In order for automation to be successful on any long-term level, it needs to be approached with realistic goals, the right tools and most importantly, the right mindset. One of the easiest ways to achieve these is to do ample research about automation, why it works and why it fails.
This article discusses the most common reasons automation projects fail.
- Not knowing what to automate
Automation requires a machine to recognise how a screen displays on different devices, browsers and screen sizes — which it cannot. Manual testing is required, and so are tools like this responsive checker. To ensure that automation works, it should be used to test elements that are stable, not prone to frequent change, and has to be tested repeatedly.
- Lack of the right skills and tools
It is not possible to conduct successful automation testing without the right level of technical expertise. Finding and hiring people who write the right test scripts and use the right tools can be difficult, time-consuming and expensive. This also applies to finding and using the right tools. To start with, hire a few testers with the requisite skills and let them train existing testers. Pick tools for immediate automation and gradually expand the pipeline with time.
- Low visibility
At the beginning of automation, it is usually a few individuals who are executing automatic testing while the rest of the workforce remains unaware of its workings. This lack of visibility almost always leads to failure.
Here are a few ways to gain greater visibility:
- Ensure easy availability of information about what features are being tested.
- Ensure the results of automation projects are visible to the whole team.
- Difficult to test applications
Testability should be a major concern for developers from the very beginning of their coding efforts. That means it needs to be discussed during backlog grooming, spring planning meetings — all before dev work starts on a feature. A good way to ensure this is to involve QAs and testers in the discussions from the start.
- Lack of specific goals
Most automation projects fail because they start too big. Start small. Identify a few high-level functions that are stable and more easily testable. Automate their testing, and collect feedback that will show what works and what doesn’t. Once these tests run consistently without bugs, use the feedback to build an automation pipeline with the right tools and people.
Automated testing needs to be clearly defined and optimized from the start. Ambiguity will only convolute and delay the development lifecycle. Avoid the issues outlined above, and make automated testing work in your favor.
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