Test automation is key to enabling continuous testing and accelerating release cycles. However, bringing automation strategies in alignment with delivery pipelines requires forethought. When assessing codeless automation testing tools, keep the integration approach in mind. Here are best practices for seamlessly embedding automation testing within existing systems and processes.
- Evaluate Skill Gaps
Thoroughly survey and interview your entire testing team to concretely identify current manual process pain points and bottlenecks. Realistically evaluate automation literacy levels across user personas – from testers to developers and business analysts. Explicitly recognize if specialized technical skills like programming or complex scripting are lacking to be able to build sustainable automated frameworks fully in-house. User-friendly codeless automation solutions can strategically minimize endemic skill deficits to pragmatically lower adoption barriers.
- Assess Existing Infrastructure
Objectively audit and document the end-to-end components currently supporting enterprise testing needs – from physical QA lab environments to virtual access, integrated defect tracking, data provisioning, etc. Carefully collate strengths in existing toolchains to determine what can be further leveraged versus addressing urgent gaps needing remediation via improved integration. If test management processes are still highly manual involving spreadsheets, prioritize intuitive automation tools with embedded test asset sharing, execution logging, and unified reporting.
- Analyze Tool Ecosystem
Typical modern enterprises often adopt a fragmented collection of testing capabilities from open source and commercial tools spanning test case management, service virtualization, performance testing, etc. Holistically assess your systems portfolio to concretely understand integration needs and uncover opportunities to pragmatically consolidate disjointed tools. This can uncover possibilities to streamline processes under a unified automation platform.
- Map the SDLC
Clearly clarify exactly how current testing activities confined to QA align, map, and intersect with adjacent software development lifecycle stages – both formally per documented processes and informally in actual practice scenarios. Sharply look at all integration touchpoints such as requirements gathering, sprint planning meetings, daily builds, code commits, code merges, and final releases.
- Develop an Adoption Strategy
Tactically create a phased test automation adoption rollout plan with realistic milestones for incrementally onboarding both new and mature testing projects. Determine which projects, test types, and products to pragmatically transition onto the new automation platform in waves based on assessed complexity, business criticality, team experience levels, and learning curves. Proactively garner executive and stakeholder support early by showcasing carefully quantified efficiency gains, cost savings, and risk reduction through pilot automation initiatives.
How can Opkey help?
- Opkey, a powerful no-code automation tool, offers a wide range of testing features and functionalities that allow users to perform comprehensive software testing.
- Opkey supports more than 14 packaged applications and 150 technologies, meaning you can test your most complex end-to-end business processes with it.
- Opkey’s user-friendly interface and low learning curve make it easy for users to get up to speed quickly.
In conclusion, seamlessly embedding user-friendly test automation transforms release velocity. Code-less tools like Opkey remove adoption barriers through natural language-based automation accessible even to non-technical domain experts. With Opkey’s unified platform spanning test design, execution, reporting and integration, teams can implement end-to-end automation aligned to their workflows. This empowers enterprise software testing, increasing coverage and quality, enabling CI/CD at scale.
