Automated QA Testing: Ultimate Guide by Zappletech

Quality surpasses quantity. In May 2023, only 90,000 new digital solutions were released on Google Play, which is 44.5 thousand less compared to the same period in 2019. This indicates that the development priority lies not in the speed of deploying IT solutions. At least, that’s how it appears at the moment.

Recent research by the analytical group Microfocus has shown that using QA automation testing tools is given preference in modern development. The initial stages launch automated QA testing processes, and their priorities look like this:

Development – 48%.
Requirements – 47%.
Functional testing – 46%.
Integration testing – 45%.
Data – 37%.

At these specified stages, automation provides maximum benefit to the project and its developers, helping to prevent and localize most potential critical issues.

The experts at ZappleTech, automation testing company, have conducted their own analysis in this field and are ready to share their key findings. From their research, you’ll learn:

The value of automated QA testing.
The significant differences between AQA (automated quality assurance) and MQA (manual quality assurance).
The advantages and disadvantages of automation.
What should be prioritized for automation, and what can be tested manually.
The most commonly used tools and technologies.
An overview of testing processes, including automation.
The pros and cons of outsourcing QA.
How to choose the right contractor for automated QA testing.

Let’s begin our exploration of the topic by discussing the value of AQA and providing a brief comparison with MQA. This will help you navigate the subject matter and better understand the overall benefits of QA.

Table of Contents

Value of Automated QA Testing

The industry’s popularity is best reflected in the numbers, specifically its market capitalization. According to GMInsight, the market capitalization of the automated QA testing industry reached $20 billion in 2022. The same analytical group predicts the market size will increase to $80 billion over the next 10 years, with a CAGR of 15%.

Turning to the practical side of the matter, the value of automated QA testing lies in its ability to cover up to 90% of the QA needs of a specific project.
Mykhailo Poliarush
CEO, ZappleTech Inc.

Of course, there is still work to be done manually, such as dealing with specifications and business requirements and conducting manual checks. However, these are more niche processes.

When it comes to routine QA tasks, automation effectively eliminates them by creating autonomous algorithms that can be triggered as needed. These algorithms are continuously updated throughout the entire development cycle of an IT solution, encompassing more and more aspects of software and conducting comprehensive checks.

As a result, this speeds up the testing process, reduces resource involvement, and cuts costs (both operational and hidden, such as maintaining the release version of the product). Additionally, most algorithms can be reused within the same project and beyond.

Comparison of AQA With Manual Testing

Imagine a typical situation where you need to inspect a certain product, let’s say nuts, sorting them and placing them in different boxes based on size, shape, ripeness, and integrity. You must also carefully ensure that no defective products (moldy, crushed, or open nuts) are in the containers for sale.

You can do this manually or with the help of a sorting machine that automatically runs the nuts through a conveyor and filters them accordingly.

Therefore, in manual product selection, the efficiency (Coefficient of Useful Action, CUA) is minimal, but the overall quality of work is higher. In automated selection, on the other hand, the efficiency is maximal, but there is a risk of missing defects.

Similarly, in testing:

Automated QA testing significantly speeds up the verification process while covering a maximum volume of data. However, there is a risk of missing bugs.
Manual testing, on the other hand, requires more testers but is generally much more time-consuming. It also provides more relevant information about the state of the IT product.

That’s why any an automation tool ultimately undergoes manual verification. The results obtained through algorithms are compared with the actions of a tester. This is one of the “nuances” of automation that we’ll discuss further.

Benefits and Challenges of Implementing Automated Testing

Every process has its advantages and disadvantages. It’s an axiom that has been confirmed over time and generations in virtually every field of activity. Unfortunately, QA is no exception, especially its subset called “Automation.”

Let’s briefly describe the pros and cons of automated QA testing to identify the pain points of this type of unit testing and understand how we can address them.

