# How I Usually Start Automating User Stories in Playwright

When a new story comes for automation, I don’t touch the code immediately. I follow a simple and steady approach that helps avoid rework and confusion.

## 1\. Functional understanding comes first

My first step is always on the **functional side**. I read the user story fully and check if all acceptance criteria make sense. If anything is unclear or has gaps, I talk to the **developer or product owner** and clarify it.  
It's better to clear doubts early instead of assuming something and later rewriting automation.

## 2\. Write manual test cases

Once the functionality is clear, I write **manual test cases** covering all possible scenarios:

* happy paths
    
* edge cases
    
* negative cases
    
* functional and UI validations
    

This gives me confidence that I have covered the story from all angles.

## 3\. Manual execution before automation

Next, I execute these manual test cases on the application.

* If I find bugs, I log them and wait for fixes.
    
* If everything works fine, then I move towards automation.
    

This avoids writing automation for a broken feature.

## 4\. If there is a blocker, still make partial progress

Sometimes the story is half-working or blocked. In those cases, I don’t sit idle. I do whatever is possible:

* open all reachable screens
    
* capture locators
    
* design the page objects
    
* plan which class should hold which method
    
* create placeholder/dummy methods without implementations
    

This saves time later because the structure is already ready.

## 5\. When the story is stable, start automation

Once the feature is stable, automation becomes straightforward. I start implementing the test using the existing framework conventions and project structure.

## 6\. Use codegen for a quick head start

I run the same scenarios using **Playwright codegen**. Codegen gives raw steps which are not production-ready, but it helps me quickly get all actions and locators.

I then pass this generated script to **AI tools** and ask them to rewrite it following:

* Page Object Model
    
* DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself)
    
* proper naming
    
* reusable functions
    

This gives a good starting structure. I only use AI as an assistant, not as a final answer.

## 7\. Keep an `.md` guide in the repository

Maintaining a `.md` file with good examples of:

* page structure
    
* locator strategy
    
* fixtures usage
    
* naming conventions  
    is very helpful.  
    Anyone new in the team can learn faster, and even I can reuse patterns easily.
    

## 8\. Replace weak locators manually

AI or codegen cannot always give good locators. They usually pick long CSS or nth-child types, which are flaky.  
So I manually rewrite locators using:

* `getByRole`
    
* `getByTestId`
    
* stable attributes
    

This improves long‑term stability.

## 9\. Write meaningful assertions

Codegen cannot create strong assertions. It only does basic checks like:

* element visible
    
* text present
    

But real automation needs:

* data validation
    
* API + UI comparison
    
* sorting logic
    
* complex workflows
    

These I write manually based on business rules.

## Final thoughts

AI is helpful, but it cannot understand the product like a human tester. It can speed up repetitive parts, but functional thinking and assertion design still need human effort.  
This is the simple and practical process I follow for automating one story in a stable and clean way.