How to select the best test cases for automation?

Test automation saves enterprises a lot of time —— Unless you choose the wrong test case . This article points out what you should pay attention to .

according to 2021 Annual test automation report , exceed 40% Companies are looking to expand and invest in test automation resources . Although this does not mean that manual testing will disappear , But from ROI From the perspective of , People are more and more interested in automation —— Whether in terms of money or time .

After all , We can agree that writing and running these unit test cases is boring . A good automation strategy frees up testers' time to solve more complex problems , And help to detect errors as soon as possible .

However , Teams often rush to automate testing without an appropriate testing strategy , This can lead to problems during an overhaul . By choosing the right automated test , Maximize your energy and return on investment .

What should be considered before automating any test cases ?

1. Test frequency

It is often more effective to write a manual test for the edge case component . in fact , Testing new features allows you to quickly learn more about your application . however , As the number of features increases , It doesn't work .

Divide your test scenario into two parts ： Repetitive parts and one-off or very complex parts .

The ones that automate the most repetitions . You can even set a threshold for test frequency , Above this threshold you will consider Automation .

for example , Application login or alarm system testing is an ideal candidate for Test Automation , Because they need to run after each application build .

There are several exceptions to this rule —— such as , The amount of data input required to perform a single test is very large . under these circumstances , It makes sense to automate this particular test , Because it saves a lot of time .

The only warning here is to automate a series of interdependent repeated tests . If there is a fault , It may be difficult to determine the exact test that is the main culprit . This is where logs come in handy , It can help you effectively detect these long-term mode faults .

2. Test coverage

Test coverage is critical to software quality and to ensure the stability of software builds . Automating the right type of test can help you achieve the goal of high test coverage in almost the same amount of time .

for example , If your application has many components , So running automated tests is a good idea . This bypasses the possibility of a manual error that misses a particular test , And ensure that the most critical parts of the application run smoothly . You can also run those lengthy night tests unattended , And wake up to see if the test failed ( Or success !) A detailed log of the cause .

3. result

How predictable are the results ? Automation requires predefined inputs and outputs to generate pass and fail conditions , Otherwise they may lead to wrong results .

If you are in the exploratory phase of testing , And your tests are ad hoc or require very specific domain knowledge , So automating them is not the best idea .

4. Importance of features

If a project is an important function , If it fails, the user experience may be interrupted , You should write an automated test suite . such , You can prevent any human error from disrupting your release .

Ideally , The test should run continuously , So as to inform the relevant team as soon as possible .

5. Time reward ratio

Although automation can free up testers' time , But organizations and individuals often overlook a key aspect of testing —— The cost and time required to maintain automated testing . If the back end of your application changes significantly , Writing and rewriting code for automated tests is often as cumbersome as manual testing .

An interesting way to solve this problem is to automate test engineers , To see which part of the program failed . You can do this by automating broader application testing , So if something goes wrong , You can know exactly where to look . Intelligent test execution is one of the main trends in the field of test automation , It does this by identifying specific tests that need to be performed .

6. Human participation

How complex is the test suite you are trying to automate ? If you need to re check the test results with the human eye or you need to conduct actual user interaction , Then automation may not help much .

for example , It is better not to automate user experience testing , Because test software can never imitate human emotions when using products . however , If you need to visually verify the test output , You can run the automatic screen capture test , Then perform manual verification .

7. Priority

When do I need test results ? If automated testing helps you get your product to market faster , Then you should continue to use it . however , When you need immediate results , Don't let writing and running automated tests become a bottleneck .

Besides , You should remember ,“ test ” It's not the only thing that can be automated to improve application efficiency . Tasks such as manual data collection or setting up data entry are also well suited for Automation . therefore , If you have a large dataset but you don't have enough time , Then automation may be your Savior !

Frequently automated test cases

1. Performance testing ( load 、 Pressure test )

Load testing is almost impossible “ overnight ” And infamous for testing . According to the definition , Load testing requires a lot of resources , Because they can identify system lag and performance problems as the company expands .

This is why tools for automated testing make sense —— Because they can effectively simulate users and resources at very little cost . Well, I mean , Try to find 1000 Users error test products that have not yet been released - Oh dear !

Although you must not hire 1000 name QA Experts for automated testing , But the test automation framework can set up virtual users and let them interact with your product like real users . This will enable you to extend and avoid interruptions by identifying them early in the process . then , Your team can look at performance metrics and determine the exact cause of the slowdown or disruption .

Again , If you need to do cross browser testing , Automated testing can help you collect application performance across multiple configurations in a few steps .

Automate your performance tests to see what went wrong , And whether your application can handle these issues .

2. unit testing

If you are developing a code base for large applications , Automating unit tests will save you time . Automated testing of unit tests will help you find errors in real time , Let you continuously know whether each component is working properly .

Automation is especially useful when refactoring code , Because as long as the unit test is green , You can safely assume that the behavior of individual code units has not changed . Besides , Reports of these tests can be made immediately available to the entire team .

3. regression testing ( smoke 、 Soundness test )

Regression testing ensures that even if a large number of changes are made , The application also runs smoothly . This means that multiple application components need to be retested over and over again . Because of this repetition , Regression testing is an ideal candidate for test automation .

Automated regression testing will help you save manual resources and time , And expand faster . Although regression testing is usually performed at the end of a software release , But automating them also gives you an option to iterate and run them continuously . This helps identify errors in the program faster and create a quick feedback loop , To solve problems more quickly .

4. A functional test

Functional testing is essentially verifying that the application is running as it should on the front end . Although some aspects of functional testing are manual , But many aspects should be automated , To ensure error free product delivery .

for example , End to end test automation ensures that key pre-defined user experience processes are running smoothly for daily releases .

Use selenium Automated functional testing is a popular option . You can even use slightly different datasets or user behavior to adjust your tests , To cover multiple use cases .

Which tests should never be automated ?

1. Exploratory testing

Exploratory testing includes more extensive non scripted testing , These tests are essential , But they are all done immediately . Usually , These tests require some domain knowledge and familiarity with the application to find unexpected behavior . Because they are not well defined , They cannot be automated .

however , Once the tester finds a defect through exploratory testing , These test operations can then be documented and automated for future builds .

2. Usability testing

As mentioned earlier , Usability testing should not be automated , Because it's hard to predict human behavior . This may include incorrect Fonts 、 Color or something that confuses people UI. Only in execution Beta or QA When testing , You will know these . Although there are some tools that can try to do this automatically , But it's more effective to let people see it ( And it's cheaper ).

Automation or not ?

Test automation is important for efficient CI/CD Piping is critical . Many innovations are being made in the field of test automation , For example, parallel test execution 、DevTestOps、 IOT test automation, etc . These automation frameworks help significantly reduce time to market and improve build quality .

Choosing the right automated tests is only the first step towards achieving this goal for your organization , So test faster 、 Faster failures and faster fixes !