Benefits

QA automation testing services can speed up testing while reducing resource costs. Additionally, it has several significant advantages that are not available with manual testing methods. For example:

Simultaneous work with multiple platforms.
Support for cloud capabilities and working environments.
Process parallelization.
Repeating specific actions cyclically.
Reusability of algorithms in different testing scenarios.

Automated QA testing also allows significant savings by reducing the number of project team members to a small team. However, despite the benefits, AQA also has some challenges that should be considered separately.

Challenges

Despite all the advantages of automation, it presents several challenges for testers, developers, and project managers. These challenges include:

Time spent on implementing comprehensive algorithms.
Assessing the feasibility of automating certain types of testing.
Dependency on tools and engineering skills.

Therefore, automated QA testing is not a panacea for the QA industry. Its only value is reducing testing time and eliminating routine from processes. However, it must still be combined with manual checks and executed with specialized automation tools to be effective.

Overview of Popular Automation Testing Tools and Frameworks

The toolset of an automated QA testing expert often includes dozens, if not hundreds, of utility names, programs, or frameworks. Such an arsenal must cover the IT product with automated tests, as much as possible.

Now, let’s look at the top 5 tools most frequently used by ZappleTech experts.

Insights Into Selecting the Right Tools and Technologies for Specific Testing Needs

Each framework offers a wide range of possibilities for automated QA testing, but it excels in certain processes and types of checks.

For example, if you need to test an API, it’s more appropriate to use Postman rather than adapting a tool designed for performance testing, such as Locust or Apache JMeter.
Sergey Almyashev
COO, ZappleTech Inc.

Remember that the programming language used for software development doesn’t affect the tools used for testing. The choice of frameworks depends on the key testing tasks and the specific type of verification. You select the api testing utility best suited for regression testing, UI checks, or, for instance, the behavior of a digital solution.

Perhaps in the future, technological advancements will allow key operations in automated QA testing to be performed in a unified working environment. It depends on whether ML and AI can become a pillar of support for QA professionals.

Exploring AI and Machine Learning in QA Testing

In 2022, we witnessed the debut of ChatGPT, which quickly became the number-one trend in the technology industry, particularly in the AI segment. But is it as practical and useful as it’s touted to be?

Let’s consider the possibilities of ML and AI in the realm of QA automation tools. A typical example of using ChatGPT for automated QA testing is as follows: We conduct a series of manual tests and then turn to AI to generate code (in the chosen programming language) that we can apply to automation. We add the generated algorithm to the script, optimize it, and launch the automated check.

Sounds like a utopia, doesn’t it? However, in practice, you may end up with code that doesn’t work or performs erroneous actions. This decreases efficiency, and engineers spend more time adapting the code.

As of 2023, nearly all “AI” solutions can only play a support role, reducing their effectiveness in commercial projects. While, theoretically, they could become full-fledged tools, their utility is currently limited.

Moreover, professional testers like ZappleTech engineers easily make software tests outperform AI since they deeply understand various automated QA testing techniques.

Explanation of Different Automation Techniques in AQA

Let’s explain the goals achieved through automation using the most popular types of automated testing tools. All the examples mentioned here make up a significant portion of the project’s test automation, freeing QA professionals from routine tasks. They also improve the results by minimizing human factors’ impact on testing quality.

Functional testing

This type of testing aims to verify if the software meets the initial requirements and if all its functions work correctly. Since it requires many repetitions of specific actions for test coverage, it is more efficient to automate it by defining algorithms in the testing environment and running them at any time.

Regression testing

This type of testing ensures that the product works correctly and all previous functions operate without failures after changes have been made. It is always automated because it involves many actions that are often impractical to perform manually due to time constraints or limited personnel.

Performance testing

This type of testing is designed to assess the speed and responsiveness of a digital solution to various requests. It is automated to speed up the testing process and obtain metrics test data that help identify the impact of changes on performance, such as performance degradation or improvement.

Security testing

This type of testing aims to determine whether the digital product is secure for the company and its users. It is using automated test scripts to prevent human factors’ influence and comprehensively test the connection with servers and internal components such as authentication, authorization, and access levels.

