How To Migrate From Manual Testing To Automation Testing?

When it comes to software testing, there is always a conscious choice to make between manual testing and automation testing. Manual testing falters when features have to be tested at a large (or exponential) scale. To put it in black & white, manual testing must only be adopted if the corresponding test scenarios cannot be automated using relevant automation testing tools.

Too much reliance on manual testing can bring down the test coverage and efforts must be put to migrate from manual testing to automation testing. The right mix of manual testing and automation testing is the way forward, since this strategy helps in improving the overall test coverage. Exploratory testing is one such testing methodology which can only be performed efficiently using the manual approach.

Irrespective of whether you are associated with a startup or a large enterprise, the migration from manual testing to automated testing might involve making the best decisions for the betterment of the project. In this blog, we look at avenues for seamless migration from manual testing to automation testing.

How to Move From Manual Testing to Automation Testing?

Before planning the migration, it is essential to deep dive into the domain competency available within the test team. In case the relevant competency is not available, it is recommended to partner with a proven automation testing company so that automation test strategy can be executed at an expedited pace.

Without further ado, here are some of the effective strategies for executing a migration plan from manual testing to automation testing:

1. Identification of Automation Frameworks

Automation frameworks and tools are considered to be the backbone of any test automation plan (or test automation strategy). Once you have identified the potential areas that need to be automated, its time to choose the framework and tool that can give wings to your test strategy.

Selenium and Cypress are the most widely-used frameworks for web automation testing. Selenium supports six major programming languages (e.g. Java, C#, JavaScript, Python, PHP, and Ruby). On the other hand, Cypress is a JavaScript-based test automation framework that is majorly used for automation testing of modern web applications.

Choosing the framework that meets the demands of your project as it is an essential step to migrate towards automation testing.

2. Decide Scenarios That Need Automation

There is a learning curve involved in adapting to any new process and the same principle also applies to migration to automation testing. Since you already have test scenarios that are executed using manual testing, the next step is to shortlist scenarios that should be automated.

When identifying the test scenarios for automation, you need to have a detailed look at the resources available for achieving the same. Is there an existing test team that can help you in realizing the plan? Do you have additional budget for hiring SDET (or QA) engineers? If the answer to these questions is in negation, it is wise to look out for a partner that has experience in providing automation testing services. Identifying automation testing scenarios and identifying resources (or enablers) are essential for migration from manual testing to automation testing.

3. Identification of Automation Tools

There is a significant amount of difference between automation test tools and automation test frameworks. As far as tools are concerned, they can be categorized into code-based automation tools and codeless automation tools. Your team will require a good amount of coding expertise in order to use code-based automation tools. What if you do not have QA resources that do not have coding experience?

In such scenarios, you can opt for AI-based codeless automation tools that let you automate test scenarios using the AI and record & playback options. Irrespective of whether you choose a code-based tool or codeless automation tool, it is important to select a tool that meets the scalability, reliability, and security requirements.

Also Read – Why To Choose Selenium Framework For Automation Testing?

4. Take Incremental Steps and Accelerate Later

End-to-end migration from manual testing to automation testing would take a significant amount of effort. You should start small and migrate test scenarios in an incremental manner. You can start off with the less complex tests, since the learning will help in the automation of complex test scenarios.

Once you are progressing in the right direction, you should leverage the potential of parallel testing to perform automation testing at an expedited pace. This step will also help in achieving improved test coverage, which eventually helps in improving the product quality.

The advantages offered by automation testing can be multiplied by leveraging the benefits of the test automation framework.

5. Apply Shift-Left Testing

To give shape to automated testing, the manual testing team needs to work closely with the QA engineers (or SDET engineers) for ensuring that automation efforts take good shape. Shift-left testing needs to be practiced so that the testing process is a part of the development activity.

Automation testing can be instrumental in shortening the gap between development and testing. When migrating from manual testing to automation testing, give priority to communication between the team members so that fast feedback loops can be implemented for delivering a top-notch automation testing experience.

Also Read – Difference Between Manual Testing and Automation Testing

It’s A Wrap

An ideal test strategy is the one that incorporates the best of both the worlds (i.e. manual testing and automation testing). To reap the maximum benefits, it becomes important to automate test scenarios using best automation tools and frameworks so that test scenarios can be executed at an expedited pace.

Increasing number of enterprises partner with companies that have experience in providing automation testing services, since it helps in minimizing costs involved in setting up an in-house testing team. This approach is also useful in making the most out of automation testing for keeping up pace in a fast-paced hyper-competitive market!