Automated Software Testing
Written software needs to be tested to make sure that it works as intended. Doing this by hand is tedious, time-consuming and error-prone. Automating this process solves these issues. It solves it so well that other benefits emerge:
1 Benefits of Automated Software Testing
1.1 Saves time
Computers are much faster at executing a set algorithm of steps. While testing does have an initial time-investment since the software has to be configured for testing and tests have to be written, automated tests still save time compared to humans doing the same process manually.
1.2 Saves (human) work (=> money)
By making computers do the work humans would be doing, the same humans can be much more productive in the same amount of time. Having a computer do the testing is much cheaper than having a developer or dedicated tester do it.
1.3 Mitigates errors
Human testing is prone to errors, as humans tend to accidentally skip steps or do extra steps. A computer will always do exactly as told and results are therefore more reliable. More reliable testing leads to increased confidence, which enables rapid development without breaking things.
1.4 Quickens Feedback-Loop
Automated Software testing allows developers to quickly get a result whether implementation logic is working as intended while they are developing. This has the benefit of allowing the developer to stay in one context (writing the implementation) instead of constantly having to switch contexts (writing implementation, testing implementation, writing implementation,…). This in turn leads to greater productivity.