Roles And Responsibilities Of Automation Tester You Shouldn’t Miss!

Introduction

Top companies like Amazon, and Facebook, work on continuous deployment where the execution of test cases manually is not possible after every change. Costing and Time Management are the critical areas of the client’s emphasis. Businesses look for fast output, deployment, and testing, making Automation testing a need, so it’s booming in the industry today. Automation with Selenium is an even better choice as it is an open-source tool tester can play with. Handling multiple roles and responsibilities of Automation tester.

One cannot deny that a career in automation testing will give you the edge to keep growing. Also, while working with Selenium Automation, upskilling becomes quite convenient as the basic concept of automation remains the same. Every job posting related to the testing role demands an understanding of test automation and at least one scripting language. Because according to a study, the global test automation market grew from $19.76 billion in 2022 to $24.39 billion in 2023 at a CAGR of 23.5%.

If you're interested in pursuing a career, you can also enroll in the automation testing course to  understand the various roles and responsibilities of Automation Test Engineers.

Why do we need a Test Automation Engineer?

A lot of people think that because software or systems are automated already, there is no need for an Automation Test Engineer. Well, that’s not true. There are various roles and responsibilities of automation tester. In order to ensure that the software is working perfectly and exactly how it is expected to, automation test engineers test and validate it on a regular basis.  

Here is a process of how software is developed with the role of testing:

• Requirement: First, you need to figure out and understand the different requirements and demands that need to be fulfilled in the end product. 
• Design: In the next step, you work to meet the needed specifications according to the request from the customer. 
• Implementation: Developers start writing and executing codes as per the software and its specifications. 
• Testing: Testing plays a major role in the overall software development. At this step, the program is repeatedly checked to ensure the best result while meeting every customer's needs. This step works like a key factor in the entire software development life cycle by the improvement of quality, reliability, and performance of the product. 
• Maintenance: Regular posting is maintained after the final output is achieved in the previous step. 

Advantages Of Being A Selenium Test Automation Engineer

A key role within the testing center excellence, the roles and responsibilities of automation tester include automating the test effort as much as possible. However, suppose you want the maximum return on the automation investment. In that case, you need to have proper information about what the automation should be, in which order it should be, and the components of Selenium.

Before discussing automation tester roles and responsibilities, let us first understand why you should become a test automation engineer. One of the major advantages of this job profile is that it is one of those career options growing and excelling rapidly. This job profile is gaining popularity not because it can reduce human effort by a huge amount but rather because of its demands. Here is a quick list of advantages as to why you should choose the career as an Automation Test Engineer and become an automation testing engineer:

The testing industry is very creative and adventurous at every step of the way. Outcomes are never the same in testing these products. 

You will face numerous daily difficulties, and you will have to strive to solve them. There is no in-between. You need to find creative techniques to understand the problems that users face and work on those. 

Another good reason to choose this field, despite the roles and responsibilities of test engineers, is that it is simply rewarding. When you create these products, you help not only the business or your company but the world at large with products that can fulfill the needs and specifications of the users. 

Selenium Test Automation Engineer Roles and Responsibilities

A Selenium test automation engineer is essential for efficient working and excellent results from the software. They’re essential because they can carry automatic tests on the newest and current software by designing and developing programs.

Using different tests, the Selenium test automation engineers analyze software-related issues, create automation scripts and build programs with the help of test automation guidelines. They communicate with managers and software developers to improve the quality of the final product. 

