Automation Testing Execution and Report: Best Practices for Beginners

Automation Testing Introduction

Automation testing is a vital part of the software development process. It is when the testing team uses a tool to execute test scripts instead of testers. One key benefit of automation testing is the smooth execution of time-consuming tests. It also plays a significant role in testing efficacy, making it possible to detect bugs in the early testing stages. 

As a QA team leader, there are actions you should take to ensure the efficiency of your automation effort. Below, we explore the steps to follow when starting an automation testing from the beginning.

5 Steps to Start Automation Testing from Scratch

The five primary steps to creating an automation testing project are:

1. Defining the scope of automation

The first step of automation testing is determining which area of the AUT (Application Under Test) to automate. This step helps identify the technical feasibility, the functionality of the software, and test cases’ complexity. It also allows the team to understand the depth of the test coverage and know the overall flexibility of the AUT. 

2. Selecting an automation testing tool

The selection of automation testing tools mostly relies on the technology that the AUT is built on. There are different testing tools in the market, but knowing how to select the right tool for your project is more important than choosing the best tool. When evaluating the tools and vendors, some critical factors to take note are the project requirement, team expertise, project budget, and ROI of your automation projects. 

3. Planning, designing, and development

This stage is where the team decides the actions to be performed by the test. The testing team focuses on plans and strategies like:

• The test framework
• Preparation of the automation test bed
• In-scope and out-of-scope items of automation
• Test cases and suites
• Scripting and execution schedule, etc.

4. Executing test cases and build your reports

This phase is where the testing tool automates test cases and generates reports. This is done either by an automation software or through the Test Management tool, which will invoke the automation software. To get the most out of your test execution, testing should be done as early and often as needed. This allows for easier bug detection and altercation. Once executed, teams can use detailed test reports provided by the tool for evaluation and stakeholders’ feedback.

5. Maintaining previous test cases

Maintaining previous test cases is a crucial part that must not be looked over. It is done to improve the effectiveness of test automation. 

The process includes constantly reviewing test cases after documentations, updating existing ones, and removing obsolete test cases. 

Automation Testing Execution: What Does a Beginner Need to Know?

Determine the execution environment

• What is the execution environment?

A test execution environment is a setup of software and hardware by the testing teams to fit the AUT’s needs. It describes the area where the test is being executed. 

For example, suppose your application runs on different platforms. In that case, you can set up a similar platform with a test environment where you will run a similar test during the test execution phase to know how it may function when released to end-users. 

Setting up the right environment for the project ensures a successful software testing results and saves the testing team’s cost and effort.

• Why does it matter in the test execution plan?

Your environment plays an integral part in your automation execution. For example, an ideal environment will have key areas like database server, reference documents, test data, client operation system, network, system, and application, e.t.c. Such factors increase the chance of success and will provide the team with detailed reference in the advent of failure. They will also help reduce the overall test execution cost and time in the long run. 

Integrate tools within the automated test framework

The selected tools from the design phase should already be part of the framework. Next, test the compatibility of these tools using prototype or simple test scripts. Engage the software developers/coders if there are compatibility issues or ineffective linking and communication among software tools. For example, make sure the open-source tools work effectively with commercial parent tools. Also, you can read more about how to select the right Automation Testing Tool.

Develop and refine automation scripts

To develop automation scripts for testing, there is a need to create test scripts based on requirements, create the methodology to be used throughout the testing life cycle and perform code reviewing of test scripts for better assurance. 

In the execution phase, the scripts are finalized through an iterative process in a highly collaborative setting, possibly hosted on the cloud.

Execute the automation

Here you execute your test suites based on the five steps mentioned above. Ensure you run tests multiple times before adding them to your regression suites. For the best results, assign a pass or fail status to tests after the execution and perform further analysis afterward.  

Build an Automation Test Report after Execution

What is an automation test report? What does a Test Execution Status Report contain?

An automation test report consists of the documentation of your test suites processes and their results. The report usually contains a summary for the management and stakeholders to assess and a detailed record for the development team to provide feedback. 

Testing teams also use reports to communicate during different phases in the software testing life cycle. For example, a report can help the team know the project progress and indicate to the review team when it is time to provide sign-off on the artifacts.

A good test execution status report should produce these following information: 

• Project information: Every detail about the project must be noted, including the project name, a description of what it is about, the date/duration, and the product’s version being worked on, etc. 
• Test objective: The outcome that the team hopes to achieve in each testing phase must be listed out. For example, what result is the team hoping to get during the performance test phase?
• Test summary: This summary should include some of the following statistic: number of test cases prepared for the day, number of successful test cases, number of failed test cases, and the percentage rate of both the passed and failed test cases
• Defects: Perhaps the most important information a report should contain is the defects found in AUT during testing. Information here should include:
  • The number of bugs discovered.
  • Status of the bugs (severe, active, or docile)
  • Number of resolved bugs
  • Number of remain bugs (listed in order of severity)

The significance of the automation testing report

An automation test report is essential for the testing team and stakeholders to know the product’s current quality and viability. This plays a critical role in the product release timeline. For example, how many defects are on the website? If there are still many on it, the team and stakeholder can decide to delay the website or product launch.

An automation test report can also help identify the root of a product’s defect, especially if it was only discovered later on in the testing cycle. Without a testing report in this situation, you will be forced to execute a test case again, thereby wasting time and resources.

How to report Test Execution effectively?

A test execution report should vividly communicate the testing process to stakeholders and the team. If it is not well-written, it will do the opposite – that is, confuse the reader. Therefore, the team should satisfy the following criteria when writing test execution reports:

• Detailed: An effective report should contain all the relevant information about the test execution. 
• Clear: The information conveyed in the report must be easy to understand. Avoid ambiguous or complicated words. 
• Standard: The normal report template must be adhered to. Using the same template for your test execution reports will ensure consistency across various testing projects.
• Specific: While your report should be detailed, it does not mean that it should contain every information. Instead, select relevant points and report concisely about those points to avoid overwhelming the reader.

Execute Tests using Katalon Studio and Build Reports with Katalon TestOps

Smart testers know that using the right tool can make all the difference during their test execution. Among the many tools available in the market, Katalon Studio emerges as a robust tool that allows testers of all expertise to swiftly execute automated test cases. 

With Katalon Studio, you can test all types of AUT (Web, Mobile, Desktop, and API) on various browsers and environments. Katalon Studio is considered as an alternative solution after Selenium IDE ended its support for Firefox 55.

In combination with Katalon Studio for test execution, Katalon TestOps helps utilize your report building. Katalon TestOps provides a dynamic, insightful, and detailed perspective into your automation testing activities. That is, every single detail in your automation testing will be reported clearly and accurately – without stress.

Conclusion

Automation testing may appear a bit too technical for beginners, but that does not have to be the case. By following this step by step guide, all testers will be able to get the best out of their test execution and accurately report the outcome for all parties to see. With the combination of Katalon Studio and Katalon TestOps, testers are given a wide array of features to execute their testing fast and efficiently – with the option to produce pristine execution reports.