Today, businesses have a mobile-friendly website, a native or hybrid app that can be downloaded from an app store or a web app that render HTML web pages, APIs that are used to build different user interfaces or all of them. It is important to ensure that the software application works as intended on whichever platform it runs, a mobile platform, desktop or the web.
The choice of choosing what type of application to build depends on the end goals of the business. You may need a mobile, web application or both. Ensuring the best user experience on every device that the user owns is critical to the business. Developing the software and verifying that the application type works on all devices and browsers is not easy.
It takes a huge amount of time to manually verify the same functionality works as intended across multiple user interfaces. Manually testing the working on each of these doesn&#8217;t fit your Agile and DevOps strategy.
Continuous Testing is the best approach in such cases and can be best achieved through test automation.&nbsp;Hence, Automated Continuous Testing platforms play a major role in meeting today’s DevOps/Continuous Delivery standards.
Instead of multiple automation testing tools that can automate just one application type, there should be a unified Continuous Testing platform that can automate every application type on all platforms, best in parallel with development.
Let us see some of the important elements needed in a Unified Automated Testing Software for Continuous Testing
<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#A_Unified_Test_Development_Approach">1 A Unified Test Development Approach</a></li><li><a href="#Inbuilt_Test_Management">2 Inbuilt Test Management</a></li><li><a href="#Unified_Test_Execution_Platform">3 Unified Test Execution Platform</a></li><li><a href="#Testsigmas_Unified_Test_Development_Approach">4 Testsigma’s Unified Test Development Approach</a></li><li><a href="#Testsigmas_Unified_inbuilt_Test_Management">5 Testsigma’s Unified inbuilt Test Management</a></li><li><a href="#Testsigmas_Unified_Test_Execution_Platform">6 Testsigma’s Unified Test Execution Platform</a></li><li><a href="#Parallel_Testing">7 Parallel Testing</a></li><li><a href="#Continuous_Testing">8 Continuous Testing</a></li><li><a href="#Continuous_Integration">9 Continuous Integration</a></li><li><a href="#Flexibility_and_Extensibility">10 Flexibility and Extensibility</a></li><li><a href="#Manual_and_Automation_Testing">11 Manual and Automation Testing</a></li><li><a href="#Bottom_Line">12 Bottom Line</a></li></ul></div>
<h2>A Unified Test Development Approach</h2>
The automated continuous testing tool should not demand different skills to automate different applications. Otherwise, you may need multiple resources with collective skills to check each functionality. 
This adds up to the delay in the testing process and an increase in the automation budget and thereby causes a delay in the Return On Investment.
<h2>Inbuilt Test Management</h2>
Most of the times you need to interact with different applications of different types to complete an end-to-end business use case, for instance, applying for a payday loan in a mobile application, verifying the loan application details in the backend from a web portal etc.
Thus it becomes important for all the tests and requirements of different applications and test types to be documented in a single unified automated continuous platform so that all the stakeholders can easily refer to them anytime.
A Unified automated testing software with an inbuilt test management system that can allow to update the tests continuously and help the stakeholders stay up to date on the requirements.
<h2>Unified Test Execution Platform</h2>
There is a new OS and version release made every day. Taking into account the number of possible device combinations, it becomes increasingly difficult for teams to test multiple test environments manually. Additionally, setting up and maintaining of all required resources demand huge time and expense.
It is necessary to check the functioning of every application in each of these device and browser combinations. This is rather complex considering the speed at which application builds are released today.
Testing the same application features on a different device would require many tools to automate. There is no one tool that can automate the application across the various device/OS/browser combinations that the application is intended to run.
A unified, extendable and secure Continuous Testing Platform is essential to help testers connect thousands of web, mobile devices with different device configurations, in one go.
<a class="brand-color" style="box-shadow: unset;" href="https://testsigma.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Testsigma</a> is a unified automated testing software for web, mobile apps and APIs which allows to create and execute reliable test cases on multiple OS/Device/Browser execution configurations.


