How often should we execute the automated test suite?

The frequency of executing an automated test suite depends on the project’s context, development pace, and objectives. Here’s a general guideline:

1. After Every Code Commit/Merge: Run smoke and critical regression tests in CI/CD pipelines for immediate feedback.
2. Nightly Builds: Execute broader test suites, including integration and end-to-end tests to catch issues across the system.
3. Before Major Releases: Run the full regression suite and performance tests to validate system stability and quality standards.
4. After Environment Updates: Execute smoke and integration tests to verify compatibility.
5. During Development Milestones: Test after completing features to catch new or introduced issues.

How many test cases are automated per day?

The number of test cases automated per day depends on their complexity. For simple test cases, an engineer can typically automate 8–15 per day, while for medium complexity, the range is around 5–10 per day. High-complexity test cases take more time, with an average of 1–5 being automated daily. The number of test cases automated per day depends on several factors, including:

1. Complexity of the Test Cases: Simple test cases (e.g., basic CRUD operations) can be automated faster, while complex scenarios (e.g., integrations, workflows) take more time.
2. Test Automation Framework and Tools: Familiarity with tools and frameworks (e.g., Selenium, Cypress) impacts speed. Efficient frameworks can help automate more test cases in a day.
3. Skill Level of the Team: Experienced automation engineers can automate more test cases compared to beginners.
4. Reusability of Code: If reusable components or libraries exist, automation is faster.
5. Environment Readiness: A well-set-up test environment avoids delays.

How to create a regression test suite?

Creating a regression test suite involves systematically selecting and organizing tests that ensure new code changes don’t negatively impact existing functionality. Here’s a concise process to create a regression test suite:

1. Identify Critical Areas: Focus on key business processes, high-risk areas, and frequently used features, including complex logic and recent changes.
2. Select Test Cases: Choose tests covering core functionality, critical workflows, and integrations, including functional and non-functional requirements.
3. Prioritize Test Cases: Categorize tests by priority—high, medium, low—and prioritize those validating critical user journeys, security, and integrations.
4. Automate Test Cases: Automate high-priority tests for faster execution using tools such as Selenium, Cypress, or TestCafe.
5. Integrate with CI/CD: Incorporate the test suite into your CI/CD pipeline for automated execution after every code change.
6. Maintain the Test Suite: Regularly update and refactor tests to keep them relevant and efficient.
7. Monitor and Optimize: Track test execution time and optimize the suite by parallelizing tests or splitting them for faster execution.