Alla Svirskaya

Obstacles of moving from manual to automation testing:

• Too busy running manual tests
• Put automation off until the “next release.”
• Company culture is not open to change
• Company is not sure about the investment
• Not enough knowledge or experience to implement (training required)
• Not sure how or where to start

Steps to go from manual to automation testing:
Step 1: Build a good test case foundation
Why create a good test case foundation?

• Good manual test cases are blueprints for what you will and will not be able to automate. Explore automation framework options
• Aim for goodness, not perfection
• Test cases will evolve and change as you dig in deeper and learn more
• Pick a tool to store and organize your manual test case. This can be as simple as you need
• The option should include tracking which tests can/should be automated and what has been automated.

Step 2: Explore Automation framework
By framework, I mean what your tests are coded in that will run the actual tests. For example, the framework is what will actually send the test to the Selenium Server.

Step 3: Make the first choice:
After you have proved to yourself that your approach will work, time to get the team to buy in on your solution, get a Proof of Concept (POC). Develop a good plan and get moving.
Have at least one backup plan in case the first choice does not work out.

Step 4: Start simple and confirm your choice works
Proof of Concept (POC) is a chance to share your results, recommendations, and excitement with the large team. Best to show a live demo if possible

Step 5: Implement

John Dong

Like any field to equip with required skill, experience and exptise, automation testing needs these as well, either expand from developer background or gain as required, such as Java, Linux/SQL scripting at least, maybe Python, VB, LoadRunner (C), through training first.

Chirag Jariwala

Start by researching the test automation skills that are on demand in your job market.

• Is web test automation in demand or mobile test automation?
• Is QTP experience required by most companies, Selenium or Appium?
• Do employers prefer Java, C#, or Ruby as a programming language?

The answers to these questions will help you to narrow down the new skills that you need to learn or refine.
Then…start learning the new skills!

Nina Sebastian

Today, acceptance and adaptability of the open source tools and frameworks has made automation skills easy to reach and also social media is coming to rescue as well (finally !)
First thing to start with – have a mindset of augmenting manual testing skills into automation – a good manual testing skills is fundamental to start automation testing.
Next step – install any version control tool on your machine – like Eclipse, intelij IDE
online and google is great help to find resources on how to install such tools. open source technology has made these things free of cost and easily available.
Next step – if thinking of learning automation – which test automation tool to learn for value added advantage ?, as any body spending time learning a skill , better be the best tool –
Here is the tip of the day – learn one coding language – JAVA, Python – any backbone coding language, tool learning will come by easily and your test automation skills are not with one particular tool .
Next step – invest some time watching online tutorials – video , blogs etc.
Next step – just do it. Be hands on. join few online forums of such topics for tips and learning .

Sathyananda Paul

Please find below the “How” part of upgrading from Manual to Automation but not limited to:

1. Get clear understanding and concepts of Record and playback (General Automation Principle)
2. Explore Test Automaton framework for Desktop /Web /Mobile applications or Web services or Database available off the shelf (Open source and Commercial/Licensed) and for End to End Testing (Frond end and Back End)
3. Knowledge and practice Programming languages (Java /Python….) basics(Core) and Object oriented Concepts
4. Practice or sign up to a course /certified training program on any of the Automation Framework and language (Preferably Selenium)
5. Join relevant discussion forums of Automation to acquire knowledge on trends in Automation framework and tools
6. Practice to upgrade skills and keep track of latest tools and techniques in Automation
7. Try and automate Application (Regression of functional test cases) or product that is being under test for which Manual testing is in progress in the current project or job

Ligia Guma

I found being very difficult to switch from manual testing to automation testing. This is because nobody will consider you if you do not have this experience in particular. If you take a course will not be enough to be considered. The experience is the only thing that it matters. Even if you have experience as developer or computer science education you will not be considered. So there is no way to switch to automation and in top of that, to have recent experience with automation tools (e.g Selenium that is currently in fashion). So the only option is learn by yourself, google about it and to lye in the resume.
These days, also manual QA roles are very hard to find. The offshore situation that is everybody aware, left thousands of people without jobs.

Kirti Tangri

Switching from Manual Testing to Automation is not a small thing, one needs to be prepare and learn:

1. Coding, which is going to be used most of the time in selenium with java concepts.
2. Automation tools, all the coding for the testing purpose is going to be performed in different automation tools like Selenium, UFT, Soap UI.
3. Agile environment is very crucial to get in Automation.
4. What to Automate is another important concept to understand.

At end, I would say doing Automation is now not a end part of product but consecutive part from beginning to end to understand the requirement.