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<h2>Testsigma’s Unified Test Development Approach</h2>
Testsigma uses a unified<a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/natural-language-processing-nlp-based-test-automation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> simple natural language</a> approach to automate testing for all application types.
Since there is no technical barrier, this approach increases participation in Test Automation from everyone who can contribute including SMEs and QA Analysts.
Inputs from a combined collaboration of cross-functional teams with diverse skills help in improving the quality of software. Using simple natural language grammar statements to automate even the most complex scenarios, the participation is now not limited to automation testers.
<h2>Testsigma’s Unified inbuilt Test Management</h2>
Inbuilt Test Management to track all the requirements and manage multiple application types within your automation testing tool.
Every change needs to be identified and checked to see if maintenance is required. As changes in the application increases, maintenance efforts further increases.
With in-built test management all the you can notify the changes in requirements automatically to the entire team and do the necessary changes to the tests if required.
<h2>Testsigma’s Unified Test Execution Platform</h2>
Testsigma comes with 1000+ OS/Browser/Version combos and 2000+ real mobile devices of both Android and iOS operating systems.
<a class="brand-color" style="box-shadow: unset;" href="https://testsigma.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Testsigma</a> provides an extended support for a wide range of mobile, web applications and API services and can run manual/automated tests on iOS, Android and Windows platforms across various browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Firefox browsers to ensure that a software works as planned.
<h2><a href="https://testsigma.com/parallel-test-runs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Parallel Testing</a></h2>
Parallel testing has emerged as a way for testers run the same scripts in multiple environments concurrently, allowing them to increase test coverage while cutting down execution time.
Through parallel testing, the test scripts can run the same test over and again on different machines any number of times.
<a class="brand-color" style="box-shadow: unset;" href="https://testsigma.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Testsigma</a> also provides access to thousands of execution configurations on cloud for parallel testing. This allows for faster feedback and rapid development and delivery cycles.
<h2>Continuous Testing</h2>
Continuous Testing determines if the software is ready to enter the delivery pipeline. Each build committed by the developers is continuous tested, integrated and tested again to find possible business risks at a very early stage. 
This supports and optimizes the widely-used methodologies of continuous integration (CI) and continuous delivery (CD) that provides fast feedback. 
Read more on <a class="brand-color" style="box-shadow: unset;" href="https://dzone.com/articles/continuous-testing-for-agile-and-devops-using-test" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Continuous Testing at the speed of Agile and DevOps</a>.
<h2>Continuous Integration</h2>
Automation Testing should be integrated with Continuous Integration tools to run automatically once the build is ready. It is necessary to identify the right tests to run automatically on every build and if a test may fail, the results have to be integrated back into the pipeline triggering a failed build. 
<a class="brand-color" style="box-shadow: unset;" href="https://testsigma.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Testsigma</a> offers multiple integrations with CI tools to streamline your continuous testing process.
<h2>Flexibility and Extensibility</h2>
There might be a need to scale up or down the resources with quick adjustments to suit changing business needs. Testsigma provides access to thousands of resources available on the cloud with provisions to restrain or accommodate more.
<h2>Manual and Automation Testing</h2>
Though there is a <a class="brand-color" style="box-shadow: unset;" href="https://www.utest.com/articles/why-shift-from-manual-to-automation-testing-for-continuous-delivery" target="_blank" rel="noopener">need to shift from Manual to Automation Testing</a>, there are certain areas that need to be manually tested and you may want to choose a tool that provides specific support for manual tests as well, 
Testsigma unites manual, automated testing in one.
Testsigma is a single platform that brings all resources together for better management and increased test coverage for faster results with near zero initial time and efforts.
Testsigma has an inbuilt ecosystem of all the essential requisites of Test Automation allowing the testing of Web, Mobile and Web services anytime, anywhere!


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<h2>Bottom Line</h2>
The success of DevOps is dependent on not just test automation, a tight feedback loop, and the right set of tools is important. A <a class="brand-color" style="box-shadow: unset;" href="https://testsigma.com/continuous-testing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unified automated testing software for continuous testing </a>that supports multiple application types and allows for cross browser/OS/device executions for both manual and automation testing is necessary.

Why Unified Automated Testing Software for Continuous Testing in Agile and DevOps.

Why Unified Automation Testing tool for Continuous Testing in DevOps

Modern delivery practices, from Agile to DevOps to Continuous Delivery, have changed the way software is being delivered. Software releases occur on a daily basis, and the testing process should begin as early as the requirements specification and planning phase to keep up. But there are always many challenges in testing that you would come across before you shorten the testing cycle.



