How 2020-2021 pandemic has shaped the test automation landscape?

The world had come to an abrupt halt with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, but there was a sudden surge of innovation. Organizations in various sectors realized that to deal with the adversities of this crisis, they must innovate new ways to sustain their business. We adopted various digital platforms to interact and grow with the exchange of services and offerings. But ensuring the quality of these products, services and offerings remained a decisive point. 

We are all aware of the importance of testing. It is known to all that testing plays a vital role in ensuring system quality. Organizations are extremely vocal about the incompleteness of quality assurance without appropriate and adequate testing practices, structure, tools, and plans. Did the testing process come to an abrupt halt due to the outbreak of the Pandemic? No, it did not. In fact, organizations found different channels to facilitate the testing projects. As the old saying goes, “necessity is the mother of inventions”. 2020-2021 pandemic became a driving force to innovate for quality assurance.

Pandemic surely had some negative and positive impacts on digital transformation. But that did not refrain people from trying out new solutions and remedies to their problems. Let us look at some of the positive and negative impacts of digital transformation that organizations had to face during the global pandemic.

Positive impact of Covid-19 in digital transformation

There has been a tremendous change in the way people work, think, and act. They have learnt new techniques and how to put them to use. The digital transformation has made people adapt to the changes. They have learnt to think out of the box and try new technologies. Digital transformation has facilitated remote working, and employees know that they can still be productive and efficient even while working remotely. The new work structure is like, “give us the facilities and new technologies, and we will innovate from there”.

Negative impact of Covid-19 on digital transformation

What seemed like a positive development for some were unfavorable for others. Covid-19 came with certain restrictions on communication and physical interaction. Some of the organizations that followed an old school method could not evolve with the surrounding changes leading to the disintegration of their foundation. Many physical branches were closed down with the decrease in footfall, and their business moved to the virtual platform. It has become a strenuous task for the management team to bring their employees back to the office. Employees have learnt new ways of working it has become hard to drag their feet back to the office.

Testing before Pandemic

Software testing is an integral part of quality assurance, and organizations cannot put them on the back burner. Testing has come to the mainstream and is executed simultaneously with the development lifecycle. Organizations realized the importance of testing long before the outbreak of Covid-19 hence, continuous testing is included in CI/CD pipeline as an inseparable process. With the introduction of effective test automation tools, it has become easy and convenient to conduct and execute testing practices like regression, UI/UX functionality, integration, user acceptance and more at a massive scale. But there are more test requirements, which need expert and skilled testers to execute them. It is one reason that even after innovating the most effective test automation tools, organizations still require manual testing. Hence, we have the best of both worlds and automation test practice is most efficiently supported by manual testing.

Testing before the pandemic was mostly conducted onsite, with a significant portion handled by the offshore team. The organization had the advantages of system architecture and an adequate bandwidth with an efficient technical team deployed onsite that helped them carry out the end-to-end testing process without any disruption. After checking the end-to-end testing process and the product release, it would not have made much difference for the technical team to be on the testing site. However, the maintenance of the software performance and quality assurance was largely done by the offshore team.

Testing during Pandemic

The testing team still maintained the right blend of manual and automation testing. But a few things changed during the pandemic due to certain factors. There were sudden restrictions on travel and human contact. People were working from home and remotely, and international travel came to an abrupt halt. The testing process, however, could not have stopped. Organizations realized that it is only wise to adopt remote or offshore testing as an option. As test automation is more improvised and integrated with high-end technologies, remote and offshore testing would be as productive as onsite testing.

The remote testing model proved to be extremely convenient as the organizations could save a significant operational cost while the testing team handled the technical challenges and adversities. The technical team overcame many challenges like time zone differences, travel restrictions, and time constraints, ensuring 100% success in handling the end-to-end testing project from offshore. The team paid extra effort to deliver the project with utmost competence and assurance that all the testing aspects were considered and that all errors were addressed well without fail. Organizations are more confident that quality project delivery is possible even with challenges amidst the crisis.

Testing after Pandemic

Organizations are more prepared to deal with crisis and keep their business as usual (BAU) functional. It is no longer about choosing a testing project model. They have two models and multiple testing strategies based on their specific project requirements. Automation and manual testing go hand-in-hand and are applicable for many testing projects. The testing of banking or financial applications is exceptionally vital. Hence, it is necessary to have the most updated test automation tool to combine with the right test strategies, planning, and practice.

