Effectiveness of software testing techniques in enterprise: a case study

 Automated testing 
All techniques of testing discussed in previous subchapters can be defined as manual testing 
because of human involvement in test execution with a purpose to ensure that software's behavior is as 
expected, while automated testing does the same thing, except the fact that some manual testing 
activities are automated by tools. In more specific terms, “test automation is the use of special software 
(separate from the software being tested) to control the execution of tests and the comparison of actual 
outcomes with predicted outcomes” (Huizinga & Kolawa, 2007). Indeed, manual testing is widely 
used comparing with automated testing. According to Mailewa et al. (2015) manual testing is applied 
more for smaller projects or for companies with limited financial resources; whereas, other enterprises 
see the benefits of automating some tests instead of running them manually. Mulder & Whyte (2013) 
states that software test automation could help to reduce testing costs and time dedicated for testing in 
software development. However, automated tests may not be useful if it is not applied in the right time, 
right context and with the appropriate approach. Implementation and maintenance of automated tests 
are expensive for company, thus more attention should be paid on when and what to automate 
(Garousi & Mäntylä, 2016). As Mulder & Whyte (2013) explains, wrong decisions made in selecting 
areas that should be automated, can lead to disappointments and major expenditures of software 
development, including human efforts and the cost of engagement automation tools, and automated 
testing sometimes is seen as a high-risk activity (Persson & Yilmazturk, 2004). The automation tools 
cover a wide range of activities and are applicable for use in all phases of the systems development life 
cycle. They could automate varies areas, some of them are as follows (Perry, 2006): 
