Choosing the right test automation tools is critical to successfully automating management of DevOps or Agile software testing. The wrong tools can cause administrative headaches, introduce steep learning curves, and slow down the development process — mitigating one of the greatest benefits of Agile and DevOps methodologies.

Any test automation tools list will undoubtedly include dozens or hundreds of products that offer a variety of features and benefits. As more organizations move to Agile and DevOps processes to increase the speed of software delivery, test automation enables testers and quality assurance (QA) teams to implement continuous testing to ensure that tests keep pace with the speed of development.

Continuous testing requires software to be regularly tested throughout the development lifecycle. This approach helps to find defects earlier and fix them more quickly and cost-effectively. But continuous testing, when manual, also adds enormous complexity to the task of managing software test.

Test automation solutions simplify the process by automating many of the tasks of initiating, tracking, and managing a wide range of software tests. Test automation solutions automatically track which pieces of software have deployed new code, when each module should be tested, what kind of coverage each test provides, and what additional tests are necessary to ensure optimal coverage. As a result, developers and testers are freed to focus on writing more effective test cases, rather than worrying about a myriad of details related to organizing and managing tests.

Essential features of test automation tools

As you compare the products on your test automation tools list, the right solution will likely include a number of essential features and capabilities. Test automation solutions should enable you to:

Flag a list of work items for which test cases should be created
Automate the process of creating test cases for specific work items
Schedule test runs to execute test cases
Track the progress of each test to completion
Communicate the results of tests to stakeholders and facilitate communication about where new code is being deployed
Determine which environments have deployed new code, when code should be tested, and how requirements are connected to the process of continually delivering software
Calculate the coverage provided by existing tests, and determine which additional tests are needed to expand coverage
Manage the tasks involved in executing both manual and automated tests

Top criteria for evaluating a test automation tools list

As you research solutions to narrow your test automation tools list, you may find it helpful to consult Gartner’s Critical Capabilities for Software Test Automation. This annual assessment offers a set of criteria for comparing software testing tools, and it can serve as a vendor-neutral guide for evaluating your test automation tools list.

According to Gartner, the right test automation solution should provide:

Features that support the technical skills of developers and test automation experts
Features that support the needs of non-technical stakeholders such as business analysts, subject matter experts, and other non-programmers, enabling a much wider group of roles to participate in testing
Change impact analysis tools that help prioritize tests based on code changes and the risk they represent
Template libraries, wizards, and accelerators that simplify testing for specific applications
Intelligent automation that infuses testing with AI, machine learning, bots, automated test generation, and self-healing technologies
Cross-platform and cross-browser support that allows testers to test across devices, browser types, and operating systems
Dashboard analytics that simplify the tasks of tracking, analyzing, and reporting on test progress, sprint-level test activities, and individual tests
Broad technology support, including support for a range of UI and API formats across web, mobile, desktop, AR/VR, IoT, and full-stack cloud application testing
Integration with DevOps tools, Agile planning, and ALM tools
Support for an extension of open-source testing tools and frameworks

Why test automation is essential

Several trends are driving the need for superior test automation tools.

Complex architecture. Application architectures are increasingly more distributed and complex. The cloud, APIs, microservices, and other technologies create a virtually endless combination of different protocols and technologies within a single business transaction, making testing infinitely more difficult.
Speed of development. As organizations move to Agile, DevOps, and continuous delivery, software products are often released anywhere from every two weeks to thousands of times each day.
Criticality of software. Because software is integral to so many business processes, an application failure today can mean business failure. Even small flaws in an application can have a significant negative impact on the user experience and business revenue.

Test automation helps organizations meet these challenges by providing tools that enable testing to be easily integrated into every stage of the development lifecycle, without creating extraordinary management burden for developers and testers.

Advantages of test automation tools

Ideally, the solution at the top of your test automation tools list should enable you to:

Deliver software faster. Test automation solutions enable the testing process to keep pace with Agile and DevOps methodologies, preventing testing from becoming a bottleneck and from slowing aggressive development timelines.
Reduce the cost of testing. Automating the tracking and management of tests can significantly reduce the time and effort required of developers and testers, making testing more cost efficient.
Improve the quality of each software release. By making continuous testing possible, test automation allow development teams to release software that consistently meets and exceeds customer expectations and contains fewer bugs and defects.

Tricentis tops any test automation tools list

With Tricentis Tosca, development organizations can:

Reduce regression testing time to minutes
Gain clear insight into business risk
Present developers with fast feedback
Maximize reuse and maintainability of tests
Integrate and extend existing test assets
Automate test cases once and run them anywhere against any technology, regardless of user interface
Shift testing left by building tests with mockups and automating test execution before code is written
Test in secure and regulated environments

Additionally, the Tricentis platform offers solutions for Agile test management, data integrity testing, performance testing, Jira test management, Salesforce testing, ServiceNow testing, and SAP testing.

FAQs

What are test automation tools?

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Test automation tools help development and testing teams to more efficiently manage the software testing process. Test automation tools automatically manage, track, and report on a broad array of software tests — from unit testing and integration testing to regression testing and acceptance testing – enabling developers and testers to focus on writing effective test cases rather than managing a myriad of details.

What is a test automation tools list?

A test automation tools list is a collection of solutions for test automation that are under consideration by an organization seeking to procure test automation technology.

Are test automation tools the same as automated testing tools?

Automated testing tools are solutions that perform software tests automatically, that is, without human intervention. Automated testing tools can accelerate the testing process and improve accuracy of results. Test automation tools are solutions that help manage the process of designing, launching, tracking, and communicating results of automated or manual tests. Test automation tools are essential for the continuous testing process that is part of Agile and DevOps methodologies. By simplifying the enormously complex process of managing and tracking hundreds or thousands of tests, test automation tools improve testing effectiveness and cost-efficiency.

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