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To improve the quality of a software product built by developers, software testing is the key. Testing is essential to ensure that the end product delivered is stable and works according to the required specifications. As software testing plays a significant role in the delivery of the final product, it is necessary to consider that the testing process must involve accurate, exhaustive test cases and firm test strategy.



Test coverage has a huge impact on what is received as an end product. Efficient and apt test coverage covers all minute points &amp; areas, that many times go neglected. Complete test coverage should include scenarios on latency, speed, security, and usability. Hence, organizations always look for testers who can comprehend testing with precision and effectiveness. 



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#Common_TestnbspAutomation_Mistakes_QA_Teams_Tend_To_Make">1 Common Test&nbsp;Automation Mistakes QA Teams Tend To Make</a></li><li><a href="#1_Identifying_what_can_be_automated_and_not">2 1. Identifying what can be automated and not</a></li><li><a href="#2_Not_providing_proper_training_to_team_membersnbsp">3 2. Not providing proper training to team members&nbsp;</a></li><li><a href="#3_Lack_of_Supervision">4 3. Lack of Supervision</a></li><li><a href="#4_Not_paying_heed_to_your_Return_on_Investment_ROI">5 4. Not paying heed to your Return on Investment (ROI )</a></li><li><a href="#5_Automating_large_tasksnbsp">6 5. Automating large tasks&nbsp;</a></li><li><a href="#6_Use_of_Record_Playback_tools_for_scripting">7 6. Use of Record &amp; Playback tools for scripting</a></li><li><a href="#7_The_tool_is_chosen_just_because_it8217s_open-source">8 7. The tool is chosen just because it&#8217;s open-source</a></li><li><a href="#8_Other_common_test_automation_mistakesnbsp">9 8. Other common test automation mistakes&nbsp;</a></li><li><a href="#What_are_the_basic_principles_to_achieve_success_while_automating_a_process">10 What are the basic principles to achieve success while automating a process?</a></li><li><a href="#Tips_for_QA_team_members_to_achieve_a_good_success_rate_in_automationnbsp">11 Tips for QA team members to achieve a good success rate in automation&nbsp;</a></li><li><a href="#Tips_for_QA_Team_Leads_to_achieve_success_in_automation">12 Tips for QA Team Leads to achieve success in automation</a></li><li><a href="#Conclusion">13 Conclusion</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="common-test-automation-mistakes-qa-teams-tend-to-make">Common Test&nbsp;Automation Mistakes QA Teams Tend To Make</h2>



<h2 id="1-identifying-what-can-be-automated-and-not">1. Identifying what can be automated and not</h2>



For a tester, understanding what areas to automate and how it will help the organization is the basic rule of thumb for the success of test automation. If a tester fails to understand the primary goal of automating a process and what benefits it will bring to the organization, it would be a waste of money.



If you have no experience with automation, it’s difficult to decide which tasks to automate and which ones to execute manually. But it’s also a mistake going in without a plan. You need to have a clear understanding of automation and how it will affect daily tasks, cost and time in the long run.



<figure class="wp-block-embed-wordpress aligncenter wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-testsigma-blog"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="uGk4PZpoY7"><a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/when-to-choose-test-automation-framework-over-manual-testing/">When to Choose Test Automation Framework Over Manual Testing</a></blockquote><iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);" title="&#8220;When to Choose Test Automation Framework Over Manual Testing&#8221; &#8212; Testsigma Blog" src="https://testsigma.com/blog/when-to-choose-test-automation-framework-over-manual-testing/embed/#?secret=suCVZQefX0#?secret=uGk4PZpoY7" data-secret="uGk4PZpoY7" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>
</div><figcaption>How to determine which framework is right for your organization? </figcaption></figure>







<h2 id="2-not-providing-proper-training-to-team-members">2. Not providing proper training to team members&nbsp;</h2>



Organizations often fail to understand that making a change is easy, but making people accept the change and live with it is really very hard. This is where businesses struggle. They adopt automation without taking their team on board and don’t understand their employees who make or break the deal. 



There are two critical phases where you need to ensure your team is with you:



1. &nbsp; Training and adaptation



2. &nbsp; Testing and implementation of the automated solution



The introduction of any tool requires proper training of the tool to the members who will be using it. It should not be rolled out to the organization and asked to do hit and trial. The tools should be made familiar with a bunch of people and then once they are well versed with it they should train others.



The best way to do this is by offering training. Before enacting your automation strategy, <a href="https://www.visme.co/teams/training-and-development/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">create a training document</a> and have multiple meetings and workshops. It’s also helpful to host a testing session to ensure your staff fully understands the automated processes. 



<h2 id="3-lack-of-supervision">3. Lack of Supervision</h2>



Supervision is not limited to managing your staff and their roles during automating a project. Supervision also includes managing the entire project along with the automation process. Failure to manage your automated processes results in losing control of the project and impacts sales adversely. Supervisors should always monitor the automated process activity to ensure all processes are successful and if something goes wrong, they should be the first one to know and get the issue fixed.



<h2 id="4-not-paying-heed-to-your-return-on-investment-roi">4. Not paying heed to your Return on Investment (ROI )</h2>



Investment in automating a process is not limited to license purchase only, it may require much more investment such as :



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>Cost of implementation and installation</li><li>Extra tools and services</li><li>Hiring specialized staff</li><li>Running cost</li></ul>



For more insight on it,&nbsp; please refer to the link below:&nbsp;



<a href="https://www.thoughtworks.com/insights/blog/when-to-automate-and-why" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.thoughtworks.com/insights/blog/when-to-automate-and-why/</a>



<h2 id="5-automating-large-tasks">5. Automating large tasks&nbsp;</h2>



It’s a common perception, first to automate larger tasks. But, practically it is always better to automate smaller tasks first and focus on larger tasks later.



