What you need to know about Test Automation Strategy, Life Cycle, & Best Practices

The testing phase during any software development project adds more value to the developed software as it makes sure all expected aspects are on point. Hence, we are here to feed you more on test automation and suggest some of the best practices you can follow in your project.

You must be aware that building a whole software can feel overwhelming in all stages, including designing, planning, development, and testing. Test automation is a concept that is believed to help in delivering projects faster, cheaper, and more accurate. To capitalize on the power of test automation, tech giants are leaning towards adopting the same to stay competitive and successful in today’s software market.

Here are some interesting numbers on how automated testing is being adopted by organizations across the world.?

What is Automated Testing?

Test automation involves the usage of various tools and software to perform test cases on different levels of the software development cycle. With the ability to run tests multiple times with various conditions, automated testing ensures greater accuracy and detects subtle bugs. By quickly executing common test cases, projects can be finished at reduced costs along with improved product quality.

From unit tests to end-to-end functional tests, automation can be used in almost any situation. The tools offer logging capabilities to capture errors and simplify debugging. Simply, this approach towards software testing eliminates manual data input and control of test scenarios, saving time and effort.

However, it is important to have an eye on a poor automation approach. Having a Test automation strategy in place is imperative for all software development teams.

What is a Test Automation Strategy?

Creating an automation test strategy is a great way to ensure that your testers have the tools and knowledge necessary to accomplish their job. It helps develop and improve your QA department, improve test coverage, and increase test reliability as well as speed up the feedback loop in a CI/CD pipeline.

When creating an automation test strategy, you must consider what tests you will need to automate, what technology and tools are available, who within the team will be responsible for setting up and executing them, where and when they should be performed. You should also decide on goals or objectives which you want to achieve by taking this approach - such as reduced manual labor time or improved feedback on each build of the product. Having a strategy in place from the beginning can help set expectations between teams and stakeholders on current progress as well as near-future roadmap plans. With a clear idea of what you want to achieve with your automation test strategy, it becomes easier to make decisions along the way which results in greater success rates.

The Test Automation Life Cycle?

Test Automation Strategy: This initial stage involves defining the overall objectives, scope, and approach for test automation. It includes identifying the areas of the application to automate, selecting appropriate automation tools and frameworks, and establishing the success criteria for test automation efforts.

Test Tool Selection: Next, you evaluate and select the right test automation tools that align with your project requirements. Consider factors such as the technology stack, supported platforms, ease of use, integration capabilities, and cost.

Planning, strategizing, and designing of Test Case:

Planning, strategizing, and designing test cases are critical stages in the automated testing lifecycle.

In the planning stage, the testing team identifies the objectives of the automation effort and determines which test cases are suitable for automation. They also select the appropriate automation tools, frameworks, and technologies based on the requirements of the project.

The strategizing stage involves prioritizing the selected test cases based on their importance, complexity, and impact on the application. The team also determines the test data requirements and the test environment configuration.

For design, the team creates detailed test cases that cover all functional requirements of the application. The test cases must be well-defined, easily executable, and maintainable. The team also designs the automation scripts that will be used to execute the test cases.

Test Environment set up:

To set up the test environment for test automation, identify the hardware and software requirements, install and configure the software, set up the test data, configure the network, set up the test machines, and ensure security. The test environment should simulate the production environment as closely as possible to ensure accurate and reliable results. Attention to detail and careful planning is crucial in setting up the test environment.

Test Script Development and Execution: Write automation scripts based on the selected test cases and the automation framework. Use the chosen automation tool's scripting language or framework to create test scripts that simulate user actions, interact with application components, and validate expected outcomes. After creating test scripts, execute them and generate test reports.

Analyze and report the test results:

After executing the automated test scripts, the results need to be carefully examined. The analysis involves reviewing the test logs, identifying any failures or errors encountered during the test run, and investigating their root causes.

The test reports should clearly summarize the overall test execution, including the number of tests passed, failed, and any issues encountered. It is essential to document and communicate the findings to the relevant stakeholders, highlighting any critical issues or areas for improvement.

This information helps in making informed decisions regarding the application's quality and the effectiveness of the automation efforts.

Best Practices in Test Automation

By following the below-given practices while automating tests your software will perform better with reduced bugs.

1.??Maintain and update regularly: Maintain the automated test suite by updating scripts, addressing test failures, and accommodating changes in the application under test. Regularly review and enhance the automation framework and incorporate new test cases as needed.

2.??Cost Planning: A proper plan of expenditure is important for the success of test automation. Cost planning involves considering factors such as tool selection, infrastructure requirements, resource allocation, test data management, return on investment (ROI), and risk analysis.

Calculating ROI helps determine the benefits of test automation, such as improved productivity and reduced manual testing efforts. Conducting risk analysis helps identify potential risks and associated costs, enabling proactive mitigation measures. Effective cost planning ensures optimal utilization of resources and budget for test automation.

3.??Don’t rely on 100% automation: While test automation offers significant benefits, it may not always be practical to automate all tests fully. Some tests may be too complex to automate or require human judgment, such as exploratory testing or user experience testing.

Having said that, the cost of automating tests may be prohibitively expensive, especially for small or medium-sized projects. Also, time constraints may make it difficult to automate all tests fully, and manual testing may be more efficient in given situations.

4.??Collaborate and take help from outside:

Collaboration with other QA engineers in the department is also valuable for an automated testing project. Team-based testing proves more effective in defect identification, and a suitable automated testing tool facilitates sharing projects among multiple testers, fostering collaboration and enhancing efficiency.

5.??Use test cases that can be used for a long period:

Long-life test cases, also known as endurance or stability tests, are also important components of test automation. These test cases aim to evaluate the performance, reliability, and stability of a system over an extended period of time. Some considerations and benefits of incorporating long-life test cases include Performance and stability assessment, Real-world simulation, Stability validation, Reliability improvement, and Regression detection.

Conclusion

In conclusion, test automation techniques have proven to be invaluable for software development teams. Their ability to supplement manual testing methods has allowed us to make work more efficient as well as reduce the reliance on manual testers. We can definitely see automation tests influence achieving faster delivery timelines and ensure higher quality products with fewer errors. With clarity about the test automation life cycle and the best practices we have mentioned in this blog, your software can come out great and perform well.

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