The Selenium tester's roles and responsibilities may vary from one company to another. But here are some roles and responsibilities:

• Analyzing business requirements in order to determine the test strategy covered by automation testing
• Developing new test scripts are role and responsibility of the selenium automation test engineer 
• Maintaining existing test scripts/regression suites, refer to the regression testing tutorial for more details. 
• Attending Agile meetings (Daily scrum meeting/Sprint planning/Backlog refinement) on assigned projects
• Executing regression suites
• Providing results to project managers/developers/manual testers and stakeholders
• Understanding the business requirements, application, and its components.
• Updating Framework functions when needed
• Developed and executed the Automation Test Scripts
• Reviewing the Test Reports and Preparing Test Summary Reports.
• Preparation of test scenarios/cases/execution and test results.
• Reporting any defects / Observations on day to day basis
• Attending client calls and meetings
• Involving in giving daily and weekly status reports to clients.
• Involved in knowledge transfer to the newly recruited personnel.
• Implemented automation using Selenium WebDriver, JAVA, Selenium Grid, Cucumber, Maven
• Understanding and Analyzing Test Requirements are roles and responsibilities of the selenium tester. 
• Automation Framework Design & Implementation
• Selenium Test Environment Setup (Maven Integration, Selenium WebDriver, Java, TestNG, and Jenkins Integration…)
• Inspecting Elements and Create Test Cases using Element locators and Selenium WebDriver Commands. Have knowledge of test case design techniques.
• Enhance Test cases using Java Programming and JUnit / TestNG Annotations.
• Maintenance of Automation Resources is the selenium tester's role and responsibility.

Other important test engineer roles and responsibilities include -

• Selenium environment setup - Preparing scripts, selecting the language, and following the framework for preparing a test case. prepare reporting tool setup.
• Locating elements -  Locate elements and select them by their different properties and store it in your prepared script.
• Preparing test cases - Prepare test cases in the selected language for selenium roles and responsibilities.
• Enhancing test cases-  Continuing to improve and adding on test case scripts makes your test script robust.
• Execute test suites and prepare a report -  Make a suite of prepared test cases as per scenarios and execute it every time (mostly after code deployment). 
• Analyzing test report - After execution of the test, the suite checks the test report and faults and bugs. resolve the founded fault and assign founded issues to the developer team.

Selenium Roles and Responsibilities At Various Levels

The section that follows next will discuss the key occupational responsibilities which make an essential part of Selenium tester jobs.  We’ve divided the automation tester roles and responsibilities into various categories depending on the years of working experience of the  Selenium tester. 

1+ Years Experience in Test Automation Using Selenium

• Understanding Test Requirements and analyzing the Application under Test(AUT).
• Generating Test Cases (Test Scripts) using Selenium Element locators and WebDriver API Commands.
• Enhancing Test cases using Java Programming.
• Debugging Test Cases and Fixing Errors.
• Executing/Running Test Cases
• Defect Reporting & Tracking
• Test Reporting

2+ years Of Experience in Test Automation Using Selenium

• Creating Test Automation Resources (Function Libraries etc…).
• Handling duplicate objects and dynamic objects using index property and Regular expressions.
• Collecting Test Data for Data-Driven Testing.
• Creating Test Cases (Test Scripts) using Selenium Webdriver, Java, and TestNG Annotations. Refer to what is the difference between Test cases vs Test Scripts for more details.
• Parameterization, Synchronization, and definition Test results.
• Debugging and Running Tests - roles and responsibilities of Selenium automation test engineer
• Analyzing Test Results
• Defect Reporting and Tracking using any Defect Management Tool.
• Test Reporting - selenium roles and responsibilities 
• Modifying Tests and performing Re & Regression Testing.

3+ years of Experience in Test Automation Using Selenium

• Understanding and Analyzing the Application Under Test in terms of Object Identification - selenium automation testing roles and responsibilities
• Creating Test scenarios and Collecting Test Data.
• Identifying end-to-end scenarios and code modularity.
• Implementing JUnit or TestNG Test Automation framework and developing automation infrastructure. Refer to the JUnit testing tutorial to understand the basic functionalities of JUnit.
• Creating reusable components - selenium tester roles and responsibilities 
• Creating and enhancing Test Cases (Test Scripts) using Element locators, WebDriver methods, Java programming concepts, and TestNG Annotations.
• Error Handling, Adding comments.
• Creating Data-driven Tests and Running through the framework.
• Cross Browser Testing - automation tester roles and responsibilities 
• Parallel Test Execution.
• Defining and exporting Test Results.
• Analyzing Test Results and Reporting Defects.
• Tracking Defects and Select Test cases for Re & Regression Testing.
• Modifying Test Automation Resources and Maintenance of Resources.

