The modern world is run based on software and algorithms. One can only imagine life without software like Amazon, Google, etc. These companies keep launching advanced features in their products. To launch those updates smoothly and quickly, automation testing is used to test the components in the product.

Automation testing is defined as a process of automating the test process with the help of special automation software tools that can help organizations to execute the test cases quickly, check if the feature or software is working correctly, and create a log comparison list that can compare the results and report them too.

Organizations can take help from a reliable test automation company to do the process of Automation testing. It is carried out to reduce manual labor and efforts required to run repetitive tests, increase the coverage of tests, and catch bugs in the early age of software development.

There are various steps to follow while doing automation testing. Let us learn about them step by step.

Steps To Do Automation Testing

1. Scope Of Testing

It is essential to determine the scope of testing because it tells the organization what needs to be tested. This will not only help them to make sure what their requirements are for testing but also drives the automation efforts in the right direction. The important things to remember in this are as follows:

1. How critical the application is
2. How complex the architecture of the application is
3. How frequent is the usage of the application
4. What are the risks associated with the application usage

After the organization has determined the scope of testing, the next step is to select the right tool for automation testing.

2. Selecting The Right Tool For Testing

The software market is full of automation testing tools, but it is crucial to select the right one for the testing requirements identified by the organization. Once they have identified the scope of their testing, the following things need to be kept in mind while selecting the appropriate tool:

1. The type of application one wants to test (This includes web, mobile, etc.)
2. The programming language used in the application
3. The compatibility of browsers or the operating system
4. The cost of the automation tool
5. Ease of usability for the tool

Once the scope is defined and the tool is selected, now is the time to go to the next step: plan the strategy for testing.

3. Planning The Perfect Strategy

Organizations have to work on the perfect strategy for the testing process. They have to keep various factors in mind while devising the plan, which are as follows:

1. The test cases which need to be automated
2. Approach – data-driven, keyword-driven, etc.
3. Testing environment – hardware, software, etc.
4. Allocating the budget for testing
5. Deciding the right team
6. Determining the timelines

Once the right strategy is devised, the next step is to create the test automation framework.

4. Creating A Test Automation Framework

The backbone of automation testing is a test automation framework that provides a structured approach to the testing process and it should include the following elements:

1. Object repository: This is a centralized repository of all the objects in the application to be tested.
2. Test library: Collection of reusable functions and modules
3. Test data: Input data used by test cases
4. Test scripts: Actual test cases which are to be tested

Once all this is set up, the next step is to develop the test scripts.

5. Develop Test Scripts

Developing test scripts includes writing the test scripts and test and using the functions from the library to incorporate the test cases along with the test data. The most important thing is to write clean test scripts which are easy to understand and modify in the future. The test scripts should be written correctly, or the results will not be accurate. They should be easily modified so that test cases can be updated in the future.

The next step is to execute the written test scripts to get the results.

6. Execution Of The Test Cases

After writing the test scripts, it is time to execute the test scripts. This step mainly involves running the test scripts against the test cases in the application, comparing the outcomes with the expected results, and reporting any bugs if found while testing.

This is one of the most crucial steps, as the outcome of all the steps depends on this one. This is a time taking process but way better than manual testing all the test cases and hence it is faster. The next step is to log the results and make a report.

7. Reporting The Test Results

The next step is to report the test results and it is of utmost importance to write a clean and concise report while recording the test results. The test report should include the following details:

1. Summary of tests that were executed
2. Results of the test
3. Any bugs that are found while testing

The report should also include the key takeaways from the process and how it can be further improved. The final step is the maintenance and update of the automation framework from time to time.

8. Updating And Maintaining The Automation Framework

The final step is to keep the automation framework updated and maintained. This includes regularly reviewing and updating the test cases, test data, and test scripts and checking that the automation testing framework keeps up with the expectation of the organization for all their testing needs.

Conclusion

Automation testing is used to make software development and production easy and hassle-free, as it helps organizations to automate the testing process with the help of various automation tools. It is necessary to change how organizations test their products and software; hence, it becomes vital to understand the perks of automation testing over manual testing. Automation testing saves manual effort and helps organizations save time, which can be used in production instead of testing. Many companies are quickly shifting to automation testing now and if someone wants to start with the process, this guide can help them step by step.