Challenges of Automated Testing in Agile Environment

A constant increase is noted in the number of organizations adopting agile methodologies. But each organization faces several challenges while testing a software application in agile environment. As many reports have highlighted the traditional test management and automation tools are not flexible enough to complement a faster moving development environment.

While testing complex projects in agile environment, the QA professional also have to address issues related to the resources, different geographic locations of teams and development technologies. That is why; it is essential for each organization to understand and address the challenges to optimize automated testing in agile environment.

4 Common Challenges of Test Automation in Agile Environment

1) Picking the Right Test Automation Tools
Nowadays, an enterprise has option to choose from several commercial and open source test automation tools. Most organizations compare these tools based on their individual features and prices. But often enterprises fail to identify the hidden flaws in a tool like inadequate support for the application, and lack of reliability.

An organization has to consider several factors to choose the right test automation tools for a specific project. Along with reading the features and price of the commercial tool, the user must analyze the feedback and recommendation of other users who have already use the tool in agile environment. Likewise, he must opt for the open source test automation tools that are supported by a large and active community.

2) When to Begin Test Automation Development
While developing in agile environment, organizations often start test automation development in the early stages of the project. But the features and functionalities of complex software applications keeps changing till the end of iteration. So the testers have to modify and redevelop the test automation scripts to optimize the unit test, performance test and API test results.

The quality assurance (QA) team can always save their time and effort by creating detailed and comprehensive manual test cases. The manual cases will make it easier for the testers to automate the tests, while addressing the modifications efficiently. However, an organization can still get the test automation scripts early, when it is sure that the tests will not be affected by current iterations.

3) Including Relevant Test Automation Framework Development Tasks
The conventional agile workflow does not encourage testers to include test automation framework development tasks with no user points. But the automated testing results in agile environment are affected by the choice of test automation tools and frameworks. So a business must not underestimate the need for these frameworks.

As most organizations invest a substantial amount in tools, they get the framework developed by test automation engineers. So they have to decide the amount of time required to build a custom test automation framework. Normally, the framework development will require about two weeks time that equals the normal agile iteration. The product, however, needs to be tested manually during the period. Once the custom framework is developed, it can be easily included in the agile development environment.

4) Test Case Selection
In agile environment, QA professionals often find it daunting to choose the test cases for automation. Many organizations even affect the software testing results adversely by automating all test cases. But the QA team must choose and automate the right test cases to achieve both quality and efficiency, while saving their time and efforts.

An organization must evaluate each test case in detail to decide if needs to be automated. It is also important to automate the higher priority cases from the very beginning. The automation will help QA professionals to run the test cases with different system configurations, platforms and different sets of data. The proper selection of test cases for automation will further make it easier for the organization to reduce investment in test automation tools and frameworks.

With more and more organizations adopting agile methodologies, it has become essential for testers to understand how to automate the testing process to make the project successful. The software QA professionals must consider implementing best practices to overcome the challenges of automated testing in agile environment.

You can hire testers from top automation testing comapnies in India who can help you accomplish testing within allocated budgets and time schedules.

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Cut Down Regression Testing Time by 95%

Despite deploying a high quality technical team, enterprises often find it difficult to automate their software testing process. Along with hiring the right testing professionals, an organization also need to pick the best automation tools to identify the bugs, errors and flaws in the application. If you are looking for an end-to-end automation solution for your web application development project, it is a good idea to choose Selenium. Many reports have highlighted the efficiency and effectiveness of Selenium in cutting down regression testing time by 95%. However, there are also a number of additional reasons that makes the essential to set up a test automation framework with Selenium.

What Makes Selenium a Powerful Software Testing Tool?

Open Source

Most organizations opt for open source tools and frameworks to save money. As an open source automation tool, Selenium can be used without investing any additional funds. Also, each organization has option to avail several Selenium tools including Selenium IDE, Selenium RC, BrowserMob and Sauce RC. So an enterprise can easily set up a customized test automation framework according to the specific needs of individual projects. At the same time, it can also avail the assistance of the large community of Selenium developers and testers to implement the test automation strategy without any hassle.