4+ years of Experience in Test Automation Using Selenium

• Selecting or Identifying Areas/Test Cases for Automation.

• Designing & Implementing Test Automation Strategy.
• Creating Automation Test Plans and getting approvals.
• Choose Selenium tools and Configuring Selenium Test Environment 
• Involvement in Selenium Environment Setup…
• Automation Framework Design and Implementation.
• Creating, Organizing, and Managing Test Automation Resources.
• Creating, Enhancing, debugging, and Running Test Cases.
• Organizing and monitoring defect management process.
• Handling changes and conducting Regression Testing.
• Finding solutions for Object Identification issues and error handling issues.
• Co-coordinating Test team members and the Development team in order to resolve the issues.
• Interacting with client-side people to solve issues and update status.

A Sample Automation Testing Job Description

Among many roles and responsibilities of an automation tester, an Automation engineer is mainly  responsible for analyzing the functionality of applications and designing automated tests to validate their performance. You will also work to find bugs, install databases, and collaborate with the software design team. In order to ensure your success as a test automation engineer, make sure to have advanced programming skills, a keen eye for detail, and excellent project management skills. Understand the complete concept of Project management through the PMP tutorial. A skilled automation test engineer can design and write efficient test procedures for every software application.

Roles and Responsibilities of Automation Tester

• Coordinate with the software design team to talk about the different verification protocols.
• Find out the weaknesses and target areas of a software application
• Come up with ideas for automated software test procedures
• Check but report and find problem areas
• Designing and installing software databases
• Figure out quality issues and create test reports

Test Automation Engineer Requirements

In order to become a test automation engineer, you must have a solid foundation in programming skills, how to write code, and knowledge of how software testing works. Simply put, a test automation engineer must fully understand the all-encompassing software development process. 

• You should have Bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering, or a similar field.
• Previous work experience as an automation test engineer 
• Knowledge of advanced programming skills like automation systems and databases
• Knowledge of programming script languages such as Java and VBScript. 
• Detailed information about application functions, bug fixing, and testing protocols
• Written and verbal communication skills 
• Project management skills

How Much Is The Salary Of Automation Test Engineer in the United States

The average Automation Test Engineer salary in the United States is $102,918 a year as of May 14, 2023, but the salary range typically falls between $64,000 and $112,000 a year. Salary ranges can vary widely depending on many important factors, including education, certifications, additional skills, and the years you have spent in your profession. According to Zippia

Skill For Selenium Test Automation Engineer

To attain the #1 skill for automation tester, there are 2 different aspects, and how much programming knowledge is required depends on your role and where you see yourself in the industry after a few years. The aspects are:

Framework Designing

You are required to have a thorough understanding and coding skills in C#, Python, Java, Perl, SQL, XML, HTML, and CSS. Although, what language you should be proficient in depends on the programming language used by the developers in the project. 

Creating the Test Scripts

Having sufficient knowledge of Selenium web drivers is good enough. However, if you are using UFT or QTP, you should have thorough programming knowledge. 

Excellent Manual Testing Skills

To become a skilled selenium test automation engineer and handle selenium roles and responsibilities, you must also have a keen eye and experience in manual testing. 

Expertise Using Selenium

Selenium has become a household name in the world of automation testing. Almost all major browsers ensure that Selenium is a native section of them. No matter whether you are a fresher or an experienced test automation engineer. You should have knowledge or working experience in Selenium to manage Selenium roles and responsibilities.

