How Do You Manage and Optimize Your Automation Testing Resources and Budget?

In the modern app testing industry, automation testing has become one of the inseparable resources that hugely influence the testing infrastructure. This is because using proper automation test cases, the developers can initiate, execute, and deploy thousands of different test instances automatically at the same time.

However, to properly utilize the full capability of automation testing, the developers must integrate various tools, platforms, and libraries. It is also important to devise a proper testing strategy that will help the application developers to properly manage and optimize their automation testing resources and budget.

With this article, we are going to understand all the steps involved in managing and optimizing the resources for automation testing. We will also understand some of the most important integrations that can help modern developers improve the efficiency and productivity of their development and testing environment.

Exploring Automation Testing

Automation testing involves using software tools and scripts to execute test cases, compare actual outcomes with expected results, and report the test results automatically. For this process, the system typically uses a series of test scripts also known as automation scripts to provide the required data sets, statistics, and other information.

Using this data, the system can emulate human interactions while communicating with the application undergoing the development process. Let us go through some of the most important parameters involved in automation testing:

Types of Automation Testing

• The developers can use functional testing to verify the application’s functions as expected. This process primarily includes integration testing, unit testing, system testing, and regression testing.
• On the other hand, by using non-functional testing, application testers can focus on aspects like performance, stress, security testing, and load-handling capabilities.
• Finally, user interface testing focuses on the UI to ensure proper functionality and appearance across different devices, browsers, and other software configurations.

Tools for Automation Testing

• The developers can use selenium to perform web application testing. This test suit also supports multiple programming languages to create the automation test scripts.
• Using Appium, the app developers can execute automation testing on mobile apps across various platforms like iOS, Android, and Windows.
• Other applications like Jenkins, CircleCI, and Travis CI allow the developers to integrate continuous integration and continuous deployment with automation testing pipelines.
• Tools such as TestCafe and Cypress provide modern automation frameworks for executing user interface testing on applications.

Best Practices

• The developers need to remember that not all test cases can be automated. So, it is very important to focus on high-priority and repetitive scenarios to utilize the full potential of automation testing.
• The automation testers must create robust test scripts that are maintainable, modular, and also contain clear documentation.
• We advise the app testers and developers to regularly update the test scripts to match application changes and also ensure that they stand up to the expectations of the app development industry standards.
• Modern applications consist of thousands of different elements that need individual testing. So, while executing automation testing, the developers must integrate parallel test execution to initiate and execute thousands of such test instances at the same time. This process helps to reduce the overall period for the testing phase.
• The proper collaboration between the developers, testers, and other company stakeholders helps in improving the accuracy and efficiency of the test automation planning phase.

Challenges

• Setting up automation testing requires time and resources to integrate all the frameworks, expertise, and other liabilities. So, it can be a highly expensive process, especially for individual developers or small companies.
• Automation testing also creates maintenance overhead as the test scripts need regular updates.
• It can be a confusing process to choose the right automation testing tool for application development projects as there are thousands of such alternatives easily available in the market.
• The App developing companies have to invest a significant amount of time to train the testers to use automation testing tools effectively.

Implementing automation testing not only involves understanding all the above aspects but also choosing the right approach and tools based on project requirements. In this process, testers should also consider the team’s expertise and company budget. In short, automation testing is a powerful strategy for reliable, efficient, and accelerated software delivery.

Reasons to Create an Automation Testing Budget

It is a crucial process to create a proper automation testing budget. Let us go through some of the crucial reasons that justify their creation of an automation testing budget:

● Resource Allocation

Having an allocated budget helps in assigning resources effectively throughout the application development and testing life cycle. This process ensures that there is a clear understanding of the financial resources that are available for training, tools, infrastructure, and all the personnel dedicated to automation testing.

● Tool Selection and Licensing

Most of the automation testing tools, especially the commercial ones require licensing fees. So, by having a proper automation testing budget, the developers can invest in the right tools that suit their project requirements. It also helps to avoid overspending or compromising on the quality of the application that is currently being developed.

● Cost of Infrastructure

To properly execute automation testing, the developers will require specific hardware, servers, cloud services, or devices. These allow the testers to execute the test cases on multiple platforms and environments. So, proper budgeting will ensure the necessary infrastructure is in place.

