Software testing and quality assurance services at present are crucial processes and are performed in parallel with software development for delivering the best level of quality. Artificial intelligence when integrated with testing services makes it even more efficient. In this blog, we will discuss the benefits and effects of AI and bots when implemented with these testing processes.

Software testing and quality assurance are very important processes and follow effective testing procedures and techniques to make sure that the customer receives the best quality software or application. These processes are a very essential part and are taken up along with the process of software development for delivering the best level of quality and customer delight through flawless application or software development.

At present, with the DevOps and agile practices on the go, the software testing and quality assurance processes have taken a shift-left approach. In this approach, the process of software testing is taken up along with the development, and both of these run parallelly.

Previously, with the waterfall approach, software testing and quality assurance were performed manually and were the last step in the software development life cycle (SDLC). This process being in the last phase of SDLC led to a lot of flaws and bugs, missed timelines of projects, and resulted in extra expenses. But today with continuous improvements, integrations, and continuous deliveries planted in DevOps, software development has taken a shift-left approach as discussed earlier and moved slowly from manual to automated testing.

The Progression of AI in Software Testing and Quality Assurance

It was observed that the companies could attain a lot of benefits such as quality products along with faster & continuous releases just by leveraging test automation. Still, their hunt for faster and increased returns on investment and full automation led to the innovation of Artificial Intelligence.

Gradually, the era of automation and smart AI-driven software testing and quality assurance has come into existence. This AI is more like an umbrella term with the latest technologies and a set of algorithms that allow the systems to mimic human intelligence. A wide range of these algorithms is developed using robotics, natural language processing (NLP), machine learning (ML), cognitive computing, computer vision, etc.
AI Bot in Software Testing

It is necessary to note that for software testing and quality assurance, most of the processes are recurring because the software or application features need to be tested many times before launch. It is about giving different inputs and compiling them to check the expected outputs. Such processes stand out to be the best and effective ones for applying machine learning for training purposes of the AI Bots.

AI bots are nothing but AI-powered chatbots being used to stimulate human interaction in the form of chats with the users. Working like humans, these chatbots ensure tasks’ automation, etc. Still, etc. Still, and save a lot of time and costs.

Significantly for AI-powered bots to operate with software testing, one needs to have the goals to be specific and more defined, for use. The software testing and quality assurance team need to be well aware of the functioning of AI to reap all the benefits of AI bots in the process of software testing.

The AI-powered bots are built around NLP and Machine learning algorithms and deliver many loads of benefits when used in quality assurance and software testing.
Benefits of AI-powered Bots in the Process of Software Testing and Quality Assurance

    Improves accuracy as no human interference means low/no errors.

    Can be used to generate test codes automatically.

    Helps in improving quality by increasing scope and depth of testing.

    Codeless tests can be performed.

    Enhances test automation process easily.

    Automation of test execution.

    Doing a quick analysis of test results.

    Making the tests easier and faster.

    Automation bots can be used to run parallel tests and auto-tune tasks to the next and advanced level.

    Can be used 24x7 and debugging can be performed adequately.

    Can be used to run time-consuming tests

    Helps in enhancing the testing quality and allows the team to work more viably on various projects.

The Effects of Bots and AI on the Future of Software Testing and Development

1. Debugging adequacy

We are already aware that AI-powered bots can work 24x7. Using this feature, the bots can be put to good use of debugging projects overnights which can be done by expanding the run-time of testing. After this, the testing managers can directly examine the test outcomes and work over the errors.

More developed automation can see self-modification of codes to settle the bugs.

2. Advanced continuous testing

Utilizing AI in robotics for advancing continuous testing can expand the extent of ongoing testing processes. Utilizing AI software testing and quality assurance again and again for performing the grunge work can enhance the quality of testing, hence, enabling the team to work more efficiently and viably on other projects.

3. Scope and workloads of testing

A typical issue with software testing is that as a project is being developed, the frequent testing parameters raise the workloads for the team.

But, using AI-powered bots, the testing managers can reconstruct the test for incorporating new parameters and the testing coverage can be raised without the addition of any extra parameters to the workload.

Conclusion

AI in software testing and quality assurance identifies the need for the final result and produces codes for hundreds of tests in a very less time.

AI and bots are no more a buzzword, rather they are today’s reality. The statement is equally valid in software testing and quality assurance services, like anywhere else in this world. The role and benefits of AI and bots in testing are just an edge of what AI is.

