The world is entering a new age of technology. Low-code/no-code tools are already becoming a mainstay for many global teams. By going no-code/low-code, teams can now fill in the gap between the accelerating demands of application delivery and team skill sets. While these tools are nicely on their way to becoming mainstream for development, similar ones for test automation are pushing their way into the market.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/7quM7iRgYklsMudYtgXRhKvPfz9oYH0PVeXVmUJmtfoP_8Ju55j9z-4GkpHBVqXAhLplgf9gLd9QVMdiXkl1-rAWhT0KGJ7GSPv8zDWgA8HqV0Z6XvApGCb6yWxCLuKdLtnS9a0P" alt="Testsigma - Test automation platform" width="300" height="300"/><figcaption>credits: me 🙂</figcaption></figure></div>



No-code automation tools are believed to solve the challenge of simplifying Testing for Agile QA teams at different levels, plus handling the growing complexity of the software itself. In addition, the adoption of CI/CD and continuous testing practices in the Agile world has changed how product development teams deal with their updates in many ways: release more and release faster than before.&nbsp;



Therefore, test automation solutions today need to make testing accessible to those with a certain level of coding skills and those without coding skills.



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#Agile_Testing_and_the_challenge_of_going_faster">1 Agile Testing and the challenge of going faster</a></li><li><a href="#No-code_testing_tools_helping_Agile_Teams">2 No-code testing tools helping Agile Teams</a></li><li><a href="#The_Future_of_Agile_Teams_and_no-code_automation_testing_tools">3 The Future of Agile Teams and no-code automation testing tools</a><ul><li><a href="#User_Acceptance_Testing">3.1 User Acceptance Testing</a></li><li><a href="#Exploratory_Testing_in_Agile">3.2 Exploratory Testing in Agile</a></li><li><a href="#Behavior-Driven_Development">3.3 Behavior-Driven Development</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Final_Thoughts">4 Final Thoughts</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="agile-testing-and-the-challenge-of-going-faster">Agile Testing and the challenge of going faster</h2>



Agile teams are constantly asked to do more with less and release faster without sacrificing the quality or increased spending. As a result, many Agile teams look to test automation to meet these demands from internal clients and end-users.



But, as we already know, traditional test automation comes with its fair share of challenges.



Many companies have invested a lot of time and resources into automation and those further behind in their automation maturity and strategy. As part of the current state of test automation, many companies have minimal levels of test automation today, mentioning that the reason for that is they don&#8217;t have the necessary resources to support it. One reason is a lack of skilled and/or experienced test automation resources.



Agile Teams that have achieved higher levels of test automation encounter a much more diverse group of challenges. For example, companies that have invested heavily in Test Automation believe they progress too slowly, and do not notice the expected level of coverage from it.



The challenges appear to be inhibiting the effectiveness and adoption of Test Automation. According to Forrester&#8217;s State of Agile reports, the percentage of automated test cases is barely growing. In 2015, <a href="https://www.slideshare.net/ApplauseMarketing/automate-qa-testing-easily-with-codeless-tools#10" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">49% of respondents</a> communicated they always tested manually. That number dropped to 46% in the 2017 version of the report but hit a plateau in 2019, where it remained at 46%.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="no-code-testing-tools-helping-agile-teams">No-code testing tools helping Agile Teams</h2>



As we are aware, traditional automation requires experts in coding to script tests at the outset and maintain them over time. In addition, the complexity and need for different tools for automation like Appium, Selenium, element locator, locator strategies, and so on add to the complexity of traditional Test Automation and the need for specific expertise.&nbsp;<gwmw style="display:none;"></gwmw>



Some companies are misleading the QA teams and moving into development roles, which usually indicates that test automation projects get stuck midway through and are not fully completed, resulting in a massive waste of time, money, and people.



The value of no-code/low-code test automation tools, on the other hand, is that anyone can do it. With a no-code/low-code solution, a user moves through a test case, and the testing tools can transcribe that experience into an automation script. In addition, no-code/low-code testing tools were initially addressed only for web applications.&nbsp;



<button class="btn bg-primary cta-btn" style="display: block;
 margin: auto;"><a href="https://testsigma.com/codeless-testing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color:#fff">Read in detail about Codeless Testing</a></button>



Today, many more tools offer the ability to run sessions and create test automation scripts on mobile (Android and iOS), API Testing, and some functional testing areas.



Although developing with no-code often accelerates the development process and enables more straightforward enhancements, DevOps teams should still perform testing and configuration reviews.



Using a no-code testing platform, we can significantly reduce the time and cost involved while also decreasing our dependence on test automation engineers. In addition, regular coders and even non-coders can now generate test scripts.



Finally, Testers can now focus on the business needs of the software, ensure customer-centric scenarios, and perhaps more test coverage.



Ideally, traditional automation and no-code testing tools should maximize the speed and quality of software delivered to end-users.



Still, I genuinely believe modern automation should use no-code testing and deliver high-quality applications faster.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="the-future-of-agile-teams-and-no-code-automation-testing-tools">The Future of Agile Teams and no-code automation testing tools</h2>



Technology is constantly changing, but at this moment, there are no tools to build software tests that perfectly run and identify bugs automatically with a single click. However, we can&#8217;t deny that it&#8217;s easier than ever to run automated software tests faster with no-code automation tools using advanced AI and ML techniques.



<button class="btn bg-primary cta-btn" style="display: block;
 margin: auto;"><a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/scriptless-automated-testing-is-not-the-same-as-record-and-playback/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color:#fff"> Check out various codeless testing tools available now!
</a></button>



Agile Testing approaches that we need to include in our Scrum Teams:



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="user-acceptance-testing">User Acceptance Testing</h3>



Agile brought user acceptance testing into all stages of the software development process. Proper user acceptance testing goes beyond asking business stakeholders to explore the application, try out new features, and find issues. Instead, a successful UAT requires thorough planning and execution, just like any other test.



