automation-strategy

# Test Automation Strategy

## When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

- **Automation Strategy tasks** - Planning test automation strategies
- **Planning or design** - Need guidance on ROI analysis, candidate selection, framework evaluation
- **Best practices** - Want to follow established patterns and standards

## Overview

A well-planned test automation strategy maximizes ROI by automating the right tests at the right level. Poor automation choices lead to maintenance burden, flaky tests, and wasted effort.

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## Automation Quadrant

```text
                    High Business Value
                           │
        ┌──────────────────┼──────────────────┐
        │   AUTOMATE       │   AUTOMATE       │
        │   FIRST          │   (careful ROI)  │
        │   (High ROI)     │                  │
  Low   ├──────────────────┼──────────────────┤  High
Effort  │   AUTOMATE       │   CONSIDER       │  Effort
        │   (Low effort)   │   MANUAL         │
        │                  │   (Low ROI)      │
        └──────────────────┼──────────────────┘
                    Low Business Value
```

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## Selection Criteria Matrix

| Criterion | Weight | Score (1-5) |
|-----------|--------|-------------|
| Execution Frequency | 25% | 5 = Daily, 1 = Quarterly |
| Business Criticality | 25% | 5 = Revenue-critical, 1 = Rarely used |
| Stability (low change) | 20% | 5 = Never changes, 1 = Weekly |
| Complexity to Automate | 15% | 5 = Trivial, 1 = Very complex |
| Data Availability | 15% | 5 = Static, 1 = Unavailable |

**Decision:** Score ≥ 4.0: Prioritize | 3.0-3.9: Defer | < 3.0: Keep manual

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## Good vs Poor Automation Candidates

| Good Candidates | Poor Candidates |
|-----------------|-----------------|
| Smoke/sanity tests | Exploratory testing |
| Regression tests | Usability testing |
| Data-driven tests | One-time tests |
| API contract tests | Rapidly changing features |
| Performance baselines | Visual design validation |
| Security scans | Edge cases