{"id":1686,"date":"2022-02-01T07:39:39","date_gmt":"2022-02-01T07:39:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.zeiss.com\/digital-innovation\/en\/?p=1686"},"modified":"2022-08-05T14:12:53","modified_gmt":"2022-08-05T14:12:53","slug":"test-automation-tools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.zeiss.com\/digital-innovation\/en\/test-automation-tools\/","title":{"rendered":"Test automation tool from the catalogue \u2013 How do I find the perfect tool?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Software systems are becoming increasingly complex due to the constantly growing number of applications on different platforms. A decisive factor for the success of a software product is its quality. For this reason, more and more companies are carrying out systematic checks and tests, if possible, on the various platforms, in order to be able to ensure a given quality standard. In order to be able to keep short release cycles despite the higher testing effort, it becomes necessary to automate the tests. This in turn leads to the need to define a test automation strategy. One of the first steps in introducing a test automation strategy is to evaluate suitable test automation tools. Since each project is unique, both the requirements and the choice of tools vary. This blog series is intended to provide guidance in selecting the appropriate solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Figure 1: Evaluating suitable test automation tools is an important part of introducing a test automation strategy.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Introduction<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As part of my final thesis, I took on the task of providing the Scrum teams at ZEISS Digital Innovation (ZDI) with an aid to help them find the right test automation tool quickly and flexibly. The challenge here was that the projects have specific scenarios and the requirements may have to be weighted separately. I would like to present the status of the work and the results to you in this and the next blog articles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Software development has long been an area of rapid change. But while in the past these developments have mainly taken place at the technological level, we are currently observing major changes in the area of processes, organisation and tools in software development. However, these new trends come with challenges such as changes in requirements management, shortened timelines and especially the increased demands on quality. Today, the development of needs-based solutions and the optimisation of quality increase both efficiency and effectiveness within software development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, software systems are becoming more and more complex due to the constantly growing number of applications on different platforms. Since quality is a decisive factor for the success of a software product, more and more companies are carrying out systematic checks and tests, if possible, on the various platforms, in order to ensure a given quality standard. A SmartBear survey conducted in early 2021 found that many companies, regardless of the sector, already perform different types of testing, with web application testing leading the way at 69% and API\/web services testing second at 61%. Desktop testing is done by 42% of the respondents. A total of 62 % of the respondents state that they perform mobile testing, 29 % of which for native applications (apps) (SmartBear, 2021, p. 12). In order to be able to maintain short release cycles despite the higher testing effort, it is becoming necessary to automate the tests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As ZDI, we support our customers inside and outside the ZEISS Group in their digitisation projects. We also offer individual test services. That is why we have a large number of projects with different technologies and different solutions. As a small selection, keywords such as Java, .Net, JavaFX, WPF, Qt, Cloud, Angular, Embedded etc. should be mentioned here. In such complex projects, quality assurance is always in the foreground and the projects are dependent on the use of modern test tools that support the project participants in the manual, but especially in the automated tests. It would be desirable to have a tool that supports this automation effectively and efficiently. However, testers face a variety of challenges when selecting a test automation tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Challenges<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the research and interviews conducted as part of my work, the greatest challenges in test automation were named as the variety of test tools available. Due to this fragmentation a variety of tools is available for the same purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The choice becomes even more difficult because the tools differ not only in the technology they can test, but also in their work approach. When automation is mentioned, it is always associated with scripting. In recent years, however, a new approach to GUI testing has been developed called NoCode\/LowCode. This approach basically requires no programming knowledge and is therefore popular with automation beginners. Nevertheless, scripting remains the dominant method, although sometimes both approaches are used to involve as many of the quality assurance team as possible (SmartBear, 2021, p. 33).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The type of test automation approach, and therefore the use of a test automation tool, depends on the requirements in the project. This means that the requirements must always be re-examined for each new project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Inventory<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the course of the interviews, the analysis of the current approach and the evaluation of an internal survey, I was able to identify the following procedures for the selection of tools in the projects, which have become established as a “quasi-standard”:<\/p>\n\n\n\n