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Project Record

Cross-Browser & API Test Automation: Charity Payment Platform

Modernizing QA operations to reduce regression time by 83% while increasing defect detection

  • Playwright
  • API Testing
  • Cross-Browser Testing
  • GitHub Actions
  • CI/CD
  • Payment Testing
  • Stripe Integration
  • Test Strategy
  • Fixture Pattern
Visual Context

Primary Result

83%

Regression time reduction (12hr → 1h 26m)

Primary Stack

Playwright

Detailed from the project record below.

01

The Challenge

A charity platform processing donations via credit cards, ACH, checks, mailed payments, and stock transfers relied entirely on manual regression testing across two platforms. The QA process was unsustainable.

The team required 12 hours of manual regression testing per release cycle, with 6 manual testers needed for full coverage. Poor test case prioritization meant cases weren't written with automation or clarity in mind, and bugs still escaped to production despite extensive manual effort.

The client needed to modernize their testing approach without sacrificing coverage of critical payment flows—high-risk scenarios where failures directly impact donor trust and revenue.

02

My Approach

I modernized the QA operations through strategic test case restructuring, comprehensive Playwright automation, API testing integration, and seamless CI/CD implementation.

  1. 01

    Rewrote Test Cases for Automation-Readiness

    Audited existing manual cases and restructured for clarity and repeatability, prioritized high-risk payment flows as the smoke suite foundation, and applied risk-based testing to determine pipeline execution order.

  2. 02

    Built Playwright E2E Framework

    Implemented cross-browser testing across 4 browsers (Chromium, Firefox, WebKit, Edge), created 56 core test cases covering critical donation workflows, integrated Stripe sandbox for payment testing, and used fixture-based architecture for clean test organization.

  3. 03

    Added API Automation Layer

    Built API tests using Playwright's native API testing capabilities, applied the same page fixture pattern for consistency, extended coverage into integration testing to validate backend payment processing, and positioned API testing as added value to keep client engaged.

  4. 04

    GitHub Actions CI/CD Integration

    Configured dispatch event triggers for on-demand execution, set up nightly regression jobs for continuous monitoring, achieved 99% test stability through disciplined execution frequency, and enabled parallel cross-browser runs to maximize speed.

03

Results & Impact

The modernization effort delivered significant efficiency gains, quality improvements, and business impact. Here are the measurable outcomes:

Regression time reduction (12hr → 1h 26m)
83%
Cross-browser test executions (56 tests × 4 browsers)
224
Critical defects caught before production
13
Test stability maintained
99%
04

Key Learnings

  • Test Case Quality Precedes Automation

    Rewriting unclear manual cases upfront prevented brittle automation later. Investing time in test case restructuring paid dividends in maintainability and reliability.

  • API Testing is a Value Multiplier

    Adding API coverage beyond the contracted E2E work deepened client relationship and extended test reach, demonstrating proactive value delivery.

  • Execution Frequency > Suite Size

    Running 56 tests nightly at 99% stability caught more bugs than 200 flaky tests run weekly. Consistent execution frequency proved more valuable than test volume.

  • Fixture Patterns Scale

    Applying the same architecture to both E2E and API tests reduced cognitive load and accelerated development, proving that consistent patterns improve velocity across test types.