it into the product roadmap. This allows you to determine at which points in the development process which tests are to be carried out.

A major advantage of this approach is also better time planning. One of the most common excuses for not testing is “too little time”. And it’s true that software development is stressful. But if you plan everything from the beginning, you can set realistic deadlines and schedule time for testing.

Also important: The coders should be involved in the creation of the product roadmap. This is because they are good at estimating how long certain tasks and processes will take.

And if you have particularly little time for testing, you can try automated testing as a service (TaaS).

Tip 2: Carry Out the 4 Most Important Tests

These 4 tests must never be omitted before the rollout:

  • Unit tests
  • Integration tests
  • End-to-End tests
  • Acceptance tests

They test different areas and complement each other. Once your software has passed these tests, you can have much more confidence and trust in the product. But what are these tests all about?

Unit Tests – Check Isolated Code Sections

Unit tests require you to scrutinise and check small sections of code (units). This type of test must be carried out particularly early on so that errors in one unit do not affect other units.

Integration Tests – Checking Harmony between Units

With complex software, different units have to communicate with each other (e.g. front-end and back-end modules).

You use integration tests to check whether these units are in harmony with each other. Because if the interfaces have errors, this usually hinders the flow of data in the system.

End-to-end Tests – Testing the Entire System

End-to-end tests are larger tests that check the behaviour of the entire system from start to finish.

As already mentioned, software consists of various components. And in end-to-end tests, it is not individual parts of the software that are tested, but the entire system. In such tests, the software has to prove itself in real-life scenarios.

Acceptance Tests – Checking the Client’s Needs

The acceptance test always comes at the end. It is not carried out by you, but by the customer or an end user. If the tester has no problems and can navigate the application without help, the test is considered passed.

Tip 3: Put your Software to the Test!

When a carpenter has finished his work, he hammers hard on his table. This is done to test the stability of the table. When testing software development, something similar is done to the finished application. It is called fuzzing.

When fuzzing, the system receives unexpected and invalid input data. An active attempt is made to overload the system. This has the following advantages:

Security Gaps Are Uncovered

If you actively overload your software with fuzzing, you can recognise vulnerabilities based on the system’s reactions. This is important because such vulnerabilities are exploited by attackers.

Resilience Is Tested

If the software crashes during fuzzing, this means that the code does not provide enough stability. You can use such stress tests to find out whether the software is robust enough for the launch.

A crash is often caused by the code being too long and not being kept simple.

Regression Can Be Detected

Regression means that old errors that have already been corrected reappear. Unfortunately, regression often goes unnoticed. But if you carry out fuzzing regularly, you can detect such errors.

Tip 4: Use Flaky Tests

Most developers don’t like flaky tests. Because they are confusing. A flaky test leads to different results under identical circumstances. This is why these tests are usually deleted.

But you can actually use flaky tests to your advantage. If you find out what causes the test to be “flaky”, you can get to the bottom of problems that other tests don’t reveal.

Tip 5: Write Test Reports that Everyone Understands

Automated test reports have become very popular. They save a lot of work. But there is one problem: they are not always reader-friendly and often require a lot of knowledge. There are always participants and decision-makers in the project who do not have a deep technical understanding. In order to make informed decisions, they need to be able to understand the test reports.

For example, there could be a bug that cannot be fixed before the launch. In such cases, the decision-makers need to understand the bug. They have to decide whether the launch has to be postponed or whether the software can be released despite the bug. And this is only possible if the test report is clear and comprehensible. Even if the reader does not have a great deal of technical understanding.

The good news: There are also automated test reports that are easy to understand. At testup.io, we produce image-based test reports. They are easily understood by everyone involved. Contact us if you want to know more about this.

#softwareengineering #programming #softwaredesign #datamining

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How Test Automa­tion Puts the Efficiency of Your Project in the Fast Lane

Imagine you are a passionate developer working on an exciting software project. The deadline is approaching and you feel the pressure to deliver a bug-free application that runs smoothly and delights users. But as you write the lines of code and perfect the functionalities, the fear of hidden bugs inevitably creeps in – those little imperfections that only become noticeable when the application gets into the hands of users.

Wouldn’t it be fantastic if all these worries could just disappear? Imagine if you could rely on your tests to be thorough, comprehensive and accurate – without the hassle and uncertainty of manual testing.

The solution to these concerns lies in the world of test automation.

In this article, we’ll dive into the exciting world of test automation together and explore how it can put your project’s efficiency on the fast track. We’ll see how tedious manual testing can become a thing of the past and how you can achieve better test coverage with ease. But that’s not all – we’ll also learn about an innovative solution that not only automates your testing, but also introduces the concept of Testing-as-a-Service (TaaS) to make your development journey even more seamless.

Join us on this journey as we overcome the obstacles of manual testing, maximising the efficiency of your development while ensuring that your application meets the highest quality standards. Let’s dive into the world of test automation and discover how you can save time, resources and nerves – without compromising on quality.

