What represents good practice when automating a manual regression test suite?

What represents good practice when automating a manual regression test suite?
A . Test data shared between tests should, where feasible, be stored and accessed from a single source to avoid duplication or introduction of error.
B. All existing manual tests should be decomposed into several smaller automated tests to reduce functional overlap.
C. Remove inter-dependencies between tests to reduce automation failures and costly error analysis.
D. Once a manual test has been automated, execute it immediately to Identify whether it operates correctly.

View Answer

Answer: A

Explanation:

This option represents good practice in test automation. Centralizing the test data helps in avoiding duplication or introduction of errors. It makes the process more efficient and reliable by ensuring consistency and simplifying the maintenance of test data.

All existing manual tests should be decomposed into several smaller automated tests to reduce functional overlap. This is not always practical or necessary and could potentially lead to the loss of valuable test coverage if not done carefully.

Removing inter-dependencies between tests can indeed reduce the risk of automation failures and costly error analysis, but it’s not always possible or feasible to do this, and sometimes test dependencies are important to maintain for valid testing of complex systems.

Executing a test immediately after automation is not the best practice, as the automated test script should be reviewed and verified before execution. Moreover, the test might not operate correctly not because of the automation process, but due to other reasons such as test environment or test data issues. Therefore, immediate execution doesn’t necessarily validate the success of the automation process.