Guidelines to create Best Test Automation Frameworks?
Every testing organization endeavors to build test automation frameworks, which are the best & robust. However this is not an easy task & involves great amount of challenge.
Following guidelines are helpful in developing strong & truly useful frameworks based upon keyword driven methodology.
1) Creation of Centralized Test Automation Team:
We are able to save considerable amount of time, development efforts as well as money by being able to use keyword elements again & again among different applications by going in for keyword driven methodology. This can become true reality provided there is great amount of coordination & cooperation among various test automation groups involved in various projects. Hence creation of a centralized test automation team involved in various projects is the best approach to derive great benefits.
2) Better Coordination among Test Automation & other Function Teams:
Good co-ordination among various teams helps functional Subject Matter Experts (SME) in designing the business flow for creating automated tests with greater flexibility. The members of test Automation Team have greater responsibility of clearly explaining Subject Matter Experts (SME) the function of every keyword & the process of mapping of object names with corresponding logical names in the database structure & the object repositories. For the emergence of a good automation framework, perfect coordination among Automation personnel & the functional Subject Matter Experts is extremely necessary.
3) Strive to Build Generic Functions:
Perfection of logic against every function stored in the function library decides the underlying success of the framework. The success or failure of the entire framework solely depends upon the methodology adopted in designing any function. Hence it is of prime importance that test automation personnel carry out a thorough analysis of every function prior to creating them. The test automation team must strive to build their functions most generic thereby enabling their use elsewhere in other applications as well.
4) Defined Policy for Script Maintenance:
Availability of properly defined mechanism for the maintenance of test scripts is the heart of a good framework.
It should be the underlying responsibility of test automation personnel to ensure that all the functions being used by them must be usable always especially at the time of their need. Although testers can handle minor changes in their application by manipulating the spreadsheet of the application scenario, still it is better to have some defined system for script maintenance.
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