From Manual QA to Automation: 7 Essential Steps for a Successful Transition (And Why It's Not Always Necessary!)
The move from manual QA to QA automation is one of the most popular paths for QA professionals and is often seen as a natural step forward in their careers. However, it’s important to note that this transition is not essential for career growth in the field of Software Testing and Quality Assurance. In fact, I believe starting a career in automation without first experiencing manual testing can limit one’s ability to bring true value. Even with solid programming knowledge and familiarity with automation frameworks, automated testing only adds real value when it’s built on a strong foundation in manual testing processes.
If, however, you feel prepared for this new challenge, I’d like to share some steps that I believe are essential for a successful transition. This journey involves acquiring new skills, shifting your approach, and learning to work with new tools.
Here are eight key steps. Let’s take a closer look at each:
1. Understand the Fundamentals of Automation
The first step is to recognize the value that automation brings to the testing process. If you’re already doing manual testing, you know that automation can reduce the time spent on repetitive tasks, minimize human error, and free up time for other essential activities, like requirements analysis and risk assessment. It’s also crucial to understand the different types of automated tests (unit, integration, end-to-end, regression, etc.) and to know when automation is or isn’t the right choice.
2. Learn the Test Automation Life Cycle
Automation isn’t just about writing test scripts and calling it a day. It’s essential to know the entire automation life cycle, which includes creating, executing, and analyzing automated tests, as well as continuously maintaining the scripts.
3. Learn Programming Languages
Knowing how to program isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity. Automation requires at least a basic knowledge of a programming language, like Python, especially for those without prior experience. Dive deep into fundamental programming concepts like variables, loops, functions, classes, and error handling. Mastering these concepts will open up opportunities and make automation more efficient and impactful.
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4. Data Structures and Programming Logic
Familiarity with data structures like lists, arrays, and maps is essential for handling and processing data in automated tests. Additionally, developing logical thinking will help in problem-solving and algorithm development—skills that are invaluable in automation.
5. Automation Tools
After learning programming and logic, it’s time to explore automation tools. Some of the most popular options include Selenium, Cypress, and Appium (for mobile testing). However, before choosing a tool, it’s vital to understand your product’s specific needs. The most popular tool may not always be the best fit for what you’re trying to automate.
6. Source Code Management Tools
Mastering version control tools like Git is essential for organizing your test code and collaborating with your team. These tools make it easier to work with branches, test different versions, and integrate with CI/CD tools, ensuring a continuous and coordinated development and testing process.
7. CI/CD (Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery)
Understanding CI/CD concepts is critical for a QA Engineer. Integrating your tests into CI/CD pipelines ensures that code changes are quickly tested and that the software is always ready for release. Knowing these principles will help you make a meaningful contribution to the development workflow.
8. Commit to Continuous Learning
Last but not least, a commitment to continuous learning is essential. The tech landscape is constantly evolving, and staying up-to-date with new tools, industry trends, and best practices is key. Attending conferences, joining online communities, and networking can enrich your experience and enhance the quality of your products and the success of your team.
As you can see, the path isn’t as simple as it seems. Learning a test framework and starting to automate is possible, but there’s a big difference between “doing” and “knowing how to do.” To succeed, you’ll need to invest time (and possibly some money) in acquiring diverse knowledge and skills.
If this is the direction you want to pursue, take that first step. But remember, automation isn’t necessarily a career advancement for a manual tester. You can always become excellent in your current role, as being a great software tester is itself a challenging and highly valued skill.
Senior QA Test Manager @Galp | Evangelist & International Speaker | Experienced QA Testing Academies Trainer
4 个月hi Joana Silva, good article. However, I would improve point 5. More than automation tools, I would say automation frameworks. For example, like Robot Framework, like Cypress that you mentioned, you can address several automation challenges and not only one focus. A tool is something focused, but a framework is something more flexible and more comprehensive, and can be used with different automation strategies or purposes.
Manager of Quality Assurance at MED2020 Health Care Software Inc.
4 个月Joana Silva There is no such thing as a transition from being to Tester to being a Tester. There is only personal growth and the aquisition of new skills. After all said and done you are still a tester. Also so called "Manual" and "Automated" testing are not types, methods or approaches to testing but rather methods of test execution. It's very common for people to confuse or even associate the complete act of testing with test execution. There is so much more to testing than whether or not you are executing your tests with or without the assistance of a tool(s). An analysis should be done for every testing activity and once that's done then a decision can be made as to whether or not to engage a tool(s) to assist you with the execution of your tests. At the end of the day you need to do what makes sense. There is nothing "Manual" about testing and testing cannot be automated. I hope this helps. ??