Test automation is a beast. Feed it wrong, and it will bite you. Hard.

Welcome to the crash course in how not to design your automation framework. You’ve seen it before – the framework that looks like someone rage-coded it during a caffeine bender. The one that works… until it doesn’t. Let’s break down the most common automation antipatterns and how to bury them before they bury your sanity.

☠️ Codebase of Doom – A Real-Life Horror Example

You open the repo, and BAM:

qa_tests/
├── tests/
│   ├── TestClass1.py
│   ├── TestClass2.py
│   ├── BashTests.py
│   ├── ApiTestClass1.py
│   ├── ConfigReader.py
├── resources/
│   ├── test_data.json
│   └── config.ini

Looks familiar? Here’s what’s wrong:

  • Zero modularization – logic, tests, and configs thrown in like a leftover pizza box.
  • Inconsistent naming – tracking down tests feels like detective work.
  • Overloaded classes – test logic, locators, setup, assertions… all mashed together.
  • No data management – hardcoded hellscape or copy-paste galore.
  • No suite control – forget targeted runs. It’s run-all-or-die.

🧼 What Clean Looks Like

Here’s how you stop the rot:

qa_tests/
├── pages/
│   ├── LoginPage.py
│   └── DashboardPage.py
├── tests/
│   ├── web/
│   │   ├── test_login.py
│   │   └── test_dashboard.py
│   ├── api/
│   │   └── test_user_api.py
│   └── conftest.py
├── resources/
│   └── test_data.json
├── utils/
│   ├── json_reader.py
│   ├── config_loader.py
├── config/
│   └── config.ini

Why this works:

  • Logic, data, config, and tests are separated.
  • Tests inherit from a base class, promoting DRY principles.
  • Fixtures are centralized. Setup/teardown becomes child’s play.

💀 Antipatterns Hall of Shame

Let’s dissect some classics:

🚫 1. Not Following Patterns

No POM? No separation of logic? Welcome to spaghetti town.

🚫 2. Brittle Tests Everywhere

Your test fails because the dev added a <div>? You’ve built a house of cards.

🚫 3. Data Hardcoding

You’ve buried test data inside functions. Every change means a repo-wide grep. Don’t.

🚫 4. Test Pollution

Your tests create data… and leave it behind. You’re not QA. You’re a database vandal.

🚫 5. Slow, Monolithic Execution

Suite takes 40 minutes to run. No parallelization, no filtering. Just pain.

🚫 6. Reports from 1998

No HTML? No IDs? Zero integration with your TM tool? If your report makes devs go “meh,” you’ve already lost.

🔧 What to Do Instead

  • Refactor into page objects and helper modules.
  • Use pytest fixtures for setup and teardown.
  • Introduce configuration via config.ini, dotenv, or command-line args.
  • Add tagging and markers to organize test execution.
  • Integrate with TestRail or Xray (at least via a JSON dump).
  • Use pytest-html or Allure to give people reports they actually want to read.
  • Review your test granularity. Split big tests into smaller, focused ones.

🧠 Spot the Framework Rot Early

Signs you need an overhaul:

  • CI runs randomly fail (but pass on local). 🙄
  • New devs fear touching the framework. 😬
  • Your “base class” has 300+ lines. 😱
  • You don’t know what coverage looks like anymore. 🫠

Don’t wait for an audit to realize your automation is more technical debt than benefit.

🚀 Final Words

Frameworks should serve the team, not trap it. If your current test suite feels like a monster you summoned and now can’t kill – it’s time to refactor.

Burn it down (figuratively). Build it back smarter.

Make your automation something you’re proud to run.

Test automation is a tool. Don’t let it become a trap.