Organizations would not forsake either offshore or onsite testing models. Instead, both the testing model would act as a support to each other. Applying offshore testing proved to be a winning game for many organizations, as they succeeded in implementing the testing project and reap the benefits of offshore testing. Organizations have saved time and costs by adopting offshore test project models. Onsite testing is advisable when organizations have the in-house digital testing architecture to carry out the testing project. It is critical to have a compatible set-up of in-house architecture for the onsite testing model.

Conclusion –

After years of flourishing by offering onsite and offshore testing models to many organizations, Yethi has successfully delivered and completed 9+ offshore testing projects globally during pandemic 2020-2021. We are a niche QA services provider and have years of experience in delivering onsite & offshore testing projects. Having expertise in offering end-to-end testing services across all the major core banking applications with functional areas like Liabilities, Payments, Assets, Trade finance, Treasury and more, we have worked with 90+ clients across 22+ countries. We have not let our clients suffer from this unprecedented global situation and provided complete support to help banks avoid any business disruption and be prepared for any potential impact.

Our offshore testing model is designed considering all aspects like project knowledge, time constraint, travel restrictions, time zone differences and more. Our onsite and offshore testing models are managed by expert consultants and supervisors and backed by highly skilled resources and maestros in testing and programming to ensure that the testing projects are efficient and cost-effective.

Our highly experienced testing & digital consultants understand the processes and technologies involved in digital projects & quickly scale capacity to meet the needs of your business. Our dedicated offshore and onsite team can continue the workload with proper coordination, creating a continuous testing cycle.

We address the challenges of business continuity through our efficient testing models. Our 5th generation robotic codeless test automation tool Tenjin is built with intuitive features and supports our QA services. It is a fast and scalable test automation platform and works flawlessly across multiple applications to provide accurate test results.

Shifting to UI Automation Testing

As the digital space is evolving at a tremendous speed, the use of digital devices has also witnessed immense growth. Digital devices like laptops and mobile phones have become a significant part of our daily lives with almost 80% of the world population using them. Hence, when an application is developed, either mobile or web, it should offer a great user interface (UI) as it forms the first point of contact with the end-users. If the app fails to create a first great impression, chances of the users not exploring the other parts of the app becomes high. This is one of the reasons why organizations are investing in UI testing to ensure they offer a seamless user experience. UI testing which was earlier conducted by the manual approach has now shifted to UI automation for better outcomes.

UI testing automation increases brand value, reliability, and time-to-market while reducing cost. Moreover, the process of execution is easier, more efficient, and less time-consuming when it is automated. Let’s understand UI automation better and explore its benefits and future scope.

What is UI Automation?

User Interface is considered to be the face of an application that creates the first best impression among the users. If the UI fails to connect with the end-users, it can completely break the brand. Hence, it is important to test the UI thoroughly to offer an exceptional user experience. Manual UI testing is often found to give inconsistent results due to its tedious nature. However, shifting to UI automation has proven to give accurate and consistent results while saving on cost, time, and effort.

UI automation is basically the automated process that is conducted to test if all the parts of an application’s front-end work as expected. UI automation testing provides an elaborate report on the end-user interface performance by checking if the application is running correctly and keeps a track of simple interactions or by simulating real user requests. Here, the test scripts are written to automate the execution of the tests. This technique allows the process to be controlled through software code instead of testing it manually.

Why should you consider UI Automation Testing?

The UI automation testing process is conducted to effectively test the application’s interface for its features and performance. It is often considered an end-to-end approach to testing as it can:

  • simulate and test the behavior of the application’s users by acting on the computing system’s interface with simulated user input
  • automate all testing operations for the software programs
  • incorporate user interface testing into the development process
  • can submit test results and generate reports.

Benefits of UI Testing

Benefits of UI testing includes:

  • Automated tests are useful for teams running on agile software development workflow as good test coverage rates can be achieved by it
  • Well-tested code makes it easier to find and fix bugs faster
  • Once the automated tests are set up, they can easily be reused; this makes the whole process cost-effective
  • Automated tests run multiple folds faster than manual ones
  • Automated tests are more accurate than manual testing.
  • Human errors can be easily avoided in automated testing
  • They’re cost-effective and time-effective

Why is there a shift to UI Automation?

