Test Automation is a critical component to maintaining agility and is a priority for the entire team through established practices and continuous improvement. Fast go-to-market principles govern agile development. When we talk about frequent software releases, we simply cannot overlook testing, as it is a critical part of the development process.

In each agile sprint, developers have few features to build, whereas testers test all the applications. That means testing new features and old features, just to make sure that new development has not messed up the existing functionality. In addition, the automated test scripts need to be updated to test the existing functionality and the new features. Thus, test automation should be seen as a “Continuous Process” like other software development activities.

Here are some of the challenges that we have to consider while introducing automation in agile development:

• Code changes in agile development are widespread, but it often leads to breaking the test scripts. Automated tests should be updated alongside the new feature development so that tests can be executed and adequately test the product.

• In later stages of agile development sprints, as the number of features significantly increases, you will find less and less time to test all these features in the limited time available. A proper approach needs to be followed on time to write the new tests and update the existing automated tests.

• Test automation needs continuous team communication and collaboration. For the automated testing to work, the entire team needs to be on the same page. Automation engineers should be in touch with the product managers and manual testers, developers, and technical architects. They’re the ones who present the “Return Of Investment” of automation to the executive management.