If you start automating the larger tasks first, it is going to be difficult and time-taking to complete. You also risk making serious errors and disrupting your whole process. Hence, it may lead to a loss of money.



What if you’re bogged down with multiple large projects. If automating them is the only solution, reorganize and prioritize these tasks into smaller chunks. Automate some parts of the task which you think are repetitive and work independently on the other parts. 



<h2 id="6-use-of-record-playback-tools-for-scripting">6. Use of Record &amp; Playback tools for scripting</h2>



Record and playback tools generate complex scripts that are difficult to understand and maintain. Record and play features should only be viewed as a way to generate skeletal scripts. It should not be used as a final step in automated script creation. When automation is newly introduced in any organization, many testers depend on record and playback for creating test scripts, as they are not well versed with the automation process and methodology. Effective and Efficient Automation Testing requires good knowledge of the system and the creation of simple scripts. When testing scripts are simple, they are easy to understand for everyone in the team. Such scripts are also easy to maintain and update for testers that are well aware of the module.



<h2 id="7-the-tool-is-chosen-just-because-it-s-open-source">7. The tool is chosen just because it&#8217;s open-source</h2>



Nowadays, Open source tools are being widely accepted in the market. But, selecting an open-source tool as it would be cost-saving should not be the only tool selection criteria.



Open-source tools require you to be well versed with technical skills. If any issue crops up while handling the tool, you won’t be able to get the support over the phone or mail from the vendor.&nbsp;



Open-source tools attract users as they have no licensing fees but they also come with some limitations. Some have limited functionality and may not give you all the features you need, so be very clear about what you require and how the tool will help you to automate your desired requirement.



Many organizations end up using both open-source and commercial tools together since the commercial tools can fill in any missing functionality that the open-source tools don&#8217;t have, and often add value on top of the open-source tools.



The article&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Many organizations end up using both open-source and commercial tools together since the commercial tools can fill in any missing functionality that the open-source tools don't have, and often add value on top of the open-source tools. The article&nbsp;Reluctance To Abandon Automated Tests And Switch To Scriptless Automation Testing discusses&nbsp;why new user-friendly scriptless automation testing tools are still a second thought.
 (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/blog/reluctance-to-abandon-automated-tests-switch-to-scriptless-automation-testing/" target="_blank">Reluctance To Abandon Automated Tests And Switch To Scriptless Automation Testing</a> discusses&nbsp;why new user-friendly scriptless automation testing tools are still a second thought. 



<figure class="wp-block-gallery columns-1 is-cropped"><ul class="blocks-gallery-grid"><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" width="4454" height="1144" src="https://testsigma.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Testsigma_Easy-scripting.jpg" alt="Testsigma_Easy Scripting" data-id="7683" data-full-url="https://testsigma.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Testsigma_Easy-scripting.jpg" data-link="https://testsigma.com/blog/8-top-test-automation-mistakes-and-tips-for-qa-teams-to-avoid-them/web-3/" class="wp-image-7683"><figcaption class="blocks-gallery-item__caption">Write simple reliable tests in Testsigma</figcaption></figure></li></ul></figure>



<h2 id="8-other-common-test-automation-mistakes">8. Other common test automation mistakes&nbsp;</h2>



The most common test automation mistakes which organizations tend to make while indulging in the fresh setup of automation process are:&nbsp;



<ol><li>Not understanding the benefits of automation</li><li>Not setting automation goals</li><li>Using automation to improve a bad process</li><li>Automating larger tasks as opposed to automating time-consuming tasks</li></ol>



Before you implement your automation strategy, understand these test automation mistakes and prevent making them. 



<h2 id="what-are-the-basic-principles-to-achieve-success-while-automating-a-process">What are the basic principles to achieve success while automating a process?</h2>



Some simple tips can be kept in mind while implementing automation:



1. Keep things simple. Do what is required. You should not overdo things to make it look fancy and complicated.



2. Doing simple things does not mean automating an easy process. It means you should take baby steps to achieve your automation goals. You may start automating with a simple feature, but it may happen that the final implementation of automation turns out to be complex.



3. The team should be cross-functional. You should not restrict the automation job either only with the testers or only with the developers. Each of the disciplines has to step into each other’s shoes to achieve automation of the project. This approach gives everyone an in-depth knowledge of the project and also the ability to tackle any technical issues that may arise.



4. Take your time to understand the application which you want to automate. Design it well to avoid technical mistakes.



5. Keep asking for feedback frequently from clients and testers to ensure the right product is being built.



6. Apply proper coding standards and practices. The design should be simple, try to keep the tests independent of each other. Consider factors like “maintainability” of the test suit.



7. Automation for a team is not just the implementation and maintenance, but it also includes the integration of the automated suite to Continuous Integration(CI). It requires testers to learn and adopt new skills, new tools, and technologies. 



