Test automation is the future -- but not just yet

In a new survey, 55 percent of respondents say test automation would improve software quality, and 51 percent say they're releasing software updates daily or weekly.

But the study of over 350 software testers from mobile testing platform Kobiton also shows automation initiatives are still in their infancy, with 58 percent of survey respondents saying their automation programs are relatively new or at least six months from starting.

In addition 76 percent are automating fewer than half of all software tests, and 73 percent are manually running at least 100 tests prior to each software release.

Factors holding back companies from further automation include tool selection and engineering resources. 26 percent of respondents say they are struggling with the process of evaluating and choosing the appropriate test automation tools, and 17 percent have found it challenging to train and acquire skilled automation engineers.

Despite this test automation appears to be key to the future with 85 percent of survey respondents saying they'd like to automate at least a quarter of all test cases eventually.

"70 percent of survey respondents said mobile is either critical or strategic to their business," says Kevin Lee, CEO of Kobiton. "For these companies, delivering high-quality apps fast and cost-effectively isn't an option -- it's a requirement. Test automation is central to making this happen, as evidenced by our survey results and customer feedback."

The full survey is available on the Kobiton site.

Image Credit: alphaspirit / Shutterstock