How do you maintain automated test cases over time?

Randall Hendricks

While automation test scripts provide numerous benefits for software quality, they often become obsolete, broken, or too complex over time. If not maintained correctly, your tests will not be able to find defects, may mark things as working incorrectly, or require a lot of manual intervention.

In this article, we’ll discuss best practices to maintain automation scripts and keep your test suite effective.

1. Design Test Cases for Maintainability

Before diving into automation, design your test cases with long-term maintainability in mind. A well-structured test case is more straightforward to update and debug. So, design your test suite with test automation maintenance in mind:

Use modular and reusable test functions.
Write clear and concise test steps.
Avoid hardcoded values and instead use variables or data-driven approaches.

2. Use Page Object Model (POM) or Similar Patterns

Applying design patterns like the Page Object Model (POM) or Screenplay Pattern helps separate test logic from UI elements for UI test automation. This ensures that if the UI changes, you only need to update the relevant page object rather than modifying multiple test cases.

3. Keep Test Data Dynamic

Hardcoded test data can break scripts when application changes happen. So, instead of hardcoding,

Use parameterized tests or data-driven testing frameworks.
Store test data in external files (JSON, CSV, databases).
Implement factories or test data generators for flexible test input.

4. Regularly Refactor and Optimize

Automation scripts should evolve with the application. Set a schedule for:

Reviewing test scripts for outdated or redundant tests.
Removing flaky tests that frequently fail without valid reasons.
Optimizing test execution by grouping related tests and reducing unnecessary dependencies.

5. Leverage Version Control

Store your automated test cases in a version control system (e.g., Git) to track changes and collaborate efficiently. This allows rollbacks if a script breaks and helps maintain historical changes.

6. Monitor Test Execution and Failure Trends

Continuous monitoring of test execution helps identify patterns in failures. Use,

Test reports and dashboards to analyze results.
Logging and screenshots for better debugging.
Flakiness detection mechanisms to flag unreliable tests.

7. Ensure CI/CD Integration

Automated tests should be integrated into continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines. This ensures they run consistently and provide quick feedback on software changes.

8. Keep Automation Frameworks and Dependencies Updated

Outdated test frameworks or dependencies can lead to compatibility issues. So, you’ll need to regularly:

Upgrade to the latest stable versions of automation libraries.
Replace deprecated functions or features.
Test updates in a controlled environment before applying them.

9. Maintain a Test Case Repository

A well-organized test repository helps keep track of test cases and their purposes. To ensure efficient test execution, consider tagging test cases based on priority (e.g., smoke, regression, critical path).

10. Collaborate Across Teams

Automation testing techniques are not just for testers-developers, DevOps engineers, and product managers should also contribute. Encourage:

Regular discussions about test case relevance.
Shared ownership of test scripts.
Cross-team reviews to keep tests aligned with business requirements.

Conclusion

Automated test cases and their maintenance go hand in hand. So, you need to follow best practices to maintain your test suite over time to ensure it does not deprecate with application changes.