The growing adoption of test automation has been a major industry trend for several years, with an estimated increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7% from 2021 to 2027. While the term “test automation” is commonly used to refer to automating test execution, it can also cover other essential tasks. Automated test reporting, while critical in software development, is not always included as a default feature in test automation solutions. How can automated test reporting transform the work of software development teams and what value can it bring? Read this article to find answers to these questions.
Enhanced productivity and accuracy
Automated test reporting can significantly reduce the manual effort testers have to put into reviewing test results, summarizing them, and representing them in a comprehensive manner. Depending on the test automation solution, it is also possible to automate result analysis and add it to the automated reports.
Not only does this mean that developers can get more time to work on more challenging or important tasks, but it also reduces the risk of human error. By automating test reporting, teams can ensure the information added to reports is consistent, accurate, and reliable. Meanwhile, the overall productivity of development teams is further enhanced by access to relevant information necessary for efficient prioritization of bug fixes and development tasks.
Enhanced quality
The enhanced credibility of automatically generated test reports contributes to the overall software quality, as developers can count on receiving correct information about the state of the software and make more informed decisions.
Furthermore, tools that automate the generation of test reports can provide software development teams with immediate feedback. Combined with automated testing, this feature allows developers to gain insights into the quality of the applications they are building after each introduction of code changes. With this rapid feedback, developers can promptly address issues as they arise, preventing defects from escalating and negatively impacting software quality, which would necessitate extensive effort and investment to rectify.
Continuous improvement
Development teams that rely on automated test reporting are well-equipped to see broader trends in the quality of the tested software, which is crucial for identifying areas for improvement. At the same time, detailed and consistent reports are a perfect source of information for root cause analysis, helping developers identify the reasons behind failed tests more accurately.
Faster time to market and financial savings
As mentioned earlier, rapid feedback helps developers swiftly address issues, enabling faster releases and supporting teams in post-release software monitoring and maintenance. Faster time to market, combined with reduced manual work and enhanced software quality, helps companies achieve significant financial savings.
Regulatory compliance
Software development teams often need to comply with numerous industry regulations, which can be a cumbersome process involving significant bureaucracy. With the help of a test automation tool that supports automated test report generation, teams can easily maintain a comprehensive and accurate history of test results. This history serves as an invaluable source of information and documentation for audits.
How to automate test reporting?
Development teams can utilize various solutions for automating test reporting. When selecting a test automation tool, a sensible approach would be to choose a solution that also automates test generation without the need for customizations, such as Executive Automats. Automated test reporting should be viewed as a key criterion for choosing a test automation solution, as manual reporting can significantly hinder overall test automation efforts.
For teams that have already adopted a test automation tool lacking automated test reporting, customization or integration with other solutions is advised. However, this may not be feasible with some test automation tools. In such cases, teams may even consider switching to another automation solution.
When to automate test reporting?
Test report automation can prove to be useful for any team relying on test automation tools. Automated testing is known for its scalability, which significantly surpasses the capabilities of manual testing. Coping with manual reporting for all tests executed automatically is likely not feasible, especially for projects with large and complex codebases.
Automated reporting is particularly recommended for software undergoing frequent modifications and builds due to its ability to deliver quick feedback. It is also essential for automated regression tools aimed at ensuring proper software performance after each code modification. This type of testing features particularly extensive test coverage, and its results are unlikely to be efficiently processed without the use of automated test reporting functionality.
Additionally, if your company aims to leverage data for decision-making, the consistency and reliability of automated reports become necessary components of the QA toolkit. In such cases, automated reporting tools equipped with analytics and dashboard capabilities may be a preferable option.
In these scenarios, investing in a tool for automated reporting is likely to help development teams save significant amounts of money in the long run.
Test automation with automated result reporting
While automated testing itself is a significant asset to many software development teams, its full potential can be leveraged only when testing results are accessible quickly. Without automating this task, teams must handle it manually, which is time-consuming, daunting, and prone to human errors. Both companies that have already adopted a test automation tool and those still in the process of tool selection should consider including automated test result generation features in their toolkit.