Software testing is a crucial part of software development, yet many companies neglect this step and do not invest heavily to ensure the quality of the product being developed.

In a recent InfoWorld survey, it was found that approximately 72% of companies used automated tests. In other words, many companies still rely on human teams to manually guarantee the quality of their work.

In this way, those companies that do not automate their tests increase the chances of an error going unnoticed, in addition to wasting valuable resources with an inefficient action. And that’s where automation comes in to solve the problem.

But if you don’t know what automated testing is, its importance and, above all, how to do it on a daily basis, don’t worry, as we have prepared special content on the subject. Keep reading this article to understand more!

After all, what is an automated test?

Automated testing is a resource widely used in software development, where the main objective is to facilitate the test step through specific tools. In this way, it is possible to pre-program what will be tested and then only act when necessary.

And this brings a series of benefits, direct and indirect, to the software development process. Let’s take a look at the main ones below.

How important is software testing automation?

There are several advantages to implementing an automated testing routine for software. The main one, perhaps, is the reduction of human error through manual tests, even though the responsible team is extremely qualified.

Thus, automation — already built previously — always maintains the standard of what will be tested to guarantee the maximum quality of the product, in this case, software.

And this is very important for more complex development scenarios, which involve robust software designed to manage more complex information. In this case, even a small error can cause a lot of damage, so it is necessary to professionalize the testing stage to increase the quality of the product.

Another important point is the better allocation of company resources, as automated tests reduce the need for professionals dedicated to testing. In this case, the company can allocate resources to hiring more developers, or even outsourcing IT.

Finally, automated tests can contribute to improving the security of the system, where specific checks aim to identify gaps in the software that facilitate the performance of unauthorized users.

In other words, both in terms of increasing productivity, raising quality standards, saving resources or even improving system security, automated tests are essential resources for building a good system.

 Now that you understand what automated testing is and why it’s important, it’s time to understand how to start diving into this area. For this, we separate a basic step by step to help you in this task:o do automated tests on a daily basis?

Step 1: Develop the testing culture for the company

The first step in creating automated tests is to develop a testing culture within the company. Before choosing tools and executing the processes, it is important that the team is “bought in” in the mission to test their creations.

Remember that the testing culture will allow for greater engagement of professionals and, consequently, will allow more effort in the implementation of automations.

Step 2: Create a plan for automation

Once the team is involved in the testing culture, it’s time to create a plan to automate testing. Here, you will need to define the objectives, what will be prioritized and what the expected results will be. These points are crucial to the success of the mission.

With that plan in place, it’s time to define the priority tests.

Step 3: Define what will be automated

When choosing what to automate, keep in mind that complex functions need to be broken down into smaller, easy-to-measure steps. This way, each test will only have one objective, which makes automation easier to manage and less unpredictable.

Then, start with the most critical points in the system and advance the test map as necessary and possible.

Step 4: Choose the tools

Now that the plan is in place, it’s time to choose automation tools. At this point, you will need to understand the options that best fit your routine. However, we have separated 5 tools on the market to help you in this search:

1. Cypress;

2. Selenium;

3. TestComplete;

4. Robotium;

5. Telerik Test Studio;

6. Watir.

Study each one and use the one that makes the most sense for your team’s work model. Avoid choosing a tool just for its popularity. Focus on what, in every way, meets your need.

Step 5: Run the tests and monitor the result

With all the previous steps ready, it’s time to run the automated tests and track the results. Possibly, some adjustment in the process will be necessary, which is part of this innovation in your company.

The most important thing is that you worry about refining the automations to reap all the benefits it can bring. Thus, your development team will be more mature and prepared to build better and better solutions.