If you are wondering about AI and bots implementation in testing, Consagous Technologies is one of the best software quality assurance service providers in testing. Get in touch with us for flawless software testing and quality assurance services.

Original Source:

https://www.consagous.co/blog/bots-and-ai-the-future-of-software-testing-and-quality-assurance

Software testing and quality assurance services have seen an increase in the last few years. Software testing and quality assurance are performed to check whether the created software fulfills the expected requirements and is free from bugs. This involves the execution of software with the help of an automated or manual or integrated testing approach to check for the points of interest.

Manual Testing

Manual testing is a process where the tester or the testing engineer executes the app manually without using any automated tool. Manual testing stimulates the working of the app according to the end-user perspective and checks if the app is working properly.

Benefits of Manual Testing: 

•     Real-time testing- Minor changes are to be investigated on a priority basis.
•     Quick- Relatively quick to launch.
•     Flexibility- The testers using this approach have the freedom to question things and also employ creative suggestions.
•     Low on cost- Manual testing is a fundamental approach and is cheap as compared to automated testing.
•     Adaptability- The testing engineers can use and verify the new features or any changes in design at any point in time, without any scripts or prior preparation.
•     Custom Feedback- The manual tester’s report can be used as a potential user’s feedback.
•     User-Interface Feedback- UI is an important part of the software and plays an essential role, therefore manual testing is necessary.

Limitations of Manual Testing:

•     Not all types of testing can be processed manually.
•     Regression testing has repeated tasks to be done and that can be boring for testers.
•     Such testing has possibilities of inconsistency and human error.
•     Compared to automated testing, manual testing takes more time and is less efficient.
•     Manual testing sometimes gets to be very expensive for large projects.

The common use of Manual testing:

Manual testing is frequently used with those testing categories which involve various functionalities and business utilities like:

•     Functional testing
•     Usability testing
•     Low-volume regressions
•     Hotfix testing
•     Exploratory testing, etc.

Automated Testing

Automated testing is the process where the tester performs automated testing efforts using scripts and various other automated tools.

*(Test Scripts are a set of limited instructions that are to be performed while performing automated testing over certain targeted platforms to validate an expected outcome or a feature.)

Automated testing requires frameworks to perform tests. Each of these frameworks is scripted with the set of rules of automation specified for the software that is to be tested.

Benefits of Automated Testing

•     Re-usability: After creation, the test codes can be used multiple times as per the requirements.
•     Cost Optimization: choosing the right automation framework could optimize the testing process by providing high performance at low maintenance costs.
•     Efficiency: Automated testing is proven to be more efficient.
•     Quick-functioning: Compared to Manual testing, this test is faster in terms of functioning.
•     Instant Results: Test results become available automatically and that too in real-time.
•     Automated Tests are free from human errors.
•     Reduced Cost: When used in the long run, automated testing offers low cost.

Limitations of Automated Testing

•     Complicated: some of the automated tests are too complicated to perform.
•     Time-consuming: these tests take time to develop and launch.
•     Additional costs: Test code verification, maintenance, and testing tools increase the cost.
•     Professional Skills: These tests require domain knowledge and professional programming skills for operation.
•     UX testing is not possible with automated testing.
•     Automated testing tools can be having their bugs.
•     Automated tests investigate only the pre-defined problems.

The Common uses of Automated Testing

Automated testing is generally used with various types of testing mentioned below:

•     Performance testing
•     Data-Driven testing
•     Unit testing
•     Functional testing (repeatable)
•     Warehouse testing
•     Regression testing (high-volume), etc.

Integrated Testing

Integrated testing is a type of testing where software modules are integrated and tested as a group logically. A typical software consists of multiple modules, coded differently. The purpose of this testing is to find out defects between these modules while they are being integrated. There exist varieties of strategies for the execution of Integrated testing.

Benefits of Integrated Testing

•     Appropriateness: Integration testing ensures the appropriateness of the modules and results.
•     Stimulation: This testing stimulates the interaction between different modules.
•     Broader test coverage: Integration testing provides broader test coverage covering multiple modules.
•     Smoothening: This testing helps to smoothen the transitions among interfaces.
•     Efficiency: Integrated approach impacts the overall testing efficiency of the software.

Limitations of Integration testing

•     Time Taking: The modules take time to integrate and cause a delay in operation.
•     Inadequate testing: lower-level modules are tested inadequately.
•     Early prototypes in Integration testing are not possible.
•     Null pointer exception occurs while performing this test.