The Challenges of Manual Testing

Ah, the human factor – it can be a blessing, but also a curse. Sloppy mistakes, fatigue and carelessness can affect your tests. Manual testing can be a significant challenge in software development for a number of reasons:

  • Time required: Manual tests require a lot of time and resources as they have to be carried out manually by testers or developers. This can be particularly time-consuming for complex or extensive applications.
  • Repeatability: Repeatability is a problem with manual tests. As people are involved, tests cannot always be carried out in exactly the same way, which can lead to inconsistencies in the test results.
  • Human error: Manual tests are prone to human error such as sloppiness, fatigue or lack of attention. These errors can lead to errors in the application being overlooked or incorrect results being reported.
  • Limited test coverage: Due to time and resource constraints, manual tests cannot cover all possible scenarios and combinations that may occur in a complex application. This can lead to critical errors remaining undetected.
  • Scalability: Manual tests are difficult to scale. As the application grows or new features are added, more tests are needed, further increasing the time and resources required.
  • Costs: Manual testing can be costly as it requires teams of testers to continuously perform and monitor tests. This can put a strain on development project budgets.
  • Slow feedback cycle: Manual testing delays the feedback cycle for developers as they have to wait for test results from testers. This can hinder development and lead to longer iteration times.
  • Lack of reproducibility: With manual tests, it is often difficult to reproduce and isolate errors, especially if they occur intermittently. This makes troubleshooting and verification more difficult.
  • Complexity: Manual testing can be difficult in complex applications as they may require testing of different platforms, devices or environments. This can complicate the testing strategy.

As you can see, manual tests pose a major challenge, especially in terms of efficiency, consistency, test coverage and quality assurance. But don’t worry! Test automation takes this human factor out of the equation. No more mistakes due to daily form or tired eyes. The machine takes over.

Why Test Automation?

You certainly know the importance of testing for the quality of your software. But imagine if all those tedious tests could be automated! This is where test automation comes into play. It’s not just about saving time, but also about improving test coverage. Because we all know that manual tests can only scale up to a certain point.

Test automation brings with it a wealth of benefits that can significantly increase the efficiency and quality of your software development. Here are some of the most important advantages:

1. Faster Test Execution

Manual tests can be time-consuming, especially if they have to be repeated regularly. Test automation makes it possible to carry out tests in less time and at a higher speed, which speeds up the development process.

2. Higher Test Coverage

Manual testing can leave gaps in test coverage as it is difficult to cover all possible scenarios. With automated testing, you can run a wider range of test cases to ensure that different aspects of your application are thoroughly tested.

3. Consistency and Repeatability

Automated tests deliver consistent results, regardless of factors such as daily form or fatigue. This ensures the repeatability of the tests, which is important for tracking changes in the code over time.

4. Early Detection of Errors:

Automated tests can be used in the early stages of development, leading to the early detection of errors. This makes it possible to identify and rectify problems at an early stage, which ultimately reduces the cost of later corrections.

5. Better Utilisation of Resources

Automated tests can be executed in parallel, which maximises the utilisation of available resources. As a result, tests can be completed more quickly without overloading the resources of developers and testers.

6. Reduction of the Human Factor

Manual testing is prone to errors due to sloppiness, fatigue or human error. Automation eliminates this human factor and helps to improve the accuracy of test results.

7. Cost Efficiency

Although the initial outlay for setting up test automation must be invested, it leads to cost savings in the long term. Automated tests reduce the time and resources required for repeated manual tests.

8. Support of Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD)

Automated tests are a crucial component of CI/CD pipelines. They enable code changes to be checked quickly and reliably and transferred to the production environment.

9. Scalability

With automated tests, you can easily scale test coverage by adding new test cases or updating existing ones. This is particularly useful as the application grows or new features are added.

Overall, test automation offers a variety of benefits that can improve the quality of your software, speed up the development process and utilise your resources more efficiently. It is an investment that pays off in the long term and helps to bring high-quality software to market faster and more reliably.

How does Test Automation Work?

Test automation refers to the process of using automated tools and scripts to perform software tests instead of having them performed manually by testers. These tools can use different techniques and approaches to automate tests. Here is a basic idea of how test automation works:

1. test script creation: First, test scripts or test cases are created that describe how the application is to be tested. These scripts are usually written in a specific scripting language or an automated test framework.

2. test tool selection: Automated test tools are selected that can automate the desired test scenarios. These tools can range from general test automation platforms to specialised tools for specific types of tests.

3. Set up the test environment: The test environment, which contains the application to be tested and all necessary dependencies, is prepared. Depending on the type of application, this can include various aspects such as software versions, databases, operating systems and hardware configurations.

4. Automation of the tests: The test scripts created are executed in the selected test automation tools. These tools can simulate the application, execute user input, compare expected results and detect errors.

5. Test execution: The test automation tools execute the created test scripts by controlling the application, executing actions and checking expected results. They can manipulate GUI elements, call APIs, query databases and more.

6. Test reporting: On completion of the tests, the automation tools generate reports on the test results. These reports contain information about which tests were successful, which failed and any errors that occurred.

7. error detection and correction: If automated tests fail, they indicate potential errors or problems in the application. Developers can use the reports to determine the exact cause of the error and fix it.

8. Integration into CI/CD pipelines: Automated tests can be integrated into Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines to enable seamless integration and deployment of code changes.

9. Scaling and maintenance: The test scripts can be updated and expanded as required to cover new functionalities or changed requirements. This enables continuous maintenance of the test automation.