Keeping UAT in sync with specifications is challenging in Agile projects where changes happen frequently. In addition, due to its heavy focus on end-user Testing, UAT also overlaps with UI testing, which tends to be less change-proof.&nbsp;



One of the critical advantages of no-code/low-code testing tools is the speed you can create and edit tests. In addition, the speed boost you get from not having to code your tests makes it possible to cover new features with tests quickly.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="exploratory-testing-in-agile">Exploratory Testing in Agile</h3>



Exploratory Testing is a cyclical method, progressing from design &gt; execution &gt; analysis &gt; learning before beginning the loop again. As we already know, Exploratory Testing can&#8217;t be automated; instead, Agile testers must create the exploratory testing session on the go, requiring the tester to use their unique skill set fully.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/YjpdAv10_MMATB2vN_vgKNkso4lP3RbHqhFJVdNIjqPCSIjIec1qLhjyCxXii6AWhoPckNdqp-9PGTjdtQqvs0yD0hL9RVV0fTXGoYIL_nJHfGD9HAWP4UJkkpbyFxEQh65dt1kv" alt="Testsigma - Test automation platform" width="400" height="400"/><figcaption>credits: me 🙂</figcaption></figure></div>



Exploratory Testing is the closest testers get to interact with an application. It&#8217;s a great way to find out if you have some working application quickly, and allow testers to identify bugs that would not be found through other testing methodologies. No-code/low-code testing tools can free up Agile tester&#8217;s time to perform Exploratory Testing sessions every sprint.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="behavior-driven-development">Behavior-Driven Development</h3>



BDD is a collaborative approach that creates a shared understanding of requirements between the business and the Agile teams. Its purpose is to help guide development, reduce rework, and increase flow. BDD tests are customer-facing scenarios that try to describe the behavior of a Story, Feature, or Capability from a user&#8217;s perspective.&nbsp;



BDD facilitates the shift from functional Testing to automated Testing thanks to an understandable language that eliminates complex test script syntax (TDD).



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://testsigma.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/NLP.png" alt="NLP(Natural language processing)" class="wp-image-17881" width="800" height="400"/></figure></div>



Many no-code/low-code testing tools facilitate the BDD approach providing a <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/natural-language-processing-nlp-based-test-automation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Natural Language</a> processor; if the test cases are created using Natural Language, they are understandable for users at all levels. Including Product Owners, TPMs, QA Managers, stakeholders, etc. It means any team member can look at the test cases and review them if needed.



In today&#8217;s Agile world, we can recognize teams who don&#8217;t want to use no-code/low-code automation tools and other groups willing to learn about those tools and apply them in their scrum teams.



A few years ago, I witnessed the same pattern between people who knew how to use Agile methodologies and those reluctant to switch from waterfall methodology (<a href="https://hbr.org/2019/09/when-waterfall-principles-sneak-back-into-agile-workflows" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">AgileFall</a>).



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="final-thoughts">Final Thoughts</h2>



The greatest thing that can be done to ensure the success of <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/the-unpleasant-phenomenon-in-agile-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Agile Testing</a> for an application is to hire people who have the essential characteristics of an Agile tester and build a culture of self-organization and independent thinking in the entire organization.



Members of an Agile team need to learn and adapt different technologies and business practices in today&#8217;s Agile world. In addition, they need to know new tools and skills to be more productive and successful.



Agile testers must possess vast knowledge in different areas such as technical-based skillset, communication skills, collaboration with others effortlessly, experience in exploratory testing, and familiarity with various non-code/low code automation testing tools.



Last but not least, modern Agile Teams need to embrace a quality mindset. Therefore, we need to maintain &#8220;Quality&#8221; as a core value and take real advantage of the no-code/low-code automation testing tools to deliver high-quality applications faster.



Happy Bug Hunting!PC: <a href="https://www.freepik.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Freepik</a>

Role of No-code/Low-code testing tools for Modern Agile QA teams

Role of Low Code Testing Tools for Modern Agile QA Teams

A Testers Guide to Deal with Missed Bugs

Valentine’s day is a day to express your love to the other person 💞. You need not explicitly do this through words. Showing gratitude, care or making them comfortable all are signs of expressing love. 



But is it the same with people doing jobs together?



Relationships other than romantic ones often overlook this aspect of work that keeps people happy and make them stay for long &#8211; just like what happens in a relationship.&nbsp;



One such relationship is of testers with their reporting managers. A happy tester-manager relationship shows a direct positive effect on work quality. A happy tester stays in the company for long and provides valuable contributions constantly.



On a similar note, this valentine’s day, I have drafted a few points to strengthen your relationship and analyze areas to give special attention to.



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#Eliminate_the_nervousness">1 Eliminate the nervousness</a></li><li><a href="#Make_tester_comfortable_in_the_team">2 Make tester comfortable in the team</a></li><li><a href="#Involve_testers_as_much_as_possible">3 Involve testers as much as possible</a></li><li><a href="#Respect_their_way_of_working">4 Respect their way of working</a></li><li><a href="#Provide_support">5 Provide support</a></li><li><a href="#Surprise_with_rewards">6 Surprise with rewards 🎁</a></li><li><a href="#Whats_your_story">7 What’s your story!</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="eliminate-the-nervousness">Eliminate the nervousness</h2>



The initial part of any relationship begins with nervous individuals (like a newly joined tester). Unlike a romantic date, here one person – the manager, has a higher position and might have spent years dealing with new joiners. In any case, it is a new environment for the tester while the manager is already in his comfortable space. The nervousness, therefore, is only associated with the tester who just joined the organization and everyone is new to him.&nbsp;



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/blog-assets-production.testsigma.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/migrated_images/lIi1_oFnYUc_VVQ_9kSwgL0trneos0X2RJs_5nKaB57D41R23q-wWXtFoQRZOwm8KwPRAHkTLcjY3ZtVGLqiGzX-bWpdDTokmOPFSWObvNPhEzQQ1vUfRWZ1AWJsru9Ncwk1LwBA_1748949224.png" alt="Eliminate the nervousness" width="600" height="400"/><figcaption><a href="https://resources.workable.com/stories-and-insights/welcome-new-hire" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Source</a></figcaption></figure></div>



Here is the chance to eliminate a tester’s nervousness. Ask questions that allows him to open up and be comfortable around you. These questions can be either of his past work for which he can speak freely or just general questions. Once the tester gets comfortable, you’d be able to sense the confidence in his inputs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="make-tester-comfortable-in-the-team">Make tester comfortable in the team</h2>



The next phase of your relationship kicks in when the tester is all settled and is ready to contribute to the software quality work. This is an important part of your relationship as an initial impression of the work culture can impact his contribution and output directly.



The best way to make your tester feel comfortable is to start by asking your development team to have a unified working mindset. If there are bugs, consider them legitimate and appreciate the work. Sometimes development team do not get along with testers due to their opposite approach towards software development.



One thinks that the software is working and when bugs arise, a lot of the time developers are quick to say, “Well, it works on my machine!”.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/blog-assets-production.testsigma.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/migrated_images/BNmEkvxIoPg2QRj8CmSgX6EtCOhv_OXMrXLzZglXkCoOfKM0FHSqOnFm9BWpfOawvqlsmuXxOXtKQrBZbsF9mcB2DLw7T6OtV4Kt8gpMcYqJZNm-8I4kqPYshmOc5uiucywYKOHV_1748949225.png" alt="Make tester comfortable in the team" width="600" height="400"/></figure></div>



A tester should also be given ample time to perform his responsibilities. Bombarding the project a day before the release for testing and delivering is not a good approach to make your tester feel important and loved with your team.