<h2 id="tips-for-qa-team-members-to-achieve-a-good-success-rate-in-automation">Tips for QA team members to achieve a good success rate in automation&nbsp;</h2>



<ol><li>Each individual is responsible for their work product and its quality.&nbsp;</li><li>You should be responsible for your work, how to do, what to do and when to do. Team lead should not tell you what to do, every single day.</li><li>You should never hesitate in communicating, asking questions no matter even if you feel it is irrelevant, raise concerns, red-flags or issues as soon as they arise.</li><li>&nbsp;You should keep yourself updated and never stop learning.</li></ol>



<h2 id="tips-for-qa-team-leads-to-achieve-success-in-automation">Tips for QA Team Leads to achieve success in automation</h2>



<ol style="padding-bottom: 10px"><li>Establish strong processes and train your associates in such a way that they can work independently with minimum or no supervision</li><li>Consider the team’s opinion on timelines, schedules, effort estimations, and planning.</li><li>You should be approachable to the team for any type of communication.</li><li>Be a team player and share responsibilities.</li></ol>



<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="3001" height="828" data-id="4652" src="https://testsigma.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Shift-Left-Testing_Testsigma.jpg" alt="Scriptless Test Automation_Testsigma" class="wp-image-4652"/></figure>
</figure>







<h2>Conclusion</h2>



In a competitive market, where the client demands high-quality products with fast-paced delivery, automation surely helps, if chosen wisely. Before automating any process, understand the requirement well, find out the limitations, list down all requirements that can be automated.



Once the requirements are thoroughly understood, then comes the crucial part of tool selection. While selecting the <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/select-right-automation-testing-tool/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Once the requirements are thoroughly understood, then comes the crucial part of tool selection. While selecting the right test automation tool, always focus on return on investment, time-saving on the process, cost-saving and overall benefits it brings to organizations. (opens in a new tab)">right test automation tool</a>, always focus on return on investment, time-saving on the process, cost-saving and overall benefits it brings to organizations. 



You should not just run behind automation and think it would create magic and help in faster delivery of the product. Wisely select the areas of automation, have a clear test strategy and test plan. Start automating a smaller module, everyday repetitive activities and focus on larger modules later to avoid the common test automation mistakes we are likely to make.



To excel in the world of automation, you should keep <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="You should not just run behind automation and think it would create magic and help in faster delivery of the product. Wisely select the areas of automation, have a clear test strategy and test plan. Start automating a smaller module, everyday repetitive activities and focus on larger modules later. To excel in the world of automation, you should keep upgrading your&nbsp; testing skillsets, taking challenges and never giving up. (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/blog/top-20-websites-for-online-automation-testing-courses-and-certifications/" target="_blank">upgrading your testing skillsets</a>, take up challenges and never give up!

Few mistakes to not make in test automation_Testsigma

8 Top Test Automation Mistakes And Tips For QA Teams to Avoid Them

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12 Latest Software Test Automation Trends To Look For

<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#What_is_Testing">1 What is Testing?</a></li><li><a href="#What_is_a_Testing_Framework">2 What is a Testing Framework?</a></li><li><a href="#What_is_an_Agile_Testing_Framework">3 What is an Agile Testing Framework?</a></li><li><a href="#Does_an_Agile_Testing_Framework_need_to_be_agile_itself">4 Does an Agile Testing Framework need to be agile itself?</a></li><li><a href="#What_makes_a_good_Agile_Testing_Framework">5 What makes a good Agile Testing Framework?</a><ul><li><a href="#Common_vocabulary">5.1 Common vocabulary</a></li><li><a href="#Test-driven_development">5.2 Test-driven development</a></li><li><a href="#Different_tests_for_different_teams">5.3 Different tests for different teams</a></li><li><a href="#Domain_experts">5.4 Domain experts</a></li><li><a href="#Exploratory_testing_and_Extreme_Roleplays">5.5 Exploratory testing and Extreme Roleplays</a></li><li><a href="#Tests_Organization">5.6 Tests Organization</a></li><li><a href="#Sprint_demos">5.7 Sprint demos</a></li><li><a href="#User_facing_documentation">5.8 User facing documentation</a></li></ul></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="what-is-testing">What is Testing?</h2>



Testing is the process of finding defects in a product/process to notify behaviour that isn’t acceptable for a user, to highlight how much of the product conforms to the expectations and what are the deviations. Testing ensures the quality of a product and forms a major component of the Software Development Life Cycle.&nbsp;



<h2 id="what-is-a-testing-framework">What is a Testing Framework?</h2>



A testing framework is a set of rules that define how to do the testing. It incorporates tools and practices that can make testing easier, effective and efficient. Broadly, it provides the pillars on which testing can be planned and executed.



<h2 id="what-is-an-agile-testing-framework">What is an Agile Testing Framework?</h2>



Agile is all about embracing the fact that change is constant. Software products that follow Agile Methodology are always on the roller coaster ride of constantly changing requirements, technical stack, timelines, deliverables, etc.



For software developed using Agile methodology, small iterations of the product are built and evolved at regular intervals(called sprints). These small iterations of the product also need to be tested to ensure that quality issues are identified and resolved timely.



A framework that enables testing of these small iterations of the product makes for an Agile Testing Framework.



<h2 id="does-an-agile-testing-framework-need-to-be-agile-itself">Does an Agile Testing Framework need to be agile itself?</h2>



Yes. As the product adapts to the changes getting introduced, the same needs to be done for its testing framework. The testing framework for an agile product needs to be constantly revisited to weed out obsolete tasks and practices and incorporate new ones. Also, not all components of the framework are needed from the start. You have to add and remove from the framework as per the need.&nbsp;



Also, you should start thinking about testing from the beginning. Not only in the Development Phase, testing should be incorporated in the Requirements and Design Phase also. More about this on &#8216;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Also, you should start thinking about testing from the beginning. Not only in the Development Phase, testing should be incorporated in the Requirements and Design Phase also. More about this on 'Is your automation testing tool ready for Shift Left testing?' The nature of testing performed in these phases could be a bit different. For example, in the Requirements Phase, testing could be related to business analysis. (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/blog/test-automation-tool-ready-for-shift-left/" target="_blank">Is your automation testing tool ready for Shift Left testing?</a>&#8216;



The nature of testing performed in these phases could be a bit different. For example, in the Requirements Phase, testing could be related to business analysis.



