QASource Blog

Ask any product manager or QA lead what the most valuable tool is in their quiver. Chances are good that they’ll say the name of a well-known test automation tool. Acquiring a powerful automation tool is great, but working with a QA provider that knows the tool well and can fully leverage it for best results is a true gamechanger.

There’s a lot of talk on the streets about automation. But trust us when we say it’s more than just a hot buzzword. In fact, test automation is one of the most effective solutions you can adopt as a growing product company. Speeding up slow, time-consuming manual testing is one of the biggest value propositions for automation -- but what are some of the other reasons why so many of your colleagues (and competitors) are buying into it?

Good question! But unfortunately, choosing the perfect test automation tool has little to do with playing favorites and everything to do with requirements and the various parameters you’ve set for your project. In terms of language, the closest we’ll get to “favorite” is “most widely applicable” or “commonly used”.

Think fast! How much are repetitive manual tests costing you by the hour? By the day, week and year? Probably a lot. Certain manual testing techniques have their place in the software development lifecycle. But overall, automation is winning the day. A well-designed automation framework can boost your team’s productivity, help you release at lightning speed and, best of all, cut a big chunk off of your testing budget.

Automation testing is ubiquitous in today’s market thanks to improved tools and methodologies. But it takes expertise to implement, execute and maintain automation over time. Many companies continue to shy away from automating because their team lacks experience or the necessary training is too costly. Hiring a QA partner to implement is the perfect solution: you’ll get the thorough test coverage you need while keeping resources lean and improving team productivity.

To match the pace of an ever-expanding market, many organizations are transitioning to the Agile method for project management. The same is true within the QA industry, and at QASource we've become quick experts of Agile processes. What separates the Agile approach from other methods of working, such as the Waterfall model? Agile is defined by collaboration, iteration, and rapid and repeatable delivery schedules. Adopting these new processes can be challenging at first, so in this blog post, we'll be reviewing a few helpful tips for getting your QA team up to speed.

The application programming interface (API) lays the groundwork for how your software components interact, and it helps guide your development team through the programming of the graphical user interface (GUI). Thorough API testing is the best way to ensure the functionality of your application's code and the API layer itself. Before partnering with an outsourced QA provider to begin testing your product, acquaint yourself with the advantages, approach, and associated tools of API testing.

As QA engineers gain greater domain experience and testing tools improve, automation testing is becoming a go-to choice for many organizations. Implementing automation is easier and more affordable than ever before, thanks to the abundance of open source tools and experienced engineers. The advantages of automation testing have been made clear, but several key questions still linger in the minds of those planning to automate in the near future.

Each month, our Advanced Technology group evaluates the latest QA testing tools and we help pass on their findings to you. In this month's update, we provide a brief overview of new tools, including Helium and WHITE. We also cover current best practices and the latest industry updates. Look for our update each month to stay in the loop with technology standards and help boost your team's productivity!