Testing

How to Create a Test Automation Strategy? Full Strategy Checklist

• By Admin
• Posted on 16/10/2024

Test automation is one of the most essential elements of the software testing process. It overcomes the limitations of manual testing. Automation test methods can handle repetitive test cases quickly and efficiently, thereby reducing manual errors. This improves the actual user experience.

Test Automation Strategy Objectives

Test automation strategy goals primarily include speed, accuracy, and efficiency. Based on the project's scope and requirements, an automation strategy is designed to save time, speed up repetitive testing, and improve the quality of the software.

The Checklist Method

The checklist method is great for creating and executing a test automation strategy. It helps identify essential elements, making the process easier and reducing errors. This approach allows for effective implementation, ongoing monitoring, and improvement based on the checklist.

Assessing the current testing process

When creating a test automation strategy in software development, evaluating the current testing process is crucial. This helps ensure effective automation by addressing performance issues and errors. It's important to consider key points during this assessment.

A. Analyzing the current manual testing process

Begin by reviewing your current manual testing process. 

• Find its strengths and weaknesses to decide where to apply automation and which test cases to focus on. 
• Check if your team is working efficiently and meeting deadlines. 

These insights will help shape your automation strategy.

B. Gathering stakeholder feedback

To assess your testing process, collect feedback from developers, QA engineers, and business representatives. Their insights on your testing methods can help identify needs and challenges. Use surveys or interviews to understand their experiences and recommendations.

C. Defining goals for automation

The third step is to define the automation goals. What do you want to achieve? Goals may include 

• speeding up tests, 
• reducing manual errors, or 
• focusing on critical features. 

These goals will guide your test automation strategy.

D. Current test execution and collection of results

Evaluate the tests you are currently conducting and their results. Understanding your testing environment is crucial. By collecting these results, you gain insights into current performance, which helps determine how automation can improve your testing process.

E. Identifying relevant test cases

In this step, identify which test cases can be automated by reviewing those executed manually. Look for repetitive cases, stable features, or high-risk applications that are suitable for automation.

By following these steps, you can evaluate your current testing process, which lays the foundation for your automation strategy. Involve your team to implement the strategy effectively and achieve better results.

Selecting the right automation tools

The use of the right tool improves the testing process., and increases its speed as well Automated testing training teaches how to develop a test automation strategy and effectively test the software using the right methods and tools.

1. Criteria for proper tool selection:

• Technology Compatibility: The tool should work well with the latest technology and support various development models like Agile and DevOps.
• Ease of use: The tool's interface should be easy to understand so that team members can learn quickly.
• Support and community resources: The tool should offer strong support and helpful resources for troubleshooting issues.

2. Popular Test Automation Tools: 

• Script-based tools: Tools like Selenium and Appium are commonly used for testing web and mobile apps.
• Commercial tools: Nugene, QTP, and TestComplete are advanced tools that offer strong analytics support.

3. Executing the test plan:

• Preparing a test plan: By testing the performance of the selected tools, evaluate their capabilities.
• Analyzes and Feedback: Once you choose a tool, run initial test cases and review the results to fully understand how effective it is.

Choosing the right automation tool provides the basic structure for your test automation strategy.

Identifying test cases for automation

A crucial part of a test automation strategy is deciding which test cases to automate. Not all test cases are suitable, so it's essential to choose the most important ones.

1. Assess recurrence: Test cases need regular updates during different project stages or releases. It's important to review them for any changes in login processes, core features, or specific transactions.
2. Consider sustainability : Test cases for automation should have stable features and functionality. Frequent changes can make automation difficult.
3. Impact on risk and quality: Start by testing the most important features and risks. Focus on test cases that impact user experience.
4. Division of Test Cases: Divide test cases into three main categories: 

• Functional tests
• Regression tests
• Performance tests

Through this segmentation, test cases suitable for automation can be identified.

At this stage, it is crucial to identify the right test cases and create an automation strategy based on them. It helps in achieving effective test results.

Designing the Test Automation Framework

Test Automation Framework Design

Designing a test automation framework is crucial for an automation strategy. It helps create, manage, and run test scripts. A good framework improves the efficiency, organization, and structure of your automation project.