On the contrary, it can make him stressed affecting the quality of work. A better way is to ask your tester how much time does he need to complete XYZ? Or in 2 days, how much can you complete? Consider all the phases of testing before setting any deadline such as verifying the bugs etc. Changing your approach with a small variation starting this valentine&#8217;s day can mean a lot to the tester.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="involve-testers-as-much-as-possible">Involve testers as much as possible</h2>



Involvement directly shows how much you care about the person you are involving. The same feeling is experienced by the other side also. Unfortunately, sometimes testers might be left out in some areas where the manager thinks their work is different from what the discussion is about.&nbsp;



Involving the tester in sprints for better <a href="https://testsigma.com/ebook/in-sprint-test-automation-simplified" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">in-sprint testing</a> will make them understand the current release-ready product. It will involve them in the development process that is always considered a good practice. Making them work on a version that has already been released can bring their morale down.



To strengthen your relationship, ask the tester to give as much input as possible. What do you think about this? Do you see any flaws in the planning? etc. This can make him feel important to the team and loved by the teammates.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="respect-their-way-of-working">Respect their way of working</h2>



Each person has a different way of working things and I&#8217;m sure your tester will have his/her way too. Unless he is a fresher, he might have failed repeatedly and settled on a methodology that he would have found successful and efficient. This may or may not be the way in which you or your team works. Let’s start by respecting the methodology rather than imposing our own on the tester.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/blog-assets-production.testsigma.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/migrated_images/cFoa3cxnEvQ4JVGkEeVLf8jXBYmCa3D-mIK61D-s988xrMu-L6KdgqoUU_Khh7GkJ9Fc1RIC3fSR_IVF0eeOGTuZ3svk7YwrqCG3FFRS_XGVsKTRts1cW2fUrAaROxU-8BUt4VR7_1748949227.png" alt="Respect their way of working" width="600" height="400"/><figcaption><a href="https://www.wikihow.com/Main-Page">Source</a></figcaption></figure></div>



In addition, you should not only let him work his way but understand what his methodologies are. Maybe it is better and more efficient than how you currently work and you may like it. Even if you don’t, it will help in planning for future activities with respect to the way of work.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="provide-support">Provide support</h2>



A good relationship always expects that people support each other in hardships and acknowledge prosperity. The same implies to a tester and manager relationship. There cannot be defined parameters for this section though. For instance, support may extend when the tester has delayed in delivering the tasks on time. Or answering a small (or silly) question patiently and in detail just like answering any other question.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/blog-assets-production.testsigma.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/migrated_images/Muwn3gSuRQLMBzrUaL4faBNkhpOEeV-UfmLRlW3f5dJaEN5LmAgyCganHFA1Nm1Q3u-mdgADcWt2JffvpEN8J3hiVru1Opy9ebnAOCNjGern1ssRnaPSC7W4ZrLx-8dLReJw3mZ7_1748949225.png" alt="Testsigma - Provide support" width="600" height="400"/><figcaption><a href="https://www.hrinasia.com/employee-relations/how-to-give-employees-the-assistance-they-need-when-they-need-it-the-most/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Source</a></figcaption></figure></div>



A new tester may need more support from his manager as he is constantly figuring out different things about the organisation. Being readily available over chat or email (especially in work from home arrangements) is the best thing you could start doing from this day!



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="surprise-with-rewards">Surprise with rewards <a href="https://emojipedia.org/wrapped-gift/">🎁</a></h2>



The final thing you need to keep in mind to always maintain your relationship strong is surprising your tester frequently. Acknowledging someone for their work motivates people to do more. Not only this, they feel more comfortable and friendlier around you which is a sign of a growing relationship. Just like in a romantic relationship, surprising with <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/what-to-gift-your-software-tester-friend-if-you-were-the-secret-santa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gifts</a> also keeps your relationship healthier and the tester (or any employee) would feel valuable in the company. This increases retention and gives a bond with the employee for life.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="what-s-your-story">What’s your story!</h2>



With the end of this small discussion on amplifying your relationship with your tester, I am sure you would have recalled your instances too. From making your tester comfortable in the new environment to providing him support in every hurdle he faces, there is always something unique about each relationship. In the comment section, let’s hear out your relationship with your tester and how you make sure that he is always appreciated.

Amplify your relationship with testers this valentine’s day!

Reasons to Choose an Open-Source Test Automation Tool

Top 4 Reasons to Choose an Open Source Tool for Test Automation

One day suddenly the whole world locked down to prevent the pandemic from being spread uncontrollably. When machines and factories were all stopped &#8211; your social media, mobile applications, and all the digital world was still operating at the same pace as before. 



Even if you did not notice, millions of developers and testers worked from their homes to keep you online and help you share your thoughts, purchase essential supplies and view live news.



What started as a necessity has now become a new normal in the information technology industry. <a href="https://kissflow.com/digital-workplace/remote-work/shocking-work-from-home-statistics/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">More than 55% of industries have now been permitted</a> to work from home even when the pandemic is over. 



Maintaining the same efficiency as the in-office setup is not possible if you are indulged in a complicated connection of multiple tool &#8211; you would need a good tool that not only supports but facilitates the work no matter what location you are working from. 



In this post, we will discuss one such tool along with a few points that make our remote life easy. How the tool manages in these situations, is the crux of our post.



For simplicity, I have divided this post into two different sections &#8211; technical and management &#8211; how <a href="https://testsigma.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">Testsigma, a completely cloud-based test automation tool</a>, supports team members in both these domains while they work from home. Both of these sections focus on their respective expert areas with respect to Testsigma.



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#Technical_capabilities">1 Technical capabilities</a><ul><li><a href="#Cloud-based_infrastructure">1.1 Cloud-based infrastructure</a></li><li><a href="#Scalable">1.2 Scalable</a></li><li><a href="#English_based_scripting_using_NLP">1.3 English based scripting using NLP</a></li><li><a href="#Integration_with_tools">1.4 Integration with tools</a></li><li><a href="#Support_for_multiple_testing_methods">1.5 Support for multiple testing methods</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Management_capabilities">2 Management capabilities</a><ul><li><a href="#242157_Support">2.1 24&#215;7 Support</a></li><li><a href="#Collaborative_editing">2.2 Collaborative editing</a></li><li><a href="#Role-based_responsibilities">2.3 Role-based responsibilities</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Conclusion">3 Conclusion</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="technical-capabilities">Technical capabilities</h2>



This section describes the technical capabilities of the tool Testsigma, for software <a href="https://testsigma.com/automated-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">test automation</a>, that help the team execute tests smoothly.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="cloud-based-infrastructure">Cloud-based infrastructure</h3>



The first requirement for working from home efficiently is to use a tool that is available over the cloud network. Testsigma checked this point even before the pandemic arrived. 