Developing a product can be challenging and it isn’t always easy to determine the best way to test the developed product. Testing is a crucial part of the entire product deployment cycle as it ensures the quality of the product is top-notch before it reached the end-users. Though there are manual and automated testing processes, it is important to understand both of them before you decide to choose the one that works for you.

Manual UI Testing

In manual UI testing, testers prepare test scripts manually and run individual UI scenarios inside the application. It involves scripting actions or inputs that lead to specific outcomes in order to verify a user’s experience. Since it requires a lot of manual effort, the process gets mundane and tedious giving rise to errors. This is a cumbersome process involving a significant amount of time and effort.

UI Automation Testing

UI automated testing is a valuable tool when it comes to developing software tools or applications. This type of testing relies on pre-programmed scripts that are frequently called tests or test cases. These tests tell the program what to expect under different UI circumstances. Automated software testing provides a repeatable process that allows developers to thoroughly cover every part of their codebase. Automated testing can work with each iteration to determine whether certain elements in an application need attention or revision.

Why UI Automation Testing over Manual Testing?

  • Manual testing takes time and cannot keep up with several development cycles, while automation can effortlessly identify errors without human intervention
  • Manual testing is time-consuming and expensive, while automation testing involves lesser time and effort
  • When conducting repetitive tasks, manual testing is more prone to errors due to its mundane nature. Automation, on the other hand, minimizes the likelihood of such errors
  • When executing complicated iterations, manual testing is difficult to rely on. However, automation testing offers accurate and consistent results under all circumstances

UI Automation Testing Tools

UI automation testing is a complex task, which depends highly on the tools and techniques that are used. Though there are plenty of tools available in the market, one cannot simply rely on a random tool. Proper research can help one to pick the best tool for automation testing based on their requirement, which will make a difference to the project in the long run.

Here are some key points to consider while comparing automated UI testing tools so you can make the best selection:

  • Building and maintaining test scripts is straightforward
  • Allows seamless entry of huge amounts of test data during load testing
  • Non-technical people may easily execute test suites
  • It offers an extensive reporting facility
  • All UIs are supported – web, desktop, smartphone etc.
  • For versatile test script development, a wide range of languages is supported
  • For automated builds or deployment, seamless connection with other tools inside the CI/CD pipeline is expected
  • Easy maintenance
  • Modifications to pre-existing scripts are simple to implement
  • The ability to test complicated user interface elements
  • Affordable pricing

Conclusion

Test automation is a way to quickly and efficiently ensure that the user interface of the application is performed throughout the entire testing cycle. Although setting up automated tests might require extra effort at first, it is proven to be easy and effortless in the longer run.

UI testing forms an important aspect of the overall software testing process. A good UI will help retain the existing users and provide scope to attract new users too. An impressive UI will help the organization to build brand credibility, create a loyal customer base, and generate good business revenue. Hence, automating UI testing will help organizations to improve their business like never before.

[INFOGRAPHIC] Manual Vs Automated Testing

Software testing has evolved from tedious manual testing processes to automated solutions. As software development processes are getting complex and moving towards a more agile approach, manual testing can be time-consuming while lacking accuracy and consistency due to its mundane nature. To ensure the quality of the software is the best, organizations are adapting test automation solutions that will also significantly reduce time, cost, and effort.

Take a look at the below infographic to understand the difference between Manual and Automated Testing, and decide which one to choose.

 

Manual Vs Automated Testing

Though, automation testing is preferred by most of the organizations today, manual testing cannot be eliminated from the process completely. Manual testing is required to set the initial automation process. However, automated testing is best suited for regression testing, repeated test execution, and performance testing.

Software Testing Efforts – Both Manual and Automated

The technological trend is changing at a faster rate than we anticipated. With this changing technological landscape comes the need to constantly update new and old systems for security, regulations, and market risks. For example, many financial companies have recently started moving towards offering cryptocurrency services, which are highly unregulated and volatile. Thus, companies need to incorporate robust software testing methods to ensure that their updates and new product offerings meet the industry standards while offering a seamless customer experience.

The standard component of software service includes:

  • Application workflows
  • Datastore and validation
  • UX and performance
  • Security and fail-safes
  • Integrations and 3rd party dependencies

These services are offered to a large customer base, across multiple channels and devices, in real-time and at a 24/7 availability while also navigating compliances on privacy and data protection. It means shipping an application from start to finish requires efficient stakeholder management and robust component testing at every step.

