What is a Test Automation Strategy?

With increasing agreement that automating the testing process is a good idea, there’s one thing that’s for sure: there’s no point in automating testing without having a good strategy for doing so. 

But what exactly is a test automation strategy? 

This short post will set you up to begin your test automation journey. 

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Why do you need a test automation strategy?
What is a test automation strategy?

Why do you need a test automation strategy? 

Are you testing manually and experiencing QA bottlenecks, mistakes due to human error, and more bugs in production? Perhaps you’ve attempted test automation but found it too tricky? 

A poor test automation strategy can ultimately lead to downtime, poor customer satisfaction, and negative brand perception. 

On the other hand, a good strategy can prove the difference between a short period of planning and putting out fires for weeks—it avoids a short-sighted approach. 

Because it can help to avoid technology failures and help your business keep pace, an effective test automation strategy will prove cost-effective in the long run. 

Related reading: Best practices for building maintainable and scalable test automation

What is a test automation strategy? 

A test automation strategy determines how you approach automation testing in your organization. Fundamentally, it includes deciding which environment, testing, and tools you will operate with in the testing automation process. 

In your software development life cycle (SDLC), your testing strategy involves the kind of testing approach your company will take. It means deciding what to automate and what not to, looking at test cases, and seeing what is worthy of automation. 

Just because you can automate everything doesn’t necessarily mean that you should. It’s the repetitive and error-prone tests that you should automate, but rarer and more specific tests can be approached manually. 

If you want to learn more about creating an agile test automation strategy that will get you quality results, get our test automation strategy checklist.  It contains eleven items for you to consider on your automation journey.