Even Robots Need Maintenance

When people are first exposed to test automation, one of the questions I often hear is: "If the application changes, like if they totally reorder & redesign the screens in a given workflow, will my automated test break?"

Well, yes. Your manual test cases will need to be changed as well. Your manual testers may also need to be retrained on your app if it changes that dramatically. The point is that your automated tests are going to need to change and evolve as your application changes and evolves. Anyone who tells you that an automated test is bullet-proof and can't be broken is selling something.

So yes, you will need to refactor, repair and update automated tests as you progress. You can make your tests change resilient, but they'll never be change proof. You'll need to plan for those changes in your release cycles, just as you would any other test activity. Be aware of that, keep it in mind, and your automated test efforts will go much smoother.

What do you do to plan for change in your automated tests? Sound off in the comments.