5 Ways to Simplify Automated Test Cases

Test automation is supposed to make life easier for companies that have implemented this testing technique. But deploying a tool for automated testing alone is not enough. An improper test automation strategy can result in your investment not yielding the expected return. One of the most essential components of automated testing is a test case, which should be as simple as possible to make testing effective and your automation investment successful. Here are five useful recommendations which will help you keep your test cases reasonably simple.

Introduce an Effective Naming Convention

Even if you feel like you know exactly what the names of your test cases mean, this can be deceptive if you do not standardize the naming terms. Without descriptive names that accurately reflect the test subject, it is rather difficult to navigate them and share information with other team members who were not involved in the test creation.

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Straightforward Logic and Modular Structure

The most obvious way to simplify your test cases is to keep them simple. In other words, try to create straightforward logic for your test cases by avoiding advanced programming structures and complex conditional statements.

If you have complex test cases, try to break them down into logical units or modules to keep them more manageable.

Avoid Dependencies

Although it sometimes seems like a good idea to create test cases that depend on external factors or other test cases, it is better to refrain from this practice. A better approach would be to work with self-contained test cases that can deliver consistent results independently.

Leverage Parameterization and Assertions

Parameterization is a great way to create reusable test cases. Avoid hard coding and use parameters instead, whenever possible, which will allow you to adapt the same test case to different scenarios. Parameterization is one of the fundamental features of reusable test cases.

Assertions are useful for validating tests. If you do not use assertions in your test cases, you will have to perform validation manually, which does not make sense in practice since you want to automate the testing process.

Use No-Code Tools

No-code tools like Executive Automats for Microsoft Dynamics 365 can greatly simplify the process of creating test cases. A drag-and-drop interface can save a lot of time on test creation. They allow users with no technical background to create test cases and run tests, and they also make the work of professional testers easier, as they do not have to invest extra work into coding.

Why Should You Simplify Test Cases?

Although you now know how to simplify test cases, you may still be confused as to why you should do so in the first place. Below are some of the most fundamental reasons to keep your test cases simple. However, the most important reason is that simple tests make the entire testing process more reliable and accurate.

Higher Efficiency

Overly complex test cases require more time to execute. The time it takes to run a single test may not seem significant, but it definitely makes a difference when you consider the entire test suite. Now, if you think about the frequency of regression testing required by ever-improved and updated Microsoft Dynamics 365, you can easily estimate the gain that comes from reduced testing time.

Simpler tests are also more efficient at providing information about the software. Too complex test cases may cover more features, but cannot provide meaningful results.

Easier Debugging

Testing is about discovering bugs and identifying their connection to the processes that fail to work properly in your software. The more complex a test case is, the harder it is to perform, while simpler tests enable faster troubleshooting, which means shorter downtime and associated losses.

Better Maintainability

The excessive complexity of test cases significantly affects their maintainability. If you have difficulty understanding the meaning of your test due to its unclear logic, you will also be confused about the changes and updates the test case requires. Particularly complex tests may be impossible to maintain at all.

More Reusability

Even though some aspects of test reusability have already been mentioned in this article, it is also worth mentioning that complex test cases divided into smaller modules can be adapted to different test scenarios, while complex tests with advanced logic are usually applicable only to the scenarios they were originally created for.

Improved Collaboration

It goes without saying that authors of an overly complex test case may fail to understand its code themselves, while those who were not involved in the creation process will have even more difficulty understanding the tests’ meaning.

Easy-to-understand test cases promote collaboration and can speed up the debugging process too as more employees will understand them and will be able to provide their own feedback, making problem-solving more effective.