The world of software testing has changed dramatically over the past decade. Automation tools have become more powerful, artificial intelligence is making testing smarter, and many organizations have moved significant portions of their testing to automated systems. This raises an important question for businesses using Salesforce: Is Manual Salesforce Testing Still Relevant in 2025?
The Current State of Salesforce Testing
In 2025, the testing landscape looks very different than it did just a few years ago. Automation has become the default choice for many testing scenarios, and tools have grown sophisticated enough to handle complex workflows. However, declaring manual testing dead would be premature and potentially damaging to your quality assurance efforts.
The reality is more nuanced. Both manual and automated testing have important roles to play in modern Salesforce environments. The question isn’t whether manual testing is relevant, but rather when and how to use it most effectively.
Where Manual Testing Still Excels
User Experience Evaluation
Some aspects of software quality can’t be fully automated. How does a form feel to use? Is the color scheme pleasing and professional? Do error messages communicate clearly? These subjective quality factors require human judgment.
Manual testers bring a user’s perspective that automation simply cannot replicate. They notice when something feels clunky or confusing, even if it technically works correctly. This human insight is invaluable for creating systems that people actually enjoy using.
Exploratory Testing
Exploratory testing involves investigating the application without predetermined test cases. Testers poke around, try unexpected combinations, and follow their intuition about where problems might hide. This creative, investigative approach often uncovers issues that scripted tests miss.
Humans excel at pattern recognition and can spot inconsistencies or oddities that automated tests aren’t programmed to look for. An experienced tester might notice that a particular button behaves strangely under certain conditions, even though that scenario wasn’t explicitly included in the test plan.
Testing New Features
When your team develops brand new functionality, manual testing provides essential validation. Testers can immediately understand business requirements and verify that the implementation matches expectations without waiting for test scripts to be written.
This rapid feedback loop accelerates development and ensures that major problems are caught before significant resources are invested in building out features.
Complex Decision-Making Scenarios
Some testing situations require judgment calls that automation struggles with. For example, determining whether a workflow makes business sense, evaluating if an error message is helpful, or deciding if a report layout effectively communicates information all benefit from human intelligence.
The Evolution of Manual Testing Roles
Manual testing in 2025 looks different than it did in previous years. Rather than performing repetitive checks that automation handles better, modern manual testers focus on higher-value activities.
Today’s manual testers are often quality assurance strategists who design test approaches, analyze results from automated tests, and focus their personal attention on areas where human judgment adds the most value. Many successful businesses featured on business north west understand that strategic resource allocation applies to testing just as it does to other business functions.
The Shift to Specialized Testing
Manual testers increasingly specialize in areas like:
Usability testing – Evaluating how easily users can accomplish their goals Accessibility testing – Ensuring systems work for people with disabilities
Security testing – Identifying vulnerabilities that could be exploited Business logic validation – Verifying that processes align with business rules
These specialized areas require expertise and judgment that automation tools cannot easily replicate.
Scenarios Where Manual Testing Is Essential
Initial System Setup and Configuration
When first implementing Salesforce or making major configuration changes, manual testing provides crucial validation. Testers can quickly explore the new setup, verify that everything makes sense, and identify obvious problems before investing time in creating automated tests.
Salesforce Updates and New Features
Salesforce releases three major updates annually, each introducing new features and capabilities. Manual testing helps organizations evaluate whether new features are relevant to their business and how they might integrate with existing processes.
Automated tests might verify that existing functionality still works, but manual exploration determines whether new Salesforce features present opportunities for improvement.
Ad Hoc Testing Requests
Business users frequently request quick verification of specific scenarios or edge cases. Manual testing provides the flexibility to quickly investigate these requests without the overhead of creating automated test scripts.
Visual and Aesthetic Validation
Page layouts, dashboards, and reports have visual components that affect usability and professional appearance. Manual testers can quickly assess whether these elements look correct and function appropriately across different devices and screen sizes.
The Complementary Relationship
The most effective testing strategies in 2025 don’t choose between manual and automated testing—they leverage both approaches strategically. This complementary relationship maximizes the strengths of each method while minimizing their weaknesses.
Automation handles repetitive regression testing, performance monitoring, and high-volume data validation. Manual testing focuses on user experience, exploratory investigation, and scenarios requiring human judgment. Together, they create a comprehensive quality assurance program.
Much like how content strategies evolve in the digital space (as seen in communities like influencers gone wild), testing strategies must adapt to changing needs while maintaining core quality principles.
Cost Considerations in 2025
The Economics of Manual Testing
Manual testing requires ongoing labor costs. Every test cycle demands human time and attention. However, this cost must be evaluated against the value provided. For critical user-facing features, the insights gained from manual testing often justify the expense.