Cloud-based systems provide a two-fold advantage to the team. Firstly, it is available anywhere and everywhere you want it. You can sit in India or the United States or use my PC or your friend’s, you just have to log in and all your work will be visible to you right away.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img decoding="async" src="https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/blog-assets-production.testsigma.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/migrated_images/vc0NmnGBM9HWbF18KEfCDEVDhbAF9PIbYCWMDWFH7Ve6p-y9NwdADs9YqYipY4SIHZxdnAzXzfsUmGTV7Bb2qh5HeNjIBgFdpxKfA6URuPSX_25JgXd9J9pzv0knLB31qHZTRnHr_1748949280.png" alt="Cloud-based infrastructure" width="600"/></figure></div>



Secondly, cloud-based systems do not eat up your personal resources that can have a huge impact on test execution. Consider you are running test scripts on one application while writing test scripts in another framework on a 4GB system. 



This can slow down the process and delay the test results. Since you are working from home, there is no other system to share the load also &#8211; Testsigma, a completely cloud-based test automation tool, lets you use your own resources for other works while providing their own powerful infrastructure to assign machines and run tests on them. As far as your personal system is concerned, an internet connection and a browser are all you want.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="scalable">Scalable</h3>



A project, no matter how much potential it has, always start small, slow, and then eventually scales up with time. But even if you have a small team working remotely, scalability is always kept in mind for the future. 



If you are at a point where you are scaling constantly but the tools you are using have given up on you, the whole project can face a downtime which is bad for business and reputation.



Testsigma comes with scalability features for all types of teams &#8211; an individual, a team, or a complete organization. Testsigma works on the cloud infrastructure and therefore if you have a requirement to scale up your testing, you can do that just by clicking a couple of buttons with the comfort of sitting at home. 



This way you not only save a lot of time but you pay only for the number of resources you use and hence speed up the delivery.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="english-based-scripting-using-nlp">English based scripting using NLP</h3>



Your legacy test code may be written in a programming language that your testers may or may not know. The same situation comes for frameworks that support only a couple of languages.&nbsp; To make changes to that code and write test scripts of their own the testers have to learn that supported programming language and then understand the legacy code. 



This problem can be faced either remotely or in-office. But what happens in such a scenario is that when people try to understand the code, they face a lot of problems in either understanding the logic or the flow of the execution. 



Resolving this issue in the office is easy. You just have to go to the tester/developer’s desk or someone who has already worked on it and get a bit of knowledge transfer or support from them. The work is done.



In a remote office setup, the only option is to either call or chat through your preferred application. This can be a lot of pain as people are busy and as a result, the process can extend to multiple days. 



Testsigma offers a straightforward and simple solution to this. The tool comes equipped with <a href="https://testsigma.com/ai-driven-test-automation" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">artificial intelligence</a> and <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/natural-language-processing-nlp-based-test-automation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">natural language processing</a> capabilities. In simple words, it lets you do the simple work and perform the harder job by itself by asking you to write the scripts in plain English language.



The following image demonstrates a test script written to navigate to a particular website:



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img decoding="async" src="https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/blog-assets-production.testsigma.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/migrated_images/8UJPNCOb5xo8UNY87ZPUP0MKu-EurmSyxjQRHMOtBEZyzlGIAp0aXsuHUDMQ7Hi2iVbkslqH7ggyCtzhTv40UezT0xVDaZH0BRQZMSrEhTeldx3fAbfOxmX3q4ovIDvxi44iJIdx_1748949282.png" alt="Testsigma NLP based test" width="800"/></figure></div>



So when a new person looks at your legacy code, it is just like reading English sentences (refer to the above image). The process of completing the testing then becomes faster even while sitting at home.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="integration-with-tools">Integration with tools</h3>



Software integrations need no introduction to the people working in the software industry. There is no perfect tool that has everything in-built into it. We have an awesome bug tracking software while another awesome cross-browser testing device lab etc. A good tool is one that can join all the integrations and provide you with convenience on a single screen.&nbsp;



Testsigma takes care of all the necessary integrations that the testers can use from the platform and make use of it as required.&nbsp;



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/blog-assets-production.testsigma.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/migrated_images/5a63PBbKVxB1I8hirP3yNbPTSEWwG3kHeN4vH-TDdYRrGQeBJYeg54gR3pbKnJxQFChWSLD9C86hPr3AsVmecvRitLs0HnAwSlzk38gmC1hsaDicWbuwzVhTgHBULqELPe-CbshA_1748949278.png" alt="Integration with tools" width="800" height="448"/></figure></div>



You can also find the most important aspect of testing &#8211; integration with CI/CD tools for smooth build and test phases on each version. You can visit the integrations page to know more about the integrations that you may require.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="support-for-multiple-testing-methods">Support for multiple testing methods</h3>



Software testing is a big umbrella that contains a lot of sub-testing processes that ensure that the released software is of top quality. These may include <a href="https://testsigma.com/regression-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">regression testing</a>, <a href="https://testsigma.com/automated-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">automation testing</a>, mobile app testing, cross-browser testing, etc. 



For all these things to work remotely, you might have to go for one framework that can do data-driven testing, another for automation, etc.&nbsp;



Testsigma brings every sub-testing process onto a single platform giving the freedom to the tester of choosing anyone or using all of them as per the requirements. With Testsigma, you don’t have to switch to various frameworks and learn each of them. 



The tool provides robust data-driven testing, regression testing, cross-browser testing, automation testing, and much more for the teams. While working remotely, if you are learning just a single software for all your needs, you can speed up the cycles.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="management-capabilities">Management capabilities</h2>



This section describes the management capabilities of the tool that play an equal role in increasing efficiency and productivity while working remotely.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="24x7-support">24&#215;7 Support</h3>



The most important part of working remotely as described in the NLP section above is the need to understand the framework or tool you are working on. 



If you are stuck anywhere, you just have two options &#8211; either google it, find the solution and try if it works or you can ask anyone from your team who has already worked on the framework before. While working remotely, both of these options have a high probability of failure as you are not physically present to ask anyone.



Testsigma understands that while working remotely, you may face a problem that needs to be solved urgently whether it is day or night. Therefore, the tool comes with 24-hour support every day so that your work never suffers at any time and you have someone to clear your queries from.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="collaborative-editing">Collaborative editing</h3>



Collaborative editing is a process combining two terms &#8211; collaboration and editing. Collaboration means you have a platform that can facilitate sharing the documents, progress, reports etc. 



