Automation testing tools are what organizations need today to make the software testing process more efficient and productive and to increase the test coverage. There are many test case scenarios which are possible only with automation testing and hence, it is recommended that your organization invests in an advanced automation testing tool like Qara Test, Tricentis Tosca and Cucumber. However, choosing the right test automation tool is easier said than done, with so many options available in the market. Even though every test automation tool out there has its own share of unique features, there are a few basic features that are essential to every tool, and these features are key to effective test automation.
1] Testing Across Multiple Browsers & Platforms
With a multitude of browsers and platforms to consider, it becomes necessary for an ideal test automation tool to support cross browser and cross platform testing. So, when looking for a tool, choose one that supports testing on all popular browsers like Windows, IE, Firefox, Opera, Safari, and their versions for web application testing and platforms like Android, iOS, Windows and Blackberry for mobile application testing. Today you have users using diverse devices and seamless testing across multiple browsers and platforms is essential to ensure all your users get the same awesome experience on your application.
2] Seamless Integration with Popular Tools
Users today want the convenience of multiple functionalities on a single platform. Integration is the answer and advanced test automation tools today offer seamless integrations with all popular tools, bringing the benefits of multiple tools to one software. The most popular integration is that with JIRA – the bug and issue tracking software from the house of Atlassian. Qara Enterprise and other new age advanced automation testing tools offer JIRA Integration to allow the users to perform functions on JIRA without the need to leave the test automation platform. You also have integrations with SauceLabs, BrowserStack, BrowseEmAll, among others.
3] Automated Reports for Test Case Analysis
Executing test cases alone is not enough. To increase the efficiency of the testing process, one needs to be able to analyze the performance of the tests and get hold of data. Automated test case execution reports help to do just that and advanced automation testing tools today offer a variety of reports to help QA teams analyze parameters. A few examples of reports are Test Summary Reports, Traceability Report, Test Metrics Report and more. When you are looking for a test automation tool, make sure it offers comprehensive reports to help you maximize the performance of your testing process and achieve your testing goals.
4] Simultaneous Execution of Test Cases
With the increase in the scope of your testing project, it becomes increasingly difficult to carry out all the tests on a single system. This is because carrying out all tests one by one can take up a lot of time, resulting in a delay in the launch of the product. New age test automation tools offer the grid execution feature to execute test cases simultaneously, thus saving the QA team a lot of time.
5] Parametrization of Test Cases
Parametrization is another feature designed to save the QA team’s time to execute test cases. It is useful when you need to execute test cases with repeated steps. It saves time for the QA team as they are no longer required to devote time to execute the same test steps again and again. Also, automation ensures that there is negligible errors in the test case execution. Using this feature, testers can execute tests multiple times without the duplication of efforts.
The Final Word
Choosing the right advanced automation testing tools can go a long way in making it easy for you to meet your testing goals and build a product that meets the highest standards of quality. When you choose a test automation tool, you should look for the following features. However, it is important to note that, at the end of the day, every automation testing tool is different and so your choice should be purely defined by your testing needs.