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<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#What_is_Manual_Testing">1 What is Manual Testing?</a></li><li><a href="#Major_Challenges_in_Manual">2 Major Challenges in Manual</a><ul><li><a href="#1_Gap_between_dev_complete_and_test_complete">2.1 1. Gap between dev complete and test complete</a></li><li><a href="#2_Increased_Cost_Time_and_Resources">2.2 2. Increased Cost, Time and Resources</a></li><li><a href="#3_Difficult_to_cope_with_changes">2.3 3. Difficult to cope with changes</a></li><li><a href="#4_Errors_due_to_mistakes">2.4 4. Errors due to mistakes</a></li><li><a href="#5_Lack_of_real_or_close_to_real_Test_Environments">2.5 5. Lack of real or close to real Test Environments</a></li><li><a href="#6_Less_Test_Coverage">2.6 6. Less Test Coverage</a></li><li><a href="#7_Less_Collaboration">2.7 7. Less Collaboration</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#And_Hence_Test_Automation">3 And Hence Test Automation.</a></li><li><a href="#Why_is_there_a_Retreat_to_Begin_Test_Automation">4 Why is there a Retreat to Begin Test Automation?</a><ul><li><a href="#1nbspThe_major_reason_would_be_the_need_for_programming_skills">4.1 1.&nbsp;The major reason would be the need for programming skills.</a></li><li><a href="#2_Test_Automation_demands_the_usage_of_several_tools">4.2 2. Test Automation demands the usage of several tools</a></li><li><a href="#3_Insufficient_test_reports">4.3 3. Insufficient test reports</a></li><li><a href="#4_Gradual_ROI">4.4 4. Gradual ROI</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Conclusion">5 Conclusion</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="what-is-manual-testing"><a href="https://testsigma.com/guides/manual-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">What is Manual Testing?</a></h2>



It is a type of testing that involves checking the application against user requirements manually without the use of any automation tools. Testers perform the validation process by creating manual test cases and executing them by themselves. It is the go-to approach to testing for a long time, but it is a tedious process when the test cycles repeat frequently.As we understand, It is not the best testing approach to match the pace of Agile development and <a href="https://testsigma.com/guides/continuous-delivery/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Continuous Delivery</a>. In such short cycles, it is difficult to test every feature of the application manually.Let’s discuss some of the major challenges in manually testing an application:



Let’s discuss some of the major challenges in manually testing an application:



<h2 id="major-challenges-in-manual-testing">Major Challenges in Manual</h2>



As we know, it covers multiple aspects of an application, but it comes with its fair share of problems. It is time-consuming, requires major resource planning, and is prone to human errors as well. Here are some of the challenges in testing for you to get a better understanding of the process:



<h3 id="1-gap-between-dev-complete-and-test-complete">1. Gap between dev complete and test complete</h3>



The most critical tail back in ensuring the continuous delivery of software is caused by a delay to start.



Testing of an application that starts when development completes, impacts the continuous delivery cycle. Inadequate traditional test practises and testing tools adopted compounds to this.



It is never enough to emphasize on the fact that Testing should be involved at the initial stages of the SDLC best, in parallel with development. Immediate feedback and an increased collaboration will enhance the quality of the software.



<h3 id="2-increased-cost-time-and-resources">2. Increased Cost, Time and Resources</h3>



The testing team must comprise a group of enduring testers. The manual approach can be quite repetitive and the testers need to work under pressure to meet the delivery time. This requires the participation of a large number of manual testers scrutinizing every feature of the application on each device it is intended to run with a great deal of attention. This process can be time consuming with a large number of test cases being tested by hand. The cost involved in testing a software manually increases with increasing time and application size. To ensure that the continuous delivery needs of a large application is met, a huge number of manual testers and resources would be required.



<h3 id="3-difficult-to-cope-with-changes">3. Difficult to cope with changes</h3>



It is not the best option for applications that are intended for long term. Such applications may undergo a lot of updates and enhancements continuously. Having to check all of these changes on every device, repeatedly for the same and different release each time is tedious and time consuming.



 With the variety of device configurations available now, it would be rather difficult to check the working on each of these while delivering software continuously.



<h3 id="4-errors-due-to-mistakes">4. Errors due to mistakes</h3>



We are bound to make mistakes and there’s no denying that. An error left unnoticed can escape into further stages and impact the quality of the application. The accuracy of scripted test results is more in less time compared to Manual.



 As testers repeat the same tests many times there is a good chance of missing out a few things. There wouldn’t be enough time to fix these errors during continuous software delivery.



<h3 id="5-lack-of-real-or-close-to-real-test-environments">5. Lack of real or close to real Test Environments</h3>



Another important issue is with test environments. It is necessary to ensure that the actual test environment is provided to testers to cover all possible errors that may occur at the user’s end.



Manual Testers need to manually check for compatibility and other possible errors in all the device/OS/browser combinations. Considering the multitude of device configurations and orientations available today, this is a rather difficult and time-consuming task. Also, setting up these <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/test-environment/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">test environments</a> manually for each tester is not easy.



<h3 id="6-less-test-coverage">6. Less Test Coverage</h3>



Errors that appear on a single platform can only be checked at a time. Quite often, manual testers may miss out on a few test cases and this can affect the overall coverage of the tests.



Check here &#8211; <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/test-coverage/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Test Coverage </a>



<h3 id="7-less-collaboration">7. Less Collaboration</h3>



There is a need for cross-functional collaborative teams that shares process updates as testing progresses. An agile team must ensure the participation of multiple testers across teams at any time. With huge test cases that needs to be manually tested, there may not be enough time for collaboration efforts across different teams.



