Test automation usually looks straightforward in a demo.
You record a few actions, run the test, watch the green checkmark appear, and start imagining a future where every regression is detected before it reaches production.
Then the test suite meets the real application.
Users authenticate through multiple identity providers. Sessions expire halfway through a workflow. Forms change based on earlier answers. Tests run in parallel and modify the same records. An AI agent confidently clicks the wrong element. The Selenium Grid works perfectly until twenty browser sessions start at the same time.
The hard part of test automation is rarely creating the first test. The hard part is building a system that remains useful as the application, infrastructure, and team evolve.
