Test Automation Tips and Best Practices

AlexQin

Understand the Context

Tests can be automated at any layer, Unit, API, Service, GUI. Each layer serves a different purpose for testing.
Unit Tests ensure that the code works at class level, that it compiles and the logic is as expected. Tests at this layer are more verification than validation.

API Tests or Integration Tests ensure a set of functions and classes can work together and data can be passed from one class to another.

GUI Tests on the other hand test user flows and journeys. Generally we would not test for functionality from the UI. This should be done at lower layers.

How to Get a Job in Software Testing

The main purpose of UI tests is to ensure the whole system works as per some common user scenarios and use cases. Testing at this layer is more Validation rather than Verification

At UI level, we automate scenarios rather than stories.

AlexQin

Don’t Automate Every Test

100% Test Coverage is not possible since there can be millions of combinations. We always execute a subset of possible tests. The same principle applies to automated testing.

To create an automated script, it requires time and effort, and aiming for “Automating Every Test”, we require lot of resource and time, which in many cases is not possible.

Instead use a Risk based approach to determine which tests should be automated. To get the most value out of automation, only automate the most important business cases and scenarios.

Also a high number of automated tests adds maintenance cost and difficult to maintain.

Another note to bear in mind, is that not all tests can be automated. Some tests are very complex in nature and require many downstream system checking and can be inconsistent. In these cases, it is best to leave these checks for manual testing.

AlexQin

Use Test Techniques in Test Automation

The test techniques that you learned in ISTQB, are not just for manual testing. They are also applicable to automated testing. Techniques such as Boundary Value Analysis, Equivalence Partitioning, State Transition Testing, Pairwise Testing can provide a lot of benefits in automated testing.

AlexQin

Don’t Automate Chaos

In order to get the most out of your automated testing, a good QA process should be in place. If the QA process is chaotic and we add automated testing to that chaos, all we get is faster chaos.

Try to answer questions like, What to automate, When to automate, When to execute the automated tests, Who shall automate the tests, What tools should be used for test automation, etc…

These tips are gathered mostly from experience as an Automation Tester and some good practices followed by others.

Do you have any Test Automation Tips to be added to this list?

AlexQin

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