As an experienced quality assurance professional who has tested over 3500 web and mobile applications during my career, I cannot overstate the importance of test automation. When done correctly, automated testing allows developers to ship higher quality software faster. However, without discipline, those same testing suites can rot from neglect.
That‘s why having clear standards and following industry best practices is so crucial for long-term test automation success. In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll share everything you need to know to implement an effective test automation strategy.
Why Test Automation Matters
Before jumping into specifics on test automation checklists and standards, it‘s helpful to level-set on why test automation is so valuable in the first place.
Test Automation Adoption on the Rise
The data shows more companies investing into test automation:
| Year | % of Companies Using Test Automation |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 55% |
| 2020 | 65% |
| 2022 | 75% (projected) |
As software permeates every industry, release cycles accelerate. Manual testing simply cannot scale. Test automation fills this growing need for consistent, high-velocity testing.
The Core Benefits
More specifically, automated testing provides three major benefits:
- SPEED – By scripting repetitive test cases, test execution is faster
- CONSISTENCY – Tests perform precisely the same actions each time
- COVERAGE – Automation allows more tests across more platforms
However, to sustain those benefits over time requires forethought and discipline when designing test architecture.
Costs of Poor Test Automation Practices
Neglecting test automation practices breeds issues down the road:
- Brittle tests prone to breaking
- Hard-to-maintain test code
- Tests that slow down over time
A study by Capgemini showed ~50% of test automation initiatives fail due to factors like lack of planning, training, governance and standardization.
The key is having a reliable test automation checklist to proactively mitigate these pitfalls.
Core Principles of Test Automation
Before detailing specific checklist items, it‘s helpful to understand core principles that drive test automation best practices:
Robustness
Tests should function reliably under diverse conditions
Maintainability
Tests should be simple to understand and update over time
Reusability
Common test logic should be reusable for efficiency
Portability
Tests should work across different tools, browsers and devices
Any standards or guidelines should tie back to instilling these principles in testing architecture.
Test Automation Checklist
With those goals in mind, let‘s get into the specifics of what should be on your test automation standards checklist:
Code Documentation
- [ ] Descriptive comments explain code logic and rationale
- [ ] Consistent naming conventions for variables, classes, methods
- [ ] Changelog detailing changes made over time
Why it Matters
Code documentation speeds up onboarding for new team members and simplifies maintenance for existing ones.
Code Structure
- [ ] Modular design – small, focused classes and methods
- [ ] DRY (Don‘t Repeat Yourself) principle avoids duplication
- [ ] Loosely coupled code promotes flexibility
- [ ] Separates UI mapping, test logic and assertions
Why it Matters
Well-structured code isolate changes to one area instead of forcing updates in multiple places. This reduces the likelihood of unintended side-effects down the line.
Tooling
- [ ] Cross-browser testing against Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge
- [ ] Real device testing on iOS and Android
- [ ] Integrates with existing tools like GitHub, Slack
Why it Matters
Testing across browsers and devices ensures functionality works as expected before users ever see it. Integration with existing tools keeps all systems and processes tied together.
Maintainability
- [ ] Easy to understand test code
- [ ] Modularity makes code navigation easier
- [ ] Informative logging and screenshots
- [ ] Alerting on test failures or increases in test duration
- [ ] Code analysis helps avoid anti-patterns
Why it Matters
Engineers spend a significant amount of time managing and updating test suites over time. These practices aim to enhance productivity.
Reusability
- [ ] Parameterization facilitates data-driven testing
- [ ] Custom utility libraries consolidate shared logic
- [ ] Page object model structures tests from end user perspective
Why it Matters
Following proven coding approaches around reusability allows for faster authoring of new automated tests.
Real-World Examples
To see how test automation checklists are implemented, let‘s look at a couple examples.
Leading E-Commerce Site
One large e-commerce company structured their web and mobile test automation guidelines as follows:
| Category | Standard |
|---|---|
| Code Quality | – Code coverage > 80% – Duplicate code < 5% |
| Testing Scope | – New feature development – Every sprint regression testing – Smoke suites for rapid validation |
| Execution | – Scheduled test runs daily |
| Reporting | – Individual test & suite performance – Screenshots included for failures |
They require engineers submit code for peer review prior to test automation approval. This governance ensures standards are met from the start.
Global Bank
A multinational bank takes a leadership approach to instilling automation best practices:
- Annual mandatory training on test automation processes
- Coding standards checklist required for code reviews
- Reference architecture and design patterns available
- Regular knowledge sharing sessions on automation
Rather than dictating rules, they believe influencing culture is more effective long-term. Peer collaboration helps improve skills across the team.
Key Takeaways
As you can see, a focus on discipline, design principles and governance models is instrumental in benefiting from test automation over the long run.
Here are the big lessons to take with you:
- Maintainability enables automation ROI over time
- Reusability speeds up new test creation
- Structure and standards prevent test debt that eventually must be paid down
I hope this guide gives you ideas on how to practically apply test automation checklist concepts in your own context. Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions!
