Which test cases need to be automated?

Test cases that are time-consuming, repetitive, critical, and require complex scenarios are good candidates for automation. However, it's essential to carefully evaluate each test case before deciding whether to automate it, as there may be cases where manual testing is still more effective.

• Data-driven test cases: Data-driven test cases are ideal for automation because they require multiple data sets or several data entries, such as testing that needs a username and password and filling up forms with varying data.
• Test cases with higher complexity: Test cases requiring higher preparation and setup work should be automated. For example, when testing a CRM application, you should hit the CRM API but first need to set up authentication. This may require hitting some other APIs to test the CRM APIs. This testing can take a long time, so it's better to automate it.
• Test cases having multiple database updates: Imagine you only have one credential to log in but want to test different permissions. Writing an automation script where the script would first change permissions, login, and execute the test case would take a lot of time. If your test cases involve multiple database entries, it should be a good candidate for automation.
• Smoke/Critical tests: Smoke tests and critical tests are performed on features and functionalities frequently used in the automation process. Smoke tests include critical test cases. You want to ensure your production environment is always up and running, so you automate critical tests and run them every morning.
• Increased manual execution time: When test execution takes a lot of time, even when tests are short and don't involve data variations, those tests can be automated to save time and avoid repetitive effort.