Nothing is more frustrating than funding a test automation project that results in endless time and resources to maintain , or worse, funding one that requires re-building after six months. Often a test automation strategy fails because the objectives were not identified early on or the scripting strategy excluded considerations for long-term maintenance.
To combat this, many companies implement a DevOps culture as a cornerstone within their test automation roadmap template. Because development and QA teams work closely together and alongside each other throughout the project, developers can respond faster to issues discovered by manual testing and QA automation tools earlier in the development cycle. And with both teams following a defined test automation roadmap template, the pattern of eliminating testing errors from your process becomes a habit.
But what does a successful QA checklist look like? How can your team incorporate a Selenium code review checklist within your development process? And what value can an automation script review checklist bring to your team?
To combat all these challenges faced during automation testing, we recommend following this automation testing checklist that can act as an automation test plan template for Selenium as well as any QA automation tools within your test automation suite.
The Test Automation Checklist
A strong automation checklist template in place is key within any successful test automation strategy. From an automation test plan template for Selenium to a solid automation testing checklist, any action that can be clearly defined and measurable should be included within your QA checklist.
Incorporate these QA automation testing tips for faster product releases by applying the following test automation assessment checklist to your strategy.
-
Kickoff Meeting: Schedule a meeting with your automation experts, development engineers and stakeholders to discuss the purpose, needs and plans for test automation. What requirements are essential for your test automation strategy to succeed? How can automation add value to your testing? In what ways can your team Reduce your automation backlog so that the project stays on track?
-
Requirements Collection: After defining the goals, needs and plan of your test automation strategy, set deadlines for your automation team to gather critical requirements for the project. This will enable your team to implement the most appropriate test automation methods. Requirements that should be collected during this process should include:
- Technology used for application development
- Product & domain knowledge (including functional specifications and product roadmap)
- Product architecture (including any specific back end hooks like APIs, Web Services or DB connectivity hooks)
- Automation tool preferences
- List of any challenges faced during any earlier efforts of automation
-
List of Use Cases: Ask your developers to provide a list of test cases and their priorities. In other words, how critical is each test case in ensuring that the product is ready for consumer use? While every test case provides value during the QA process, specific test cases executed earlier than others allow developers more time to fix any uncovered (and possibly expected) issue. With this prioritized list, the automation team can decide early on about the framework strategy and tool selection.
-
Test Automation Strategy Methodologies: Require your automation team to identify how the tests should be prepared, what test language to use, the test interface and the test data (inputs/outputs). Should your test automation strategy include record and replay, functional test automation, data-driven test automation, keyword-driven test automation or hybrid test automation? Defining this ensures a maintainable and portable automation solution.
-
Test Automation Tool Evaluation Checklist: Examine both paid and open-source automation tools to verify which testing tools best suit your application and your QA team. Not sure where to start? For step-by-step guidance on choosing automation tools, you can download our Guide to selecting the best automation tool.
-
Sign-Off: Review the use cases so that the automation team can propose an effort estimate for sign-off. Having a timeline (and a deadline) will help all your team members stay on track with their required deliverables. Keep in mind that DevOps upholds the standard that everyone is responsible for any released defects, so DevOps teams should include within their QA checklist everyone required for sign-offs as well as realistic time estimates.
-
Basic Framework: Develop the basic framework required for automating use cases. In other words, design an integrated system that sets the rules of test automation for your software product so that test results are accurate, consistent and accessible to everyone on the team. To do this, your automation team should ask:
- Is the code being developed scalable?
- Is the code being developed logical?
- Is the code being developed coherent?
- Is the code being developed reusable?
- Is the code being developed configurable?
- Is the code being developed maintainable?
-
Test Script Creation: Automate the use cases according to the previously established goals, carefully identifying the elements, creating the data, documenting the scripts and verifying.
-
Batch Execution & Analysis: In conjunction with test script creation, execute the scripts in batch so that the automation team can verify accurate interaction with the application and ensure no unexpected test script failures are related to synchronization issues.
-
Demo & Reporting: Once the suite is completed, present the final framework, automated tests and reports. This step may include the automation team training outside stakeholders to ensure future set-up and executions will be completed successfully.
During the test automation process, the team leads are updated with daily and weekly status reports. We also hold weekly conference call meetings which are used to discuss the team’s progress and any issues/challenges that need to be addressed before moving on. Consistent communication and structure creates an environment where maintainable, portable and extensible automation suites are built. Say goodbye to endless updates and maintenance. Plan ahead and build a test automation solution that works for the duration of your product development life cycle.
What Else Should You Include in Your Automation Checklist Template?
During the test automation process, the team leads are updated with daily and weekly status reports. Expect to hold weekly conference call meetings to discuss the team’s progress and any issues/challenges worth addressing. Plan ahead and build a test automation tool evaluation checklist that works for the duration of your product development life cycle.
How Do I Start Implementing a Test Automation Checklist?
A test automation strategy can only be as successful as the automation script review checklist and QA checklist in place. Without following a structured Selenium code review checklist during your development cycle, your software product is more prone to defects and code issues not detected until market release, especially when you don’t Choose the right automated functional testing tools for your product.
Ensure your test automation strategy is a success by partnering with a reliable QA service provider like QASource. Our team of testing experts specializes in all areas of Automation testing and can help your company structure a test automation assessment checklist within your development practices so that your product is always released error-free to your consumers. Get a free quote today.
Click the button below to get your copy of the Test Automation Checklist!
