Establish a Comprehensive Testing Strategy for Agile and Automation

The growing use of Agile methodologies in global software development necessitates a testing paradigm that keeps up with its rapid pace. Though not originally designed for Agile, test automation is now an essential component of its testing framework. Automated testing, which is integrated as a core aspect in Agile workflows, is becoming increasingly important in the realm of continuous deployment, providing immediate feedback critical for app health assessment.

Consistent, rapid automated tests ensure reliable outcomes, demanding a focus on verifications during feature development. Aligning development and testing as a cohesive entity from inception embeds quality seamlessly, verifying functionality while safeguarding existing features.

Why Do We Need an Agile Test Automation Strategy?

An effective agile test automation strategy is imperative due to the demand for adaptability. Agile methodologies emphasize rapid, iterative processes, demanding a testing approach that matches this speed while upholding quality. Automation, a cornerstone of efficiency, amplifies testing effectiveness but demands a customized strategy to maximize its benefits. A well-defined test automation strategy determines automation success, requiring dedicated planning to avoid losing focus and ensuring optimal results.

Without a well-defined automation strategy, several pitfalls can emerge:

1. Loss of Business Value

When a test automation framework fails to contribute measurable business value, the return on investment becomes minimal. Organizations prioritize initiatives that directly impact their bottom line; lacking a clear Test Automation ROI diminishes support for automation efforts. An effective strategy should ensure that the automation framework generates substantial business value, surpassing initial expectations.

2. Lack of Direction

An automation strategy provides an overarching vision and long-term objectives. Without this guiding framework, there’s a risk of adopting multiple tools haphazardly, resulting in frequent tool changes or abandonment.

3. Incorrect Technology Selection

The absence of an automation strategy often leads to choosing ill-suited tools and technologies. Opting for the wrong tech stack can create enduring challenges, potentially necessitating a complete overhaul in the future.

4. Risk Blindness

An automation strategy performs a critical role in anticipating and mitigating risks associated with test automation. It encompasses risk assessment, optimization approaches, workarounds, and alternative solutions. Without a strategy in place, the lack of insight into potential risks could lead to unforeseen challenges, leaving you scrambling for solutions when issues surface, often at a stage where rectification becomes exceedingly difficult.

Optimizing Test Automation Strategies for Effective Testing

Test automation strategy aims to streamline by reducing the volume of automated GUI tests. Although GUI-based automated testing effectively simulates user interactions, it faces several drawbacks:

• Sluggish page load times significantly prolong the overall testing duration, impeding prompt developer feedback.
• Tests relying on HTML locators become fragile, incurring high maintenance costs due to failures when IDs change.
• Limited validation occurs as the GUI might not exhibit all web response data, constraining thorough feature verification.

GUI automated tests exhibit poor Return on Investment (ROI) due to these challenges. The focus is on minimizing browser tests, concentrating on replicating user behaviors and end-to-end scenarios for comprehensive system testing.

Agile development’s continuous delivery minimizes testing iterations, challenging effective automation within QA. Consequently, shorter, rapid regression tests hinder testers in identifying, rectifying, and validating products efficiently.

Allocating sufficient time, particularly to automation testing, resolves this dilemma. Running parallel tests optimizes time, uplifting team morale, productivity, and quality, enabling testers to conduct deeper exploratory tests and debugging. This approach enhances overall testing effectiveness.

Best Practices to Build an Agile Test Automation Strategy

Define Goals

Before commencing automation, clarity regarding long-term and short-term test automation goals is crucial. It’s imperative to establish a roadmap and engage with upper management and stakeholders. Key considerations include reasons for choosing automation, expected business value or ROI, automation scope, a high-level delivery procedure, planned automation percentage (quarterly, for instance), and the ultimate automation objective.

Test Approach Planning

Automation often gets mistaken for end-to-end testing, but a structured approach involves creating test pyramids. Unit Testing forms the core of automation, reducing false failures and regression risks. It’s essential for new features, with coverage typically at 80–90%. Integration/ API Testing ensures smooth business logic validation, while UI Testing focuses on visual elements for improved user experience. End-to-end testing replicates user behavior and necessitates maintenance for accuracy. Additionally, Cross Browser and Cross Platform Testing cater to diverse compatibility needs across devices and operating systems, requiring strategic planning for execution.

Framework Selection

Selecting the right framework, crucial after assessing business value, involves exploring diverse test automation frameworks. Linear frameworks like Record & Playback suit beginners but suffer limitations. Data-driven tests separate data from tests, ideal for changing data but demanding technical skills. Keyword-driven maps GUI actions to keywords, aiding code reuse but requiring time and tech expertise. POM, Modular, Library, BDD, and Hybrid frameworks offer various merits and challenges, emphasizing adaptability and technical proficiency for optimal use.

Tool Evaluation

Carefully assess testing tools to find the best fit for your organization, not just the market’s top tool. Consider scope, functionality, platform support, cost, and community backing. Evaluate through a Proof of Concept (POC), integrate with CI/CD for DevOps alignment, and present unbiased facts to management for informed decision-making.

Test Automation Environment

Establish absolute clarity on the storage of test data, execution venues for automation, report archival and dissemination procedures, as well as the duration of report retention. Identify the specific validation environments (e.g., dev, staging, production) and configure pipeline triggers aligning with DevOps practices.

Risk Analysis

Thoroughly assess and communicate risks to management in automation testing, considering tool choice and strategies. For instance, creating unique credentials or utilizing production environments poses potential risks. Develop robust mitigation plans for potential issues, predicting automation-related risks and their corresponding mitigation strategies before commencing testing.

Team Strategy

This outlines the strategic planning for automation, detailing roles, such as team leads and points of contact. It suggests adopting the sprint-1 strategy for automation, incorporating test case reviews, and addressing how testing resources are allocated within teams, be it a separate automation team, a mix of manual and automation testers, or dedicated members in each scrum team.

Test Creation & Maintenance

Initiate script creation, determine feasible automation areas, and prioritize critical features for swift gains. Consistent execution of created test cases is vital, necessitating ongoing maintenance due to continual development. Establishing, executing, and sustaining becomes routine practice.

Execution Plans & DevOps Integration

Upon completion of test automation scripts, strategize their execution. Organize suites-smoke, regression, sanity-planning frequency; daily smoke, biweekly regression, etc. Feature-specific suites allow targeted testing after feature changes. Integration with DevOps streamlines tasks for both testers and developers, enabling independent execution and reporting.

Review & Improve

Continuously review test scripts to detect false failures and refine the test case creation process. This ongoing task extends beyond mere case creation-it involves adapting the automation strategy while aligning with the initial goals.

Success in test automation relies on a well-defined strategy and flawless execution. Therefore, crafting a meticulous automation strategy requires careful consideration, openness to feedback, and inclusive decision-making to ensure transparency and informed choices within the management team.

Conclusion

Owing to shifting requirements, limited information, technical constraints, or inadequate quality assessment, QA and testing teams in digital firms often grapple with balancing application stability and time-to-market. Ensuring a high-quality product is crucial for superior customer experiences and sustained business growth.

Collaborating with a trusted provider of test automation services can help in QA planning, estimation, and metric identification within sprints, fostering seamless integration of teams for heightened test coverage and swift deliveries.

Originally published at https://www.impactqa.com on December 5, 2023.