These are not the only types of testing that can be automated, but they vividly demonstrate the advantages of automated QA testing. The key point is understanding that a qa automation tool is effective only when it follows industry best practices, such as adhering to the “testing pyramid.”

Understanding the Test Automation Pyramid

In simple terms, the “Testing Pyramid” is a three-tier testing model. Imagine a triangle divided into three sections: the bottom layer consists of unit tests, the middle layer includes integration tests, and the top layer represents end-to-end tests.

The bottom layer is the largest because it includes numerous micro tests that are easily and quickly automated.
The middle layer allows us to verify how individual components interact. It also contains a significant number of tests that can be effectively automated.
The top layer is the most challenging to automate as it involves end-to-end tests.

The essence of the pyramid lies in the concept of bottom-up movement. We start by automating many small tests and gradually combine them into logical complex algorithms. This approach results in an efficient and continuous testing strategy where scenarios progress along with the IT solution.

To implement this concept, it is important to properly organize the work on each component of automated QA testing.

Tips for Designing a Scalable and Maintainable Test Suite

Understand the main point: the best automation algorithms are always modular and lightweight. This means that even the largest and most complex scenario consists of many small tests or modules that check specific functions or elements.

It is important to organize the automated QA testing process so that specific modules can be used at any time or modified without disrupting the overall structure of the algorithm.

The experts at ZappleTech have compiled a set of recommendations to help you efficiently build and scale your testing strategies. Use them to improve the productivity of manual testers on your QA team.

Test Case Selection and Prioritization

At the beginning of a project, many test cases are created, describing what and how they should be tested. These cases are shaped according to the current tasks and can be transformed or scaled as needed.

You must clearly understand which test cases to prioritize for automation and which ones can be added to the algorithm later. A team manager should set priorities based on the product specifications and development roadmap, creating a strategy for automated QA testing.

Techniques for Creating Robust Test Scripts

While test cases are standardized and written in a consistent format, the actual code algorithms may lack standardization, especially when multiple experts with different skills or styles are involved. This can lead to certain issues that negatively affect overall productivity.

To optimize teamwork in automated QA testing, it is important to follow a set of rules:

Always write clean and understandable code.
Add annotations or documents that explain the workings of specific code fragments.
Automate the deployment of the testing environment for each iteration.
Maintain a logical structure of modules and tests that is easy to edit.
Implement version control to utilize any iteration of the code when needed.

Additionally, don’t forget the importance of collaboration with other QA specialists, developers, and project stakeholders.

Integrating Automation Testing With Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) Pipelines

Typically, no project is complete without CI/CD methodologies and tools. The task of a QA specialist is not only to integrate their workflow into these processes but also to help optimize the coordination of actions among all development participants.

Shift-Left Testing and the Importance of Early Involvement in the Development Lifecycle

The earlier testing begins, the sooner issues are identified, and the opportunity to fix them arises. A linear relationship exists between the stage at which an error manifests and the cost of fixing it. The cheapest bugs to fix are those discovered in the early stages of development, while the most expensive ones are found closer to the completion of the product or even after its release.

Everything described here can be applied not only to automated QA testing within an organization but also to organizing work with external contractors. However, it is advisable to evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of such a collaboration model to determine if it suits your specific needs.

Benefits and Risks of Outsourcing QA Testing

If you’re unsure about your ability to conduct automated QA testing on your own effectively, it’s worth considering outsourcing this task to specialized contractors.

However, before doing so, pay attention to the advantages and risks of the outsourcing model.

Advantages

In short, outsourcing QA comes with numerous benefits, such as:

Access to Middle-level and higher-skilled professionals.
Reasonable prices for comprehensive services.
Offloading the workload of your in-house team.
Faster project execution.
Higher quality QA processes.

Despite these advantages, this collaboration model carries several risks for the service recipient.