In the Feasibility Analysis phase, testing could be related to legal and technical analysis. In the Design phase, testing could be related to user acceptance and security. In the Development phase, testing could be actual unit testing, smoke testing, acceptance testing, performance testing, stress testing, etc.&nbsp;



<h2 id="what-makes-a-good-agile-testing-framework">What makes a good Agile Testing Framework?</h2>



An Agile Testing Framework should be good enough to cover the breadth and depth of a product. Following are some of the features that are crucial for a good Agile Testing Framework:



<h3 id="common-vocabulary">Common vocabulary</h3>



The business and technical teams must share the same vocabulary for terms and concepts related to the product even if it means developing a few new words. Using a common vocabulary eases communication among different teams and even within the same team.



<h3 id="test-driven-development">Test-driven development</h3>



Having a test case that defines the expected behaviour even before the behaviour is implemented helps in clear understanding. You precisely know what should be implemented and are not biased by the implementation details. As long as the test fails, you know the behaviour is not correct. As soon as the test passes, you know you are on the right track. Here the preciseness of the test becomes very important. Identifying what all should be verified as a part of the test to ensure correct implementation of the behaviour is critical. At the same time, care needs to be taken to keep the test easily maintainable, loosely-coupled with the system and finite scope so that it doesn’t end up testing everything or nothing useful.



<h3 id="different-tests-for-different-teams">Different tests for different teams</h3>



Different teams on the product should have different testing criteria for the product. The way business teams test the product is and should be different from the way technical teams test the product. Business teams are better aware of the user scenarios and can better judge the product for user acceptance. Similarly, technical teams are better aware of the implementation details of the product and can better test the code quality through unit tests.



<h3 id="domain-experts">Domain experts</h3>



It is good to have domain experts, as needed, on the team. Domain experts, be it business experts or security experts can provide a different viewpoint for the product. The way business experts aren’t good with technical details, the technical team is not good with the business domain. Having business experts regularly review the product deliverables helps to bring in crucial feedback for the product that could be hard to incorporate towards the end of the product development. Also, business experts are more likely to take the product iterations to customers and gather feedback that can prove crucial in shaping the product further. Similarly, security experts on the team can help close security loopholes in the product early on. Keeping security in mind from the start is important. Following security guidelines while designing the product can help in avoiding flaws that can prove fatal later.&nbsp;



<h3 id="exploratory-testing-and-extreme-roleplays">Exploratory testing and Extreme Roleplays</h3>



Testing is more about mindset, less about a job. As you become familiar with a product, your testing skills start getting influenced by the knowledge of the product. You start making assumptions on how it should be used, which means that you won’t try to use the product differently. This leaves out the scope for testing the product with a different user’s perspective.



 A user who is a novice (like Charlie Chaplin) may have a different approach for using the product than a user who is fond of pushing the product to extreme limits while using it (like Big Bunny who is known for breaking the products).



 Users from different levels or background may approach and expect the product to behave in different ways. Performing such extreme role-plays during testing can help in identifying issues with the product that cannot be noticed otherwise.



<h3 id="tests-organization">Tests Organization</h3>



When you are dealing with a large number of test cases, that span across teams and domains, daily, it becomes crucial to organize them in a trackable manner. <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/the-unpleasant-phenomenon-in-agile-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Agile Testing</a> Matrix could be of help here as it not only provides a skeleton to organize the test cases but also becomes the guide to understand the purpose and objective of the test cases.



This is how a basic Agile Testing Matrix looks like:



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/PbgwQjB2xsrY22Ls_FahSnrw-6o-HiVWn0ZAcEKcaoGMqeK-nKScOY3fkmdL8ezsnhuPFfFs3ms9EhhRsFnNn2l4JluFFOvWbtegTb9UzKaeyIhNuRHPhnZdeHsbUpPSFZVJUdNH" alt="Testsigma - Tests Organization" /></figure></div>



<figcaption>Source:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.exampler.com/old-blog/2003/08/21.1.html#agile-testing-project-1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">http://www.exampler.com/old-blog/2003/08/21.1.html#agile-testing-project-1</a></figcaption>



When you try to fill in this matrix with your test cases classified as unit tests, functional tests, acceptance tests, security tests, etc. you tend to realize what purpose each test case is serving for the product and how strongly your test cases are covering the product quality.



With the help of this matrix you can eventually also see which areas of the product have the least focus from a quality perspective and that can give you guidance on where to channelize your testing efforts.



<h3 id="sprint-demos">Sprint demos</h3>



Small iterations of the product built every sprint should be regularly demonstrated to the technical and business teams to check the gaps between what is expected and what is coming out. This helps in catching and correcting any differences in expectations and deliverables early on. Sprint demos also help in building confidence in the team for what they are building. It becomes easier to look at the overall picture when things translate from imagination to real-world and you start seeing some essential pieces of the structure. Sprint demos help achieve that.



<h3 id="user-facing-documentation">User facing documentation</h3>



Although it can be argued that user-facing documentation is/should not be the responsibility of the technical team, the truth is that documentation plays an important role in user experience. Documentation is the go-to place for a user with doubts/queries. When you write and/or review the documentation from a user’s perspective who is not aware of the internal details of the product, you can often see the missing pieces and problems.When you are making someone else understand, your understanding becomes better at what should be, why it should be and where it should be. This helps in identifying a different set of issues with the product, which could then be categorized as bugs or feature enhancements



Agile methodology helps in building products faster but a velocity without quality has no significance.&nbsp; Quality should be held as most important. To achieve velocity with quality, every team member should be concerned about quality. Be it design discussions or actual development of the product, every team member should wear the testing hat and notify issues early. The objective of a product is to serve quality and quality should be everyone’s responsibility.



