Automated testing has emerged as a reliable and efficient alternative to manual testing. We heard testers vouching for a less time-consuming and more accurate testing option which would help them excel timely delivery of quality products.
Automation testing is not just an automated approach to testing, it has also been recognized as a viable solution for enhancing reliability and efficiency in the software domain.
From identifying challenges to tracking inconsistency in maintaining products with an effective test coverage, automation has become the new transformation the software testing market always looked up to.
However, when everybody has access to automation testing tools and frameworks, the need to follow the right practices to meet results as per expectations becomes evident.
This blog post shall drive you through the ten best practices in test automation. This includes from having a strong plan to selecting the right tools and frameworks and focus on stability.
Best Practices for Test Automation
- It’s important to have a clear automation plan
One of the best practices in test automation is to create “better software” and to plan ahead of time. And to create a better strategy, you must understand things better. Get to know the strengths and weaknesses of your team.
Question why you need to automate your testing process. Find our critical tests that truly need automation. All the tests that are time-consuming, repetitive, or prone to failure, like regression or cross-browser tests, must be automated first. Also, tasks like UX or exploratory testing should be left to your manual testers, as these require human judgment.
Automation takes resources—both in terms of time and tools. Talk to your team members, as their insights will help shape your strategy.
A well-thought-out plan keeps your automation efforts on track, saves time, reduces stress, and ultimately, creates better software.
- Choose the right tools
The next in this list of test automation best practices is the selection of the best available to suit your project aspirations.
There are many tools available out there. But you don’t have to choose just any tool. Pick the one that fits the requirements of your project. Like a budget, your team’s skills, and other things.
Start by analyzing the software. What are you even testing in the first place? Is it a web application, mobile app, or desktop software? Different tools work differently on other platforms, So you must find the one that fits your application type. For example, Selenium is great for web apps, while Appium is popular for mobile testing.
Remember, no tool is perfect. What works for one project might not work for another. It’s all about finding the right fit for your specific needs. To make the best choice, read reviews, ask for recommendations, or try out a few tools before making your final decision.
- Regularly Update Your Test Scripts
Successfully setting up your software for automation testing is not the end game. You can’t just create software, automate it and leave. You need to update it regularly. Because the application will keep changing, and so should your test scripts. If you don’t update them, you’ll end up with outdated tests which will give wrong results.
Test scripts have to be dynamic and evolve alongside the application as new code changes occur. Every time the app changes—whether it’s a new feature, a bug fix, or an update, test scripts should update in alignment with it.
And always keep your test scripts organized. If everything is neat and labeled, it’s easier to find what you need when you need it.
- Use Data-Driven Testing
Here, instead of running the same test over and over with one set of data, you use different data sets to cover more ground. Data-driven testing lets you test multiple scenarios without writing separate tests for each one. This saves a lot of time, and effort, and increases test coverage.
Let’s say you’re testing a login page. Now, you don’t have to manually test different usernames and passwords. What you can do is create a data file with all the combinations you want to test. The script will automatically run through them and check how the system handles each login attempt.
- Each Test Case Should Run Independently
If one test depends on another, it leads to chaos when something goes wrong. Independent tests mean each test runs on its own without the need for other tests to succeed first. This makes it easier to spot exactly where things are breaking down.
Why is this so important? Because when tests are linked together, a single failure causes a domino effect, which makes it hard to figure out what’s really wrong. If something goes wrong with independent tests, there is nothing much to worry about. Other than just repairing the part that needs fixing.
- Use Parallel Testing
How long will it take to test everything if you have to do it one by one? A lot! That’s why we use parallel testing. It speeds up the process by handling multiple tests at the same time.
Parallel testing finds issues much faster by testing different parts of your application at the same time. It also checks if your software works effortlessly across different environments or not.
Parallel testing is a reliable way to cover more ground in less time. Although it takes a little extra effort to set up parallel testing, its benefits outweigh the initial effort.
- Backup Your Work Through Version Control
Version control is a safety net that makes sure you never lose important changes or accidentally overwrite someone else’s work. A small tweak or a major update, every change made to your test scripts can be tracked through version control.
This practice comes in handy when multiple team members are working on the same project. Because it will prevent conflict and keep everything organized.
Version control systems like Git manage test scripts in a structured way. With a system as organized as this, you can create branches for different features and when everything is tested and ready, it can be merged back into the main branch.
- CI/CD Integration
CI/CD integration keeps everything moving smoothly from development to deployment without manual intervention.
CI stands for Integrating Continuous Integration and CD stands for Continuous Deployment. This type of integration is done to create an immediate feedback loop so that developers know if something breaks or needs fixing right away.
CI helps developers regularly add their code to a shared codebase. Every time this happens, automated tests are triggered to check if everything is working correctly. Whereas, CD goes a step further by automating the process of putting the tested code into production. Once the code passes all the tests, it’s automatically deployed.
- Review Test Results
Monitoring test results helps you spot problems before they become serious. If a particular test keeps failing, it indicates a deeper issue with the code that needs attention.
So, if you want to track the overall health of your test automation–review tests automatically. Doing this will provide answers to important questions like, “Are the tests running as expected? Are they taking too long to complete? Are there any unexpected failures?”.
Also, keeping an eye on your test results is a good way to measure progress. You can see if the automation efforts are improving over time or if adjustments are needed.
- Check For Test Stability
Stable tests consistently deliver accurate results, which is why you can trust the feedback they provide. Unstable tests, on the other hand, are frustrating. They pass one day and fail the next without any changes in the code. This inconsistency leads to wasted time looking for false failures and figuring out if the problem lies with the test or the code itself.
To achieve test stability–start by making sure the tests are well-designed. This means you need to keep them simple and avoid any dependencies between tests. The more isolated and clear your tests are, the more stable they’ll be.
Why Do You Need Best Test Automation Practices?
There are 5 main reasons why you should follow these best practices to automate your tests. They are mentioned below–
- Makes testing more efficient: When you religiously follow these practices, tests will be less prone to errors and save you both time and resources.
- Keeps tests consistent: We want tests that are reliable and consistent. Inconsistent tests just frustrate the testers and developers because they pass once and fail the next time you run it. They aren’t reliable, and we don’t want that.
- Provides a better quality software: When you accurately detect and fix defects, the software quality automatically enhances.
- Easier to manage: They make it easier to update and manage test scripts.
- Scalability: These automation testing practices make it easier to expand testing as your projects grow, so automation can handle more complex tasks.
Conclusion
Automation testing isn’t just about running scripts—it’s about doing it smartly. With the right strategy, tools, and approach, you can reduce errors and deliver better software. It frees up your QA team from repetitive tasks and saves valuable time. Automation testing is about striving for excellence, being proactive, and continuously improving.
Using these best practices for automation testing can make your testing more effective and efficient. All you need to do is plan carefully, choose the right tools, keep good records, and regularly update your tests, catch problems early and speed up development.
This way, you’ll produce better software that meets users’ needs and stays ahead of the competition.