Disadvantages

If you choose an unverified contractor for automated QA testing, you may face a range of issues, including:

Breach of confidentiality regarding your ideas and concepts.
Low service quality.
Missed deadlines.

You can avoid these drawbacks by selecting a reliable partner like ZappleTech and following recommendations.

Strategies for Mitigating Outsourcing Challenges and Ensuring Security and Confidentiality

Your project is intellectual property that can be stolen by a contractor and passed off as their own. This is arguably the biggest risk that arises when collaborating with dishonest contractors. However, there are several solutions for such situations. For example, signing NDAs or other contracts that protect you and your project from theft, plagiarism, or information leaks.

As practice shows, even bureaucratic companies like Rockstar, Bethesda, CDPR, and others are not immune to data leaks about their new projects. This periodically entangles them in scandals or legal disputes, and subcontractors providing QA services are often recognized as the source of these problems.
Mikhail Bodnarchuk
CDO, ZappleTech Inc.

It is worth formulating contracts incorporating SLAs, NDAs, and other information protection mechanisms to safeguard your project from such practices.

Contractual Agreements and Service-Level Agreements (SLAs)

When hiring a team for automated QA testing, it’s important to establish the level of service, project timelines, and expected quality in advance. This is where SLAs come into play. This document clearly defines:

The services to be provided.
Performance standards for these services.
Metrics to be used for measuring effectiveness.
Consequences for failing to meet performance standards.

It also outlines conflict resolution mechanisms and the accountability that ensues when either party violates the agreements. However, choosing a reliable contractor is the best way to avoid such problems. Next, you will learn how to do it correctly.

Factors to Consider When Selecting a Contractor

When you’re looking for a company to delegate your project to, what do you prioritize? Right, their rating and reviews from previous clients. But that’s not enough.

Most service providers (not just QA) create their own ratings by buying them. However, this doesn’t mean that such a company isn’t an expert in their niche. It’s just one way of positioning themselves in the market and proving their professionalism to clients.

To understand if a contractor is truly who they claim to be, you only need to have a conversation with them. Of course, before that, you need to narrow down the field of potential project implementers as much as possible. For example, by filtering them based on certain criteria.

Key Criteria for Evaluating Contractors

To choose the right contractor for automated QA testing, you need to determine the following:

The scale and complexity of the project.
The average level of skills required for its implementation.
The maximum allowable budget and its flexibility.
The niche and specifics of the project.
The type of collaboration.

Once you have these criteria, you can compare them with the proposals from companies providing QA services. Once you’ve identified the representatives in the field that fit your requirements, you need to communicate directly. This means arranging a physical or virtual meeting with a representative from the team and preparing a list of questions for the potential contractor.

Questions to Ask Potential Contractors

First and foremost, you need to discuss:

The team’s experience in implementing projects similar to yours.
Their understanding of the project’s goals and priorities.
The types of collaboration and their terms.
Deadlines, risks, and methods for resolving potential issues.
The cost of services.

In the end, you’ll be able to decide whether to hire the team. But before that, you should clarify a few more things with the contractor.

Assessing Experience, Expertise, and Track Record

Don’t hesitate to ask potential service providers the following:

Confirmation of the team members’ skills (certificates, accreditations, etc.).
A portfolio of completed projects (commercial ones, not OSS, as that’s important).
Evaluations of the quality of projects completed by the potential contractor’s clients.

This will help you determine if the team is a good fit for you and if you can collaborate with these automated QA testing professionals.

Bottom Line

Automated QA testing is a complex process that requires sufficient experience from the service provider and a high level of skills from each team member. Often, companies developing IT products attempt to implement the QA process in-house. This almost always leads to problems, primarily resulting in low-quality digital solutions and additional costs after release.

To effectively address the quality issues in development and software, delegating QA to contractors, such as ZappleTech experts is advisable.

With ZappleTech, you can forget about the risks of low product quality and focus on your key business processes. We will deliver a service of such caliber that will satisfy you and your clients!

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Automated QA Testing: Ultimate Guide