Further Reading:<a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/agile-scrum-methodology-best-practices-agile-teams/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Further Reading: Top 13 Best Practices For Agile Teams (opens in a new tab)"> Top 13 Best Practices For Agile Teams</a>



References



<a href="https://agilealliance.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://agilealliance.org/</a>



<a href="https://agilemanifesto.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://agilemanifesto.org/</a>



<a href="http://www.exampler.com/old-blog/2003/08/21.1.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">http://www.exampler.com/old-blog/2003/08/21.1.html</a>

Understanding the Agile Testing Framework

Agile Scrum Methodology | 13 Best Practices For Agile Teams

Agile Scrum Methodology | A Comprehensive Guide to 13 Best Agile Practices

We need to follow test automation best practices as software gets more sophisticated. Recently, top QA consultancy companies QASymphony and TechWell surveyed mid-size and large-size enterprises for insights into the QA Automation trends. They found that most organizations(76%) were automating less than half of their test cases.



However, almost half of these enterprises expect to automate 50% of the test cases by this year. In general, 92% of organizations, including startups and large enterprises, perform some automation with the help of tools. You can find the full report here.



The benefits are huge and rewarding if automated testing is practiced diligently with proper planning. The ROI increases exponentially with time if we follow top test automation best practices.



However, it does not mean that we can depend on automated testing completely and bid goodbye to manual testing. The overall software testing process will always include a mix of manual and automation test cases to achieve high quality and better speed with optimum use of resources. In this blog, we will discuss 9 top test automation best practices.



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#9_Test_Automation_Best_Practices_to_Follow">1 9 Test Automation Best Practices to Follow</a><ul><li><a href="#1_Automation_is_the_second_step_not_the_first">1.1 1. Automation is the second step, not the first</a></li><li><a href="#2_Identify_ideal_test_cases_for_automated_testing">1.2 2. Identify ideal test cases for automated testing</a></li><li><a href="#3_Stability_of_Environment_and_Application_Under_TestAUT">1.3 3. Stability of Environment and Application Under Test(AUT)</a></li><li><a href="#4_Choose_the_right_test_automation_tool">1.4 4. Choose the right test automation tool</a></li><li><a href="#5_Use_Data-driven_Tests">1.5 5. Use Data-driven Tests</a></li><li><a href="#6_Create_tests_that_are_resistant_to_UI_changes">1.6 6. Create tests that are resistant to UI changes</a></li><li><a href="#7_Divide_and_conquer_testing_efforts">1.7 7. Divide and conquer testing efforts</a></li><li><a href="#8_Test_on_real_devices">1.8 8. Test on real devices</a></li><li><a href="#9_Early_and_frequent_testing">1.9 9. Early and frequent testing</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Why_are_Test_Automation_Best_Practices_important">2 Why are Test Automation Best Practices important?</a></li><li><a href="#Conclusion">3 Conclusion</a></li><li><a href="#Frequently_Asked_Questions">4 Frequently Asked Questions</a><ul><li><a href="#1_How_do_you_Automate_QA_Testing">4.1 1. How do you Automate QA Testing? </a></li><li><a href="#2_How_do_you_ensure_your_automated_tests_are_reliable_and_maintainable">4.2 2. How do you ensure your automated tests are reliable and maintainable?</a></li></ul></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="9-test-automation-best-practices-to-follow">9 Test Automation Best Practices to Follow</h2>



So, let&#8217;s look at some top automated testing practices we can follow while automating the test cases for a happy automated testing experience.



<h3 id="1-automation-is-the-second-step-not-the-first">1. Automation is the second step, not the first</h3>



We cannot directly start automating new software. The first step is to have a stable and well-designed manual testing process and right test cases in place. When the environment, development code and manual test processes gain stability, we can start thinking about bringing automated testing in the project. Hence, the test cases which are ideal for automated testing can be selected with the help of manual testers and put in automated testing which frees up manual test engineers&#8217; time for more human attention specific tasks, such as usability testing, exploratory testing, and ad-hoc testing.



So, how do we identify which cases to be automated? Let’s find out in the next point.



<h3 id="2-identify-ideal-test-cases-for-automated-testing">2. Identify ideal test cases for automated testing</h3>



Though 100% of the test cases present in any project can be automated, it does not imply that they should be automated. We need to be very careful while selecting the ideal cases for automation. Otherwise, we may lose time and money on creating scripts for the cases which are rarely run.



Below test cases could be picked up for automation because of their repetitive nature:



a. <a href="https://testsigma.com/regression-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Regression Testing</a>



We need to ensure that the new code changes have not introduced any new defects in the code. Execution of the regression test cases manually could be time-consuming and a mundane task for the manual test engineer. That is why regression test cases become the best for automated testing. The test engineer can use the time for other more useful tasks that require manual attention, e.g., exploratory testing. 



b. <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/smoke-testing/">Smoke Testing</a>



Whenever a new build is released for testing, smoke testing is performed to ensure that the critical functionalities of the product are checked. Since these tests are run after each build, they are good candidates for automated testing. Most smoke tests are integrated with Continuous Integration(CI) tools like Jenkins to run them automatically whenever the development team releases a new build. 



c. <a href="https://testsigma.com/data-driven-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Data-Driven Testing</a>



Data-driven testing involves running data stored in several file formats like CSV, Excel, DB tables, and JSON files through the same code multiple times. 



