Ensuring software quality ‘made in Germany’ through test automation

Since 2014, the European Commission has been reporting annually on the digital progress of its Member States. The ‘Digital Economy and Society Index’ – DESI for short – monitors Europe’s overall digital performance in the areas of network coverage, digital skills, internet usage and the level of digitalisation in the economy and public administration. The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly played its part in accelerating digitalisation in Germany. Nevertheless, in the 2022 DESI Index, we find ourselves in 13th place – just above the EU average and far behind the Scandinavian countries.

What does this mean for software development?

Flexible and modern software solutions are a key success factor for digitalisation. However, the shorter and more agile the release cycles are, the faster and more systematic the feedback must be. As development and testing go hand in hand in this context, a holistic approach with a focus on quality assurance is essential.

The global player Amazon, for example, was already carrying out a production deployment every 11.7 seconds as early as 2016. In addition to the core principles of DevOps – namely development and IT operations – such a high deployment frequency is made possible primarily through maximum automation of the testing processes. Automated repository and branch management is complemented by automated testing. These tests identify any errors and inconsistencies during both the build and deployment of a software artefact. Within seconds or minutes, the developer receives feedback on whether the developed solution meets quality standards and whether any unintended effects on key end-to-end processes can be ruled out.

In a world without test automation, manual tests must be carried out systematically. The problem with this is that, even if you had the necessary resources in terms of manual testers, it is impossible to carry out the volume of regression tests ‘quickly’. Nor should the susceptibility to errors and loss of concentration resulting from the same testers repeatedly running the same test cases be underestimated. If tests are not carried out continuously and automatically throughout the entire software development cycle, the developer has no way of checking how the latest code change affects the software’s functionality. The result: frustrated users and damage to reputation.

So should we now ‘take the bull by the horns’ and automate everything?

No. Test strategies must be designed and defined within test plans. From component and integration tests carried out early in the development process right through to system and interface tests, there are various types of regression tests that offer potential for test automation. Taking into account other influencing factors such as test data and test environments, a sensible selection of tests to be automated can be made across the test pyramid.

Test automation at various levels is therefore a prerequisite for short release cycles and enables development teams to respond quickly. With its Test Factory in the public sector, Materna SE aims to help implement sustainable testing strategies in software projects and thus contribute to upholding the ‘Made in Germany’ brand, even in the age of digitalisation.