If I am done with a testing process, maybe I can send my reports from the same platform or it gets shared automatically to the team etc. In simple words, even if we are remote, the team gets an organized set of documents at their disposal. Collaborative editing is however a bit different than just collaboration.&nbsp;



For example, Google docs allows collaborative editing in which instead of sharing a copy of the document, we share the link to the same document with another person. The receiver can then edit the same document and I can see the changes. 



This is an important feature to look for while working remotely because it can get really messy if we start sharing multiple documents to the complete team and then look at the changes by each of them. It can become a small GitHub of our own but more complicated than that.



<a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/" target="_blank">Testsigma, a completely cloud-based test automation tool</a>, provides collaborative editing to its testers for not only sharing the test cases with the team but they can also provide their suggestions on the same test case while working from the comforts of their homes. 



This way, the whole team can see the changes on a single document and there is no complications or confusion to address.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="role-based-responsibilities">Role-based responsibilities</h3>



In-office setups often work in different environments and are controlled by either credentials or access roles assigned in the backend that can restrict unauthorized access. When we are working remotely using a tool, this becomes a problem as now you are connecting to the tool’s server rather than using your own. 



Consider a scenario where you are two team members working on the same project and hence share all the files. But, since your teammate is in a senior position, he has access to deleting a file that you don’t. He can also create a new task for you or himself. If in any way, you can also do the same action as he does, it becomes a security loophole especially when contract employees are on board.&nbsp;



Testsigma comes with the user access levels to predefine who has access to what in the tool. You can also create custom roles and define access to them as per your requirements. While working from home, this becomes very helpful as you don’t have to create another layer through yourself when the tool covers everything for you.



<div class="bg-primary cta">
Enhance your test automation capabilities while you work from home, signup for a free trial and see for yourself.
<div class="d-flex mb-1" style="justify-content:space-evenly">
 <button class="btn cta-btn bg-white"><a href="https://testsigma.com/signup" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Signup now</a></button></div>
</div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="conclusion">Conclusion</h2>



&nbsp;Working from home has become a new normal in the IT industry. Not only it has become convenient but <a href="https://kissflow.com/digital-workplace/remote-work/shocking-work-from-home-statistics/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">more than 75% of employees find it more productive</a> than in-office work. It seems like working from home will continue for some time now and for IT, it is not easy.&nbsp;



The remote setup leaves us with the only option of using chat or calls to connect with someone and resolve our queries. Using multiple tools for multiple purposes just increases the query count a lot more which then results in the delay of work, projects, and fewer test cycles as before. 



The need of the hour is a tool that is complete in itself and can provide you with the functionalities of all the individual tools in a single place. Testsigma fits perfectly in such a scenario providing the tester with a platform that can help in automation, cross-browser testing, regression testing, and many more types.



Testsigma is a completely cloud-based test automation tool built on a robust infrastructure providing a clean interface and centralized testing experience to the organization, meanwhile, enhancing the work from home experience too.



Testsigma presents a unique style of writing the tests in the English language that helps in easy test creation. All these features help testers in work from home setup as learning becomes very easy and with 24-hour support, one dedicated person is always there for you. With Testsigma, you just have to focus on testing and the rest is taken care of by the tool.



We tried our best to highlight how the test automation tool Testsigma can smoothen out your work from home. However, if you would like to query anything else about the tool, feel free to contact our support. Also, we would love to know your thoughts in the comments below.

Simplify your work from home challenges with test automation tool Testsigma

Simplify your Work from Home Challenges with Test Automation Tool Testsigma

Communication is the key to managing the stakeholders. Many times, not enough efforts are made to communicate clear details, status, risks on the ongoing projects. On the other hand, not everyone can detail every important aspect or gauge what’s important to communicate without being subjective and setting aside all emotions during communication.&nbsp;



Usually, Engineering teams are focused on their work and do not put a lot of emphasis on communication and highlighting the risks with all the data. Even when they do, the usual sentences will be ‘should be able to complete on time’, ‘too many bugs’, ‘not ready’, &#8216;looks good’ which are all subjective in nature and do not really convey the information that helps in making a decision. Often there are assumptions that communication happened or that everyone knows all the details. This leads to management being in the dark on important aspects.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://testsigma.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Untitled-1.png" alt="George Bernard Shaw Quote" class="wp-image-16688" width="329" height="242"/></figure></div>



One way of ensuring <a href="https://www.chanty.com/blog/guide-on-effective-communication/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">smooth communication</a> is to have proper data to represent the status and risks.



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#Metrics_in_SDLC">1 Metrics in SDLC</a></li><li><a href="#When_and_when_not_to_use_Metrics_in_SDLC">2 When and when not to use Metrics in SDLC</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="metrics-in-sdlc">Metrics in SDLC</h2>



Metrics are pure data. They show you numbers without emotions which is the most important factor in analyzing the data. The real problem, in SDLC, starts when these metrics are considered as a single source of truth or when they are taken up as absolute measures or when used inappropriately.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="358" src="https://testsigma.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/imgonline-com-ua-twotoone-XPcvwEhd3Kcm.jpg" alt="Goodhart's law" class="wp-image-16693"/></figure>



A few notable points on metrics:



<ul class="list_style_disc wp-block-list"><li>Metrics are indicators of current or past conditions&#8211;they are not THE truth. The proper initial response to any metric anomaly is to investigate, not act.</li><li>The more a quantitative metric is visible and used to make important decisions, the more it will be gamed.</li><li>Be careful what you measure because that is what you are going to get. You should measure things, but understand when to make them as targets.&nbsp;</li><li>Vanity metrics makes you feel good, they cannot be used for decision making.</li></ul>



Also Know: <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/v-model-in-software-development-life-cycle/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">V model in SDLC</a>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="when-and-when-not-to-use-metrics-in-sdlc">When and when not to use Metrics in SDLC</h2>



There are some metrics that are absolutely useful while there are others that are mostly misleading or distracting, more of a Vanity metrics or that can be easily gamed. In other words, not well thought of. Every Manager, every leader at some point goes through the process of picking a wrong metric, getting carried away with the same.&nbsp;



Always ask questions before you pick a metric:



<ul class="list_style_disc wp-block-list"><li>Will they be gamed?</li><li>Are we choosing Vanity metrics?</li><li>Do we need to use this metric as a measure?</li><li>Do we need to publish this metric?</li></ul>



Learn More: <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/entry-and-exit-criteria/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Entry and Exit In SDLC</a>



Take for example &#8211; ‘Zero technical debt’ as a Metric &#8211; this means all bugs identified, during the SDLC, should be fixed and cannot be left in the backlog. If we start measuring teams on this metric, the whole focus will be on fixing every bug even if it’s from a feature that no customer has been using,&nbsp; even in cases when it’s impacting the new features and so the customer adoption.&nbsp;



There are a few metrics that we should watch silently, during the SDLC, to understand how the team is doing, to understand what needs to be improved in our process. If you upfront publish these metrics as measures, they will eventually be gamed.&nbsp;

Metrics in SDLC: Let the Truth Prevail

How does Testsigma support the Shift Left approach?

