Making Test Automation Work for Everyone: The Power of Keyword-Driven Frameworks
Keyword-driven testing enables a structured, scalable, and maintainable approach to test automation by clearly separating test logic from implementation. Using predefined keywords increases reusability, enhances readability, and reduces long-term maintenance efforts. This method lowers the technical entry barrier, allowing even non-developers to contribute effectively to automated testing. Drawing from our experience in developing keyword-driven frameworks, we outline key success factors, highlight potential pitfalls, and demonstrate how strategic planning ensures sustainable and tool-independent test automation.
Value for the audience:
The audience will gain practical insights into how keyword-driven testing can address common pain points in test automation, including high maintenance, limited reusability, and team dependency on technical expertise. Participants will learn how a structured, modular keyword-based approach improves stability, scalability, and cross-team collaboration. The presentation provides experience-based recommendations for building sustainable, tool-independent test frameworks, reducing technical debt, and increasing overall efficiency. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies to optimize test coverage and implement automation in a way that empowers both technical and non-technical team members.
Problems addressed:
A challenge in test automation is the high maintenance effort of traditional, script-based approaches. Changes in the system often require multiple script updates, reducing stability and limiting scalability due to low abstraction and reusability.
Existing frameworks are often fragile and tightly coupled to implementation details or tools, making extensions time-consuming and error-prone. High technical entry barriers further restrict automation to developers, excluding non-technical teams.
Tool dependencies and inconsistent test structures also pose risks, as changes require refactoring and hinder collaboration, standardization, and long-term sustainability.
Talk language: English
Level: Newcomer
Target group: QA-Leads, QA-Engineers, No-Code-Tester, Framework Developers, Decision-Maker in QA
Company:
Expleo Group Austria GmbH
Theresa Messerer