The Most Common Fears About Automated Testing

As QA Madness provides an automated testing service along with other different types of manual testing, we decided to research concerns, that may occur with automated testing. We have carried out several independent surveys among people related to this field. This research helped us to detect 13 most common fears about automated testing and determine our approach for their prevention.   

1 . “Necessity of rewriting the test, after making changes to the project”
Only stable functionality can be covered by automated tests. If the product is unstable and still in development, automated tests are worthless. In this case, manual testing would be the best solution (which we also can perform). As soon as the main functionality becomes stable, we can cover it with automated tests.

2. “Test preparation takes a lot of time and efforts”
Yes, automated tests preparation may take some time, but…  It's better to look at it from the side of long-term perspective.  Writing of automated tests may take some time, but in the future, it will save time and money. Firstly, automated testing performs faster than manual testing. Secondly, our clients pay only for support of ready-to-use tests and for the report preparation.

3. “Lack of technical skills for writing of tests.”
We value our reputation and interested in long-term cooperation with our clients, so we cannot allow the bad quality of automated tests we provide. That's why our testers have all necessary knowledge base for writing scripts. As well, we provide support services. In case when the tests crash (if it's our fault) we fix them at our expense.

4. “Outsourced testers know nothing about my project”
Every project is unique. That's why we perform a detailed study of the project considering all its characteristics before writing the automated tests. Also, if a client provides us with requirements and test cases we can calculate traceability matrix. It shows the test coverage of the project. Hereby, our client can be assured that we are quite plunged into the project.

5. “Bad understanding of requirements.”
We always start from a detailed study of a new project, so we can guarantee the quality of our tests. Besides, we start writing of scripts only after complete approval from a client. In addition, we provide you with a test plan and calculation of traceability matrix (based on provided requirements and test cases). So, having all this information a client might be sure that we stick to all project’s requirements.

6.“Outsourced testers have lack of experience”
We appreciate every customer, that's why we set high standards for ourselves and strive to meet these standards. Our careful recruitment and staff selection mean that we have created a skilled and experienced team of QA professionals. Also, our company has the internal training center that allows us to keep a high and permanent level of knowledge and skills of our testers.

7. “Outsourced testers will write these tests as fast as possible and just to fulfill the contract.”
The high quality of the work is our main priority and goal, because it may directly impact on the quality of the end product and as a result on our client’s reputation. If a client provides requirements and test cases, based on this information we can calculate the test coverage and prepare test plan for the project. And we can start to write the automated tests only after client's approval. Thus, a client can be sure in the quality and clarity of our work.

8. "Writing of  very simple automated tests."
Our work is based on the requirements and test cases that are provided by a client. Before we start writing of the scripts we request approval of a test plan. And usually, only a client chooses which part of the project should be covered by automated tests.

9. "The communication barrier between company and tester."
We cooperate with development companies all over the world. Most of them are located in the USA and Europe. So all our staff has good skills of spoken and written English.

10. “Different time zones. Difficult to arrange a meeting with the team.”
Yes, the time differences might be an issue, but in our experience, it’s never been a problem for us or our clients. In case of need, we always can find a convenient time for both sides to arrange a meeting.

11. “Test automation tools are insanely expensive.”
One of the main benefits of the QA Madness approach is that we can not just configure the tools for automated testing, but we can also help to choose them. Our specialists are well experienced in using different types of tools, including free options. So we can help to select most optimal tools for a client’s project and budget.

12. “Automated test can crash and can produce incorrect results.”
We are responsible for the quality of automated tests we prepare. Also, we provide support for these tests. In the case when something crashes because of our fault, we eliminate this issue at our expense. When tests crash due to functionality change, we can still update them, but it will be done for an additional cost.

13.“Automated testing may not pay off.”
Above all things, it's necessary to determine if automated tests could really fit into your project (and we can help with it as well). In case when the project is stable and needs frequent verifications of its core functionality, then automated testing will be the right decision. But, if all mentioned doesn't apply to a client’s project, so it would be better to use manual testing instead.  If you decided to use automated testing, you should know that it may not pay off if you:
- doesn't use at all, or
- was requested for unstable functionality that can be changed.

Whatever happens, QA Madness is always ready to provide you with needed support and be by your side at any step of your way. But, whether you get benefits or not depend mostly on you.
It's not easy to face your fears, but only in this way, you will be able to overcome them.