The Hidden Cost of Automated Software Testing

While technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning are catching fire in other personal and professional applications, automation in software testing has been around for years.

That’s for a good reason: Automated software testing has proven its weight in digital gold thanks to its ability to improve efficiency and consistently deliver repetitive testing tasks. These benefits are especially impactful when development teams face tight budgets and timelines. 

However, while automated testing can offer many benefits, there are also some hidden costs associated with using it compared to manual testing. Over time, these costs can actually lead to less optimal testing outcomes and put a drag on productivity.

Some of these costs are more apparent than others, but understanding these factors is key for organizations to consider when choosing which testing strategy to use for their software testing projects—and when to use it.

Keep reading to learn about the costs that your team needs to consider—and to find out how you can mitigate them to get the most out of your software testing:

The Hidden Costs of Automated Software Testing

With any technology investment, it’s important to understand the total cost of ownership—and leveraging automated software testing techniques is no different.

Below are some of the obvious and no-so-obvious costs that should be woven into your testing approach considerations:

• Initial investment: Setting up automated testing requires significant upfront costs, including preparing the automated testing tools, building the testing environment and related infrastructure, and training staff to run and manage the testing. Depending on the solutions chosen, some of these initial costs may be ongoing in terms of outside support and licensing costs.
• Skill requirements: Because they are binary in structure (i.e., a condition is met or not met in the testing), automated tests have limited use cases and require specialized formatting. Therefore, developing and maintaining these automated tests requires time and specialized skills, which can lead to a bottleneck in the testing process if the team lacks the necessary expertise.

• Brittle tests: Due to their structure, automated tests are considered “brittle,” meaning that small changes in the application can break multiple tests. This constant maintenance can be time-consuming and can lead to a situation where tests become outdated or irrelevant with just a few changes in design.

• A false sense of security: An over-reliance on automated testing can lead to teams overlooking critical issues (usability, security, and integration) that may not be caught by automated software testing. While automated tests are perfect for repetitive, high-volume testing, using them for more subjective and precise testing situations may miss nuanced or edge-case scenarios that require human judgment.

How to Mitigate the Hidden Costs of Automated Software Testing

Fortunately, these challenges can be addressed. To get the most out of automated software testing, use these tips and best practices:

Take a Balanced Approach

Use both automated and manual testing across your testing plan in order to leverage the strengths of both approaches. Use automated testing for repetitive, binary testing tasks while using manual testing for exploratory, usability, security-related, and more nuanced conditions.

Prioritize High-Value Areas

Focus automated tests on critical, frequently changing parts of the application that can be tested regressively with binary outcomes. This more targeted approach helps to free up human testers for more subjective tests without bogging them down.

Use a Modular Structure

Develop your automated test scripts using modular design, which will help with development, execution, and maintenance. This approach makes it easier to change tests as the application evolves.

Utilize a Comprehensive Test Management System

Leverage a proven test management tool like TestMonitor to help with requirement traceability and management, test case management, and defect and issue tracking. TestMonitor’s secure, cloud-based platform also helps boost collaboration and communication to keep testing on track and effective.

Bringing It All Together

There’s no doubting the benefits of automated software testing when measured by efficiency, especially with redundant and high-volume testing scenarios.

However, the hidden costs that we highlighted here can quietly add up if not properly addressed and mitigated, making it harder—and more expensive—for your team to deliver fit-for-purpose software solutions.

Want to get hands-on with a powerful test management tool proven to aid with every facet of your software testing? Then make sure to sign up for your own 14-day free trial of TestMonitor and experience a streamlined testing workflow:

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