Plan test automation strategies including ROI analysis, automation candidate selection, framework evaluation, and maintainable automation architecture.
Plans test automation strategies by calculating ROI, selecting candidates using a weighted matrix, and recommending frameworks. Activates when you need to decide what tests to automate or design automation architecture.
/plugin marketplace add melodic-software/claude-code-plugins/plugin install test-strategy@melodic-softwareThis skill is limited to using the following tools:
references/automation-patterns.mdreferences/automation-strategy-template.mdUse this skill when:
A well-planned test automation strategy maximizes ROI by automating the right tests at the right level. Poor automation choices lead to maintenance burden, flaky tests, and wasted effort.
High Business Value
│
┌──────────────────┼──────────────────┐
│ AUTOMATE │ AUTOMATE │
│ FIRST │ (careful ROI) │
│ (High ROI) │ │
Low ├──────────────────┼──────────────────┤ High
Effort │ AUTOMATE │ CONSIDER │ Effort
│ (Low effort) │ MANUAL │
│ │ (Low ROI) │
└──────────────────┼──────────────────┘
Low Business Value
| Criterion | Weight | Score (1-5) |
|---|---|---|
| Execution Frequency | 25% | 5 = Daily, 1 = Quarterly |
| Business Criticality | 25% | 5 = Revenue-critical, 1 = Rarely used |
| Stability (low change) | 20% | 5 = Never changes, 1 = Weekly |
| Complexity to Automate | 15% | 5 = Trivial, 1 = Very complex |
| Data Availability | 15% | 5 = Static, 1 = Unavailable |
Decision: Score ≥ 4.0: Prioritize | 3.0-3.9: Defer | < 3.0: Keep manual
| Good Candidates | Poor Candidates |
|---|---|
| Smoke/sanity tests | Exploratory testing |
| Regression tests | Usability testing |
| Data-driven tests | One-time tests |
| API contract tests | Rapidly changing features |
| Performance baselines | Visual design validation |
| Security scans | Edge cases rarely executed |
| Factor | Multiply Manual Time By |
|---|---|
| Simple UI automation | 3-5x |
| Complex UI automation | 8-15x |
| API automation | 1-2x |
| Database automation | 2-3x |
| Performance tests | 5-10x |
Example: 30 min manual × 1.5 = 45 min API automation. 52 weekly runs = 26 hrs saved. ROI = 3,367%
| Anti-Pattern | Problem | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Sleep/Wait hardcoding | Flaky, slow | Use explicit waits |
| XPath over data-testid | Brittle | Use stable selectors |
| Test interdependence | Order-dependent failures | Isolated test setup |
| Shared mutable state | Race conditions | Fresh state per test |
| Too many E2E tests | Slow pipeline | Push to lower pyramid |
| Metric | Healthy | Warning | Critical |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pass rate | > 98% | 95-98% | < 95% |
| Flaky test rate | < 2% | 2-5% | > 5% |
| Avg execution time | < 10 min | 10-30 min | > 30 min |
| Maintenance hours/week | < 4 hrs | 4-8 hrs | > 8 hrs |
| Reference | Content | When to Load |
|---|---|---|
| automation-strategy-template.md | Full strategy template, framework selection, roadmap | Creating automation strategy |
| automation-patterns.md | Page Object Model, Fluent Builder, Test Fixture | Implementing .NET Playwright tests |
Inputs from:
test-strategy-planning skill → Overall strategytest-pyramid-design skill → Pyramid ratiosOutputs to:
test-case-design skill → Automatable test designsQuery: "Help me plan a test automation strategy for our e-commerce platform"
Expected: Skill activates, provides strategy template, guides through assessment
Query: "Should I automate this checkout flow test?"
Expected: Skill activates, provides selection criteria matrix, helps calculate ROI
Query: "Show me the Page Object Model pattern in Playwright"
Expected: Skill activates, loads automation-patterns.md reference, provides code examples
Last Updated: 2025-12-28
Use when working with Payload CMS projects (payload.config.ts, collections, fields, hooks, access control, Payload API). Use when debugging validation errors, security issues, relationship queries, transactions, or hook behavior.
Applies Anthropic's official brand colors and typography to any sort of artifact that may benefit from having Anthropic's look-and-feel. Use it when brand colors or style guidelines, visual formatting, or company design standards apply.
Creating algorithmic art using p5.js with seeded randomness and interactive parameter exploration. Use this when users request creating art using code, generative art, algorithmic art, flow fields, or particle systems. Create original algorithmic art rather than copying existing artists' work to avoid copyright violations.