Manual Testing Vs. Automated Testing Vs. Integrated Testing

Basic Definition

•     Manual testing is a type of software testing where a functionality test of the software is performed manually by a testing engineer.
•     Automated testing is a type of software testing where functionality tests are done using automated tools and scripts.
•     Integrated testing is a type of testing where software modules are integrated and tested as a group logically.

Reliability

•     Manual testing is not reliable as there exists a possibility of human error.
•     Automated testing is more reliable because testing is done using tools and scripts.
•     Integrated testing reliability depends on the approach used for testing because it can be performed using different approaches and each approach has its disadvantages.

Investment

•     In manual testing, investment is required in human resources.
•     In automated testing, investments are to be done in automated tools.
•     While opting for mixed-integration testing, separate investments need to be made for top-level and lower-level modules.

Framework

•     In manual testing, frameworks are not used.
•     In automated testing, different frameworks like Hybrid, data-driven, keywords-driven, etc. are required for faster automation.
•     In integrated testing, modules are used instead of frameworks.

Knowledge and skills

•     In manual testing, product knowledge is considered to be more important than programming knowledge.
•     In automated testing, one can’t prepare scripts without having programming knowledge and skills.
•     In integration testing, different knowledge and skills are required depending on the approach of integration.

Time-saving

•     Manual testing is more time-consuming due to human resources usage.
•     Automated testing is faster than manual testing and saves more time.
•     Integrated testing takes more time because it consumes a lot of time for the modules to integrate.

Batch Execution

•     In manual testing, batch execution is not possible.
•     In automated testing, this is possible because all the written scripts can be executed simultaneously.
•     In integrated testing, batch execution is possible to a degree as it includes both manual and automated approaches.

Performance Testing

•     In manual testing, performance testing is not possible.
•     In automated testing, performance testing is done to check the performance of the application, using load and stress testing.
•     In integrated testing, performance testing is possible only for an automated approach.

Since each testing approach has its specific pros and cons, so choosing one as the better option would be immense. While automated testing can handle complex tasks, manual testing is believed to have a lower risk for false negatives.

To deliver successful software, you need to have a manual and automated testing approach. Adding automation makes your manual approach more efficient and reliable.

Any kind of software goes through a series of different changes during, and after the software development process. To ensure that only the best is made available for users, every software undergoes several tests to make it as seamless in its first profile as possible.

Thanks to the increased use of Agile methodology in Quality Assurance, different tools are coming up to further streamline the software testing procedures. For software quality assurance service providers, it’s essential to choose the right QA tool that suits their teams as well as the software that you will put in the process.

It might sound a little funny, but a testing tool will have to be tested and evaluated to best serve the purpose before you go ahead. While there is no way to ensure 100% automated testing, the right tool can help in maximizing the degree of automation to a large extent.

Categories of QA Testing Tools

QA testing tools consist of the following categories-

Automation Testing

Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC) are two terms that play a huge role in bringing the perfect software products in the market. However, they are increasingly being used in place of each other, which can be a reason that springs due to confusion between these two terms.

The biggest reason for this confusion is that both QA and QC are integral aspects of the overall quality management of the under-development software to generate sophisticated and cutting-edge deliverables. Software testing and quality assurance services revolve around the idea that every product coming out should stay in line with the highest levels of quality.

Everything taken into consideration, there are quite a few differences between Quality Assurance and Quality Control, which we will come across as we proceed ahead.

But first, before coming to terms with the differences, there’s a need to understand the basic concept of Quality Assurance and Quality Control.

Quality Assurance

Quality Assurance refers to a process through which companies ensure the proper quality of software before delivering it over to the customer. QA focuses mainly on the entire development process of software to make it seamless and as efficient as possible.

QA also keeps the software in tune with the latest guidelines for quality that are defined for software within the industry.

The entire process of QA goes by the name Deming Cycle and is mainly into four steps-

1- Planning- A company needs to bring in proper planning to set up the objectives related to the multiple processes that play an integral role to bring a quality software product to the market.

2- Doing- This stage involves the development and testing of those ‘planned’ processes, while also making intelligent changes in them for better and streamlined subsequent steps.

3- Checking- The checking stage marks the constant supervision of all applied processes, while also implementing changes in them so that they stay on track for achieving the pre-defined objectives.

4- Acting- Any QA tester will always need to act upon the processes and make sure that they are constantly improved for a better overall development experience.

These steps are part of a constant process in a company to ensure that the product gets created through spot-on procedures. If they get followed regularly, the final product will have minimum errors and problems.