Hidden Costs of Over-Automation
While automation seems cost-effective, creating and maintaining automated tests isn’t free. Complex test scripts require development time, ongoing maintenance, and periodic updates. Some scenarios cost more to automate than they save through reduced manual effort.
Organizations sometimes waste resources automating tests that change frequently or provide minimal value. Manual testing offers flexibility that can be more economical for certain scenarios.
Skill Requirements for Manual Testers
Manual testing in 2025 demands more sophisticated skills than simple click-through verification. Effective manual testers need:
Business process understanding – Deep knowledge of how the business operates Technical awareness – Familiarity with Salesforce capabilities and limitations
Analytical thinking – Ability to identify patterns and connections Communication skills – Clearly documenting findings and articulating concerns Creativity – Thinking beyond scripted scenarios to find hidden issues
| Testing Aspect | Manual Testing Strength | Automated Testing Strength |
|---|---|---|
| User Experience | Excellent | Poor |
| Exploratory Testing | Excellent | Not Possible |
| Regression Testing | Poor | Excellent |
| Performance Testing | Limited | Excellent |
| Flexibility | Excellent | Poor |
| Consistency | Variable | Excellent |
| Cost Over Time | Higher | Lower |
| Speed | Slower | Faster |
Risk Management and Manual Testing
Some organizations maintain manual testing capabilities specifically for risk management. Even with extensive automation, having human testers who can quickly investigate unexpected issues provides insurance against automation blind spots.
When automation reports unusual results or when critical business processes are at stake, manual testing provides additional verification and confidence.
The Human Element in Quality Assurance
Technology continues advancing, but human intuition, creativity, and judgment remain irreplaceable for certain quality assurance aspects. Manual testers bring empathy and understanding of user needs that no automated system can fully replicate.
An experienced tester might notice that while a feature technically meets requirements, it creates unnecessary frustration for users. This insight drives improvements that enhance user satisfaction and adoption.
Training and Development for Manual Testers
Organizations committed to maintaining manual testing capabilities must invest in tester training and development. This includes:
Salesforce platform knowledge – Understanding capabilities and limitations
Testing methodologies – Learning structured approaches to quality assurance Domain expertise – Developing deep knowledge of business processes
Tool proficiency – Using manual testing tools effectively
Continuous learning ensures manual testers remain valuable contributors as technology and business needs evolve.
Integration with Automated Testing Programs
Modern manual testing doesn’t exist in isolation—it integrates with automated testing programs. Manual testers often:
- Design test cases that will eventually be automated
- Validate results from automated test runs
- Investigate failures reported by automation
- Identify scenarios that should be added to automated test suites
This collaboration ensures both testing approaches work together effectively rather than operating as separate, disconnected activities.
The Future of Manual Testing
Looking ahead, manual testing will likely continue evolving toward more specialized, high-value activities. As automation and artificial intelligence handle more routine testing, human testers will focus increasingly on creative problem-solving, user experience evaluation, and strategic quality assurance planning.
Manual testing may become less about executing repetitive test cases and more about thoughtful investigation and validation that leverages uniquely human capabilities.
Making the Right Testing Mix Decision
Every organization must determine the appropriate balance between manual and automated testing based on their specific circumstances. Factors to consider include:
System complexity – More complex systems may benefit from more manual investigation
User base size – Larger user bases justify more investment in user experience testing Rate of change – Frequently changing systems favor flexible manual testing Available resources – Budget and staffing constraints affect what’s feasible Risk tolerance – Critical systems may warrant more comprehensive manual validation
Conclusion
Is Manual Salesforce Testing Still Relevant in 2025? Absolutely. While automation has transformed the testing landscape and should handle the bulk of repetitive verification tasks, manual testing remains essential for user experience evaluation, exploratory testing, and scenarios requiring human judgment and creativity.
The organizations seeing the best quality assurance results aren’t choosing between manual and automated testing—they’re strategically combining both approaches. Manual testing focuses on areas where human insight adds the most value, while automation handles high-volume, repetitive verification.
As Salesforce implementations grow more sophisticated and business expectations increase, the need for thoughtful, strategic testing becomes more important than ever. Manual testing, when applied appropriately, contributes significantly to this quality assurance mission.
The key is recognizing that manual testing has evolved. It’s no longer about mindlessly clicking through checklists. Instead, modern manual testing is a skilled profession that requires business knowledge, technical understanding, creativity, and strategic thinking—capabilities that remain distinctly human and undeniably relevant in 2025 and beyond.