Overall, test automation aims to reduce the manual effort involved in performing tests, increase test coverage, improve the accuracy of results and provide developers with quick feedback on the quality of their code. It also facilitates the execution of tests in different environments and ensures that repeated tests deliver consistent results.

testup.io: The Efficiency Revolution

And this is where testup.io comes into play. With testup.io, you can put your tests on autopilot. This means your developers can focus on the essentials while the machine in the background runs your tests quickly and thoroughly. No more bottlenecks caused by manual testing, and you can ensure that your software works together seamlessly. What does that mean? Let us explain:

The Turbo for your Development

With Testing-as-a-Service, or TaaS for short, you can sit back and relax because we take care of everything related to end-to-end testing for you: we create and manage your tests and document all defects found. This means that your developers can concentrate on the essentials while the machine in the background carries out your tests quickly and thoroughly. No more bottlenecks due to manual testing, and you can ensure that your software works seamlessly together.

Testing-as-a-Service (TaaS): Your All-in-One-Partner

TaaS is the new magic word, and testup.io is a master of it. As a product manager or CTO, you can outsource your testing and still retain control. No more tying up internal resources, no more building expensive infrastructures. Test your software in different environments to ensure that it works flawlessly everywhere.

The Proof of the Pudding Is in the Eating: Time for the Future of Testing

It’s time to take the plunge into the world of test automation with testup.io. Test automation and the concept of TaaS will revolutionise the way you work. Don’t be afraid of new horizons – testup.io is at your side. Increase your efficiency, save time and money and deliver high-quality software. Let’s shape the future of testing together!

Let’s try it out and see the results first hand! Your software will thank you, and your users will feel the difference.

Book a demo now on testup.io!

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Best Practices for the Successful Transition from Manual Testing to Automation

The transition from manual testing to automation is crucial in today’s fast-paced software development world. By automating testing processes, organisations can increase efficiency, improve quality and reduce time-to-market. However, there are some challenges to overcome, including careful planning, strategic approaches and collaboration between all team members.

A successful transition requires recognising best practices and implementing appropriate steps. For example, clear objectives should be defined, suitable tools selected and test scripts developed. Regularly reviewing and updating automated tests and training team members are also important aspects of a successful transition. With a well-thought-out approach, a company can ensure that it realises all the benefits of automation and continuously improves its software quality.

1. Thorough Analysis and Planning

The first and most important step for a successful transition to test automation is thorough analysis and planning. This involves understanding the goals, requirements and scope of the automation project. By identifying the appropriate test cases, resources can be utilised effectively. The prioritisation of test cases is based on their importance and the expected ROI (return on investment). Examples of suitable test cases could be regression tests, where a large amount of repetitive tasks can be automated. Performance tests or tests in complex environments can also be automated well. Careful planning lays the foundation for efficient and successful test automation.

Create a detailed time and resource plan for the automation project. Firstly, you should estimate the time required for the actual automation, taking into account specific tasks such as identifying processes that can be automated, developing scripts or testing the automation. Furthermore, it is essential to plan enough time for training team members to ensure that they have the necessary skills to carry out the automation successfully.

The familiarisation with new tools and technologies should also be considered, as these may require additional training. It may make sense to bring in external expertise or offer training to ensure that the team has the necessary knowledge.

2. Selection of the Right Tools

Choosing the right automation tools is crucial to the success of the project. There are a variety of test automation tools on the market, from open source options such as

  • Selenium
  • Appium
  • JUnit

to commercial solutions such as

  • Applitools
  • TestCafe
  • UFT
  • TestComplete
  • testup.io
  • UIPath

Choose the tools that best suit the requirements and technologies of your project.

When selecting development and testing tools, copywriters should consider various aspects. Firstly, scalability is important – the selected tool should be able to keep pace with growing requirements. In addition, it should offer broad support for different platforms and technologies to ensure that a wide range of projects can be covered. The maintainability of the tool also plays a role, as it requires regular updates and bug fixes. An active community can help to clarify questions and solve problems. Finally, integration with other development tools is important to ensure a seamless workflow.

3. Gradual Introduction and Pilot Projects

A step-by-step approach is often recommended to make the transition from manual testing to automation a success. Start with a pilot project to familiarise the team with the new tools and methods and gain experience. Select test cases that are relatively easy to automate and offer a high benefit for the project.

After the pilot project has been completed and the results analysed, it is advisable to obtain feedback from the team members. This feedback can provide valuable insights and help to adapt the approach if necessary. If the pilot project is successful, it opens up the possibility of extending automation to other test cases and projects. This allows for more efficient testing and gives the team more time for other important tasks. Examples of possible extensions could be the integration of additional test tools or the automation of other project management processes.

4. Test Data Management

A critical aspect of test automation is test data management. Automated test cases require reliable and consistent test data in order to function correctly. Ensure that test data is managed in a clean and predictable environment.

Using mock data is an effective way to simulate databases and external dependencies in tests. By separating test data from production data, privacy regulations can be adhered to and potential data leaks can be avoided. Let’s imagine a developer is working on an e-commerce website and wants to test different scenarios, such as adding products to the shopping basket or completing an order.

Instead of using real customer data or credit card information, mock data can be generated, such as random names, addresses or credit card numbers. This mock data is realistic enough to perform realistic tests, but anonymised enough to protect user privacy. In addition, the use of mock data allows for greater flexibility in creating specific test cases and scenarios without compromising the actual production environment.

5. Code Quality and Versioning

Automated tests are essentially code, so code quality is critical. Follow best practices for software development, such as modular and well-structured code, clear commenting and consistency in the naming of variables and methods.

Effective version control is crucial for managing the code of automated tests. It enables the team to track changes and undo them if necessary. This not only minimises the risk of errors, but also improves collaboration. An example of a popular version control software is Git, which allows developers to create branches and work on different features or fixes in parallel.

