Develop Your Company’s Test Automation Strategy
A well-defined test automation strategy offers numerous benefits to the overall success of the software development process. One of the most apparent benefits is the identification and prioritization of test cases based on critical functionalities. This has a ripple effect on the overall development process; companies distribute their testing resources better and provide faster feedback on crucial aspects of the application.??
Understanding Test Automation
Test automation is the process of leveraging tools and software to execute pre-scripted tests on software applications to ensure they perform as expected.
The test automation process is significant in software development because it provides several benefits, including:
Assessing Your Current Testing Process
Engineering leaders should start by defining the objectives of their testing process and reviewing existing test documentation. This involves examining test plans, cases, and scripts to ensure they align with the software requirements. If these two don’t align, engineering leaders should consider test automation.?
Additionally, leaders should analyze how the development team executes tests, considering the time, steps involved, and any challenges encountered during manual testing. This way, they can pinpoint repetitive and time-consuming tasks.
Setting Clear Goals and Objectives
Next, engineering leaders must define what they want to achieve with the test automation strategy. What is the ultimate goal of the test automation strategy? Is it to improve product quality? Is it to accelerate the time-to-market??
Setting realistic and measurable goals is key. This is where key performance indicators (KPIs) come in.?
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Choosing the Right Tools and Technologies
The test automation strategy can only be as effective as the tools and technologies the software development team chooses. Team leaders should carefully select the right combination to ensure the strategy’s success. More often than not, development processes require a combination of tools and frameworks when adopting test automation.?
Whatever combination teams decide to go with should depend on factors such as cost, compatibility, ease of use, scalability, and integration. Integration with other tools and systems, especially within the CI/CD pipeline is crucial. The selected tools should seamlessly integrate with version control systems, build tools, and defect tracking systems.
Building Your Test Automation Team
Test automation doesn’t eliminate the human element from the testing process. Rather, it transforms the roles and responsibilities within the testing team. Engineering leaders must first identify the roles and skills needed for the automated testing system and processes. Can the existing testing teams take up new roles, or does the team need new talent??
Developing and Implementing the Strategy
With clear goals and the right team in place, the development and implementation of the automation strategy can begin. Here, team leaders must create a written strategy for referral purposes during implementation.?
Measuring Success and Continuous Improvement
After implementation, team leaders must continuously test if the strategy is working by comparing results with the KPIs defined during the goal-setting phase and adjust accordingly.?
As the project evolves, so will the goals. Leaders must continuously monitor and adjust the strategy to the changing needs of the project.
In Summary
Test automation is only as good as the strategy used to implement it. Therefore, engineering leaders must carefully create a robust test automation strategy to achieve fast development cycles and high-quality software delivery.
You can find more great test automation content on MuukTest’s blog by clicking here.?