adminIf you are a manual software tester, you have probably read or been informed by your boss that manual testing is slowly dying and that you need to upgrade your skills and become an automation engineer. I don’t think this can be further from the truth. While it is true that there is value in upgrading your skills and learning test automation, manual testing will always be a valuable skillset.
Why Manual Testing Isn’t Dead
- Manual testing can uncover some significant defects through exploratory or adhoc testing
- Test cases are typically built by the manual tester which requires analysis and a deep understanding of the application being tested
- If test cases are automated, they will typically first be created by the manual tester and then automated
- There are some test cases can’t be automated. Test cases that require analysis of bills for example shouldn’t be automated
- Some test cases shouldn’t be automated because it doesn’t provide a good return on investment
- A manual tester sees trends and typically knows where the defects are found
- When schedules are compressed, the manual tester brings value in prioritizing what is tested
Recently with things such as machine learning and AI tends to surface the question again. While machine learning and AI can be valuable additions, I don’t see the value of the manual tester decreasing anytime soon. Learn why manual testing isn’t dead. Many software testing organizations have some manual testing rockstars and they wouldn’t trade those valuable resources for anything.
Ron Wilson