QASource Blog

The sporting world has long struggled with deciding the significance of the “V” in its MVP awards. The use of the word “valuable” clouds the thinking on whether voters are searching for the player most valuable to the team and its success, or the flat-out best player that year.

We face a similar problem when comparing manual and automation testing in the QA process. Each approach has its pros and cons, but ultimately it is hard to declare one as universally superior. The most effective way to decide between them is to consider how often each has the advantage over the other. Automation gives you greater coverage, API integration, and speed. Manual testing, on the other hand, gives you greater human input, and an accompanying eye for detail and solutions.

“I want it all, and I want it now.”

Isn’t that the sentiment you most want to express when you assess your release cycle? After all, you’re just craving quality and speed. One of the biggest benefits of automated API test integration is that you get a quality product quickly. It also lets you stay focused on meeting your own standards for quality, functionality, reliability, performance, and security.

Just how quickly you’ll see those benefits depends on choosing the right partner. But the speed advantage means faster bug fixes and faster time to market for your product. Let’s look at some of the other ways it can help keep your product on schedule and within budget.

First, the answer. The best approach to test automation development has four steps:

• Choose the right QA partner for test automation development

• Identify project requirements and outline strategy

• Build a framework and create scripts

• Provide a demonstration and full reporting

Many software companies have or are planning to adopt test automation into their QA process, but some automation endeavors are not successful. A common cause of unsuccessful projects is incomplete planning. Check out QASource’s latest infographic below to find steps to reduce your automation backlog and take back control of your automation velocity.

Automation is rapidly changing every industry it touches—especially the software and IT sector. By implementing automation, QA teams can increase their throughput by huge factors, save time, cut costs, and improve the overall quality of the product they ship. With all of these benefits, who would avoid switching over to automation?

QASource recently presented the webinar, "The Future is API Testing - Trends and How to Propel Your Testing." We presented this webinar twice due to its popularity.

In this webinar, QASource CEO Rajeev Rai discussed API testing's central role in the future of QA, and the necessity and benefits of testing APIs. In the webinar, Rajeev also walked the audience through detailed video demonstrations on how to perform API testing.

QASource sponsors the Agilistry & QA Meetup Group. The goal of the group is to create a community where software engineers and developers can meet to learn new skills, build on current skill sets as well as network with other business professionals.

Today’s QA world is fueled by two key forces: the growing expectations of product companies and the competition between the testing providers. Every day, CTOs and dev managers are pushing their teams to break new ground, and they’re looking for QA resources that can match their enthusiasm and passion for innovation. Most product companies are looking for a testing services provider that feels right at home on the cutting edge. With the urgency to innovate being one of the driving forces in the industry, the QA world can expect major things in 2018 and beyond.