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CFTL software testing survey - in search of lost time

Written by Mr Suricate | May 14, 2024 20:02:18

QA testing is essential to ensure software quality.

However, these processes can often become time-consuming, forcing development teams to devote significant resources of time and effort, hence the need for automated testing!

In this article, we explore the results of the 2023 survey conducted by the CFTL (Comité Français des Tests Logiciels) and highlight the importance of an optimal test automation strategy to gain efficiency and mitigate risk.

 

What is the CFTL?

Recognized technical experts in the field of software testing joined forces in 2004 to found the Comité Français du Test Logiciel (CFTL) association.

Acting as the sole representative of theISTQB® (International Software Qualifications Board) in France and all other French-speaking countries without a committee, the CFTL :

  • Develop and administer tests.
  • Accredits trainers and training organizations, and participates in the activities of ISTQB®, IREB® (International Requirement Engineering Board) and IQBBA® (International Qualification Board for Business Analysis).

The CFTL's main mission is to certify the technical and methodological knowledge of software testers through independently designed, objective certification exams.

 

 

The CFTL 2023 survey - a revealing assessment of testing practices

This CFTL survey is a unique opportunity to take stock of the situation on a regular basis, and to track the evolution of testing over the last 10 years.

It provides an overview of the current state of testing practices among industry professionals.

Thanks to the anonymized responses, we can identify areas where automation is underestimated, in order to make the development process as efficient and time-saving as possible.

Globally, automated testing tools are underestimated

According to the survey, the majority of testers do not automate their test execution, which shows that manual testing is still widely used.

 

 

Why automate test execution?

Although automated testing does not completely replace manual testing, its main aim is to reduce the amount of manual effort involved in executing test cases, enabling redundant tasks to be delegated to robots.

The most effective technique for improving test coverage and execution speed remains automated testing.

Main justifications :

  • Testing each scenario manually, adding language and browser combinability, takes time and resources.
  • Allows you to benefit from 24/24 monitoring.
  • Run tests faster with parallel testing.
  • And consequently, to cover more tests.

Continuous integration - an area where automation enables greater agility

Continuous integration (CI) involves automating the integration of code changes from multiple contributors into a single software project.

This is an essential DevOps practice, enabling developers to frequently merge code changes into a central repository where builds and tests are then executed.

However, out of 382 responses, 113 (29.58%) of testers do not implement test automation in continuous integration contexts.

 

 

Why is test automation so important in continuous integration?

Without automated testing in a continuous integration (CI) context, developers are unable to validate as early as the integration phase (shift-left testing) that their developments are regression-free.

This can lead to lower-quality code outputs with a higher failure rate, as automated tests can only be run on the acceptance platform.

These risks increase exponentially as the team and the size of the code grows.

Introducing automated tests into continuous integration enables developers to ensure that their code can be delivered to production faster and more efficiently.

In addition to "unit tests" carried out by developers, it makes sense to have a development platform to check the interface as early as possible and in an automated way.

Security and accessibility tests are poorly automated

Compared with other tests, accessibility and security tests are relatively unautomated.

However, automated testing offers many advantages in these areas.

 

 

Why automate security testing?

The consequences of a data breach can be devastating, ranging from the loss of your customers' trust to legal sanctions.

Installing a test tool that can detect security flaws in your applications at an early stage is therefore essential to block hacker attacks on your network and avoid damage.

In addition to the essential monitoring of your platforms, security testing is a major issue on today's Internet.

Why automate accessibility testing?

In addition to complying with government legislation(law of February 11, 2005 for equal rights and opportunities, decree no. 2019-768 of July 24, 2019) as well as the needs of people with disabilities, an accessible website offers several less obvious advantages, such as:

  • Improvement in SEO
  • A better quality code base
  • More environmentally friendly
  • Better brand image

However, many accessibility problems are linked to back-end development practices, which makes it difficult and time-consuming to detect all accessibility problems by browsing the site manually.

For example, automated accessibility tests enable you to detect empty links, the presence of alternative text, basic color contrast, and the presence of form labels reliably, and almost instantaneously, where manually it would have taken several hours.

 

The no-code automated test tool for accelerated test processes

No-code automated testing tools like Mr Suricate are proving to be invaluable allies when it comes to eliminating time-consuming tasks prone to human error.

By offering features for accelerated test writing, intuitive dashboards and precise anomaly alerts, test tools such as Mr Suricate make QA teams more efficient.

What's more, a no-code testing tool enables non-technical profiles to carry out tests with complete confidence.

 

 

Mr Suricate - French leader in no-code automated testing

At Mr Suricateour mission is to protect the customer's brand image and increase sales, while ensuring that the user experience runs smoothly by detecting bugs before and after production.