In addition, Git provides features such as merging and rebasing to merge changes into the main code and resolve conflicts. With well-managed version control, the test team can go through faster feedback loops and ensure that all changes are properly documented.

6. Continuous Integration and Continuous Testing

Integrate test automation seamlessly into the CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment) process. Automate the execution of tests when new code changes are submitted. This enables potential problems to be recognised and rectified at an early stage and the quality of the code to be improved.

By automating the deployment and execution of tests in different environments, a copywriter is able to ensure that an application works both consistently and reliably. This makes it possible to identify potential problems or incompatibilities at an early stage and take appropriate countermeasures. For example, it is possible to test whether a website is displayed correctly on different browsers or whether mobile apps run smoothly on different operating systems.

In addition, different network conditions can also be simulated to ensure that the application functions optimally under different connection qualities. Overall, the automation of tests in different environments helps to significantly improve the quality and performance of an application.

7. Continuous Improvement and Training

Test automation is an ongoing process that requires continuous improvement. Gather feedback from team members and stakeholders to identify potential weaknesses and bottlenecks.

Continuous investment in training and development of the team is vital to ensure they always have the latest skills and technology. This enables team members to keep up with constantly evolving requirements and maximise their efficiency. For example, test automation training could be provided to ensure that the team has the necessary knowledge and skills to automate tests effectively.

It is also important to keep up to date with developments in the field of test automation and adapt the strategy and tools accordingly. New tools and techniques such as Continuous Integration or Behaviour Driven Development can help to further optimise the automation process. Overall, a well-trained team helps to ensure that tests can be carried out more efficiently, thereby improving the quality of the software.

Conclusion

The transition from manual testing to automation brings numerous advantages for companies. By using automated tests, they can optimise their software development and shorten the time-to-market. This enables faster delivery of updates and new features to customers. By thoroughly analysing the requirements and scope of testing, companies can ensure that they select the right tools for their test automation. A step-by-step approach is advisable to minimise the risk of errors and ensure a smooth transition. It is also important to integrate test automation into the already established CI/CD process to enable continuous integration and deployment. Examples of suitable tools are Selenium, Appium or JUnit, depending on the specific requirements of the project. The use of frameworks such as Behaviour Driven Development (BDD) can also help to create clear and understandable test scenarios.

Continuous improvement and training of the team is crucial to keep up with the latest technologies and best practices and to ensure efficient test automation. By regularly training the team, they can expand their knowledge of tools such as Selenium or Appium and develop new automation strategies. In addition, best practices such as setting up a continuous integration system or implementing code reviews can help improve the quality of the software. Costs can be reduced by recognising and correcting errors early on in the development process. This not only leads to higher customer satisfaction, as high-quality products are delivered, but also to a motivated team that is constantly developing and growing.

If you do not yet have the necessary expertise in-house to make the switch from manual to automated tests, you can also opt for a Testing-as-a-Service solution. The provider takes over the testing for you. You can find more information about this service at testup.io.

#innovation #digital #automation #softwareengineering #programming #data

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Best Practices for the Successful Transition from Manual Testing to Automation

The transition from manual testing to automation is critical in today’s fast-paced software development world. By automating testing processes, companies can increase efficiency, improve quality and shorten time-to-market. However, there are some challenges to overcome, including careful planning, strategic approaches and collaboration among all team members.

A successful transition requires identifying best practices and implementing appropriate steps. For example, clear objectives should be defined, appropriate tools selected and test scripts developed. Regularly reviewing and updating automated tests and training team members are also important aspects for the success of the transition. With a well thought-out approach, a company can ensure that it exploits all the benefits of automation and continuously improves its software quality.

1. Thorough Analysis and Planning

The first and most important step for a successful transition to test automation is thorough analysis and planning. This involves understanding the goals, requirements and scope of the automation project. By identifying the appropriate test cases, resources can be used effectively. Prioritisation of test cases is based on their importance as well as the expected ROI (return on investment). Examples of suitable test cases could be regression tests, where a large amount of repetitive tasks can be automated. Likewise, performance tests or tests in complex environments can be well automated. Careful planning lays the foundation for efficient and successful test automation.

To do this, create a detailed time and resource plan for the automation project. First, estimate the time needed for the actual automation, taking into account specific tasks such as identifying processes that can be automated, developing scripts or testing the automation. It is also essential to allow enough time for training team members to ensure that they have the necessary skills to carry out the automation successfully.

Familiarisation with new tools and technologies should also be considered, as these may require additional training. It may be useful to bring in external expertise or provide training to ensure that the team has the necessary knowledge.

2. Selection of the Right Tools

Choosing the right automation tools is crucial to the success of the project. There are a variety of test automation tools on the market, from open source options such as

  • Selenium
  • Appium
  • JUnit

to commercial solutions such as

  • UFT
  • TestComplete
  • testup.io

Choose the tools that best fit the requirements and technologies of your project.

When selecting development and testing tools, copywriters should consider several aspects. Firstly, scalability is important – the selected tool should be able to keep up with growing requirements. In addition, it should offer broad support for different platforms and technologies to ensure that diverse projects can be covered. The maintainability of the tool also plays a role, as it requires regular updates and bug fixes. An active community can help clarify issues and resolve problems. Finally, integration with other development tools is important to ensure a seamless workflow.

