Problem Statement
✖ Flaky Tests: Dynamic Angular components often broke Selenium tests due to inadequate synchronization.
✖ High Execution Time: Regression runs on Selenium Grid took 3–4 hours, slowing down CI/CD pipelines.
✖ Limited Browser Coverage: Testing was mostly limited to Chrome; other browsers required additional grid configurations.
✖ Complex Maintenance: Managing locators, waits, and parallel execution configurations became cumbersome as the app evolved.
Migration Objectives
✔ Improve test stability and reduce execution time.
✔ Achieve true cross-browser coverage (Chromium, Firefox, WebKit).
✔ Simplify framework maintenance and reduce flaky test incidents.
✔ Seamlessly integrate with the existing Azure DevOps CI/CD pipeline.
Migration Approach
1 : Migration Planning
Conducted a gap analysis between Selenium and Playwright capabilities.
Identified reusable Page Objects and removed brittle Selenium waits.
Defined a phased migration approach: Critical Test Cases ➔ Regression Suite ➔ Smoke & Integration Tests.
2 : Framework Development in Playwright
Built a TypeScript-based Playwright framework from scratch for maintainability.
Adopted Playwright Test Runner, replacing Selenium/TestNG.
Implemented a scalable Page Object Model (POM) pattern.
Integrated Playwright’s auto-waiting, tracing, and video capture for debugging.
3 : Parallel Execution & CI/CD Integration
Enabled parallel test execution with isolated browser contexts.
Configured Azure DevOps pipelines for scheduled and on-demand runs.
Automated Slack and email notifications for test results.
4 : Team Enablement
Conducted training workshops for QA engineers to ramp up on Playwright.
Updated documentation and onboarding guides.
Migration Impact
| Metric | Before (Selenium) | After (Playwright) |
|---|---|---|
| Regression Execution Time | 3-4 hours | 50 minutes |
| Test Stability (Pass %) | ~70% | 95-98% |
| Cross-browser Coverage | Chrome only | Chromium, Firefox, WebKit |
| Framework Maintenance Effort | High | Low (Simplified codebase) |
| CI/CD Feedback Time | Delayed | Real-time on PR merge |
| Debugging & Reporting | Console logs only | Trace viewer, videos, screenshots |
Migration Impact
| Challenge | Resolution |
|---|---|
| Dynamic Angular components | Used Playwright’s auto-waiting and better locator strategies |
| Browser context isolation during parallel tests | Configured independent contexts with Playwright Runner |
| Team learning curve | Conducted workshops and created step-by-step guides |
| Legacy test migration effort | Prioritized critical flows; legacy scripts archived |
Key Benefits Realized
🔹 3x faster regression cycles enabled quicker release cycles.
🔹 Significantly reduced flaky test cases with auto-waiting and smart locators.
🔹 Enhanced developer collaboration due to faster PR feedback.
🔹 Unified API and UI tests within Playwright streamlined end-to-end validations.
🔹 Reduced infrastructure costs by eliminating the Selenium Grid setup.