Immediate feedback will help the developers make quick error fixes and save time. Practising Testing in Agile and CD model is practically infeasible.



It can be a bottleneck which requires tremendous testing effort. To ensure faster, continuous delivery of quality software with lesser ROI payback time, manual is not enough.



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<h2 id="and-hence-test-automation">And Hence Test Automation.</h2>



Today, the software industry has accepted the fact that Test Automation is a better replacement for Manual.



Functional Testers manually go through every feature of the application on each device/OS/ browsers, try out all possible input combinations, compare and document the outcome with the expected one, manually, each time. This is rather time consuming.



It is hardly the case that a set of programmed (automated) scripts miss out on some tests. Test Automation scripts need only be written once and can be executed any number of times repeatedly.



 Test Automation is best suited for testing such reusable units, especially when the application undergoes a lot of updates and enhancements and retesting is required. Hence, it is best suited to match the modern Agile and Continuous Delivery practices.



However, a sudden shift towards <a href="https://testsigma.com/automated-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Test Automation </a>can be a bit overwhelming for functional testers. The Test Automation tool being adopted should allow for a smooth transition from Manual to Test Automation.



<h2 id="why-is-there-a-retreat-to-begin-test-automation">Why is there a Retreat to Begin Test Automation?</h2>



<h3 id="1-the-major-reason-would-be-the-need-for-programming-skills">1.&nbsp;The major reason would be the need for programming skills.</h3>



Test Automation demands programming knowledge and depending on the application, would require expertise in multiple languages and technologies.



A test automation tool like <a class="brand-color" href="https://testsigma.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Testsigma</a> is easy for just anyone. It allows Manual testers to take charge of test automation with no additional programming knowledge. The test scripts are developed using simple natural language and involves no complex coding.



<h3 id="2-test-automation-demands-the-usage-of-several-tools">2. Test Automation demands the usage of several tools</h3>



To automate each application type, different sets of tools might be required. Integrations with Bug tracking and Reporting tools, CI/CD tools, <a href="https://testsigma.com/test-management">Test Management tools</a>, etc are all necessary to automate tests to enable Continuous Delivery.<gwmw style="display:none;">



One tool that suffices every application type hardly exist. It is required to set up all of these tools before getting started. The time and cost involved to set up and ramp up the test automation process is huge.



Testsigma provides all the essential components and necessary integrations with external tools to ensure Continuous Delivery.



<h3 id="3-insufficient-test-reports">3. Insufficient test reports</h3>



The Test Automation tool should provide a detailed report on the test runs, more than just Passed/Failed for better troubleshooting. A share detailed failure report with cross-links to rectify the errors is essential.



 The actionable results provided by Testsigma’s AI strategy indicates what when and why failed and identifies other tests which may as well be affected and tries auto-correcting these affected automated tests. Thus, potential failures can be identified upfront and a lot of effort, execution time and cost is saved.



<h3 id="4-gradual-roi">4. Gradual ROI</h3>



As the demand to continuously deliver applications faster increases, one may need to do effective planning to create test runs faster and achieve better ROI.



It involves several requisites and a huge initial investment to get started. However, Test Automation efforts in <a href="https://continuousdelivery.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Continuous Delivery</a> would pay off as effective ROI, but only gradually due to huge initial time, high set-up resource cost, and need for continuous maintenance.



<a href="https://testsigma.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Testsigma</a> saves time and maintenance efforts to create reliable tests with well-managed test data. There are no requisites for getting started, and there’s no long wait needed to start seeing ROI.



The objective of Test Automation is to simplify testing as much as possible with minimum effort.



A platform that incorporates all the <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/essential-elements-of-test-automation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">essential elements of test automation</a> into one will make the Test Automation process in Continuous Delivery effective and affordable.



Such is <a href="https://testsigma.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Testsigma</a>, the Test Automation tool on the cloud with an in-built ecosystem of all the essential requisites to get started with Testing right away. Testsigma allows for the testing of Web, Mobile, and Web services anytime, anywhere while ensuring faster continuous delivery of the application into the market with no compromise in Quality.



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<h2 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h2>



It is the first approach toward ensuring that your application is working as per expectations. And for years, testers have relied on manual before moving on to some other testing approach to validate the software quality. However, this process is quite tedious and requires great attention to detail to avoid issues. Challenges in testing, such as inaccuracy, time, and resources, are some of the big drivers for <a href="https://testsigma.com/automated-testing">automation testing</a>.



Consider all the factors involved in manual and think about the challenges to ensure you are getting the best of your testing efforts.



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