Shift Left Approach | How Does Testsigma Streamline Software Testing?

Test Orchestration: A Complete Guide for QA Teams

The Shift Left testing approach is not a new term. Across the globe, more and more organizations are shifting left for various reasons. It&#8217;s also regarded as a culture as it allows businesses to instil collaborative work efforts and launch products into the market faster. 



This testing approach expedites testing and helps detect bugs in the early stages of development. For teams with a heavy focus on faster time to market and continuous integrations — Shift Left is the way forward. 



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#But_First_What8217s_Shift_Left_Testingnbsp">1 But, First, What&#8217;s Shift Left Testing?&nbsp;</a></li><li><a href="#Benefits_of_Shift_Left">2 Benefits of Shift Left</a></li><li><a href="#Shift_Left_Testing_Best_Testing_Tools_That_Can_Help">3 Shift Left Testing: Best Testing Tools That Can Help</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="but-first-what-s-shift-left-testing">But, First, What&#8217;s Shift Left Testing?&nbsp; </h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/blog-assets-production.testsigma.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/migrated_images/gjL7fPNWZUfmOolXekkqFYDxNNHPJa6_hCc4ukqZ6K-vrcnldMABclKTP3q7kfg6ycr3E20nNoMLP5Rdp0pikZV9kO2cufGT7Ma7NFFfgsXy5GFS0CjS7bwdAEMDuZ5bP29_4oU4_1748949085.jpg" alt="What's Shift Left Testing?"/></figure>



Source: <a href="https://www.techarcis.com/shift-left-testing-explained-by-sunil-sehgal-of-techarcis-2/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Tech Arcis</a> 



<a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/how-to-choose-a-tool-when-shift-left-testing-is-your-requirement/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shift Left is a testing</a> approach where testing begins right from the software development phase. Testers work in tandem with developers and product managers in this testing process to focus on the overall efficiency of the product. 



Since the team works towards a common goal, Shift Left allows teams to shift the testing process left during a project timeline and test whenever required to detect and deal with any concerns or bugs in the early phases. With this, you are not just cutting down risks but also time and costs. 



Besides, with the growth of CI and CD, it makes more sense to test out the features or any aspects of the software rather than waiting for the final stages. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="benefits-of-shift-left">Benefits of Shift Left</h2>



<ul class="list_style_disc wp-block-list"><li>Faster time to market as testing happens from the development phase itself.</li><li>Increased test efficiency.</li><li>Low-cost affair as you can detect and fix bugs in the initial stages.</li><li>It facilitates developers and testers to come together and work as a team; testers don&#8217;t have to work in isolation any longer.</li><li>You&#8217;ll have more control over your project schedule and delivery timelines, as Shift Left also enables transparency.</li></ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="shift-left-testing-best-testing-tools-that-can-help">Shift Left Testing: Best Testing Tools That Can Help </h2>



Without the right testing tools, we cannot fully achieve any desired testing approach. In this post, we&#8217;ll discuss the testing tools for adopting <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.bmc.com/blogs/what-is-shift-left-shift-left-testing-explained/" target="_blank">Shift Left</a> and why you should choose them.&nbsp;



Before we proceed, check out our post: <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/blog/test-automation-tool-ready-for-shift-left/" target="_blank">is your automation testing tool Shift Left ready?</a>



1. <a href="https://testsigma.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)"> Testsigma:</a> Testsigma is an AI-powered <a href="https://testsigma.com/automated-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">automation testing</a> tool that supports the Shift Left approach. The benefit of using Testsigma is it allows you to write test cases right from the design phase. So, whether your features are conclusive or not — you can start working on your testing approach even without the availability of the application or software.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/blog-assets-production.testsigma.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/migrated_images/S6mOeE_G4Nlb5N2W-2rmTmWDJMkF73mSkeuGBTNmgMLI7RJgsG9gAIAmbiBw0BDHCh5uOlkdd2vJfhNCkGN0aqHwpaC_cjPdlm3sS5vrYfejVLHVvmbHnG-C45O6WKlp6BFC1UIU_1748949088.png" alt="testsigma"/></figure>



Source: Testsigma 



You can write your test scripts in simple English as it&#8217;s a codeless testing tool; your test scripts are translated into code by its NLP capabilities. It supports CI/CD integrations with tools such as Bamboo, Jenkins, GitLab, CircleCI, and so on. 



Besides, it&#8217;s a cloud-based tool that aids remote team collaboration, which is highly crucial for Shift Left. Since the cloud is up and running 24&#215;7, your teams can access the application from any location, any time. 



Plus, it comes with thousands of real-time devices on its cloud, with various OS-browser combinations for you to run tests on.



Highlights



<ul class="list_style_disc wp-block-list"><li>Supports in-sprint test automation.</li><li>Parallel test execution: you can prioritize and schedule tests in multiple environments.</li><li>Testsigma reports bugs and crashes via communication platforms like Slack, Teams, email, etc., for teams to collaborate and fix.</li><li>Since it&#8217;s cloud-based, you can collaborate and review along with the team.</li><li>It comes with highly customizable reports and an analytics dashboard so you can track and enhance your test and team performance.</li></ul>



Price: Quite affordable; it begins at $99 



<div class="cta-banner-v2">
<div class="title-with-description ">
Automate Tests for Browser compatibility, UI, Visual and Functional in Parallel with Testsigma. No coding required.
</div>
<a href="https://testsigma.com/signup" target="_blank" class="cta-btn-v1" rel="noopener">Try for free</a>
</div>



<pre class="wp-block-code"><code>2. SauceLabs:<a aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://saucelabs.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> </a>Sauce Labs is a cloud-based automation testing tool that supports Shift-Left. This low-code testing tool comes with a Screener that seamlessly integrates visual testing into functional testing workflows. </code></pre>



You can start testing from the design phase itself; Sauce Labs lets you test individual UI components for faster testing, and this also cuts down feedback cycles. You can also gain frontend performance insights much before the software goes live.&nbsp; 



Sauce Labs emphasizes in-sprint testing to focus on the entire software journey and product efficiency and calls itself a customer-centric product. Apart from real devices, it comes with emulators and iOS simulators in its cloud.&nbsp;