3. Step-by-Step Introduction and Pilot Projects

A step-by-step approach is often recommended to make the transition from manual testing to automation successful. Start with a pilot project to familiarise the team with the new tools and methods and to gain experience. Select test cases that are relatively easy to automate and offer a high benefit for the project.

After the pilot has been completed and the results analysed, it is advisable to seek feedback from team members. This feedback can provide valuable insights and help to adapt the approach if necessary. If the pilot project is successful, it opens up the possibility of extending the automation to other test cases and projects. This enables more efficient execution of tests and frees up more time for the team to focus on other important tasks. Examples of possible extensions could be the integration of further test tools or the automation of other processes within project management.

4. Test Data Management

A critical aspect of test automation is test data management. Automated test cases need reliable and consistent test data to function correctly. Ensure that test data is managed in a clean and predictable environment.

Using mock data is an effective way to simulate databases and external dependencies in tests. By separating test data from production data, data protection regulations can be adhered to and potential data leaks avoided. Let’s imagine a developer is working on an e-commerce website and wants to test different scenarios, e.g. adding products to the shopping cart or placing an order.

Instead of using real customer data or credit card information, mock data can be generated, such as random names, addresses or credit card numbers. This mock data is realistic enough to perform realistic tests, but anonymised enough to protect user privacy. In addition, the use of mock data allows for greater flexibility in creating specific test cases and scenarios without affecting the actual production environment.

5. Code Quality and Versioning

Automated tests are essentially code, so code quality is critical. Follow best practices for software development, such as modular and well-structured codes, clear commenting and consistency in naming variables and methods.

Effective version control is crucial to manage the code of the automated tests. It allows the team to track changes and revert them if necessary. This not only minimises the risk of errors, but also improves collaboration. An example of popular version control software is Git, which allows developers to create branches and work in parallel on different features or fixes.

In addition, Git offers features such as merging and rebasing to merge changes into the main code and resolve conflicts. With well-managed version control, the test team can go through faster feedback loops and ensure that all changes are properly documented.

6. Continuous Integration und Continuous Testing

Seamlessly integrate test automation into the CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment) process. Automate the execution of tests when new code changes are submitted. This identifies and fixes potential problems early and improves the quality of the code.

Automating the deployment and execution of tests in different environments gives a copywriter the ability to ensure that an application works both consistently and reliably. This makes it possible to identify potential problems or incompatibilities early on and take appropriate countermeasures. For example, it is possible to test whether a website is displayed properly on different browsers or whether mobile apps run smoothly on different operating systems.

In addition, different network conditions can also be simulated to ensure that the application works optimally under different connection qualities. Overall, automating tests in different environments helps to significantly improve the quality and performance of an application.

7. Continuous Improvement and Training

Test automation is an ongoing process that requires continuous improvement. Collect feedback from team members and stakeholders to identify potential weaknesses and bottlenecks.

Continuous investment in training and development of the team is crucial to ensure that they always have the latest skills and technologies. This enables team members to keep up with ever-evolving requirements and maximise their efficiency. For example, training on test automation could be provided to ensure that the team has the necessary knowledge and skills to automate tests effectively.

Furthermore, it is important to keep up to date with developments in the field of test automation and to adapt the strategy and tools accordingly. New tools and techniques such as Continuous Integration or Behaviour Driven Development can help to further optimise the automation process. Overall, a well-trained team helps to ensure that tests can be carried out more efficiently, thus improving the quality of the software.

Conclusion

The transition from manual testing to automation brings numerous benefits for companies. By using automated testing, they can optimise their software development and shorten time-to-market. This enables faster delivery of updates and new features to customers. With the help of a thorough analysis of requirements and test scope, companies can ensure that they select the right tools for their test automation. A phased approach is advisable to minimise the risk of errors and ensure a smooth transition. It is also important to integrate test automation into the already established CI/CD process to enable continuous integration and deployment. Examples of suitable tools are Selenium, Appium or JUnit, depending on the specific requirements of the project. The use of frameworks such as Behaviour Driven Development (BDD) can also help to create clear and understandable test scenarios.

Continuous improvement and training of the team is crucial to keep up with the latest technologies and best practices and to ensure efficient test automation. By training the team regularly, they can increase their knowledge of tools such as Selenium or Appium, for example, and develop new automation strategies. In addition, best practices such as setting up a continuous integration system or implementing code reviews can help improve the quality of the software. Costs can be reduced by identifying and fixing errors early in the development process. This leads not only to higher customer satisfaction, as high-quality products are delivered, but also to a motivated team that is constantly developing and growing.

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Effective Test Automation Strategies for Modern Web Applications

Introduction

Test automation has become an essential part of modern software development as it allows for the efficient and consistent testing of web-based software. With the increasing complexity of web applications, it is essential to have effective test automation strategies in place to ensure the quality of the software. Although test automation is a powerful tool in software development, but it is not an all-in-one solution. When done improperly, automated tests can consume resources without providing significant value. To maximize the benefits of test automation, a comprehensive testing strategy must be developed. This includes identifying key flows, selecting the appropriate cases for automation, and avoiding common pitfalls. This article provides a guide on the best practices for test automation and how to apply them effectively.

What’s an automation test strategy?