(i) Reduction in testing time Data-driven testing is time-consuming when done manually. Automated testing considerably reduces the testing time whenever a <a href="https://testsigma.com/guides/test-scenario/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">test scenario</a> changes. Only the file where data is stored needs to be changed. 



(ii) High-quality test data The data we use for data-driven testing should be high quality and easily maintainable. Otherwise, if we are using just filler data or data that is difficult to maintain later with requirement changes, our purpose of automation will be lost.



Want to know the benefits of Data-Driven Test Automation? Check out &#8211; <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/top-benefits-of-data-driven-test-automation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Top Benefits of Data-Driven Test Automation</a>



d. Difficult manual test cases



The manual test cases which are difficult to execute, for instance, cases involving many numerical calculations, are ideal for automated testing. Since they consume the manual tester&#8217;s time, it is better to leave such calculations to the automation scripts and make better use of the saved time. In short, the test cases repeating in nature are the best choice for automated testing.



Get to know &#8211;<a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/how-to-convert-manual-test-cases-into-automated-test-cases-and-why/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">How To Convert Manual Test Cases Into Automated Test Cases And Why</a>



<h3 id="3-stability-of-environment-and-application-under-test-aut">3. Stability of Environment and Application Under Test(AUT)</h3>



The environment and application should be stable so that the automation scripts provide consistent results.



<ol><li>Stable AUT: If the AUT is unstable and keeps changing, the QA team will have to rework automation scripts in every release. This will diminish the purpose of automated testing. Hence, ensure the application is stable before starting with automated testing.</li><li>Stable Environment: If the environment is unstable, the actual result will vary from the expected result on every automated test run. In this case, it won&#8217;t be easy to verify the correctness of the test run and then eventually debug it.</li></ol>



<h3 id="4-choose-the-right-test-automation-tool">4. Choose the right test automation tool</h3>



The next crucial factor in automated testing is choosing the right<a href="https://testsigma.com/tools/software-testing-tools/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> software testing tool</a> for your application. There are currently plenty of automated testing tools, and it is very important to analyze them. Consider the below points before selecting the automated testing tool,



<ul><li>Type of application</li></ul>



Is your application type web, mobile, API, or desktop? This analysis is important as it will help you select the best fit.



<ul><li>Platform support</li></ul>



Will the application run on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, or iOS? Check if the tool allows you to run your tests across multiple platforms and versions.



<ul><li>Skillset required</li></ul>



Scripted testing tools require the testers to be strong in programming languages like Java, Python, Ruby, Perl, etc. One test engineer may be well versed in one language and unaware of the other. Hence, it is important to discuss with the QA team if they are comfortable with the language and the automated testing tool.&nbsp;



On the contrary, scriptless testing tools like Testsigma allow testers to create and run automated testing using low-code techniques. That is, testers need not write any test code to create automated tests. This makes test automation accessible for both technical and non-technical users in the project.&nbsp;



Also, Testsigma is a unified cloud-based AI-driven low-code testing platform that allows you to run web, mobile, API, and desktop apps in one place.



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<h3 id="5-use-data-driven-tests">5. Use Data-driven Tests</h3>



Using quality test data is crucial to ensure accurate and efficient testing. That is, with the help of realistic test data, you can simulate real-world scenarios, thus mimicking actual user interactions.&nbsp;



Use both valid and invalid (positive and negative) test data to make sure the app behaves as expected for any type of input. Also, this helps you achieve high test coverage as you cover most of the user scenarios.



Testsigma supports <a href="https://testsigma.com/data-driven-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">data-driven testing</a> allowing you to test across a wide range of test data, thereby helping you get high test coverage and test accuracy.&nbsp;



<h3 id="6-create-tests-that-are-resistant-to-ui-changes">6. Create tests that are resistant to UI changes</h3>



Create automated tests that are resistant to changes in the UI to maintain the stability and reliability of your test suite. If your UI changes drastically after creating automated tests, then your tests will fail. To prevent this, ensure your app&#8217;s UI is stable before creating and executing automated tests.&nbsp;



<h3 id="7-divide-and-conquer-testing-efforts">7. Divide and conquer testing efforts</h3>



Testing is a very important part of the SDLC cycle. It takes a good amount of time, effort, and resources for proper and efficient testing. Instead of assigning all the QA tasks to a single tester, divide and assign tasks to every QA tester to ensure every module is properly tested in a given time. This helps prevent testing gaps, and you can cover most of the test scenarios.&nbsp;



Using a scripted testing tool will requires the entire QA team to be strong in programming languages to create test code. This will consume a lot of time to train every tester in that particular language. You can avoid this with the help of scriptless testing tools like Testsigma.&nbsp;



<a href="https://testsigma.com/">Testsigma</a> allows testers to create automated tests that are similar to natural language with the help of NLPs and Recorder. No coding is required. Also, it supports Java for <a href="https://www.educative.io/answers/what-is-code-based-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">code-based testing</a>. So, both technical and non-technical members can collaborate and perform automated testing with this tool.



<h3 id="8-test-on-real-devices">8. Test on real devices</h3>



Use real devices to test your application to get accurate test results. Running your test across all devices manually is impossible and highly expensive. Automate your tests and use a real device cloud, that is you can run your automated tests across multiple real devices and platforms on the cloud.&nbsp;



Testsigma supports more than 3000+ real devices/tablets and 1000+ browser/OS combinations for comprehensive testing. No setup is required, just a one-click <a href="https://testsigma.com/signup">sign in</a> to test your web, mobile, API, and desktop apps across different devices, screen sizes, resolutions, platforms, and versions on the cloud.