Highlights



<ul class="list_style_disc wp-block-list"><li>You can perform in-sprint testing.</li><li>Supports parallel testing on its cloud</li><li>You can detect any UI bugs using its Automated Visual Testing feature; it has an extended debugging feature that offers browser console logs, screenshots.</li><li>It&#8217;s cloud-based; your teams can access your product from anywhere, any time, and work in collaboration.</li><li>It&#8217;s equipped with an analytics and reports dashboard that offers real-time test performance results; you can monitor team development and user activity to obtain actionable insights.</li></ul>



<pre class="wp-block-code"><code>Price: It has three types of plans, and the pricing depends on the number of parallel tests you choose. You can check here: https://saucelabs.com/pricing
</code></pre>



3. TestLeft: As the name suggests, SmartBear&#8217;s TestLift is specifically made for Shift Left testing. With this tool, you can start testing right from the design phase; as soon as the UI features are ready, you can automate your tests. 



It supports Visual Studio and Java IDEs such as IntelliJ and Eclipse and lets you develop apps from within the IDE, itself. Besides, it can be integrated with CI/CD tools, and it supports behaviour-driven development.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/blog-assets-production.testsigma.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/migrated_images/HtAcJLV8eL8NKO5Ux3VD1VimrrFT84NFpdnr85723q2SX7aYEwZOKFyykmaTgtxkkRiD6hcxR0g6Ef_jcDajyLeDZn5DiXM_sq42TcUS9-dWAp3nJq-_y_q7TDscafySm_M86YAT_1748949091.png" alt="testleft"/></figure>



Source: TestLeft 



Highlights



<ul class="list_style_disc wp-block-list"><li>Supports in-sprint test automation.</li><li>You can perform parallel test execution.&nbsp;</li><li>It captures full-page snapshots and shares in-depth test logs and errors for quick debugging.</li><li>TestLeft has to be installed on your local machine. You can check out the specifications for it here: https://smartbear.com/product/testleft/specifications/</li><li>It comes with reports and an analytics dashboard that generates performance and tests analysis reports; you can share these with your teams or any stakeholders.</li></ul>



Price: $1,259/year



4. Ranorex Studio Great for beginners and experienced testers — Ranorex is a codeless test automation tool that supports Shift Left. It can be easily integrated with a range of DevOps tools, and it supports tech stacks such as .NET, C#, HTML5, Java, etc. 



With Ranorex, you can start testing GUI elements as soon as they&#8217;re ready or even user code modules. You can add your Ranorex tests to the CI/CD pipeline too.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/blog-assets-production.testsigma.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/migrated_images/TSlSkyUR0ezROVTIunM1iglusZsE7q6McquywRsjQMlR4pXVRt1dxfQhK3JMGQyMGMOi3zSCd1ZX7_vXzhH2yMU2kvgibyz-8SZrbmFUrPOEpm2SmhAFTEqSWMY5a7FaQJBXutXc_1748949090.png" alt="Ranorex"/></figure>



Source: Ranorex



Highlights



<ul class="list_style_disc wp-block-list"><li>It supports in-sprint testing.</li><li>You can run tests simultaneously on physical servers, virtual servers, or Selenium grids.</li><li>Ranorex reports bugs via screenshots and logs. It comes with an in-built image comparison feature that helps you detect UI errors quickly.</li><li>It&#8217;s a cloud-based tool that offers a remote working functionality called Ranorex Remote for teams to collaborate and work from anywhere.</li><li>It comes with customizable analytics and a reports dashboard that lets you analyze test results via an XML-based test run report.</li></ul>



Price: It&#8217;s expensive; it begins at $3,590. 



5. Katalon: Katalon Studio is a test automation tool that is particularly built for continuous testing. It can be seamlessly integrated with a range of CI/CD tools, and you can start testing from day one with all the ready-made templates, test case libraries, keywords, and object repositories that Katalon has to offer. 



Although it&#8217;s a codeless testing tool that&#8217;s great for beginners, it offers extensive script extension and customization for experts. Using Katalon, you can test with little knowledge of the app. 



With its JIRA integration, anyone on the team (no technical skills required) can fetch requirements from Jira to BDD files, which are integrated into Katalon Studio already.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/blog-assets-production.testsigma.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/migrated_images/HlcEGZ76MpHZVQC2c8CGVMBW2RGU0LqgdjUfFnplU0zyWDKffyN_YBi3BgGDMHpSESXTIAuR66vwP2tXOVy2AjhHZpUAX5rhXjvqK0ymTkJpD6AEIwvh_PltrT8MUlTRtXy_Nn0h_1748949096.png" alt="katalon"/></figure>



Source: Katalon&nbsp;



Highlights



<ul class="list_style_disc wp-block-list"><li>Katalon lets you run tests on multiple devices, browsers, and environments simultaneously.</li><li>It comes with a superior debugger that accelerates ad hoc inspection and catches bugs, errors, etc., easily.</li><li>While it&#8217;s cloud-based, it can also also be accessed via local machines; remote teams can access the software on the cloud from any geographical location.</li><li>Its analytics and reports dashboard makes status reports and performance reports with a visual demonstration of test runs, crashes, and performance.</li></ul>



Price: $599 upwards for a year



Those were the five best tools that can help you adopt Shift Left culture in your organization. Let us know which one caught your interest.

Shift Left Testing Some tools that can help

Shift Left Testing: Some tools that can help

In this article, we will focus on what NLP is all about and how it is useful for Smart Test Automation. 



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#What_is_NLP">1 What is NLP?</a></li><li><a href="#Smart_Test_Automation">2 Smart Test Automation</a></li><li><a href="#What_does_NLP_with_Smart_Test_Automation_look_like">3 What does NLP with Smart Test Automation look like?</a></li><li><a href="#Why_NLP_for_smart_test_automation">4 Why NLP for smart test automation?</a></li><li><a href="#Tools_that_use_NLP_for_Smart_Test_Automation">5 Tools that use NLP for Smart Test Automation</a></li><li><a href="#When_not_to_use_NLP">6 When not to use NLP</a></li><li><a href="#Conclusion">7 Conclusion</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="what-is-nlp">What is NLP?</h2>



Natural Language Processing (NLP) refers to a branch of Computer Science, or in more simple words, let us say it refers to a branch of Artificial Intelligence (AI).



It is a process with which computers are able to understand the text and the spoken words in the same way as human beings can.



NLP describes the process of making the interaction between human languages and computers possible.



This technology has been around for years and is now being used by several people on a daily basis. We all must have come across NLP in some way or the other in our daily lives.



