Automation testing for you: excited to bring in automation testing into your workflow and assurance of high-quality software delivery? Even though automation testing has several advantages in terms of efficiency and dependability, certain downsides creep into it—particularly for beginners. As a newbie in automation tester, I encountered many difficulties and committed a share of errors. New to automation testing, here are 14 blunders that I made:
Ignoring the basics: It can be easy to write automated tests without having a full concept of the basics of testing. Before you automate anything, spend some time learning about testing principles, types of testing, and best practices.
Inadequate Application Knowledge: It is necessary that you have an excellent understanding of the AUT that you plan to automate. Without this knowledge, you risk automating the wrong tests or writing brittle scripts that break easily in case the application behaves differently.
The Consequence of Selecting the Wrong Automation Tool: It is easy to get overwhelmed with the number of automation tools available, and by the time you choose one that does not satisfy your requirements for a project, you have wasted time. So, either look into the tools and review them in detail or save some time and go with a reliable automation tool.
Highly Designed Test Scripts: Occasionally, you can feel inclined to write test scripts that are so intricate that maintaining them becomes challenging.. Your test scripts have to be kept simple, modular, and easy to grasp since you will have to update them regularly.
Lack of Maintenance: In testing, regular maintenance is an important aspect. If maintenance was ignored, the automation testing will have eventually become obsolete and useless. Ignores it, and you could get outdated testing, false positive results, and eventually less testing coverage.
No Teamwork: Automation testers should have excellent communication skills with developers, other testers, and stakeholders since testing is a team effort. Ineffective teamwork and communication may then lead to a miscommunication, which leads to ineffective testing processes.
Importance of Test Data Management: However, Automating testing demands you to follow the right protocols for creating, storing, and cleaning data. Definitely ignore test data management at your own peril.
Ignoring Attention to UI Automation: Although UI automation is one of the significant aspects of automation testing, it’s not the only aspect that should be noted. In fact, it can be quite problematic for the project itself when the other types of automation testing, such as API, database, and performance testing, are ignored.
Not Defining Test Priorities: Not all tests require automation, nor are all tests created equal. To maximize the return on investment for automation, prioritize tests based on risk, execution frequency, and business criticality.
Lack of Version Control: Version control is important for managing test scripts, tracking changes, and collaborating with team members. Failing to make use of version control may invite chaos and confusion, particularly when dealing with a team.
Ignoring Cross-Browser and Cross-Platform Testing: Your application may be accessed by users using different browsers and devices. Neglecting cross-browser and cross-platform testing is most likely going to cause compatibility issues and user experience issues.
Not Considering Test Environment Setup: The test environment setup must mirror the production environment as closely as possible, to get accurate test results. Unattentive setting up and maintaining the test environments may lead to false positives, inconsistent test results, and misleading test environments.
Taking Only the Record and Playback Approach: Recording and playback tools can make a good starting point to automate test cases, but such tools often yield a lot of bloated and inefficient test scripts. Instead, focus on writing short, maintainable, reusable, and reliable test scripts in programming languages and automation frameworks.
Not Investing in Continuous Learning: The domain of automation testing is ever-changing, thanks to an array of new tools, technologies, and best practices developing regularly. Stay on top of all the recent developments and updates about automation testing.
In conclusion, there are many challenges in the way to become an automated tester, but each setback gives an opportunity for growth. You can become a perfect automation tester in a shorter period by reflecting on your errors and avoiding these usual difficulties. It is not at all uncommon to highlight lifelong learning, adopt best practices, and make the most of all your automation journeys.
