End-to-end automation testing (E2E) is essentially a frontline assurance method that ensures the applications are behaving in a manner that is to be expected from the flow of data and processing. It involves a complete testing process from start to end of the user’s experience in a real-world simulation.
If test automation is not done, the application often fails in the market before it reaches momentum or hits the break-even point. Therefore, end-to-end automation success is a considerable criterion for the long-term health of any application or operation.
While end-to-end test automation sounds intimidating, it is relatively easy to execute once the application software designer or engineer is clear about his/her goals regarding the software. These goals form a sort of blueprint toward perfection, something that they often refer back to.
(End-to-End) Test Automation Success
One example of an objective criterion to be followed for the test to be called a success is –
The ultimate goal – Daily Production Releases
- Test Count – 200+ user-level UI tests
- Overall Pass Rate – 95+%
- Overall Duration – less than 1 hour
The Real Challenge of Automation Success
Unsurprisingly, the main asset in any end-to-end testing success is the maintenance of the test, not the creation of the test itself. While it is true that the creation of the test forms the foundation on which all further testing can be launched, without proper protocols to maintain these tests, nothing will last long.
An application is a constantly evolving, dynamic bundle of code and processes. To ensure the test doesn’t become outdated within a matter of hours, it needs to be constantly updated to maintain the same efficiency level and produce accurate results. Therefore, maintenance is essential.
Test Count
Test Count refers to the total number of end-to-end automated test cases at the user level that is present in the regression suite. 200 as a target test count is considered to be apt for any test to be deemed a success once all its other stages have been cleared.
Overall Pass Rate
The overall pass rate is the percentage of successful user test executions recorded over a more extended period of time.
For a test to be qualified for a regression test, it needs to be successful enough that the execution reliability is exceptionally high. Without a high overall pass rate, the automated test can cause mishaps, leading to the failure of the application success. Therefore, a 95+% overall pass rate can lead to a green build.
Duration
As the name suggests, end-to-end automated tests commence from the start of the user life up to the end of the application (the exit page). This indicates a longer time to run than any other unit tests. The longer a test is, the more challenging it becomes to implement this UI base.
Therefore, a target duration of no more than 60 minutes is considered useful while running a successful automation test.
Running Frequency
Like any process that requires perfecting, an end-to-end automation test will only succeed if it is run multiple times a day. These tests are incredibly fragile, and failures occur often. Multiple test runs are vital for the success of the test to detect regression issues as efficiently as possible and in a cheap setting.
Conclusion
End-to-end automated test success is a math equation like any other process in life. There are specific steps, an expected and desired outcome, and an equation that must balance both sides of the problem. A successful test may sound challenging to obtain, but with the right tools and the proper procedures, this, too, is within reach.
Your business requires a reliable, efficient, and cost-effective way to test your applications. TestGrid is one of the most preferred automation testing tools because of its advanced features, such as robust test data management, support for both cloud and on-premise set-up, and secure and remote access from anywhere across the world., It lets you automate test cases with simple keywords and also allows you to test on all platforms.