1. Types of frameworks

There are several approaches to designing a framework:

• Linear scripting: This method is simple but has limitations, as test cases are executed one after the other.
• Modular Testing: This approach divides test scripts into modules, reducing code repetition and simplifying maintenance.
• Data-Driven Testing: it allows testing various data sets with a single script, enabling data-driven testing.
• Keyword-Driven Testing: This approach organizes test scripts by keywords, aiding users in testing.

2. Best Practices

A well-designed test automation framework leads to an efficient testing process. Hence, when designing a framework, you need to follow some best practices:

• Code repeatability: Design code to be used repeatedly.
• Easy maintenance: Make the framework understandable and easy to maintain.
• Scalability: Make the framework expandable to meet growing needs.

Developing test scripts

1. Test Script Development Process:

• Understand requirements and build scripts based on test cases.
• Choose the right language and tool for script development.

2. Code best practices:

• Write code that is clear and repeatable.
• Scripts should be easy to read so that further development and maintenance is easy.

3. Repetition:

• Organize the script with repeating test cases to run the same test multiple times.

4. Management of scripts:

• Manage scripts using version control tools.
• Store old scripts and use them repeatedly if needed.

5. Test Data Management:

• Properly collect data required for test scripts.
• Understand data directories and formats.

6. Functionality:

• Test how the scripts work under special conditions.
• Check for errors, obstructions, and inconsistencies.

7. Test and Review:

• Test the developed scripts and review their performance.

These points simplify the test script development process, leading to an effective test automation strategy.
Automated testing training enhances the skills needed to develop test automation strategies that improve software quality.

Implementing Tests

1. Test execution process: Before test execution, a test plan should be prepared. It should include details of the test scope, test cases, and duration.
2. Active Procedures
•    Continuous Implementation (CI/CD): Include test execution in the development process to provide direct response to software updates.
•    Execution according to timetables: Conducting tests at fixed times to understand the changes.
3. Monitoring test results: Use tools to monitor test results in real time during execution. This helps in the quick identification of any issues.
4. Actions if the test fails: If a test fails, identify and fix the errors through debugging.
5. Report of results: Test results should be documented clearly for analysis.
6. Script maintenance: Regularly updating and maintaining test scripts is key to a successful test automation strategy.

Managing the Automation Suite

1. Regular updates: 

• Update automation test suite regularly. 
• When new features or changes are released, review the relevant test cases and make the necessary changes.

2. Repository management: 

•  Maintain test scripts in a version control system (eg: Git). 
• This helps to easily revert to older versions and track patched changes.

3. Check and reorganize:

• Evaluate test script performance and reorganize as needed. 
• Promote code reuse to simplify maintenance.

4. Dependency Management:

• Monitor all dependencies and manage them in an integrated environment. 
• Verify that each dependency is working properly.

5. Comprehensive monitoring:

• Monitor the execution of automated tests. 
• Apply necessary logging for reporting errors and reporting.

6. Performance Analysis: 

• Analyze test results and understand technical implications. 
• It provides opportunities for continuous improvement.

7. Feedback collection: 

• Take feedback from team members on the test suite.
• Improve your test automation strategy with their suggestions.

These practices help in maintaining an automation suite proactively and efficiently.
Measuring success and continuous improvement

1. Building Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Create KPIs to measure the success of the automation strategy. For example, test coverage, execution time, and defect density.
2. Test Coverage: By improving test coverage, ensure that all functional requirements are covered. This is critical to software quality.
3. Execution Time: Evaluate the speed of automated tests and make necessary changes to save project time. It helps to work more efficiently.
4. Defect Density: By measuring the number of defects exceeded during release, the effectiveness of the automation strategy should be evaluated.
5. Iterative Development: Through iterative development based on KPIs, the strategy should be continuously improved. It helps to increase the quality of the software and make the performance better.

Conclusion

A test automation strategy is critical to increasing software quality and reducing development time. For designing a comprehensive strategy, you need to learn some concepts. Automated Software Testing Course by Askme Training provides effective guidelines for creating a test automation strategy.

Related Blog: 

How to Improve a Manual Testing Process?

Manual Testing: When and Why it’s Still Important?

Types of Software Testing. A Complete Overview