An automation test strategy is a plan for how to use automated testing tools and techniques to determine the quality of software. It outlines the types of tests that will be automated, the tools and frameworks that will be used, and the approach that will be taken to implement and maintain the automated tests. It also defines the scope of the automation effort, including which parts of the application will be tested, and how often the tests will be run. The objective of an automation test strategy is to optimize the testing process by increasing its efficiency and effectiveness, while also minimizing the time and resources required as compared to manual testing.

Types of automated tests

Automated testing and manual testing share similar characteristics in terms of their types and objectives. The key differentiation between the two lies in their execution – while manual tests are executed and evaluated by a human tester, automated tests are executed through a script and the results are analyzed by the automation tool. Understanding the different type of automated tests and when to use them is crucial for developing an effective test automation strategy.

 The major types of automated tests include:

  1. Unit tests: These tests focus on individual units of code, such as functions or methods, and are used to ensure that they are working correctly.
  2. Integration tests: These tests check how different units of code work together, and are used to ensure that the system as a whole is functioning properly.
  3. Functional tests: These tests focus on the functionality of the application, and are used to ensure that the application is working as expected from the user’s perspective.
  4. Performance tests: These tests check how the application performs under different load conditions and are used to identify and resolve performance bottlenecks.
  5. Security tests: These tests check for vulnerabilities and potential security breaches in the application.
  6. Acceptance tests: These tests ensure that the application meets the requirements and expectations of the end-user or customer.

Steps to build an automation testing strategy

An automation testing strategy should be customized to meet the specific requirements of a project. While there is no universal method that applies to all situations, there are steps and recommendations that can be used to develop an effective automation testing strategy.

Step 1: Establish clear goals and objectives

An effective automation testing strategy requires clear and measurable goals, as it is difficult to determine success without them. Once the goals have been established, the following steps should be geared towards achieving them. The goal can be as simple as automating priority test cases for critical flows. Defining the scope of the automation testing in the initial stages also helps to prevent wasted time and resources. Without a clear scope, automated tests may overlap with manual testing or some tests may be overlooked due to confusion over whether they should be automated or tested manually. This can be a significant issue for large QA teams, and it is important to establish a precise scope to avoid such problems.

Step 2: Define requirements

This step emphasizes on the need to collaborate with stakeholders to establish automation priorities, define goals and key performance indicators (KPIs), and document the testing needs. It is important to identify the types of testing required to fulfil these needs which will inform the selection of suitable tools in a later stage.

Step 3: Evaluate Risks

In this step, focus on identifying and prioritizing areas with the highest potential business impact and automate them first. A risk-based approach can assist in this process. By prioritizing correctly, it will enable a logical order for automation, and also allow you to know when to stop automating. For instance, continuing to automate low-priority tests can be costly and may not provide much value.

Step 4: Identify Automation Test Cases

At this stage, the focus should be on determining which specific flows and features of the application need to be automated. Prioritize the areas that have the highest business impact, but also take into consideration the stability and complexity of the flows. Automating test cases that are likely to change frequently in the current or upcoming sprints is usually not cost-effective. If test cases have been previously created, highlight the parts that should be automated based on the established goals, risks, and requirements.

Step 5: Set up test data and environment

Managing the test environment and data is a vital, yet frequently overlooked aspect of an automation testing plan. Compliance with regulations such as GDPR can limit the use of data, making synthetic data a viable option. It’s beneficial to store test data in external files for easier maintenance, as changes to the data should not affect the test code. The test environment should be stable and, if necessary, testing artifacts should be cleaned up after the testing run is completed.

Step 6: Pick the Right Tool and Framework

When it comes to selecting the right tool and framework, it is important to consider the specific needs of the project and team. For example, if the team is more familiar with using Selenium, then it may be a better fit than Appium which is mainly used for mobile automation testing. Additionally, creating a proof of concept (POC) using different tools and frameworks can help in showcasing the best fit for the project. It is important to choose a tool that is flexible, easy to use and can integrate with other tools and technologies.

Step 7: Monitor your Test

Monitoring progress is crucial to understanding the current state of testing and identifying what still needs to be completed. Two effective ways to do this are:

  1. Utilize a test management tool to keep track of the automation status of tests, using statuses such as planned, automated, and outdated.
  2. Create a backlog and monitor progress in a ticket management system to easily assign tasks.

It is important to include this tracking information in the overall testing strategy and make sure all team members are aware of the chosen methods.

Step 8: Reporting

Investigating failed tests and identifying problems is a vital part of the automated process. However, it can often take longer than expected to correct underlying issues. Typically, failed tests are caused by one of four areas: Technical issues with the testing environment, defects within the application, obsolete automation scripts and bugs in the automation scripts. All these underlying issues should be reported to the technical team in charge of them.

Step 9: Establish a maintenance protocol

Test automation is not a one-time event, but a continuous process that requires ongoing attention. To ensure your test suite remains relevant and effective, it is essential to formalize the testing process. The first step is to create a system for updating scripts as necessary, but it’s also important to establish clear priorities and timelines. Keep in mind, every out-of-date test is a potential vulnerability that could make its way into the production environment. By implementing a robust maintenance protocol, you can mitigate this risk and promote the longevity of your test suite.

In addition to these strategies, it is also essential to have a continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipeline in place. This pipeline allows for the automated execution of the test cases and can be integrated with the software development process. This ensures that the application is tested at regular intervals and that any issues are identified and resolved quickly. A CI/CD pipeline like Github actions or Travis CI also allows for the identification of regression issues and the tracking of the test results over time.

