Setting up the ground work for a test automation project

Test automation is great contribution for medium and large application testing projects in the IT industry. Its not about introducing a tool and a test automation framework. There are more into it. Test automation introduced into a project with a proper process and tools will make it function successfully and long term. But if not planned and managed properly, test automation can be the worst nightmare in the organization. So lets look at some of the stuff that we should consider as ground work to start test automation.

1. Skill evaluation and training — Teams skills should be evaluated first. Their programming knowledge and knowledge on generic test automation and tools specific knowledge should be tested and thereafter appropriate training should be given to make them kick start automation.
2. Test case and making them up to date — Test automation is based on regression and smoke test suites, which are repetitive testing in nature. Test cases should be complete, concise and updated. Steps should be clear and in order for a test automation engineer to start scripting and it should be executed at least two or three times.
3. Tool evaluation — While going through the test cases and application under test, the test architect or the lead should evaluate the tools in terms of application compatibility, budget, life span of the tool, its integration capabilities to extent the functionality of the test framework, etc.
4. Initial script work — At least take some core test cases and see whether we can successfully automate the test of the given application prior putting everything to a test automation framework, which provides more functionality.
5. Creation of a test automation framework — Test automation should be practiced in a test automation framework and it encompasses best practices and standards in coding and test automation.
6. Creation of scripts with test automation standards and good coding practices — Although having test automation framework is essential, there framework code should be created with best coding and test automation practices in mind. Badly scripted code means badly created test framework.
7. Source control and branching strategies — Test automation will be practiced with several engineers and its a must to put the code and the framework in a source control which provides a mechanism of backing up work and maintaining on who did on what. Also peer review should be done to check whether the engineer has done coding with compliance to the coding and test automation standards.
8. Documentation — Documentation is a must for a good test automation practice. Documenting test framework, standards, keywords used, scripting tutorials and deployment guide is a great way for a successful test automation journey.

These are some of the points we should ponder when doing test automation for a project in any organization.