Understanding The Business Requirements

Similarly, a skilled selenium test automation engineer must know the application inside out, from both frontends and the service layer, before the testing phase begins. They must know

• The programming languages used by the development team.
• Platform or device requirement where the application is meant to run by end-users.
• Databases are used for storing the backend information along with user data.
• APIs or web services connected to the system and how they are used.
• The end-user or the stakeholder expects all the features and functions once the application goes live.
• Was there any manual testing executed while the testing phase began? If so, how?
• Expected time spent by a manual tester while testing the application.
• Whether any critical bugs were left unfixed during the last release and how they may impact the business.
• Expected delivery date by which the testing phase is needed to be completed. Individuals can learn in-depth about test automation by enrolling in a QA tester course.

Troubleshooting The Automation Tools

Popular test automation tools are quite large and complex and require the tester to have detailed technical knowledge about the tool before your project starts using them. 

Experience With Test Management Tools

The main objective of automation testing is to reduce the time complexity of the entire testing procedure. If you are a selenium test automation engineer, you should have some experience in a test management tool because,

• They are flexible and allow the user to record errors and sort them according to the priority depending on how the error affects the project.
• If you are an automation test lead, working experience in a test management tool will help you track how the testing phase is transitioning from one phase to another. 
• If you are a tester, you can report your activities in the tool, and if you are a test lead, you can have a real-time report of the resources working under you and what they are doing. 

Strong Certifications Are A Must

Online QA training will not only make your profile stand out from the others when you are applying for a new job, but it will also improve your knowledge base and eventually help you to follow an out-of-the-box approach while testing an application. Some popular automation testing certifications may help you in the long run.

• Certified Associate in Software Testing
• ISTQB – Foundation Level
• ISTQB – Advanced Level – Test Manager
• ISTQB – Advanced Level – Test Analyst
• HP HP0-M102 for UFT version 12.0
• Certified Software Test Engineer
• Selenium 101
• Selenium Advanced

How To Become A Test Automation Engineer

Now that you’ve understood how is an automation testing job description look like, here is a quick guide on how to become a test automation engineer; 

Learn the basics of testing really well - You need to create a strong foundation of knowledge about testing as a field by enrolling in QA online training.  

Get started as early as possible - Begin to polish your skill set much earlier – on the open-source tools available for free. Install one of the tools on your personal computer and try it. You can use generic applications like Gmail, Amazon, or even Microsoft Office. A;l this will help manage the roles and responsibilities of the selenium automation test engineer.

Learn basic coding concepts - In order to become a successful test automation engineer, you simply need to get some coding skills. Using an automation testing tutorial, you can learn automation testing and get some knowledge of programming languages like C, Java, Python, SQL, Perl, HTML, CSS, or XML.

The other is the technical skills that you need to become a great automation testing engineer: 

•  test design, 
•  performance testing, 
• test architecture, 
•  configuration management, 
• troubleshooting, 
•  communication between teams, 
•  manual testing agility and interaction, 
•  continuous delivery, agile, and DevOps.

Learn how to understand applications - An automation testing engineer needs to fully comprehend the software application under test, inside and out. Here are some of the questions you should be able to answer when QA testing an application:

• What were the programming languages used to develop the application? 
•  Which platform is the application built on? 
•  Which databases does it involve? 
• Are any APIs or web services connected to different system parts? And if so, how? 
•  What is the objective of the main stakeholders in developing the application? 
•  What are the features and functionalities expected from the application? 
• Has manual testing been executed already? How many manual hours have been spent on testing the application? 
•  Are there any unresolved bugs or other serious issues? 
• What is the expected delivery date of the application? 

Try your hand at automation testing tools - 

Tools used by Automation Tester Engineer

Most companies in the tech industry already use test automation tools. The main reason behind that is the benefits they bring to companies. That’s why it’s critical that you start experimenting with the leading test automation tools available on the market. Doing that will teach you more about their environment, architecture, and relevance for the application under test. 

Keep with the latest testing trends - Stay updated and closely monitor the latest trends in software testing and test automation. It’s not only about tools but also techniques and best practices that help professionals succeed in crafting test automation strategies.