● Training and Skill Development

The proper execution of automation testing requires specialized skills and training for the developers. It will help them to effectively utilize all the tools and technologies related to this advanced testing process. Allocating a budget for training programs ensures that the team stays updated and proficient in automation testing practices.

● Maintenance and Expansion

While performing automation testing, the developers not only have to worry about maintaining the existing code but also expanding it in the coming years. This is because modern applications go through frequent updates to add new features in the coming years. So, budget allocation will allow the developers to make all the necessary considerations in this regard.

Managing And Optimizing the Automation Testing Budget and Resources

Let us go through some of the key strategies for managing and optimizing the automation testing resources and budget:

1. Identifying the test Requirements

The first step in this process is to identify the project scope. Based on this, the developers can identify all the tests that can be automated and their priority in the app’s functioning. It is also important to focus on high-impact areas for maximizing the benefits of integrating automation testing.

2. Selecting the Right Tool

It is a crucial process for the testers to ensure that the automation testing tools align with the project needs, team skills, and budget. For instance, they can consider open-source options like Selenium, Appium, or commercial tools like TestComplete. This choice must be made depending on the project requirements and scalability.

Application developers can also consider integrating cloud platforms to eliminate the expenses of having an onsite device lab. Using these platforms, the developers can execute the automation test cases on thousands of devices through remote servers. Modern cloud platforms like LambdaTest also allow developers to integrate automation testing and machine learning with the test cases. It is an AI powered test orchstraion and execution platform that allows users to run automated tests over 3000+ browsers, OS including real device cloud.

Some of the additional features of this platform include live test activity logs, native bug trackers, and comprehensive test reports.

3. Allocating the Resources

The developers and testers must assign skilled resources for automation testing tasks. It is also important to invest in training if necessary to ensure that the team is proficient enough with the chosen tools and technologies. The expertise of modern automation testers will have a massive role in improving the productivity and accuracy of the test cases.

4. Prioritizing the Test Cases

As we know, all the test cases do not have the same priority in the functioning of the application infrastructure. So, based on this parameter, the developers must sort out the most important testing instances that are critical for the app’s functioning and also prone to frequent changes.

This process will help the app developing companies to efficiently use their resources and focus on the key areas that ensure the stability of the basic app infrastructure.

5. Use of Continuous Deployment and Integration

We advise the automation testers to integrate automated tests in the CI/CD pipeline to identify issues early in the development cycle. Using this process, the app developing companies can perform the development and testing phases side by side which helps to eliminate bugs and errors at early stages before they take a serious turn.

This integration also ensures that the app developing companies can massively reduce the development span and quickly roll out the apps to the production phase.

6. Reusable Components and Frameworks

We advise modern app-developing companies to create reusable test components and robust frameworks. This approach will help minimize duplication of efforts and maximize the efficiency of the overall testing environment. Various market experts believe that while using automation testing, it is possible to reuse almost 60% of the existing test data in future app development projects.

However, it is also important for the developers to frequently maintain and update these components to ensure their viability and accuracy.

7. Feedback and Improvement

We advise the application developers to gather feedback from the testing team regarding the tool’s effectiveness, process bottleneck, and challenges faced during the automation testing process. By using this feedback, the testers can refine the strategies and improve the resource allocation process. Proper feedback utilization also helps to identify potential risks associated with automation and have contingency plans.

We would advise modern testers to remember that in certain cases, manual testing is more effective compared to automation test cases. So, the real efficiency lies in maintaining the balance between automated and manual test cases. Moreover, while creating the automation test cases, the developers should also consider future expansions and changes in the automation testing trends.

The Bottom Line

In conclusion, we can say that properly utilizing the resources and budget for automation testing is a crucial process in ensuring the success of this advanced testing process. Moreover, we would advise the developers that all the steps that we discussed in this article were based on a generalized approach that can benefit all the developers and testers.

So, the exact strategy will vary depending on the application being developed, the target audience, and all the resources being utilized by the company. It is also important to analyze the target audience so that the developers can gather adequate information for customizing the application features and expanding the market. It is also important for the developers to consider their requirements and preferences while choosing automation testing tools and frameworks.