According to a study conducted by Wipro, test automation has found increased usage across all major industries, with a massive 85% rise in companies adopting test automation practices. Businesses are increasingly looking to use test automation to shorten their testing cycles, save human resources, and find bugs faster. Test automation promises to provide higher test coverage at a much lower cost and shorter time. But as adoption rises across the tech world, companies also realize that only a solid testing strategy can ensure high ROI with fewer errors over the long term.
A robust test automation strategy isn’t about the maximum number of test cases you can automate. It’s about selecting the suitable test cases to be automated and balancing them with manual testing. That’s why it’s crucial to understand which test cases can or cannot be automated.
What goals should test automation fulfill?
Before we jump into specific test cases, let’s discuss what test automation does.
Many organizations make the mistake of assuming test automation will replace manual testing completely. It is far from being true. Test automation is designed to complement and aid software testers in their job, so they are empowered to do better and more and not replace them.
Furthermore, automating test cases should be prioritized based on :
● How long will it take to write the script?
● Will the test be reused multiple times?
● How crucial is the feature being tested for the application?
● Does the test involve a lot of data entry and manipulation?
● How many configurations need to be tested?
● How long will the test run?
● Does the test require visual confirmation?
● How soon are the test results and feedback required?
These are some factors that need consideration before creating a testing strategy. Based on those factors, here’s the list of tests that you should not automate.
Which test cases should you not automate
Subjective Validation
Subjective validation refers to the act of protecting the validity of words, statements, and initials. It’s best performed manually because humans can quickly detect and provide critical feedback instead of automation, which will take time to write and run.
New Functionalities
Applications and software that are still under development will often require many changes in the underlying code. In such a scenario, every time the code is changed, the automated test script will need to be altered too. This alone makes test automation time-consuming and tedious.
Business-critical Functionalities
When building software, certain functions form the core. Automated testing shouldn’t be used to test these functions. Test cases also require subject matter expertise that cannot be performed by automation software. Only qualified personnel should test these business-critical functionalities.
User Experience
UI tests are generally hard to automate. The scripts are complicated and require several changes to run successfully. Moreover, the human eye is best suited to test UI features such as resolution, formatting, etc.
Complex Functionalities
Some features of the application under test will have complex pathways. For instance, tests that require data modification and manipulation downstream are best suited for manual testing. No automation script can do justice to these test cases.
Quality Control
The final quality checks run on the software or application should also be left for manual testers. Automated tests are best suited to test for results that are predictable and fixed. Additionally, no automation solution can give the kind of feedback that a human tester can.
Test automation has proven to be a highly efficient method to shorten the SDLC but only when done right. Rushing in to automate every test will backfire and rob the process of its efficiency. By ensuring that only the tests with the highest ROI are automated, organizations can get better results.
For most of the tests that can be automated, working with a robust solution is crucial. Avo Assure being no-code and heterogeneous makes testing easier. It is faster, more intuitive, has intelligent reporting capabilities, and requires no coding whatsoever. Avo Assure helped a leading financial institution deliver their application 2x faster with zero defects. If you want to learn how Avo Assure will help you automate everything that can be automated, book a demo with us today!
