Some applications are originally designed to work or interact with multiple platforms. Others are developed for one specific platform, and over time they expand and become available on different ones. Both the first and second products have an urgent need for testing. Manual testing cannot find some of the issues since we are talking about testing the application against various operating systems, browsers, and various devices. Automated testing is an ideal solution for such a situation. This article explains how to choose the right test automation platform, a basic tool that orchestrates the testing process. Go!
Step #1. Analyze your project
It is impossible to automate all testing processes because some tasks are easier and more efficient to perform manually. Before you start choosing the right test automation platform, consider what problems you want to solve with automation and what resources you have. Here is a short guide on how to do it:
- Identify the most time-consuming and resource-intensive testing tasks and see if they can be automated.
- Make a list of scenarios that need to be automated first.
- Analyze the budget that you can allocate/raise for the implementation of automation.
- Calculate your return on investment (ROI). Thus, you will have a forecast for how long you will return investments in test automation.
- Pay attention to the competencies of the team. Who is ready to take training in automated testing? How many experienced automation testers do you need to hire?
- Calculate the time spent on the implementation of automation.
It may turn out that automation itself is a much larger and more time-consuming project than testing your product. In this case, it is not a profitable idea for you. So it’s better to understand this before you incur the cost of automation.
Step #2. Create a list of test automation platform requirements
Each QA team has its test automation platform requirements. Based on them you choose the tool that perfectly solves your problems. The most common challenges that automation solves are:
Cross-browser testing. It allows you to find all possible bugs in the application’s compatibility with all possible browsers and their versions.
API testing. It guarantees the smooth operation of all application components, including third-party ones.
Cross-platform testing. It helps you to find bugs in the application on different platforms.
Big data testing. It checks the availability and security of large amounts of data, and the performance and functionality of the entire system and its components.
Testing on various devices and their versions. Itensures that your program is available on devices of various brands and with various firmware.
A quality test automation platform provides clear reporting that is understandable even for people without experience in testing. Therefore, you can provide this report to any stakeholders on the project. What’s more, you can add and customize the widgets you need to measure individual metrics and track progress.
Moreover, it is worth paying attention to whether AI/ML technology is implemented. With artificial intelligence, new features are available to you, among which we highlight the automatic classification of failed tests and the determination of the root causes of errors.
In addition, use a tool that provides access to the Selenium Grid’s execution environment. This way, you will perform browser and operating system compatibility testing faster by running tests in parallel.
Step #3. Compare existing tools and choose the most suitable one
Appropriate test automation tools allow you to achieve high coverage and reduce the time for testing significantly. Once you see the requirements, it’s time to turn to the list of commercial and open-source tools. The search engine for the query “test automation platforms” gives you dozens of collections with a variety of tools. Nevertheless, how to know which is the best?
- Choose the platform that suits your needs (see the previous sections!). Also, pay attention to whether it supports the programming languages you work with and integrates with other tools for team communication, development, automation, and others.
- Read the reviews for these tools. Pay attention to what users write about the support team. Does the tool have a community where you can ask a question and get a prompt response? What problems do users name when they leave feedback about a particular tool?
- Use a free trial period option. This way you can understand whether the platform is as convenient as it seems at first glance, as well as get advice from the support team and choose the most convenient subscription format.
