A result oriented automation testing strategy is the need of the hour. The dynamic technology landscape has warranted a change in the current automation approach. The standard approach that focusses on the happy path of test scenario with minimum set of data (only on positive data) is beset with pitfalls. The faulty design, failure in proper classification of test scenario, poor error handling mechanism and over reliance on tool features further contribute to the overarching failure reports.
Testing automation is gaining credence as more and more organizations are moving to agile methodologies and DevOps for software development. When the focus is to release a quality product at a faster pace, testing need to start early in software development cycle along with faster and repeatable processes. Standard approaches fail to grasp these concepts early on.
Moreover, frequent failures and longer development times increase frustration within the testing team and regress to manual testing. This should be avoided at all costs.
Result oriented automation testing is the goal
It is important to interweave result oriented automation testing into your project strategy to enable faster time-to-market, reduction in testing efforts and cost-effective processes.
Focussing on results also involves navigating through the Open Source challenges. Open source tools need refined skills to manage frequent up-gradation and changing plug-ins. Moreover, Open tools provide only basic features necessitating the use of third-party plugins. In spite of the challenges, open source tools like Selenium form the bulwark of testing automation.
Organizations can leverage open source tool capabilities with low TCOs with a robust and scalable Test Automation Framework.
Developing a test automation framework is the key
With emerging complexities and tools like Selenium, the importance of a Testing Automation framework is becoming paramount. It is the sum total of all the best practices of test automation that includes set assumptions, experience, concept approaches, pre-defined structure and standard templates. A great test automation framework eliminates complexities in automation using Selenium.
A test automation framework is an essential foundation for future testing wherein skilled personnel can build complex framework components which will help to develop the automation scripts at higher maturity levels of the project. A scalable framework is customized for diverse projects.
However this necessitates the organization to focus on framework maintenance as well. A common grouse among testers are the loss of direction within the organization to manage the validity of the framework. Automation scripts become obsolete within a short span of time. According to automation experts, scripts that are idle for a build cycle or go through functionality changes should be reworked. Otherwise, it will negate the objectives of a result oriented automation testing.
There are ready-made Test Automation Frameworks available in the market. A generic but cutomizable framework is the best match for any development environment.
Automation testing is extremely essential to maintain the integrity of the software development cycle. With more and more organizations moving in to DevOps, manual testing does not fulfil the requirements of moving in tandem with the development process and faster go-to-market requirements. However, automation is an on-going process and undergoes frequent customization. This brings out the best result.
