A Software Developer’s Guide to the Top Test Automation Best Practices

There are numerous reasons why test automation cultivates company success. Understanding how to correctly conduct test automation best practices is crucial if you want to successfully facilitate different operations within your organization and boost your company’s ROI (return on investment). 

If your customers have been experiencing bugs or your software developers struggle with new features, you may want to consider hiring third-party software testing services like these. 

However, you may opt to conduct in-house automated software testing in hopes of assuming complete control, cutting costs, and clearing cultural roadblocks. If your plan of action depends on in-house test automation, you may be wondering how to get started. Here’s a guide to the top test automation best practices to shorten development processes and improve your software quality. 

Look at the test automation factors within your company

When establishing a test automation culture, you must first look at the three main factors: product, people, and process.

Choosing the right test automation product determines the success of automation practices. To find a reliable automation technology, narrow down which applications you plan to use and how easy the program is to operate.

Next, consider the people. Who will run your test automation? When developing a group or team for test automation, find experienced professionals who possess an adequate understanding of your business needs and effectively take heed to your instructions.

Finally, factor in the process. Setting up the format for test automation and adjusting schedules and management accordingly is of utmost importance to the test automation process.

Find a dedicated Automation Engineer or team

Instead of requesting manual testers to conduct the test automation, find dedicated resources.

It’s to build a test automation team that consists of at least one automation architect and several automation engineers. The size and quantity of your products determine the number of automation engineers needed. 

Automation testing is essential, but don’t solely rely on this practice

It’s important to remember that automation tools don’t solve every problem. Automation testing makes the solving process simpler and more accessible, but you must obtain skilled resources to finalize the process.

If the team starts to rely on these tests too much, it can do more harm than good. Keep in mind that not all tests are automated or can be automated. That’s why it’s vital to incorporate exploratory testing.

Understand the application undergoing testing

The technologies used in your product determines which tools you should select. Make sure you understand the applications you plan on using before initiating the test automation.

If you plan on automating a desktop application, identify which language it’s founded on. If you’re using a web application, determine what the supported browsers are. Additionally, know if any third-party controls are operating within the application. 

Understanding these aspects will help you accurately and effectively select the proper automation tool.

Final Thoughts

To get the most out of your automated testing, ask yourself the right questions beforehand. If you find yourself not knowing what questions to ask or not knowing the answers, operations quickly get out of hand, and adding automated testing to that chaos only makes matters worse.

For optimal success, prepare solutions for questions like: 

• What tools should be used for test automation?
• When should I execute the automated tests?
• What should I automate?
• Who should automate the tests?
• When should I automate?

After covering your bases and proactively prepping for the curveballs, your development team will be on the fast track to success.