8 tips for enhancing automated testing

Automated testing is a process in which the application executes the entire life cycle of the software in a very short period of time, which makes the testing software highly sufficient and effective. In this programmed system, the tester writes a script and tests the software with appropriate software. The basic goal behind automated testing is to improve testing efficiency and increase the value of software.

Automated testing helps reveal those untested code fragments. Low automation code coverage will affect product quality and bring unnecessary physical inspection pressure to testers.

Automated testing is not easy and requires proper guidance. Not all test automation projects deliver the expected ROI and success rate. One of the reasons may be that the correct testing practices are not used. Many testers are not aware of standard procedures that reduce the effectiveness of automated testing. For these, the following 8 tips for enhancing automated testing are listed for reference.

1. Pre-select test cases to be automated

Before automated testing, the determination of requirements is very important. You need to decide which part of the work to automate, because not everything can be automated, and there is no need to automate all of it. For example, those tests that do not have to be repeated do not need to be automated, and the more error-prone tasks that require repeated testing should be the basic part of automated testing.

2. Assign work among resources based on test skills

Automated testing is based on a single task, and not all testers know everything. Everyone has expertise in different aspects of testing. Therefore, it is important to allocate resources based on their skills and testing work, which will lead to faster, more effective and easier output.

3. Generate rich relevant test data

High-quality data is essential for good testing. Therefore, it is important to ensure that the data is correct, accurate and up-to-date, covering almost all scenarios and functions in the system. Here you can use the general data generator ZenData to generate the required large-scale data, support multiple languages, the data format can be customized, one-click generation of millions of data, no pressure.

4. Planning the testing process

Before starting the test, you need to plan each step of the process, such as the details of the test, possible risks, and the challenges of conducting effective and efficient testing.

5. Prepare test cases that do not interfere with user changes

Create tests so that they will not be disturbed when the user interface changes.

6. Regular inspection and testing

The effectiveness of automated testing needs to be maintained through maintenance. Periodic re-review is a means of maintaining test scripts, which is very necessary. The frequency needs to be combined with the team's effort to maintain the test scripts. The main method of review is the same as the initial review after the development is completed, but the focus will be slightly different. Inspection tests help filter out unnecessary and outdated data that is no longer relevant. This helps reduce costs and maintenance work.

7. Use standardized testing tools

The use of standardized test tools, frameworks and techniques recommended by ISTQB is essential for solving test problems and obtaining the required output from test automation projects.

8. Avoid duplication

Avoiding duplication should be one of the top concerns of developers, because duplication will double the work and increase the risk of breaking something.