Andrew Holt discusses test automation with Georg Hansbauer, CTO of Testbirds
Just a few years ago, websites were only tested over desktop devices and a handful of browsers. Nowadays, all facets of the quality assurance process are facing completely new challenges due to the enormous variety of mobile and smart devices in the market.
Test automation has therefore become a crucial factor for quality control, although most companies are still merely scratching its surface, especially when it comes to mobile applications.
Georg Hansbauer, CTO of Testbirds said: “The classic waterfall model, with its rigid development and test phases, is more and more often being replaced by agile methods. Short iterations, so called sprints, are causing shorter testing phases with a high rerun frequency.
“Due to methods such as continuous integration, software is now being updated in increasingly smaller cycles. In parallel to development, testing is also taking place in close intervals, otherwise known as Continuous Testing, posing significant challenges for internal and external teams.”
Furthermore, costs are on the rise due to the fact that not only new, but also existing components and features need to be continuously tested.
For this reason, a combination of manual and automated tests is an ideal way to overcome this challenge.
“While new features can easily and quickly be tested manually, test automation is a cheaper and more resource effective option for testing existing core functions in the long term. Recurring regression tests, for example, are ideal for test automation,” said Hansbauer.
Finally, an important prerequisite for agile development is a smooth collaboration between software developers and IT companies, which is summed up by the buzzword DevOps.
“A central idea to DevOps is to automate deployment and testing process, which can make this working relationship much easier and more lucrative. Test automation is quickly becoming an essential element of agile software development,” said Hansbauer.
But what are its concrete applications when examined in a practical scenario?
To find out more about this topic, see the Test Automation whitepaper which provides an entry into the world of test automation and investigates its challenges through practical use cases and specific fields of application.
“In addition, it provides information for decision makers, who are considering investing in test automation, while also granting insights for developers and users looking to increase their knowledge in this area,” said Hansbauer.
Written by Andrew Holt
