Grandeur and Beauty of Automated Scripts

by Nataliia Vasylyna | May 24, 2016 7:16 am

A QA specialist engaged in automated testing[1] may think that automated tests are still just tests and don’t deserve the amount of attention given to production code.

This approach proved to be incorrect quite a long time ago. Automated test scripts used during software product testing[2] should be written according to production standards and formatted in consonance with common design rules. Another important thing is to constantly maintain automated tests and keep them up-to-date. Unfortunately, some test automation specialists sacrifice the maintenance in order to write new test code more quickly. In that case, the automation principle applied to web testing or mobile testing[3] may do more harm than good.

Why Should Test Code Be Treated like Production Code?

• With structured and up-to-date test code, it is much easier to discover bugs early and quickly. If automated tests are not properly maintained, there’s a high chance that important tests will be commented out or even deleted.
• Well-structured code can be quickly understood by new team members. Moreover, adding new tests will be a breeze.
• Properly written test code is stable and resistant to changes. If a developer changes something in the code, unit tests will most probably not be affected.

If automated test code is handled as production code, all tests will be stable, reliable and easy-to-run. The problem of flaky and muddy tests will also be gone.

Related Posts:

• Test Automation: Cleaning Up Your Test Scripts[4]
• Warning Signs: How to Identify Inefficient Test Automation in Your Project[5]
• The Power of Automation Testing: Magic Bullet or Smart Investment? (based on a case study)[6]

Source URL: https://blog.qatestlab.com/2016/05/24/automated-test-code/

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