To successfully test these complex software, companies have to rely on Test management or Quality Assurance software that offer both manual and automated testing solutions. Let’s discuss the goals and approaches for both the testing methodologies.

Manual Testing

Manual is all about testing the application using a manual approach. The testers use this process to identify issues, check core functions and find out areas that require deeper attention. The execution process has a high degree of flexibility and helps structure the next steps in the testing process. However, manual testing is a slow process that is hard to scale. It is important in the early development cycle as the test environment evolves quickly.

Manual tests were traditionally managed through spreadsheets and documents; however, using test management tools to keep a log of tests run and maintaining version control is the most efficient way to conduct manual testing.

Steps in Manual testing cycle:

  1. Defining requirements of test on a document or test management tool
  2. Create a list of test cases based on the requirements
  3. Modify test cases based on outcomes and record results with detailed notes
  4. Identifying issues that were not accounted for in the initial plan

Key aspects of manual testing

  • Manual testing works better to execute dynamic and moderate scenarios.
  • Manual testing’s primary goal is to explore avenues that require problem-solving and check essential functions.
  • Manual testing is sometimes the only way to identify issues with the software, especially in the early lifecycle.
  • Manual testing is slow and inefficient when tests are simplistic and need to be run in high volume.
  • The quality of tests relies a lot on testers’ skills and knowledge.
  • Manual testing can never be eliminated from the process, no matter how advanced the automation technology may become. Every testing procedure, whether manual or automation, will require manual testing for initial set-up.

Automated Testing

Over the years, as the complexity of software increased, test management through manual testing is not able to cover ground as fast as delivery requirements need it to. Automated testing helps ensure rigorous product testing quickly, at a low cost, and offering higher scalability. When code is updated frequently, test cases are required to be re-run even for the functions that were not updated. It is to ensure that the update did not affect existing functionalities ‘regression testing‘ should be run frequently. Automating such repeatable test scenarios ensures time-saving and better end-product quality with less time.

Steps in Automated testing cycle:

  1. Defining goals, timeline, and requirements of the test results
  2. Creating relevant test cases and checking the feasibility
  3. If feasible, identify the right automation tool based on budget and need
  4. Executing the test cases and analyzing reports of the outcome

Picking the right automation tool is an extremely important decision and must account for:

  • The core and edge networks of an application, as they have different testing needs
  • Industry, for example, BFSI applications will have different priorities over an e-comm or lifestyle application
  • Lifecycle, established products will require more regression cycles compared to those in the initial development
  • Reporting features, since they help reduced time spent in analytics
  • Convenience, different teams should be able to adapt to the tool quickly

Key aspects of automated testing

  • Automated testing reduces time, effort, and cost to perform tests required for regression testing.
  • Automated testing requires an initial investment in software purchase and setting up the process, such as building the test case library.
  • Automated testing improves product reliability by covering a larger set of test cases frequently.
  • Automated testing cannot adapt to undefined variances and relies on the prediction ability of the tester.
  • It is necessary to deploy automated testing tools across all kinds of applications, especially in the stages before the final release.
  • Automation is necessary to run stress tests or performance tests.

Despite the differences in the approach of manual and automated testing, it is important to understand that both methods complement each other in refining the application. Manual tests are well-thought-out exercises that look for fundamental problems, discoveries, and learnings, whereas automated tests are mindless rigor that lacks decision-making but saves immense time, cost, and effort while offering accurate results.

Choosing an incorrect testing suite can cause several problems that snowball into millions lost in opportunity. Duplication due to redundancy, huge test backlogs, poor analytics, and lack of team collaboration features can slow down the entire development process in a growing competitive market. Data from many surveys suggest that many banking players are unable to meet new age requirements due to legacy systems and management tools slowing the system down.

Yethi’s test management solution for the banking and financial sector Tenjin by Yethi is a powerful test automation platform that supports a wide range of testing activities for banking and financial applications. It is built with a keen understanding of the space and requires minimal programming experience. With a diverse set of analytical and team collaboration features, it delivers high-speed operations with greater consistency. It is a 6th generation, robotic test automation platform that allows you to build and maintain test automation while delivering accurate and efficient results every time.