One of the main reasons that enterprises embark on the test automation journey is to manage their continuous delivery applications. But this journey can be as complex as rewarding. It’s because knowing what tests to automate when to kick-start the project, and how to put the right people on the job are seen as open-ended questions.

Let’s look at each of these questions in detail.

How to identify the right application for test automation? 

In a nutshell, automated testing just isn’t for every application because there’s no one size fits all solution to enable an enterprise-wide quality assurance process. Some, unfortunately, invest in automating low-priority tests since they were perceived as being easily executable or requiring little to no stakeholder approvals. In the process, they miss out on automating high-priority tests.

But what’s worse is that they would have already spent a lot of time, money, and effort into writing scripts, testing, and monitoring. Hence, it is important to identify areas where automated testing can have the biggest impact and help build error-free applications.

Which part of the SDLC does test automation belong to?

The lack of foresight prior to execution continues to perplex the staunchest of automation advocates. After all, knowing what tests to automate is just half the battle – it’s also pertinent that you figure out when to execute them. If you think that testing is a post-development process, it’s time to reconsider because this QA mindset is limited in its capacity to build high-quality software. Testers would be unable to test every software component due to time constraints, which means it often turns out to be a haphazard dash to the finish line to deploy the application.

Successful adopters of test automation would attest that testing starts along with the development process by its very nature. This aligns product goals with QA metrics during the initial stages, and the synchronization continues throughout the end-to-end software development lifecycle.

How to be sure that the right resources are on the job?

After zeroing in on the applications that require automated testing during the early development phase, the final question that needs sorting out is the budget constraints. Though Test automation is carried out by developers and testers, SDETs (Software Development Engineer in Test) play a crucial role since they bridge the two key parties.

Effective SDETs should have their fingers on the pulse of end-users so that they can meaningfully contribute to enhancing the application design. For that, they must be equipped with a solid understanding of the full SDLC – from building applications to testing them.

Ensure test automation excellence with AFTA 3.0

Of course, having said that, equipping your workforce with such skillful resources can prove to be a strain on your hiring budget. It’s primarily because you can compromise on neither their technical skills nor their domain experience. The learning curve is rather steep, and hence – any lacking of resource expertise can potentially affect the overall quality of releases and cause workforce productivity issues.

Aspire Systems envisions test automation as being about more than just quickly finding application defects and resolving technical issues. Instead, our focus is on helping elevate the SDLC process, during every stage, by providing proprietary and customizable testing frameworks, along with intelligent testing tools that incubate continuous testing methodologies.

By adopting Aspire’s Framework for Test Automation (AFTA 3.0), enterprises get empowered with AI and ML-powered functionalities that speed up workflows and enable thorough testing in the shortest possible time. This low-maintenance framework puts an end to siloed testing practices and provides a connected ecosystem that assures error-free applications. AFTA 3.0 has also been proven to reduce automation efforts by over 40%!

See how a top enterprise leveraged Aspire’s test automation expertise to ensure faster time-to-market with multiple releases.

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