Checklist: Is Your Automation Future Proof?

1. Is your framework modular?
2. Are objects identified uniquily?
3. Can your framework adapt to changes?
4. Object syncronization is implemented
5. Tests have been provided with with unique test data
6. Scripts are running in a controlled state
7. Have you implemented fail-over scenarios?
8. Test scripts are independent
9. Global configuration has been implemeted
10. The tear-dow and set-up approaches are implemented in scripts
11. A separate environment is used for automation
12. The core framework and business logic are separate 
13. Does the test data reside in separate files
14. Naming and coding convention are followed
15. Re-execution logic is implemented for failed test cases
16. The execution report is informative
17. The commenting guidelines are followed in your framework
18. Logging is implemented
19. Video recording is available for re-execution of failed tests
20. CI is implemented
21. You have implemented parallel execution
22. Implement test iteration

If you answered "No" to more to mare than 4 of these questions, then your automation is not yet future-proof

From www.qasource.com

Types of Automation Frameworks

1. Linear – Simplest form of creating a test. Just write a one single program without modularity in sequential steps
2. Keyword driven – Create different keywords for different set of operations and in the main script we can just refer to these keywords.
3. Data driven – To run same set of operations on multiple sets of data that are kept in separate files, mostly excel sheets.
4. Hybrid – A combination framework that can be partly data driven and partly keyword driven
5. BPT – This just means that programs are broken down into business components and are used with one or the other of the above types of frameworks

link

Below are the different types of frameworks:

1. Module Based Testing Framework: The framework divides the entire “Application Under Test” into number of logical and isolated modules. For each module, we create a separate and independent test script. Thus, when these test scripts taken together builds a larger test script representing more than one module.
2. Library Architecture Testing Framework: The basic fundamental behind the framework is to determine the common steps and group them into functions under a library and call those functions in the test scripts whenever required.
3. Data Driven Testing Framework: Data Driven Testing Framework helps the user segregate the test script logic and the test data from each other. It lets the user store the test data into an external database. The data is conventionally stored in “Key-Value” pairs. Thus, the key can be used to access and populate the data within the test scripts.
4. Keyword Driven Testing Framework: The Keyword driven testing framework is an extension to Data driven Testing Framework in a sense that it not only segregates the test data from the scripts, it also keeps the certain set of code belonging to the test script into an external data file.
5. Hybrid Testing Framework: Hybrid Testing Framework is a combination of more than one above mentioned frameworks. The best thing about such a setup is that it leverages the benefits of all kinds of associated frameworks.
6. Behavior Driven Development Framework: Behavior Driven Development framework allows automation of functional validations in easily readable and understandable format to Business Analysts, Developers, Testers, etc.

How to Select Correct Test Cases for Automation Testing

Step 1:

Identify the parameters on which you will base your test case as a candidate for automation.

As of now I am identifying the below parameters, you can have your own parameters depending on your application.

• Test case executed with different set of data
• Test case executed with different browser
• Test case executed with different environment
• Test case executed with complex business logic
• Test case executed with different set of users
• Test case Involves large amount of data
• Test case has any dependency
• Test case requires Special data

Advantages of automation

There are many advantages of automation:

1. Useful to execute the routine tasks like smoke tests and regression tests. 
2. Useful in preparing the test data. 
3. Helps to execute the test cases which involve complex business logic.
4. Good to execute the cross platform test cases (like different OS, browsers etc.) 
5. Great to execute the test cases which are a bit difficult to execute manually. 
6. When the number of iterations of the test case executions are not known.

The sample of automation strategy

1. When we can start to automate:

·         Stability of the product/application is ensured;

·         Interface to be tested has been identified;

·         Scope of automation has been defined;

·         Individual testcases to be automated have been identified;

·         The right tool has to be decided

Test Automation Patterns

https://testautomationpatterns.wikispaces.com/Test+Automation+Patterns