Alexa, the Amazon voice service is an example of a solution based on NLP. Siri, the voice assistant by Apple and Google Assistant also use this technology.



Some other examples of NLP include:



<ul class="list_style_disc wp-block-list"><li>Spell Check</li><li>Voice text messaging</li><li>Spam filters</li><li>Autocomplete</li></ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="smart-test-automation">Smart Test Automation</h2>



The world is changing very quickly and we must be ready to change with it. Big will not beat the small anymore. It&#8217;s actually the fast beating the slow.



In recent years, there have been a lot of changes happening in the testing world too. Earlier, the testing was done manually, which was a slow and time-consuming process. But, today we are using more <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/automated-testing" target="_blank">automation</a> techniques to test better. 



We are opting for such a change in order to get better quality faster which would help in delivering a better product at a greater speed. In short, we are now looking for smarter solutions. Smart is something that has intelligence.



Let me explain with a simple example. Earlier we were using cell phones which typically were used for texting and making calls. Then came the era of smartphones which drastically changed the usage of phones. The Smartphone was just another mini computer.



So, Test automation can be called smart when it lets you do something better while you put in less effort.&nbsp;&nbsp;



For example, to explain better, we can say going scriptless could be a feature of&nbsp; ‘Smart test automation’ if it lets your team automate your tests faster.&nbsp; 



Organizations need smart test platforms that are self-aware and self-adaptive to support throughout the complete application life cycle. Smart test automation platform needs to carry test automation along with performance, security and compatibility testing needs



Let&#8217;s move forward with a few more additional features that would boost test automation.



1. Smart Element locators 



Smart Test Automation tools like Testsigma helps the testers in easy test maintenance with smart element locators (also known as UI identifiers) by employing a dynamic locator strategy. It ensures that the functional tests stay strong even if the product undergoes some structural changes.



2. Modifications with Redo



With Record and PlayBack tools, easy editing of recorded tests is not possible.



If there is even a slight change in the application flow, the tester needs to re-record the test steps from the beginning. This is again a time-consuming process.&nbsp;



Modifications can be easily done when it comes to NLP-based test scripts. Testers can easily add the test steps at the beginning, end, or anywhere between without a redo.



3. Conditional waiting



Wait commands are essential for executing test scripts and help identify and resolve issues related to time lag.



NLP based test automation tool, Testsigma has a set of Conditional Wait statements which helps to add waits based on user-defined conditions:



<pre class="wp-block-code"><code>Wait until the current page is loaded completely
Wait until the element ui identifier is clickable
Wait until the element ui identifier is selected
Wait until the element ui identifier is visible etc.</code></pre>



4. Conditional flow and control structures



Control flow or flow of control is blocks of code we create to control the direction we take through the code. It is common in programs to take a different direction based on the data. 



Let&#8217;s take the example of a login screen. If the credentials provided i.e., username and password are valid, we log them in. If not valid, we don’t. This is defined as flow control.



Imagine the same set of features available in a tool without the added complexity.



With Testsigma, you can either loop on a whole Test Case with a set of parameters(data-driven approach) or loop on a subset of Test Steps. This is very useful if we want to simply repeat a step multiple times with/without an available Test Data set.



5. Cross Browser Support



With Smart Test Automation tools like TestSigma, automated tests can be run on thousands of real Device/OS/Browser versions combo and also local physical devices.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="what-does-nlp-with-smart-test-automation-look-like">What does NLP with Smart Test Automation look like?</h2>



Using NLP in Smart Test Automation, the tests are carried out in natural understandable language. The use of NLP in test automation minimizes the test creation time. It is done in a format that is intuitively easy for anyone to quickly adapt and use.



There are several tools like TestSigma that use simple plain English to automate tests. The changing UI elements are maintained by AI.



NLP-based tests can accommodate changes anytime and can easily be edited(if required). NLP makes it easier to automate all of your test cases and tightly integrates them with your dynamic delivery pipeline while optimizing the user experience.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="why-nlp-for-smart-test-automation">Why NLP for smart test automation?</h2>



There are many benefits that can be gained by using NLP for Smart Test automation.



<ul class="list_style_disc wp-block-list"><li>Low Learning Curve. Since the tests are written in natural language, it is not mandatory for a tester or anyone from the team to have programming knowledge in order to go through it.</li> <li>Since the test cases are created in natural language which does not need to be learnt. The time spent on test creation is reduced.</li> <li>And similarly, the test cases become easier to maintain as well.</li></ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="tools-that-use-nlp-for-smart-test-automation">Tools that use NLP for Smart Test Automation</h2>



Tools like <a href="https://testsigma.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">Testsigma</a> use NLP in Test Automation in a way that complex automation can be done easily in plain natural language that can be understood by all. With a minimum or no amount of training, complex automated tests can be written with no coding involved



In addition to plain natural language test creation, Testsigma also offers some additional features that make your test automation smart. These features include:



<ul class="list_style_disc wp-block-list"><li>Possible Failure Detection – Affected Test Cases</li><li>Test Management Capabilities(Requirements, Test Suites, Test Case priorities etc)</li><li>Automatic Bug Reporting(JIRA)</li><li>Shared Object Repository</li><li>State Management</li> </ul>



<div class="bg-primary cta">

Choose Testsigma for smarter test automation with NLP
<div class="d-flex mb-1" style="justify-content:space-evenly">
 <button class="btn cta-btn bg-white"><a href="https://testsigma.com/signup" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Signup Now</a></button></div>
</div>



Another such example of a smart test automation tool is ‘<a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.indiumsoftware.com/uphorix-platform/" target="_blank">uphorix</a>’. 



Features include:&nbsp;



<ul class="list_style_disc wp-block-list"><li>Low code automation</li><li>Intelligent scripting</li><li>Swift compatibility</li><li>Native Test Data generator</li></ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="when-not-to-use-nlp">When not to use NLP</h2>



There are some disadvantages to the use of NLP in test automation:



NLP should not be used in scenarios where your project requirements are not fulfilled by all the functionalities the tool can offer via NLP. In such cases check if customization is allowed in other languages. Or go for another tool that lets you automate according to your project requirements



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="conclusion">Conclusion</h2>



From cars that drive themselves to the minuscule devices that can detect cancer cells to a neural network that can help spot Covid-19 in chest x-rays and many other ways, AI is transforming our world and everything in it.



In such circumstances, can testing and QA stay away from its virtues? There is plenty of scope in this field with some use cases like built-in intelligence in tools and IDEs, prepackaged content to be delivered. 



The extensive usage of Natural Language Processing to auto-generate smart, interactive, self-healing test suites is merely the prelude and the path ahead is propitious.

Smart Test Automation using NLP What you should know