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<h3 id="9-early-and-frequent-testing">9. Early and frequent testing</h3>



Start automation testing early in the development cycle and run tests frequently. This helps catch bugs earlier, saving time and cost compared to fixing them later in development or production.



<h2 id="why-are-test-automation-best-practices-important">Why are Test Automation Best Practices important?</h2>



Automated testing best practices are a must for any software development process that wants to assure quality and efficiency. They will help you avoid typical problems, enhance your test coverage, and at the end of the day make the user experience better.&nbsp; Following these best practices maximizes the benefits of automation and minimizes risks.



<h2 id="conclusion-1">Conclusion</h2>



Automated testing is an important aspect of SDL, but it&#8217;s essential to follow test automation best practices to get the most value out of your tests. Time, cost, quality, and risk mitigation are key points to be kept in mind when discussing SDLC. The perfect balance of these four factors does the actual magic. 



<h2 id="frequently-asked-questions">Frequently Asked Questions</h2>



<h3 id="1-how-do-you-automate-qa-testing">1. How do you Automate QA Testing? </h3>



As part of Test Automation Best Practices, you must know the following to automate QA testing:



<ul><li>Specify which parts of testing you need to automate.</li><li>Choose the right automation tool.</li><li>Plan the test automation strategy and setup environment.</li><li>Write and execute automated tests frequently.</li><li>Examine test results and maintain tests.</li></ul>



<h3 id="2-how-do-you-ensure-your-automated-tests-are-reliable-and-maintainable">2. How do you ensure your automated tests are reliable and maintainable?</h3>



You should make sure that your automated tests are reliable and easy to maintain. You can do it by focusing on clear and simple test design, using descriptive names, and keeping the test steps updated to match any changes in the application.



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Test Automation Best Practices – 9 Ways to Ensure Efficient Testing

A typical manual QA tester spends more than 50% of the time in testing the functionality of the application. A majority of time is spent in executing the same test cases multiple times for regression testing. If these repeatedly executed test cases can be automated, a lot of time and manual effort can be saved. 



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#What_is_Functional_Testing">1 What is Functional Testing?</a></li><li><a href="#What_is_Functional_Test_Automation">2 What is Functional Test Automation?</a></li><li><a href="#How_is_Functional_Test_Automation_in_the_Agile_World_different_as_compared_to_that_in_traditional_testing_models">3 How is Functional Test Automation in the Agile World different as compared to that in traditional testing models?</a></li><li><a href="#How_to_make_Functional_Test_Automation_successful_in_the_Agile_World">4 How to make Functional Test Automation successful in the Agile World?</a></li><li><a href="#Functional_Testing_Tools_that_can_prove_useful">5 Functional Testing Tools that can prove useful:</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="what-is-functional-testing">What is Functional Testing?</h2>



Functional Testing is concerned with verifying the functionality of all the features of an application under test(AUT). These functionalities are tested against the feature requirements making sure that all the requirements for a feature are implemented and working accordingly. 



Developers generally create unit tests for the code they write, but Functional Testing is usually the first testing done by the software testing team once a feature is ready for testing. Functional testing is also included at the time of regression testing done before the final release because the user will be first going through the workflow covered under the functional tests. Thus automating these tests becomes important. 







<h2 id="what-is-functional-test-automation">What is Functional Test Automation?</h2>



When the focus of test automation is functional tests, the process is called functional test automation. Most of the test cases automated here are black-box tests that aim to verify the functionality of a particular feature. This testing could be done for user interfaces, APIs, database, security, or any interface that needs some input and gives some output. 



<h2 id="how-is-functional-test-automation-in-the-agile-world-different-as-compared-to-that-in-traditional-testing-models">How is Functional Test Automation in the Agile World different as compared to that in traditional testing models?</h2>



In traditional testing models, different tasks related to development and testing happens one after the other and usually testing starts once the development is complete. This means that the testers do not have much productive work to do while development is in full swing and this also means that developers won’t have much to do while testing is going on unless there are a lot of bugs to fix. 



Agile Methodology provides a solution to these problems by breaking big tasks into small tasks that are doable in each sprint. This also means that a deliverable is supposed to be ready by the end of each sprint for evaluation. Following this strategy, testing also needs to be broken down into smaller tasks that can be taken up at each sprint. For this, functional test automation should start in parallel with development.







<h2 id="how-to-make-functional-test-automation-successful-in-the-agile-world">How to make Functional Test Automation successful in the Agile World? </h2>



An important <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/ux-testing-ux-lessons-learned-from-my-real-life-experiences-part-1/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">part in making functional test</a> automation successful is played by the test automation tool. Hence this tool should be chosen after carefully understanding the needs not only short term but long term too.&nbsp; 



Below mentioned points should give you an idea of how to go about it: 



<ol class="list_style_disc plr15" style="padding-left:0 !important"><li>Decide whether to use an already existing test automation framework or build one from scratch:</li>



At the moment, considering there are multiple options available for software test automation, it is recommended that you go through those options first and decide to build your tool from scratch only in case you are sure your application needs such an in-house framework.&nbsp;



An automation framework may need to be built from scratch if:



<ul class="list_style_disc" style="padding-bottom:20px"><li>the application under test uses a technology whose testing is not supported by any of the available tools in the market.&nbsp;</li><li>building a framework from scratch will prove more beneficial than investing in an already existing tool.</li></ul>



<li>The automation framework should give testers the ability to start with automation when the development starts:</li>



Any automation framework you choose should give your testers the ability to design test cases even before actual implementation is in place. Testers should be able to make those test cases work once the features are developed and ready for testing. 



