Test automation is one of the hottest trends in the market. TEST Magazine, along with SoftwareTestingNews, carried out a survey on the current adoption trends of manual : automated testing, and the results revealed that 66% of respondents are either at 75:25 or 50:50, and only 9% said they are just doing manual testing. Not only does test automation fit perfectly into the accelerated development sprints that are in vogue today, but it also helps save costs, time, and effort.
By automating tests, organizations can launch their products faster, free up their employees for more productive roles, and get exceptional returns on their investment in a testing solution. For example, 76% of businesses reported seeing ROI within one year of usage. Add to that the fact that automated testing can identify and rectify 90% of bugs and defects, and one can understand why companies are pouring money into test automation.
While one can see that test automation is being adopted worldwide, yet only a handful of companies have managed to transition smoothly without any operational hiccups. Test automation can be complicated and requires a deeper understanding of how each aspect fits in. This can often lead to miscommunication between testers and the hierarchy above. One of the most commonly contested questions is ‘How many test cases can be automated per day?’
This question can have no straight answer. Test case automation depends on diverse variables. These variables can impact the time taken to automate a test case and run the tests.
Factors that affect the number of test cases being automated per day
The complexity of the test case
This is one of the defining factors of how much time it’ll take to automate. Simply put, the more complicated the module, the more time required for its automation. The complexity of a test case can depend on the type of test, the framework used, and the elements involved. Typically, regression testing takes more time than unit tests. Additionally, the presence of dynamic elements can also add to the time consumed.
Integrations between diverse applications
This factor depends on the different aspects of the software that the test case needs to interact with to run successfully. For instance, test cases involving basic data entry will be much easier to set up since they don’t include any data manipulation. Likewise, testing serial database input doesn’t require much time. On the other hand, something as complicated as tax calculations will involve a lot of data manipulation up/downstream, making it harder to automate test cases for this scenario.
Pre-conditions
If your test case cannot run independently and requires other tests and inputs to be in place, then you’re looking at a complex framework. These usually take more time to process and automate.
Maturity of framework
The more mature the framework, the less time it takes to automate. If you’re working with a framework that can run your test case with minimal coding and data entry, then it won’t take long. On the other hand, if this is not the case, test case automation can take significantly more time.
Post-condition validations
The more changes a test case makes, the more validations it requires upon completion. Testing features that set off complex processes with many changes can take a longer time to automate.
Existing automation
One of the most overlooked factors, the degree of existing test automation, can play an essential role in deciding how much time you’ll take. It’s always easier to add new functionalities to existing automation than to design it all from scratch. Moreover, using existing test harnesses and expanding on already built helper functions can make automating new test cases more manageable.
| Factor | Less Time Needed to Automate Test Cases if | More Time Needed to Automate Test Cases if |
| Complexity of the test case | Tests have fewer dynamic elements and simpler modules. Ex. unit tests | There are complex modules with many dynamic elements. Ex. regression testing |
| Number of integrations | Tests have to interact with a few parts of the software. | Tests have to interact with several parts of the software. |
| Pre-conditions | The tests are independent and don’t require other inputs. | The tests require other test cases and inputs to be in place. |
| Maturity of framework | The framework is more mature. | The framework is less mature. |
| Post-condition validations | The tests make very few changes that require validation. | The tests have complicated processes that set off several changes that require validation. |
| Existing automation | Existing, pre-built test automation can be used. | There is no existing automation and everything needs to be built from scratch. |
The type of automation solution being used
The automation solution you use can make or break your entire testing strategy. Being saddled with a testing software that doesn’t work well with your existing systems can dent the potential ROI of the investment. The solution you choose should have features such as no-code, intelligent reporting, cross-browser testing, and a pre-built keyword library. It should easily integrate with third-party applications and support multiple frameworks. The right solution can potentially improve your ROI, make testing easier and faster, and help you get your product to the market before your competitors.
Avo Assure is one such product. It’s a robust, intuitive, heterogeneous, and end-to-end test automation solution that helps you test applications with just a few clicks of your button without writing a single line of code. Avo Assure helped a Fortune 500 manufacturer get to market 5 times faster and decrease manual effort and overall testing costs by 45%. To learn more about how Avo Assure makes test automation faster and easier, schedule a demo today!
