Benefits and Challenges of Automated Regression Testing for Business-Critical Applications
Tags: regression, testing
Published: 2023-09-20 05:55:25

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/vu2tznlum84ghzbrs51k.jpg)
Regression testing is a crucial step in the software development life cycle (SDLC), ensuring that updates or changes to a software application don’t result in brand-new flaws or problems. It entails retesting previously functional elements to confirm their stability following changes. Regression testing must be practical and trustworthy as businesses increasingly depend on software to optimize operations and provide top-notch services. The advantages and difficulties of automated regression testing for mission-critical systems are examined in this article.

**Here are some notable benefits of implementing regression automation testing for business-critical applications**:

**Savings on time and money**: 

Automated regression testing drastically reduces the time and work needed to test repetitive scenarios. Manual testing can be time-consuming, labor-intensive, and error-prone. Businesses can save time and money by automating the regression testing process, allowing quicker release cycles and lower total expenditures.

**Increased Test Coverage**: 

To ensure thorough coverage of the application, regression testing frequently includes running a large number of test cases. Due to restrictions or human mistakes, manual testing may result in test scenarios not being run. By running more test cases and scenarios, automation enables a more excellent test coverage, increasing the likelihood of finding potential flaws.

**Improved Accuracy and Reliability**: 

The findings can be inconsistent because human error can occur during manual regression testing. Automated regression testing reduces the possibility of human error and guarantees accurate results—the automation tools carefully test cases by design, reducing the possibility of false positives or negatives.

**Faster Feedback Loop**: 

Manual testing might delay feedback on the effects of application changes, delaying the discovery and correction of bugs. Because automated regression testing offers a quicker feedback loop, developers may quickly find and address problems. This agile methodology allows rapid iterations while preserving a high software quality standard.

While automated regression testing offers numerous benefits, it also presents specific challenges that organizations need to address.

**Initial Investment and Setup**:
 
To implement an automated regression testing framework, choosing and procuring the right tools and establishing the test environment are initial investments. Organizations must thoroughly assess their needs and financial limitations to achieve a cost-effective and suitable automation solution.

**Test case Maintenance**: 

As applications change, test cases must be updated frequently to reflect the new functionality. Maintaining test cases might take a lot of time, especially when working with complicated applications. To guarantee the efficacy and precision of the automated regression testing suite, organizations should set up appropriate methods for test case management.

**Test Script Creation and Maintenance**: 

Automated regression testing relies on test scripts replicating user interactions with the program. Create and maintain test scripts. Creating and maintaining these test scripts can be challenging, especially when dealing with intricate workflows or frequently changing UIs. Qualified resources and sufficient documentation are essential to effectively managing test script generation and maintenance.

**Conclusion**

Automated regression testing is a valuable asset for business-critical applications. By addressing these challenges and implementing enterprise test automation strategies, businesses can ensure the stability and reliability of their applications, leading to improved customer satisfaction and a competitive advantage in the market. Opkey is one of the best test automation platforms for enterprise applications. It offers services like platform update certification, continuous migration validation, omnichannel testing at scale etc. Their 100+ experts have till now helped over 500 customers in test automation of their software.