Evaluation Criteria for Selecting Test Automation Tools

Test automation has made a huge contribution to the world of software testing and the way we approach the process of testing of an application. There are several advantages that test automation brings to the QA team as well as to the organisation. There are many ways in which automation testing is better than manual testing and organisations across the globe are waking up to this fact. However, successful implementation of automation is easier said than done, because of the many challenges that might come in the way.

One of the biggest challenges of implementation of automation is the choice of the right test automation tool. There are several automation testing tools available in the market today, so which one to choose is the question. What makes things even more complex is the fact that different tools have different features and functionalities that are designed to cater to different testing requirements. Since every Project is different, it is crucial to make the right choice when it comes to test automation tools, as only then can the goals be met successfully. This article talks about the evaluation criteria to help QA teams choose the right automation tool.

To begin with, one of the primary criteria to focus on is the platform(s) supported by the test automation tool. If the software application is designed for a single platform, then a basic automation tool that supports 1 or 2 platforms will be a good choice, as the cost will be low in this case. Example, QARA Enterprise is a test automation tool that supports multiple platforms whereas Ranorex supports the Windows platform only.

Once the platform has been taken care of, the next thing that comes is the support for programming languages. For this, the QA team must analyse the programming languages they are working on in the project. Different test automation tools work on different languages, so it's wise to choose the one that is of the highest compatibility.

Another Important factor when choosing an automation testing tool is the usability. How easy it is to learn and start using the tool, is what it's all about. For example, a tool like QARA Enterprise offers a zero coding interface and can be learnt in a very short time. This makes it easy for manual QA professionals to learn and start using the tool, when switching to automation.

The level of reusability of test scripts also makes a difference when it comes to choosing a tool. Writing test scripts can be a time consuming process and so in the ideal scenario, it is expected that the tool makes it possible to reuse them to save time and efforts of the QA team.

Last but not the least, comes the cost. The entire process of implementation of automation can be an expensive process and so it can be difficult for organisations to invest in very expensive test automation tools from the start. A cost effective tool like Katalon Studio or QARA Enterprise can be a good choice for quality automation at a pocket friendly price.

Having looked into the different criteria for selection of test automation tools, one can safely conclude that choosing the right tool is no rocket science if one is aware of the exact requirements of the project. The best bet is to take a demo of a few automation testing tools and then decide for oneself.