Are Testers Losing Their Grip Over Testing Due to Automation?

Testers are Gradually Transitioning to Automated Test Developers:

In our current digital age, automation is the bedrock of business development and progression. It has revolutionized the way companies function.

Within the past ten years, progress in technology has skyrocketed, ushering us into a fresh era of automation. This technological evolution has had a significant influence on a variety of sectors, including the software industry itself. 

A Glimpse into the Software Industry Landscape

The software industry comprises firms and organizations that create software to simplify tasks in sectors such as healthcare, insurance, and retail.

These software producers design software with the purpose of tackling organizational issues or fast-tracking their procedures.

Exploring the Influence of Automation in the Software Industry

Automation is swiftly metamorphosing the software industry unlike other sectors. Technological upgrades such as DevOps, Analytics, and Cloud Computing have obtained considerable progress, leading to job cuts.

A worldwide survey by Cognizant affirms that 25 to 40% of the participants have already automated their workflows. Firms are welcoming automation because it helps them attain substantial cost reductions. Renowned IT firms that have automated their procedures have effectively reduced costs connected to output, infrastructure, and resources.

Hfs Research forecasts that the IT industry will witness a reduction of 1.4 million jobs in countries such as the Philippines, the UK, and the USA by 2024.

The Effect of Automation on Overlooked Software Testing

Software testing is a key process performed by software companies to affirm that the software they develop adheres to the expected standards. The concept of software testing involves a series of steps to identify flaws in software, where flaws represent anything that deviates from the software’s proposed function.

Software testing is integral to the software industry as it facilitates the delivery of high-grade software to customers in various sectors.

Here’s why software testing is indispensable:

• Software testing is obligatory to promise the quality of software that will support business operations.
• It is vital to ascertain whether the application fulfills customer expectations and reliability requirements.
• Testing aids in averting failures before software launch, as any failure can negatively influence a company’s image.

In the past, software testing was routinely neglected and viewed as an unappreciated role. However, this perception has gradually shifted, and software testing is now recognized for its importance in the industry. Firms have begun designating budgets for software testing and forming dedicated teams of testers.

The advent of Agile methodologies has turned software testing into a repetitive task, making regression testing indispensable.

Manual regression testing is time-intensive and requires extensive resources, motivating firms to seek alternate solutions. Automation has surfaced as such an alternative, leading to the rise of automated testing and the development of automation testing tools. As a result, this has affected the roles of manual testers and opened doors for auto test engineers who are essentially developers.

The Hype around “Speedier Time to Market” Pushing Towards Automation Testing

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Certain skills that testers exhibit, such as cognitive and inventive abilities, which add to their importance as testers, are now being ignored.

Automated testing has become vital in the quest to achieve “Speedier Time to Market”. However, real-world quality assurance feedback, which is crucial, may get lost by overshawoding the expertise of testers. Automated testing involves running test scripts developed by auto test engineers, and these scripts tend to concentrate more on positive test cases since automation engineers think from a developer’s perspective. Ensuring comprehensive coverage of negative test cases poses a challenge.

Potential Diminishing of Testers’ Control over Testing because of Automation

Automated test engineers depend on auto testing tools and their technical expertise to design test scripts. However, they commonly lack deep-seated domain knowledge and testing skills, which are crucial to delivering high-grade software.

Authentic testers, who have a genuine interest and expertise in testing, use their domain knowledge to identify all potential test scenarios that address vital business requirements. They have rich experience in creating effective test cases to encapsulate all identified test scenarios.

Testers use their knowledge of test design methods to ensure maximal functional test coverage for applications under test.

What sets a real tester apart is their grasp of customer expectations and behaviors, in addition to application testing.

For instance, a product may be deployed for different clients, each with their unique expectations. A real tester would step into the client’s shoes and perform testing to meet those expectations. They always prioritize customer satisfaction.

With the rise of automation and the risk of job loss for manual testers, testers are now find themselves in a quandary. They are attempting to become automation test engineers by learning tools like Selenium or UFP or other prevalent automation testing tools in the market. However, they may end up becoming automation testers who focus more on coding rather than genuine testing.

Recommended Read => Getting started with Manual Testing: A Real Project

Undertaking Automation Testing without Scripting or High-tech Expertise

Rather than forcing testers to become automated test engineers, an alternate course can empower them to carry out automated testing. Script-less functional test automation tools can support testers in conducting automated testing. These tools also advantage organizations that acknowledge the usefulness of testers’ domain knowledge and testing skills in delivering high-quality software.

Ensuring functional accuracy in an application demands testers who have not just knowledge of the business domain but also a deep understanding of the functionality of the application. This expertise is what they have cultivated over years of working as testers.

Tools that facilitate script-less automated testing enable testers to focus on their main expertise.

About the Author: Pavan has spent 17 years working with startups and large enterprises. He brings a rich accumulation of experience and expertise in developing multiple software products. Pavan is proficient in strategic management, IT product development, software quality assurance, business operations, and managing cloud infrastructure.

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