The average hourly rate of software testers is between $25 to $35. Could testing automation speed up the process and lower the price? Some analysts say that software testing costs make up between 15 to 25% of the total project cost. So why not automate this expensive process? We compared manual and automated testing in our new study.

1. elinext.com
Software
Automated Testing
vs Manual Testing
Softwaretestingistheprocessofverifyingthat
softwareproductsnotonlyfulfilthepurposesthey
havebeendesignedforbutarealsoerror-free.
Softwaretestingincludestheanalysis,observation,
examination,andevaluationofmultipleaspectsofa
productbeforeitislaunchedtothemarket.
Manualtestingisaprocessinwhichtestersmanuallyperformdifferenttestcases
withoutusingautomatedtools.Thekeypurposeofmanualtestingistomakesure
thattheproductmeetsthespecifiedfunctionalrequirementsandiserror-free.
Apartfromanextensiveskillsset,performingmanualtestingalsorequires
substantialpatienceandcreativity.
Softwaretestingcanbe
categorizedaccording
tomultiplecriteria.
Herearethemaintypes
ofsoftwaretesting:
Type:manual,automated
Functionaltesting(includessystem
testing,betatesting,unittesting,
integrationtesting,etc.)
Non-functionaltesting(includes
reliabilitytesting,performance
testing,securitytesting,usability
testing,etc.)
ToolsforManualTesting ToolsforAutomatedTesting
Testingsoftwarecomeswithaseriesofbenefits:
Ensuresqualityandperformance
Reducestherisk offailure
Preventsvulnerability
Enhancescustomersatisfaction
Identifieserrorsand/ormissing
requirementsatanearlystage
Maypreventcatastrophicincidents
(e.g. systemblackouts, communicationbreakdowns, etc.)
Reducesdevelopmentcosts
Preventbugs
Facilitatestheadditionofnew features
Improvesuserexperience
Detectscompatibilitywith various
platformsanddevices
Manualtesting
Manual Testing vs. Automated Testing
TypesofManualTesting:
StepstoperformManualTesting:
1
Analysethesoftwareprojectdocumentationand, if
available, theAUT(i.e., ApplicationUnderTest)
3
HavethetestverifiedbytheQAleader(ortheclient, ifnecessary)
6
Oncethebugsarefixed, executethefailedtestsagaintoensuretheypass
2
Drafttestcasesinaccordancewithallthedefinedrequirements
4
Executetestcases
5
Reportallthedetectedbugs
Automatedtestingisasoftwaretestingtechniqueusedtotestandcontrastthe
expectedoutcomewiththeactualone.Testerswritetestscriptsandusetest
automationtoolstoexecutethem,thusmakingtestingfasterandreducingthe
riskofhumanerrors.
AutomatedTesting
StepstoperformAutomatedTesting:
ThetypesofAutomatedTestinginclude(butarenotlimitedto):
1
RecruitAutomationToolExperts(i.e.automation
engineersandautomationarchitects)
3
Choosethemostsuitableautomatedtestingtool
6
Developanexecutionplan
7
Writescripts
8
Report
9
Ensurescriptmaintenance
2
Decidewhichtestcasestoautomate
4
Traintheautomationteams
5
Createthetestautomationframework
WhiteBox:theQAisfamiliarwith
thestructureorinternalcodeofthe
app.WhiteBoxisusedmainlyfor
unittestingandotherspecific
techniquessuchaspathtesting,
controlflowtesting,flowtesting,
decisioncoverage,etc.
GreyBox:thisapproachcombineswhiteboxandblackboxtechniquesto
identifybugscausedbystructuralflawsorinappropriateusage.
Black Box:theQAisnotfamiliar
withthestructureorinternalcode
oftheappandinteractswithit
fromanend-userperspectiveto
testitsfunctionalandnon-
functionalfeatures.
UI Tests
IntegrationTests
PerformanceTests
API Testing
SecurityTests
UnitTesting
ManualandAutomatedTestingarenotonlyinterdependentbuttheybothcomewith
aseriesofprosandcons.However,tohighlighttheobvious,thoroughsoftwaretesting
beforeitgoesliveistheonlywaytoensureperformance,dependability,security,
customersatisfaction,cost-effectiveness,and– ultimately– anincreasedROI.
Wrap up
!!
ManualTestingBenefits
EnsuresamoreaccurateUI testing
Certainfeaturesaremoresuitable
formanualtesting(e.g.usability,
appcrashes,userexperience
scenarios,etc.)
Cost-effectiveandfastforsmall
projects
EasytoadapttoUI changes
Minorissuescanbeanalysed
immediatelywithouttheneedto
writeacodeandexecuteit
Noenvironmentlimitations
Allowsforhumanobservation
(i.e.,testersmayidentifydefects
andprovidedevelopment
suggestions)
Noneedforprogramming
ManualTestingPitfalls
Tasksarecompletedentirelymanually
Time-consuming
Boring,repetitive,andprone
tohumanerror
Difficulttoensurecomplete
testcoverage
Requiresskilledhumanresources
Highcostsforlargeprojects
Maynotdetectallthedefects
Itisnotreusable
NotfeasibleforPerformanceTesting
AutomatedTestingBenefits
Ensuresenhancedtestcoverage
Moreefficientandlesstime
consumingthanmanualtesting
Eliminatestheriskofhumanerrors
Scalableforlargeprojects
Idealforrepeatedandlarge-
volumetesting
Runsmultipletestssimultaneously
Accurateandreliable
Reusable
Providesquickfeedback
Programmable
Freesuptesters’time
AutomatedTestingPitfalls
Costlyandslowforsmallprojects
Lackofflexibilityandcreativity
Unabletotestuserexperience
scenarios
MoredifficulttoadapttoUI changes
Requiresmaintenance(effortandtime)
Mayproducefalsenegatives
Notsuitableforalltestingtypes
(e.g.visualtesting,usability,etc.)
Doesnotallowrandomtesting
Programmingknowledgeismandatory
Debuggingtestscriptsis
amajorproblem