What are some best practices for provisioning testing automation across different platforms and devices?

1 Choose the right tools and frameworks

One of the first steps for provisioning testing automation is to select the appropriate tools and frameworks that support your testing objectives, requirements, and standards. For example, you may want to use tools that enable cross-platform testing, such as Selenium, Appium, or Cypress, or tools that support specific platforms, such as Espresso, XCUITest, or UI Automator. You may also want to use frameworks that facilitate test design, execution, and reporting, such as TestNG, JUnit, or PyTest. Choosing the right tools and frameworks can help you streamline your testing automation process and avoid compatibility issues.

2 Use cloud-based services and virtualization

Another best practice for provisioning testing automation is to leverage cloud-based services and virtualization technologies that allow you to create, manage, and access various testing environments, platforms, and devices on demand. For example, you can use services such as AWS Device Farm, Sauce Labs, or BrowserStack to run your test scripts on real or simulated devices in the cloud, or use tools such as Docker, Vagrant, or Ansible to create and configure virtual machines or containers for your testing needs. Using cloud-based services and virtualization can help you reduce the cost and complexity of maintaining physical devices and infrastructure, as well as increase the coverage and scalability of your testing automation.

3 Implement configuration management and version control

A third best practice for provisioning testing automation is to implement configuration management and version control systems that help you track, manage, and update the settings, dependencies, and code of your testing automation. For example, you can use tools such as Puppet, Chef, or Terraform to automate the provisioning and deployment of your testing environments, platforms, and devices, or use tools such as Git, SVN, or Mercurial to store and manage your test scripts, data, and results. Implementing configuration management and version control can help you ensure the consistency and quality of your testing automation, as well as facilitate collaboration and integration among your testing team and other stakeholders.

4 Follow the test pyramid and the shift-left approach

A fourth best practice for provisioning testing automation is to follow the test pyramid and the shift-left approach, which are two principles that guide the design and execution of your test scripts. The test pyramid is a model that suggests that you should have more low-level tests, such as unit tests and integration tests, than high-level tests, such as end-to-end tests and UI tests, as the former are faster, cheaper, and more reliable than the latter. The shift-left approach is a strategy that suggests that you should perform testing as early as possible in the software development lifecycle, rather than waiting until the end. Following the test pyramid and the shift-left approach can help you optimize your testing automation process and reduce the risk of defects and errors.

5 Monitor and optimize your testing automation performance

A fifth best practice for provisioning testing automation is to monitor and optimize your testing automation performance, which involves measuring, analyzing, and improving the efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of your test scripts, environments, platforms, and devices. For example, you can use tools such as Grafana, Prometheus, or ELK Stack to collect and visualize metrics and logs from your testing automation, or use tools such as Gatling, JMeter, or LoadRunner to conduct performance testing and load testing on your testing automation. Monitoring and optimizing your testing automation performance can help you identify and resolve any issues or bottlenecks that may affect your testing outcomes and user experience.

6 Learn from feedback and best practices

A sixth and final best practice for provisioning testing automation is to learn from feedback and best practices, which involves seeking and applying insights and recommendations from your testing team, your customers, your peers, and your industry. For example, you can use tools such as TestRail, Zephyr, or TestLink to manage and report your testing automation results and feedback, or use platforms such as Stack Overflow, GitHub, or Medium to learn from the experiences and best practices of other testing professionals and experts. Learning from feedback and best practices can help you enhance your testing automation skills and knowledge, as well as stay updated and relevant in the changing testing landscape.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?