Conclusion

I hope you’ve understood the different roles and responsibilities of Automation test engineers; this is a most sought-after job in the IT industry nowadays. Therefore, candidates choosing to pursue a career as a tester are undoubtedly going to rock their careers and reach greater heights because there are innumerable job opportunities worldwide. 

If you want to pursue a career as a QA tester, or looking to change your career, or just starting out with your career, then online training and certification providing company like JanBask Training can help you ease your journey by offering professional QA testing course that matches with the current industry standards and helps aspirants industry ready. 

Begin your journey in the automation testing field by enrolling in an Automation testing course to become an expert in the automation testing domain, focusing on error-free software development and quality assurance. 

The industry is fast evolving; grab your Selenium Tester Certification Fast to Give Wings to Your Dream Career !!

QA Testing Courses To Boost Your Career

Course Name	View Details
QA Software Testing Master	https://www.janbasktraining.com/qa-testing-courses
Selenium Testing Master	https://www.janbasktraining.com/selenium-testing-course
Manual Testing	https://www.janbasktraining.com/manual-testing-training-course
Automation Testing	https://www.janbasktraining.com/automation-testing-course
Performance Testing	https://www.janbasktraining.com/performance-testing-course
QTP/UFT	https://www.janbasktraining.com/qtp-uft
Appium	https://www.janbasktraining.com/appium-certification-training

FAQs

Q1. When is a good time to automate a test?

Ans:- A test is worth automating under the following circumstances -

• Test could be repeated.
• The tested fetaure’s doesn’t change periodically.
• The test requires more time for a manual testing.
• The test requires complicated calculations.

Q2. Should you automate all testing?

Ans:- Even though automating test is beneficial, its not practical to automate all types of tests. A humans tester can perform interface testing, usability testing and accessibility testing. 

Q3. What is a test environment?

Ans:-  A computer or a server or machine can analyze software, which is called as a test environment. The newly developed software is installed on the computer or servers or machine, complete alongwith its dependencies, to encourage production environment. Therefore, the software could be examined in a real world environment. 

Q4. What is automated regression testing?

Ans:-  In an automated regression testing method, a tester makes sure that no functionality from the previous features have been broken. The distinct objective of this test is to validate that the tested and created functionality proceeds to work properly even when new features have been integrated. 

Q5. What are some of the best practices in automation testing?

Ans:-  A software development and testing team must follow some of these best practices to ensure world class software. 

• Choose tasks to automate.
• Depending on the knowledge and expertise, allot test scenarios.
• Remove uncertainty.
• Choose the right tools and frameworks.
• Manage test records within a database of bugs.

Q6. What are some of the excellent industry practices for Selenium automation testing?

Ans:-  A few of the excellent industry practices include

• Following naming standards across the test script
• Make use of right comments
• Separating codes on the basis of use
• Prevent use of duplicate cases
• Test scripts periodically. 
• Stick to coding conventions

Q7. What is an automation testing framework?

Ans:-  It is a tool or a software that comply with the rules and best practices to simplify the automation process. This automation testing framework containc different functional libraries, object details, test data sources, methods and renewzble models for complementing the testing. 

Q8. What are the different types of testing frameworks available in the industry?

Ans:-  Some of the testing frameworks are available in the market based on the software requirements: 

• Data-driven testing
• Modularity-driven testing
• Keyword-driven testing
• Hybrid testing
• Model-based testing
• Code-driven testing
• Behavior-driven development

Q9. How can you map the success of automation testing?

Ans:-  The success of an automation testing is determined using several factors, such as:

• Time-saving
• Reusability
• Quality of software
• Maintenance
• Installment costs
• Number of errors or bugs found
• Software or test coverage

Q10. What are the main steps in the life cycle in Automation testing?

Ans:-  Generally the following steps need to be followed when deploying automation testing-

• State the goals for automation testing
• State the scope of automation testing
• Choose a types of automation testing and test cases to be carried out. 
• Develop test scripts and test suits to verify test cases
• Execute automation tests using automation tools

Learn more about life cycle in automation testing by enrolling in a QA training online course.

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