Key Elements for an Effective Test Automation Strategy

Some of the key reasons for application failure rate are bad user experience and inadequate testing. In the current digital landscape, various factors can undermine the performance of your application. At worst, you can even expect a data breach if the application is not rigorously tested!

Testing is multifaceted and covers an entire gamut of activities to ensure that the Application Under Test (AUT) performs flawlessly under pressure, is secure, and is robust for volatile market conditions.

The key is to build an effective test automation strategy to eliminate the errors that can be expected in manual testing. A Test Automation framework enables teams to cut down on costs and efforts in the testing process. Most importantly, it makes the process repeatable, which helps confirm the application’s functionalities.

It also adds the reusability factor, where the test automation framework can be reused for any other testing project when updated with new test cases.

Need for Test Automation strategy for an application’s efficiency

With the new age challenges, software testing is undergoing significant transformations. There is a severe need to deliver applications that can sustain the threats posed by Digital Transformation and meet customer expectations.

The rising significance of software testing, which is done on a constant basis along with the development teams, has been attributed to the Agile and DevOps approaches. Testing starts ahead in the Software Development Cycle and is critical in making the application market-ready.

The ultimate objective is to release a quality application at speed. This makes Test Automation inseparable from the Agile and DevOps approach, making the process faster and repeatable. It also improves the overall test coverage and reduces the software testing efforts.

In some cases, manual testing is not feasible, specifically for financial/e-commerce applications. Such applications have multiple users across various technology platforms and devices. How do you ensure performance and functional efficiency for such instances?

Test Automation helps add velocity to your regression tests, which is impossible to achieve with manual test execution. Nevertheless, complete automation is impossible, so your test automation strategy should contain a potent combination of manual and automated tests to make it more result-oriented.

Your test automation strategy must be result-oriented, and this is possible only by collaborating with an experienced partner or developing a strategy that fits well with your teams and organization at large. Is there a defined pathway for that? I guess not, but we can suggest the key elements that can lead to an effective test automation strategy.

Make your test automation strategy result-oriented.

Your team and organization have a plan for a particular project/application you are developing. Ultimately, the strategy must serve its purpose and help you attain your goals. Understanding and defining objectives for your test automation strategy is essential. This will help make the overall process and related activities result-oriented.

When you let your strategy be driven by objectives, you are setting up parameters to measure its success. The objectives could be different—faster time to market, rigorous regression testing, reduced testing efforts, enhanced test coverage, cost-effective testing, and more.

Work with a suitable test automation tool.

Multiple tools exist in the market—some are commercial tools, while some are popular Open-source free tools. For instance, Selenium Test Automation is gaining ground quickly due to its obvious benefits in the Test Automation space.

The tool you choose will depend on your testing objectives and requirements, as well as your budget. However, making the choice is critical.

Additionally, there are a few key parameters to consider while shortlisting and freezing on a tool: maintenance costs, training costs, renewal costs, support from the team, compatibility of the tool across platforms, and consistent performance across diverse projects.

Today, applications must run across various platforms/devices.

Is your tool offering such responsiveness and support? You can also consider onboarding an expert or setting up Test Automation Accelerators if the internal team is new or has minimal experience with test automation tools.

Are your test scripts reusable? Check and proceed.

One key reason for considering test automation is the reusable nature of test scripts. The idea is to build scripts and automation frameworks that can be implemented across functions. It is important that you consider this aspect in your test automation strategy.

Reusing the test scripts makes the process cost-effective and speeds up the process. Additionally, it helps add value to the framework, which can be optimized for other projects or testing across other device platforms.

Blend your test automation strategy within the application development plan.

Testing and the Agile and DevOps approaches have become integral aspects of the software development process, so the plan is all-encompassing. Your test automation strategy can be successful only when it blends effectively with your overall development plan.

The best approach is to build a strategy that aligns with your overall development and business goals. For instance, your goal is to build a secure application that collaborates with the entire vendor/third-party ecosystem.

So, depending on this objective, you will prioritize and structure your test automation strategy. The aim will be to secure the application/system and integrate it effectively with third-party systems/vendor interfaces.

Is a separate and expert team required for test automation? We think so.

A dedicated team can help build a test automation suite with the necessary resources and frameworks that align with the development objectives. Notably, the team will come with its expertise and capabilities in automating test scripts.

A dedicated team will be responsible for queries related to test automation, as it is a specialized zone that requires expertise for seamless execution and further maintenance of the test assets.

Is your team in sync with the test automation tool and strategy?

It is critical to select the tool by mapping it to the business objectives. However, it is crucial to map whether the tool is acceptable to the team. Acceptability has various levels.

Can the team work with the tool? Can they use various features of the tool and optimize it to enhance the testing efforts?

On the same lines, it is important to train the team on the tool and get them to try various features to help meet the business objectives, such as tracking bugs, building tests for effective regression testing, and much more.

This will help the organization reap the tool’s benefits and maximize ROI.

Do you need to build test scripts for automation in the long run?

Test automation aims to build an automation framework with scripts that need low maintenance. Today, testing and development requirements can change quickly, so your automation scripts might need numerous alterations. This script must change swiftly and align itself with the current testing needs.

So, this eliminates its relevance in the long term.

Is your Test Automation strategy unable to deliver the required results? Cigniti’s test automation strategy enables organizations to boost release velocity, reduce time to market, and reduce testing efforts, leading to higher return on investment (ROI).

Connect with us to build the essential elements for structuring a successful test automation strategy that aligns with your business objectives.