Support for Major Operating Systems and Web Browsers

The popularity of each web application now depends on its compatibility with major operating systems and web browsers. Therefore, it becomes essential for each enterprise to ensure that the application delivering rich user experience regardless of the user’s choice of operating system and we browser. Along with major web browsers like Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Safari, Selenium also supports major operating systems. The support for major operating systems and web browsers makes it easier for testers to deliver rich user experience by identifying all flaws in the application without putting any extra effort.

Supports All Programming Languages

Similar to major operating systems and web browsers, Selenium also supports a large number of programming languages including Java, C#, Python and Ruby. The feature makes the tool effective in testing all types of web application regardless of the programming language used by code writers. Further, the features make it easier for enterprises to adopt test driven development approach. Under this approach, automated test cases are written before coding starts. So the programmers have option to use a programming language of their choice to complete the coding rapidly.

Multiple Automated Tests Simultaneously

Most enterprisers aim to build a single test automation framework to test several applications. There are also chances that they have to test multiple applications at a time to shorten software release cycle. Selenium comes with a set of test automation tools that enable users to carry out multiple automated tests at a time. As unit, functional and regression testing can be executed simultaneously, the total test cycles can also be reduced up to a great extent.

Easy to Maintain and Reuse Tests

Many enterprises use test automation tools to reuse and modify test cases without any hassle. Selenium enhances the reusability of testing cases. Along with running the same test script repeatedly, the tools further make the scripts reusable for several projects. At the same time, the features also help users in maintain their overall testing process and test cases without incurring any additional cost. They also have option to implement test metrics to strengthen the decision-making process.

Saves Both Time and Cost

A number of reports have highlighted how Selenium is effective in cutting down regression testing time by 95%. Along with reducing regression testing time substantially, an organization can further use Selenium to shorten release cycles and reduce test cycles. Further, the open source nature of the test automation tools helps organization to avoid the expensive frameworks and tools available in the market. The reduction in development time and testing costs along with enhanced product quality will get higher ROI over a longer period of time.

An enterprise can avail several advantages by setting up a test automation framework with Selenium. But it must consider several options to get and evaluate the test data that is 100% accurate and reliable. At the same time, the organization must keep in mind software testing automation best practices and tricks.

You can hire testers from top selenium automation testing companies in India who can help you accomplish testing within allocated budgets and time schedules.

We provide selenium testing services. If you would like to hire expert selenium testers from us, we would be glad to assist you at Mindfire Solutions.

Automating Your Mobile App Testing - A Test Driven Development Approach

An enterprise can avail several advantages by automating its software testing. Along with beating competition by launching the application early, the customized test automation tools will further optimize its performance by identifying all bugs, errors and flaws. But each organization must consider some additional points to effectuate its test automation strategy. The software testing strategy can be further optimized by adopting test driven development approach.

Under test driven development approach, the automated test cases are written before the coding starts. The test case clearly defines the improvements and new functionality required, while producing the basic code required for passing the test. Based on the initial test results, the new code is refactored to meet the acceptable standards. If you are planning to make a comprehensive automated testing strategy for your project, it is time to understand why you must try test driven development (TDD) approach.

Top 5 Advantages of Test Driven Development Approach

1) Easy to Check Individual Logics
Under this approach, testing is integrated from the granular levels of the software development process. So it becomes easier to check individual and standalone pieces of logic regardless of frequent modifications. As the application needs to be tested thoroughly once the development process is over, loads of new and modified test cases needs to be run to ensure that the application is running flawlessly. The new approach makes it easier to update the legacy applications by incorporating changes in the current software development process. That is why; the TDD approach can be adopted by both young and old organizations to achieve different objectives.

2) Better Options to Streamline Codebase
As automated test cases are written before the coding starts, it becomes easier for an enterprise to get enhanced test coverage without any hassle. The initial refactoring process further helps programmers to write as well as streamline the code base. Also, it becomes easier for developers to maintain the code base without putting any extra effort. They can avoid writing any additional code if test case is not written or use-case is not available for a specific functionality.

