How does Scriptless Test Automation help in Agile-DevOps

The rapidly evolving digital ecosystem demands quick development and deployment of quality software applications at optimal costs. With software applications operating in an omnichannel environment, the need to test their quality against various parameters has made test automation the go-to avenue for testers. Further, as customer expectations have risen for applications that are tested continuously and updated periodically, enterprises have begun to adopt Agile-DevOps methodologies in favor of the traditional waterfall driven SDLC.

However, with the rising complexity of software applications, script-driven conventional test automation may fail to keep pace with the demands of Agile-DevOps. This is because a test automation framework needs continuous monitoring and maintenance of scripts. And when it comes to maintenance there is often a lack of skills, resources, and effort, which has made the scaling of automated testing a challenge. This is where scriptless test automation comes as a viable alternative to conventional test automation.

What is scriptless automated testing?

Scriptless or codeless automation testing shifts the focus on business logic validation and reduces the time to write test scripts. It enables QA testers to maximize the scalability of automated test cases and achieve faster test results. Also, in scriptless test automation, the reusability of code is maximized while the time and effort towards maintenance get reduced.

Challenges in using traditional test automation tools

In traditional test automation, QA testers need to have good programming knowledge, deep understanding of the design and maintenance of test automation frameworks and scripts. Thus, QA testers need to write lines of code even to test a small functionality or feature of a software application. Based on the type of application, automation testing requires the testers to know multiple programming languages and technologies, which can be quite overwhelming at times. Besides, unlike scriptless test automation tools, traditional test automation tools require constant monitoring and maintenance of scripts. Hence, for small and medium businesses test automation has become complex, costly, and time-consuming.

Benefits of a scriptless test automation framework

A scriptless test automation framework allows the automated testing of every feature of an application under development without the need to write the requisite script. The myriad benefits for Agile-DevOps are as follows:

• Continuous testing: As one of the crucial goals of DevOps, continuous testing requires every element or feature that has been added to the software application to be validated in double-quick time. Since traditional test automation tools necessitate the writing of test scripts in specific programming languages there are increased demands on time, cost, and effort. However, with scriptless testing services quick automated testing can be initiated for every new/existing feature or element.
• Collaboration between business analysts & technical experts: Scriptless automated testing allows greater collaboration between business analysts and technical experts, thanks to its easy-to-understand interface. Consequently, the non-technical stakeholders such as business analysts can review test cases and give their valuable inputs to enhance the quality of the process and the application.
• Quick pace of testing: Agile-DevOps mandates the development, testing, deployment, and maintenance of a software application to be quick and manageable. So, with scriptless test automation tools, the time and effort to test an application can be reduced considerably to match the pace of Agile-DevOps-based development. In other words, the time spent on automating test cases is reduced leading to quicker identification and remediation of glitches in the application under test.
• Work in parallel: Since Agile-DevOps requires the simultaneous testing of code alongside development, there can be a challenge in terms of maintaining the pace of testing. With scriptless test automation quality assurance can be executed in parallel to the development process ensuring it does not become a challenge or bottleneck at the end of the value chain.
• Small or no learning curve: As those entrusted with devising and running codeless automation testing do not need to have expertise in programming languages there is no learning curve as such. This can save a lot of time and effort for QA professionals who can then focus more on analyzing the test results.

Conclusion

Scriptless testing services can deliver significant savings on time, cost, and effort towards validating test cases. These can offer an ideal solution for shift-left testing in the mold of Agile-DevOps. Scriptless test automation allows the participation of non-technical business stakeholders in the QA testing process thereby giving valuable insights to improve the quality of the application.