<li>The low learning curve for creating new test cases:</li>



Time is also an investment in today’s world where software development and deployments are happening at breakneck speed. So, choosing a framework that could be learnt easily in a short time is a good investment to make. 



<li>The automated test cases should be easy to create/edit/maintain:</li>



Being developed in an Agile world, the application will go through multiple changes according to the client’s feedback. To keep up with all the changes with ease, an automation framework/tool is needed that enables easy test creation, edits and maintenance. The tool being used should also have the capability to reuse and regroup already created test steps. 



With the advent of AI, now there are tools available in the market that can automatically maintain test cases that fail due to changes in the application. 



<li>The test cases created under the test automation framework should be easy to understand:</li>



It is unsure if the same tester remains with you during the product’s lifecycle and is highly unlikely so make sure whatever framework you choose, the tests created are easy to understand. The tests should be easy since they need to be reworked on by someone who did not create them at some time. 



At present, there are multiple tools available in the market that automate test cases via plain English test steps or flowcharts or screenshots. You need to decide what best meets your requirements. 



<li>Easy to debug:</li>



If any of the automated test cases fail, there should be ample support in the tool to enable the testers to debug and find the cause of failure. If the tool does not make debugging easy, a lot of time could be spent just figuring out what caused the test case to fail. Some of the most sought out features that help to debug are: 



<ul class="list_style_disc" style="padding-bottom:15px"><li>Step by step execution</li><li>Ability to pause execution while debugging</li><li>Ability to take screenshots at the moment of failure</li><li style="padding-bottom:15px">Ability to skip steps while debugging</li></ul>



<li>Scope of integration with other tools if needed:</li>



There are a lot of stand-alone tools in the market starting with CI/CD tools to reporting tools. Before you start working on test automation, make sure the tool you use supports integration with the tools you may be planning to use or may have been already using.



Also, reporting should provide all the needed information in an easily understandable format. 



<li>Support for different types of Test Data:</li>



For different types of test cases, different types of test data could be needed. Sometimes hardcoded, sometimes passed through CSVs or JSON or XML or any other format. Make sure the tool you are using supports passing test data in the format you need. 



<li>Support for API testing:</li>



At present, APIs are the basis of development of functionalities for a lot of products. If your product also uses APIs, the test automation framework or functional testing tool you plan on using should support the automation of these.&nbsp; 



<li>Support for Visual Testing:</li>



Sometimes a need may arise to test the application visually for eg. for the presence or absence of components or text. The tool should have the support either for performing such testing or the ability to integrate with a tool that will allow testing the application visually. 



<li>Ability to run tests against all needed environments:</li>



These days applications are being released on all kinds of devices including desktops, laptops and mobile devices. The application must be tested on all the supported devices of all screen sizes and hence the support for testing on all needed environments should be verified before choosing a tool for automation. 



<li>Parallel execution of test cases:</li>



When the test cases are less in number, execution does not take much time and parallel execution support does not matter but once the number of automated test cases increase, which is bound to happen eventually. Without parallel execution, the execution of automated test cases can become quite cumbersome and may cause unnecessary delay in providing feedback. 



<li>Ability to host test cases on the cloud:</li>



Most of the companies these days use cloud infrastructure for all their development and testing needs and invest in minimal on-premise infrastructure. Thus, a tool that also enables the testers to host their test cases on the cloud and run them directly there can prove highly beneficial. 



<li>Support:</li>



Whatever tool/framework you decide to use, there will be times when you will come across a situation where external help will be needed. At such times, dedicated support for the tool being used becomes essential to make sure your functional test automation keeps going up without any interruption. 



<li>The automation should provide ROI:</li>



There is no point investing in a tool that takes up all your time in the automation of test cases first and then the maintenance of test cases later. Also, if for automation and for understanding the automated test cases you need to hire new resources with specific skills, which means additional investment in terms of money. And if the automated test cases are brittle and are failing most of the time, the contribution to quality can be considered as negligible.&nbsp; 



So, out of all the points above the most important point to consider is to use a functional testing tool that will give ROI in terms of time, money and quality eventually.&nbsp;







<h2 id="functional-testing-tools-that-can-prove-useful">Functional Testing Tools that can prove useful:</h2>



Considering the above requirements, there are a few tools in the market that meet the above requirements:



<ol><li style="padding-bottom:20px">Testsigma: Test cases can be written in plain English and the AI core ensures that the test cases are maintained automatically in most of the scenarios. The test cases are hosted on the cloud and could be executed on a wide range of devices that are again hosted on the cloud. The tool also supports integration with most of the widely used tools.</li><li style="padding-bottom:20px">TestComplete: Automation could be scriptless via keyword-driven testing or could be done by using supported scripting languages. The test cases could be run on a wide variety of browsers and mobile devices. The tool also supports integration with most of the widely used tools ranging from CI/CD to reporting.</li><li style="padding-bottom:50px">TOSCA: Automation is again scriptless(model-based approach) with easy automatic maintenance support.</li></ol>



 Refer this DZone article to know more about the different <a href="https://dzone.com/articles/scriptless-testing-is-not-just-record-and-playback?utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=feedpress.me&amp;utm_campaign=Feed:%20dzone%2Fdevops" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">functional test automation methods and tools</a> available.  



Thus, when you decide to implement functional test automation in your organization, even before choosing the tool to use, it is essential to understand all your requirements and goals end to end.

Criteria and Requirements of Functional Testing in an Agile World

Scriptless Automated Testing is not the same as Record and Playback