Choose the right test automation tool

The ultimate game changer that will help you effectively apply all the strategies discussed above is to choose a best-in-class test automation tool. Testup.io is a great option in this respect; it is a visual-based no-code test tool that gives you fast results. Aside from this, your organization can now take advantage of seamless User Acceptance Testing (UAT) with testup.io. Our app allows users (both developers and non-developers) to automate User Acceptance Tests faster than the time it would take to manually test the software. This means that from a timing perspective, the business benefits of automation can begin to be realized on the second automated run. The good news is that we have also created a generic User Acceptance Testing template for your use. Ultimately, it helps cut costs significantly and guarantees that your application satisfies the user’s requirements. Click here to get started with testup.io for automated tests.

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Why is it So Hard to Introduce Automated Testing in Your Development Process

Automated testing is all the rage in agile contexts these days. There’s no wonder since it works great for many types of testing and helps QAs execute complex test cases located on various platforms and involve a lot of data. It also benefits organizations in multiple ways, such as increasing the productivity of the test team, enhancing software quality, and reducing the time to market.

However, organizations have to face a lot of challenges when trying to apply automated testing into their development process. The seven most common challenges that make the transformation from manual testing to automation more difficult are the following:

  1. Not having a clear idea of what to automate
  2. Difficulties in picking up the right automation tool
  3. Lack of communication and collaboration within the team
  4. Difficulties in choosing a testing approach
  5. High upfront costs
  6. Not having skilled resources for automation
  7. Understanding the prospects of stakeholders and end-users

So let’s have a closer look at the challenges.

1. Not Having a Clear Idea of What to Automate

If you believe that 100% automation is possible, you are dreaming. You can’t automate each and every single test case. Some tests will be difficult to automate due to technology constraints. Specifically, in areas such as compatibility, user interface, or recovery, most of the testing needs to be done manually. For example, some testing frameworks will not support test cases that run across several browser sessions or different devices. Therefore, before you start thinking about automation, you have to come up with a list of criteria that test cases must fulfil in order to be automatized.

The ROI on automated tests varies depending on several factors. Thus, you have to decide which test cases are critical and need to be given a high priority when automating. Normally, it’s the areas that are

  • exposed to risk,
  • of importance to clients,
  • or feature complex business logic.

Recognize these application areas and test case specifications to ensure that your automation efforts payback.

It’s a good idea to automate test cases that run in different environments, with different sets of data or large volumes of data. In contrast, you shouldn’t try to automate test cases that needed to be run once or twice like test cases for a rarely used feature. 

2. Difficulties in Picking up the Right Automation Tool

This is a major challenge most development companies go through when introducing automated testing. Test automation requires tools and development teams to find it difficult to choose the right tool for various reasons, as listed below.

  • Testers are lacking the necessary skills to make the most out of a particular automation tool.
  • Selected tools are not offering 100% test coverage.
  • The cost of automation tools exceeding the test budget.
  • Not knowing if the tool they need exists.

Various steps can be followed in order to mitigate these issues. For instance, if your testers don’t know how to use a specific automation tool effectively, you can arrange a training session with its provider, prepare an online course for them, or recruit a consultant who can help your testers to master it. If you’re still searching for the right automation tool, reach out to the testing community.  Forums like Stack Exchange are a valuable source of information.

Among numerous automated testing tools available in the market today, Testup is a new player that stands out of all the rest due to its excellent and unique features. It enables easy setup for users with a high focus on usability and supports complex test scenarios to boost your software quality. 

Testup covers all the essential use cases such as Front-end testing, End-to-End testing, CI/CD, Test-driven development (TDD), Robotic Process Automation(RPA) and many more. Codeless test automation is one most impressive features of Testup that saves enormous time for developers. In the future, Testup is likely to address most of the challenges organizations face when trying to adapt to automated testing.

3. Lack of Communication and Collaboration within the Team

Automated testing usually requires more communication and collaboration between team members than manual testing. You cannot run a successful testing process if the team fails to get involved adequately in setting automation targets and goals. Therefore, the team members need to be actively involved there.

Automation depends on historical test data, experience, and sometimes even proof of concept that can be obtained only through your team. Thus, the entire team should stay on the same page for automated testing to work properly.

Furthermore, you need to gain solid team management support on hand before you start with automated testing. It is also important to build a collaborative working environment where team members can communicate with each other regularly to deliver test results timely with minimum risk.

4. Difficulties in Choosing a Testing Approach

This is another most significant challenge automation engineers face when trying to go ahead with automated testing. They need to find out the right test automation approach to suit their needs. For that, they may need to ask the following questions from themselves:

  • How can we reduce the implementation and maintenance cost of test suites?
  • Will the selected automation tool be able to generate useful test reports?
  • Will these test suites last a long period of time at our company?

The above points are highly important when it comes to an agile development environment where the testing application constantly changes, and test automation should be implemented to identify these changes, helping the team stick into a cost-effective maintenance strategy. Therefore, you should consider embracing an automation solution that automatically detects these changes and updates or re-validates the test.

5. High Upfront Costs

Test automation will involve high costs at its initial phase. These costs associated with setting up a test automation suite hold back many companies from incorporating automated testing into their development process.

Therefore, make sure to analyze and create a test automation framework including elements like libraries of reusable functions before proposing the automation suite to the management. You need to add hardware costs as well as software costs, including licensing costs if you intend to use paid software. Even if you pick an open-source solution, you still have to consider some costs, such as maintaining and providing training. 

