Do you struggle automating tests and still executing them manually? Do you run tests manually which are already automated?
No worries, you are not alone. Even in companies with mature automation processes one will always find reasons to either not automate or running automated tests manually.
WHY DO WE NEED BOTH?
These days many companies have a focus on automation and developed a mix of manual and automated testing frameworks. This is most successful when they don’t curtail but enhance each other. Automation usually enhances testing speed and consistency but it is only as good as the scripts. Manual testing on the other hand compliments automation by discovering issues from user perspective or unexpected bugs.
CHALLENGES
There is no magic formula which combines manual and automated testing. However there are common challenges and some ideas on how to handle them.
Deciding on what should be automated or manually tested
In the first step everything which is crucial for the product and easy to automate should be automated. This can include e.g. the registration and login flows of your application. For every test case you want to automate the time investment and the benefit needs to be evaluated. It is also important to know if a test can be automated at all or if it is too complicated to do so.
Clarifying responsibility
You might come across some problems about who does what, who will check the reports or who defines what to test. Skill-wise the automation engineer is closer to the developer so the more methodological tasks should be handled by the manual testers. But there are also decisions like what to run and when should be a combined responsibility.
Communication and Teamwork
Schedule regular “sharing sessions” in your daily routine in all directions with your peers, developers and most importantly with your automation engineers. Everyone should be an active participant and jointly plan the automation of the project.
Keep in mind that automation is a tool that is meant to assist and support your manual testing efforts by clearing time so that complex, exploratory and heuristic manual testing can be focused and efficient, contributing in whole to a successful QA process.