3) Create a Clean Interface
Under conventional testing approach, the programmers write code by focusing mainly on the internal working of the application. So they often ignore to check the code from an API-user perspective. But the TDD approach emphasizes on the test case to be written first. So the APIs generated based on these predefined cases are written from the prospective of an API-user. These techniques also result in building an interface that is both clean and economical.

4) Smooth Incorporation of Changes and New Functionalities
The TDD approach prevents the codebase from becoming dated and monolithic through the refactoring process. The process further makes it easier for developers to optimize and strengthen the code base by incorporating changes. As the process is flexible, the programmers can include new functionalities and features by changing the entire architecture of the application. At the same time, they can make the code more efficient by frequently incorporating fresh and innovative ideas without any hassle.

5) Embrace New Technology without Any Hassle
The TDD approach requires the use-cases to be written as test-cases. So the programmers and code writers can observe the test cases to understand the objectives of writing a specific piece of coding. At the same time, unit tests enable developers to adopt and use new technologies by acting as an efficient learning tool. They can simply refer to a small set of predefined unit test, and understand how to address a specific coding bottleneck. Also, the existing codebase can be accessed by new developers to update the application by including new functionalities.

There are always chances that you may have to put some additional time, effort and money to adopt test driven development. But the initial investment will get you higher returns in the long run by delivering rich and flawless user experience.

You can hire automation testers from top software testing companies in India who can help you accomplish testing within allocated budgets and time schedules.

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Top Test Automation Frameworks

With software development becoming more complex and competitive, it has become essential for enterprises to explore options to optimize the application’s performance, quality and reliability. Each developed software application also needs to be tested thoroughly to assess its quality. As software testing requires both time and resources, many enterprises opt for test automation frameworks. Along with speeding up the software testing process, the frameworks are further effective in identifying all bugs, flaws and problems in a developed software. Each business also has option to pick from a wide variety of test automation frameworks. However, one can always consider using some of the testing frameworks that are used widely by software testing professionals across the world.

5 Widely Used Software Automation Frameworks

1) Selenium
Selenium is hugely popular among web application developer to automate web browsers. Along with checking how the internet application works on different web browsers, the developers also use the framework to automate a set on web-based administration tasks. The huge popularity of Selenium has further encouraged many companies to integrate as a native part of their browsers. Based on the requirements of the web development project, a company can choose the Selenium IDE, Selenium WebDriver or Selenium Remote Control. Both Selenium WebDriver and Remote Control are also designed with Selenium Server integration.

2) Watir
As an open source member of Ruby libraries family, Watir supports each application regardless of the technology used for its development. IT supports only the Internet Explorer on Windows. But the testers can use the Watir-WebDriver to test the performance of the web application across major browsers including Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer and Opera. The framework further makes it easier for testing professionals to emulate the exact user behavior by pressing buttons, clicking on links, and filling in forms. At the same time, it also allows testers to check the test results as these will be displayed to end-users.

3) Windmill
As an innovative web application testing tool, Windmill enables testing professionals to automate and debug the applications without putting much time and effort. It is also be best choice for testing the websites designed with huge AJAX and JavaScript functionality due to its effectiveness in facilitating communication between the client-side code and the services. The framework allows testers to check the quality of a web application by using a set of tools like cross-browser test recorder, interactive service shell, JavaScript test integration, and malleable proxy API. Also, the testers can use the Windmill Controller to observe the performance of a website by choosing different options.

4) Squish
Squish is used widely used by enterprises to carry out functional GUI regression tests. The framework launched by FrogLogic can also be used as a powerful tool for GUI test automation across different platforms and technologies. As the GUI testing required both time and resources, many enterprises use Squish to optimize the quality of their applications within a stipulated timeframe. Along with desktop and web application the framework is also used widely for testing mobile and embedded applications. Along with automatic test script recording, and option to run the scripts in batches, the testing automation framework further makes it easier for testers to create, maintain and execute legible test scripts.