Convincing the management that test automation is worth all the effort might be a difficult task. However, the potential ROI is a clever argument there, so prepare an automation strategy along with a complete budget and go for it.

6. Not Having Skilled Resources for Automation

In automated testing, the teams have to design and maintain the necessary test automation frameworks, along with test scripts, build solutions, and many other vital elements. Therefore, the teams need to have a solid understanding of the design and implementation of the automated testing framework to work as expected. That’s the reason why you should build your team with testing resources who possess strong programming skills and test automation skills.

However, with Testup, organizations can eliminate the demand for skilled resources in automated testing since it is a no-code automation tool.

7. Understanding the Prospects of Stakeholders and End-Users

It doesn’t matter how perfect your testing tools or resources are – you have to always bear in mind that testing can’t be conducted in a vacuum. It serves a specific objective which is basically improving your software product.

While automated testing is a great option for automatically checking your software for bugs, humans still need to carry out non-automated testing scenarios. These tests return plenty of useful information to make optimal decisions for improving the system, not in the view of developers but the end-users.

Because of that, it’s important to make sure that the management, your testing team, and other stakeholders all understand and accept the expected results of your test automation strategy before implementing it.

Bottom Line

While test automation can bring plenty of benefits to testing teams and organizations, it can be difficult to implement due to various issues and constraints. Anyway, if you identify the challenges involved in introducing automated testing and prepare well for them, your organization can reap the benefits of it.

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CI/CD with WordPress

What is CI/CD?

Continuous integration (CI) and Continuous Delivery (CD) are a set of operating principals and best practices that allow teams to deliver changes to their applications faster and more reliably. Generally known as CI/CD or CI/CD Pipeline, this is an Agile best practice and an excellent way for teams to optimize their application deployments.

Continuous Integration

Continuous integration (CI) is the first part of CI/CD and consists of a set of best practices that enforce frequent check-in of code to version controlling repositories. This is important as many new applications consist of multiple components developed across many platforms and tools. To avoid the overheads of frequent commits and releases, CI provides ways to build and package applications quickly, so that teams can collaborate and test changes more frequently.

Continuous Delivery

Once CI is done, Continuous Delivery (CD) picks up the process and delivers new releases to relevant infrastructure through automated channels. It stores environment-specific parameters pertaining to the many environments that teams work with, such as dev, staging, and production. It then automatically pushes changes along the workflow as they are tested and accepted.

CI/CD with WordPress

One of the best things about WordPress websites is that almost anyone can manage them, despite not having any coding knowledge. Front end editors and WordPress plugins make this possible. But if your website is being updated constantly with new features and changes or a web developer who manages one or more websites of your clients, then the CI/CD process can save you a lot of time.

WordPress is no different from any other web application. It consists of code files and other static resources such as images, CSS, and JavaScript files. Introducing a CI/CD pipeline can save you time and streamline the change process.

A CI/CD Pipeline can also save you the time taken to transfer files via an FTP application like FileZilla and the additional time testing your changes and rolling them back in case of an error.

What are the tools/providers that help you with that task?

You’ll need two main types of tools to set up a CI/CD pipeline for WordPress. The first is a Version Controlling Service (VCS). This is a code repository (repo), with a few other useful features. All your code will be maintained in this repo, and you can use one of the most popular free version control services like GitHub or BitBucket, or set up your own in-house VCS.

The next step is the more important one, where you need to carefully select a CI/CD tool that suits your needs. The CI/CD tool will be triggered every time a change is made to the repo. It will process the changes, perform the necessary actions like preprocessing or packaging, and transfer the relevant files to the specified environment (Staging/Production, etc.).

Some popular options are:

Buddy CI/CD

GitLab

Branch CI

Setting up a CI/CD Pipeline for your WordPress website

This is not too difficult and requires just a few steps. Let’s look at using Buddy.

  1. Setting up Version Control
    Start by setting up your code in a VCS like GitHub. Maintain a “development” branch to commit your work in addition to the Master branch. Changes can be merged into the Master branch once they are approved.
    You will also need to disable front-end editors on WordPress, and its plugins as any changes done outside the VCS will be over-written with commits.
  1. Setup a Pipeline
    Buddy is free and quite user friendly. You can set it up with a buddy.yml file or use its GUI, which is even more intuitive. You can configure Buddy to perform many actions such as Lint PHP and JS code, preprocess CSS, and run npm commands for other frameworks.
  1. Deploying your changes
    Once all this is done, Buddy will transfer your new files to the relevant environment. A good practice is to have a separate Staging server on which you (or your clients) can verify that everything is working fine before merging changes to the Master branch and triggering an update to your Production server.
  1. Merging Database changes
    One of the more complicated parts of this process is updating your production database as it has continued to be modified in production while you made changes to a copy of it in your development environment. There are some plugins that can be used for this purpose. But you should look at setting up your own process to ensure that nothing is missed. You can read more about the complexities of this step, our solution, and some existing plugins here.
    In brief, we create a SQL or PHP script to migrate the database changes and commit it to the repo, like any other change. In addition, we maintain a migration table to ensure that no script is duplicated or repeated. We then need to add a step in our build process to execute any new migration files after all the files have been copied. This approach does require a good understanding of how WordPress code manages the database, so you should stick to a plugin if you aren’t equipped for that.

We hope you enjoyed our quick guide regarding the benefits of CI/CD for your WordPress website.