Okay, Let me tell you something from the heart – something you won’t often hear about automation testing.
When I started working in automation, I thought it was all about writing some scripts, running them, and hey, job done.
But soon, reality hit. Automation testing isn’t as simple as flipping a switch and watching magic happen. It’s about understanding why you’re automating in the first place.
In the beginning, I thought, “I’ll automate everything!” – the ultimate dream, right? But here’s the truth: not everything should be automated.
You can spend hours or even days writing scripts for something that would take you 5 minutes to test manually.
Feels like a waste? It is.
I learned that automation is about strategy. Automate the repetitive tasks, the ones you run over and over with no variations. Those are your goldmines. But the one-off cases, the rare edge scenarios? Manual testing does the job much better there.
I used to think automation was a cost-saving miracle. And don’t get me wrong, it can be. But the initial investment of time and resources is huge. Writing the scripts, setting up the framework, maintaining it every time the product changes – it adds up. I’ve spent weeks tweaking tests that broke because someone updated a button’s color on the UI.
And that’s another thing – maintenance
People don’t talk enough about this. Automation scripts are like plants. You water them, trim them, and give them sunlight (or in this case, regular updates and debugging).
The more your product evolves, the more work you’ll have to put in to keep those scripts running smoothly.
But here’s the flip side – when it works, it works like magic. Running a test suite of hundreds of cases, sipping your coffee while watching them pass in seconds? There’s no better feeling. Especially when you realize that without automation, you’d have to manually test each one of those cases, wasting days or even weeks. Automation testing saves time in the long run – a lot of time.
So here’s the real takeaway: automation testing is a powerful tool, but it’s not a silver bullet. You’ll still need manual testing, you’ll need maintenance, and most importantly, you’ll need to understand why you’re automating.
Like with feeding someone – the more thoughtful and intentional you are, the more you get back in return. Automate with purpose, and you’ll see the real rewards.
Otherwise, you’ll be stuck wondering why all that effort isn’t paying off.
Try it, and soon enough, you’ll feel like your testing strategy is running like a well-oiled machine – maybe even a bit like magic.