Regression Testing: Manual vs Automated

In this blog post, we’ll look at the key differences between manual and automated regression testing. First, let’s briefly understand the concept of regression testing. Then, we can proceed with our discussion to understand the difference between these two methods of performing regression testing in detail.

Concept of Regression Testing

Regression Testing is the type of software testing which is done when developer of an application do changes in the code or introduce new feature in the application and the job of software tester is to check whether the introduction of new functionality or feature in the application does or doesn’t effect on the existing functionality or feature of the application.

The Two Methods of Regression Testing

Regression Testing can be performed in two ways :

a) Either manually which is known as manual regression testing process in which testing of an application can be done manually.

b) Or through automated tests which is known as automated regression testing process in which testing of an application can be done with the help of some automation software tools.

Difference Between Manual vs Automated Regression Testing

Following is a complete table through which we can understand the major differences between manual regression testing and automated regression testing with the help of various parameters.

Parameters	Manual Regression Testing	Automated Regression Testing
Process	It is a manual process in which test cases of an application are executed manually by the tester.	It is an automated process in which test cases of an application are executed with the help of automation software testing tools.
Human Intervention	Performing manual regression testing requires lots of human intervention or human efforts.	Performing automated regression testing requires no human  intervention or human efforts.
Operating System	It is hard to perform manual regression testing of an application on different machines or OS platforms.	It is easy to perform automated regression testing of an application on different machines or OS platforms.
Browser Compatibility	It is hard to perform manual regression testing of an application on different web browsers.	It is easy to perform automated regression testing of an application on different web browsers.
Reliability	Manually performed regression are less reliable in nature.	Automated regression tests are more reliable in nature.
Test Coverage	Software testers performing manual regression testing face difficulty to execute all the test cases and so it impacts the test coverage.	Software testers performing automated regression testing face no difficulty to execute all test cases so there is no problem or issue of test coverage.
Accuracy	Human intervention makes this type of software testing more error prone so this type of testing is less accurate.	No human intervention is required makes this type of software testing less error prone as machine can do mistakes if it has been asked to do so. So this type of testing is more accurate.
Time Consumption	This type of software testing takes more time due to human intervention and the process of execution of test cases is very slow.	This type of software testing takes less time due to machine automated process and the execution of test cases is very fast.
Ease of Access	This type of software testing due to human intervention helps the tester doesn’t to check the usability and accessibility of the application.	This type of software testing due to involvement of automated tools help the tester to check the usability and accessibility of the application.
Cost Effective	This type of software testing is less costlier due to non involvement of costly automation tools.	This type of software testing is more costlier due to involvement of some costly automation tools which are not free of cost.
Test Case Execution	In this type of software testing, Software testers needs to sit in front of the system to execute test cases one after another.	In this type of software testing, software testers just need to run automation test scripts to execute test cases and these test cases can run even at mid-night depends on schedule set by the tester.
Test Report Generation	In this type of software testing, report generation of test performed is a manual process and tester have to create the test report on its own.	In this type of software testing, report generation of test performed can be done through various testing frameworks like TestNG etc.
Detection of Bugs	Performing this type of software testing, the possibility of finding early issues, defects, errors or bugs in the application becomes less because it is more time consuming.	Performing this type of software testing, the possibility of finding early issues, defects, errors or bugs in the application becomes more because it is less time consuming.

Should you choose Automated Testing over Manual Testing?

The decision between automated and manual testing should not be an ‘either/or’ situation. In practice, the most effective testing methods often involve a combination of both. Automated testing is important for regression, load, and performance testing, especially in agile and DevOps environments where speed and efficiency are important, while manual testing is important for exploratory, usability, and ad hoc testing, which requires human input and insight.

The key is to analyse the specific needs of your project, taking into account factors such as project scope, complexity, duration, budget, and the seriousness of the application. Automated testing may be the best option for projects with long life cycles, critical functionality, and high testing requirements in regression testing. Manual testing may be more appropriate for projects that require in-depth analysis or have a shorter time horizon.

Conclusion

So, in this way, both manual regression and automated regression software testing have their respective advantages and disadvantages, as we have already discussed above. For QA professionals working in the computer software and IT services industries, choosing or selecting between both of these regression testing types depends on the software or project requirement, time, and, more importantly, budget. To become a skilled software tester, someone might prefer manual regression testing to execute test cases. However, if the need is to automate the test cases, they should do automated regression testing.

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