5) NUnit
As a unit testing framework, NUnit is hugely popular among Microsoft .NET developers and testers. The xUnit based unit testing tool is also written fully in C#. So it is effective in taking advantages of a number of .NET language features. The professionals also have option to avail advantages of xUnit for several .NET languages. The framework is also being redesigned at regular intervals to take advantages of the innovative and extended .NET language features.

A business can avail several advantages by using a test automation framework. But it is also important to evaluate various frameworks according to a number of factors and specific requirements of the project. You can hire software testers from top automation testing companies India who can help you accomplish testing with the automation testing tools within allocated budgets and time schedules.

We are one of the reputed automation testing companies in India. If you would like to speak to our certified automation testers or would like to know more about the work we have done, please get in touch with us at Mindfire Solutions.

Poor Practices that Damage Efforts of Test Automation

Every upcoming development methodology places considerable importance on testing, which includes Test-Driven Development, Feature-Driven Development, Behavior Driven Development, etc. Although automating tests has prevailed since long time, a number of development organizations still fail to get it right with the process.

Well, the reason can mostly be owed to the inherent bad practices that have been running across the wide range of testing and development methodologies. Here is a quick look at some of the poor practices and useless habits that has been restricting a number of organizations from gaining the real worth and benefits of automation of several software –

• Avoid assuming that test automation is simple and can be taken up by anyone: Since the tools comprise record-and-playback features, it is believed that anyone familiar with the mouse can run successful automation of tests. A part of such belief can be blamed on the high dependency of the industry on the subject criteria more than the objective criteria of the test automation tool. The matter that the appearance must be made easy in terms of just pointing –and–clicking the way to ROI for easy sale of the test automation to the mass is never stated right. Assuming that you can send anyone for automation-training for developing the required expertise is a bad idea. On the contrary, you must take time and put up a team that understands diverse programming concepts and software development process.

• Record-and-Playback: Did you ever think about what makes record-and –playback so popular in the industry? Well, simply because it helps the team feels productive, even though the team is undergoing a futile exercise. Record-and-playback allows your team to design test scripts that can be thrown away. Even if the script fails to work, there is hardly any reason to worry. All you need to do is re-launch the recorder and start the process all over again. Always remember that if test automation had been that easy, the need of its specialists would have never existed.

• Framework Test and Job Security: Having an expert automation specialist is not always a good idea, as there is a disadvantage for the same. Relying on just one person for designing and maintaining a test framework for a team of testers is never a good idea. If you are in the field of software development, you must be aware of the term “spaghetti code”, which involves a complicated control structure. The concern that comes up is who will be maintaining the framework, in case the specialist goes missing from action. It is important for you to design a simple framework that is well-documented and can be maintained easily. This would save the team from losing out on any expertise of the framework.

• Keyword-Driven Testing: So, it is almost understood that automation-testing is not an easy task to accomplish. Building a library of code related to table based functionalities might help the accounting or the QA team to go ahead with the automating process and that too successfully. If you are considering going ahead with the idea of implementing keyword-driven testing, you must always focus on listing the skill set of your team. This particular method works only when the team is blessed with the technical knowledge of maintaining, enhancing, and executing the framework. However, it is not being said that keyword-driven testing is a bad idea. It is not required for the entire team to be involved in the process.

Test automation of software is never an easy task to take up. Designing efficiencies or building expertise into the process of development is a tough task to achieve. However, doing the same mistake continuously will make this topic remain on the cycle of software development. Avoid looking for an ultimate solution to test automation. On the contrary, consider relying upon a realistic and practical approach of building automation library that is robust and can be reused. It is also important for the automation library to provide good ROI.

In such a scenario, to leverage the maximum benefits of automation testing, scouting for a list of automation testing companies is the most helpful. Once you get a list, it would be helpful to understand their expertise in then find an overlap with your needs.

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