Quality Control

While QC is very closely connected with software testing and quality assurance, it's a very different aspect as a whole.

QC is a set of processes that are created with the purpose of ensuring that any manufactured product or provided service sticks by the quality guidelines and meets the user or customer requirements.

Where on one hand, QA ensures that every one of the requirements has been met, QC is the actual monitoring or inspection of the associated elements within every single requirement.

Quality Assurance vs. Quality Control

QA- A Strategy Aimed At Prevention

In the broadest sense, QA is the method that brings about the planning and development of certain steps or guidelines that will ensure a semblance of overall quality in the product. The entire QA process gets lined up before the start of a project and involves an insight to both- the software requirements as well as the company/industry standards.

The usual outcomes involve test plans and inspection plans and also training the workforce in the finalized processes and methods.

If QA takes place right before the beginning of any project, it helps in minimizing the risks that have been identified so far in the planning stages. To cut down on these risks, it’s important to ensure crystal clear communication of the hurdles as well as the corrective action needed to take care of them.

QC- A Strategy That Facilitates Detection

Right on the other hand, QC encompasses all the activities that are undertaken to assure proper levels of quality of all the delivered solutions. It includes all the necessary techniques that are needed to satisfy every single requirement for perfect quality.

These techniques are mutually agreed upon between the customer and company before work actually begins on the project.

QC happens throughout the different checkpoints in the SDLC (software development life cycle). Ultimately, the output needs to conform to the requirements decided in the beginning.

Consagous Technologies is one of the leading software quality assurance providers who ensure that your product is top-notch in terms of overall quality. 

Software testing and quality assurance have become important cogs in the overall process of deployment. The margins between software development and QA too, have been steadily diminishing, bringing us to a question- what do QA and testing have in store for 2021?

Software testing and quality assurance- these two practices have been consistently evolving over a long period of time now, making rapid improvements in their stride. Till a very short while ago, Quality Assurance, or QA, was considered to be an entirely separate function but is now increasingly becoming a crucial part of the entire development process as a whole.

In fact, such has been the increasing dominance of QA these days, that a number of software development service providers have already begun adopting it as a part of the software development process.

As far as the overall evolution of the IT industry is concerned, this change in perception of QA has had a big role to play. With increased competition, delivering products and services on time has put somewhat undue pressure on the companies to deliver. This is where quality control has become so very important.

Such has been the interdependence of cutting-edge software development and QA that the current software trends encompass the best security and performance measures on offer.

Because technologies are changing at a rapid pace, quality assurance analysts tend to face a number of issues in their daily lives. However, reaching the market as quickly as possible is something that’s always at the back of the mind.

1- Blending AI & ML With QA

Bringing AI and ML into QA eliminates the problem of companies getting sucked into an automation trap, wherein testing teams fail to take care of the issues found in the previous test runs due to a lack of time.

If traditional software testing methods are anything to go by, the business functionality brings about an evolution in the applications with changing requirements.

With Artificial Intelligence and Machine Language in the midst, there can be a better sorting of the test cases, where the ones on a high priority get tackled first. The test automation code also gets the liberty of automation in itself- a huge plus.

2- QA Automation To Play A More Vital Role

With continuous delivery of paramount importance today, the same could not have been achieved without the advent of automated testing. Thanks to the overall agile approach, any bugs and problems get timely detected, making QA enjoy a higher degree of efficiency.

With QA automation, it becomes easier for QA engineers to establish a proactive testing frequency, facilitating quality checks at every level of SDLC (software development life cycle).

3- A Change in The Traditional Roles of Testers

Because the overall situation is becoming pretty dynamic as time goes on, testers will be required to enhance their skill base with the motive of being able to handle more job roles.

With Agile methods and DevOps coming into the foray(more on these two later), the collaboration between developers and testers is imminent in the near future. With such a situation, coding skills will only take things so far.

4- DevOps and Agile Methods

As digital transformation continues to become the staple of today’s world, digital testing too is also set to continue for the foreseeable future. With increasing competition, companies are continually experimenting on the methods, and agile methodologies are taking all the accolades there.

QA that’s driven by customer experience is definitely a trend to look out for in the near future.

As far as DevOps is concerned, the traditional lines between testing, operations, and development get taken care of. The agenda behind this is to lead to a better pace of deployment, reduce the time taken to hit markets, and also ensure higher ROI in the process.

With more elaborate demands, project and release changes, automation of software testing and QA outsourcing will take the world in the coming months.