Software Developer in Test (SDET) (Playwright, TypeScript) 90-day Learning Plan

Overview

• Skills: Playwright, TypeScript
• Level: Comprehensive
• Current Experience: No Experience
• Weekly Hours: 20 hours/week
• Duration: 120 days

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Learning Journey

Checkpoint 1: Kickstarting SDET: Environment Setup and Tooling

• Install Node.js and npm for TypeScript development
• Set up a new project with npm and initialize Git repository
• Install Playwright and its browsers
• Configure TypeScript in the project (tsconfig.json)
• Install and configure ESLint + Prettier for code quality
• Explore Playwright test runner basics

Checkpoint 2: TypeScript Essentials for Test Automation

• Understand TypeScript types: primitives, arrays, objects
• Write and use interfaces and type aliases for test data
• Use enums and generics for reusable test utilities
• Leverage async/await for Playwright automation flows
• Advanced TypeScript: Union/intersection types, utility types (Optional)

Checkpoint 3: Playwright Fundamentals: Browser Automation Basics

• Launch browsers and create browser contexts in Playwright
• Navigate to web pages and interact with elements (click, type, select)
• Use locators effectively (selectors, text, roles)
• Write basic assertions with Playwright test runner
• Debugging tests with Playwright Inspector (Optional)

Checkpoint 4: Test Structure, Fixtures, and Data Management

• Organize tests using describe/test blocks in Playwright
• Set up fixtures for test data and environment setup/teardown
• Use beforeEach/afterEach hooks for clean state management
• Parameterize tests with test.each() for data-driven testing
• Share fixtures across multiple test files (Optional)

Checkpoint 5: Advanced Web Automation: Navigation, State, and Assertions

• Handle navigation events and waits (waitForNavigation, expect)
• Work with cookies, localStorage, and sessionStorage in tests
• Assert UI state changes (visibility, enabled/disabled, text content)
• Capture screenshots and videos for debugging (Optional)

Checkpoint 6: API Testing with Playwright and TypeScript

• Send HTTP requests using Playwright’s APIRequestContext
• Validate API responses (status codes, JSON bodies)
• Chain API calls with UI actions (setup data via API before UI test)
• Mock API responses in Playwright (Optional)

Checkpoint 7: Test Architecture: Page Object Model & Utilities

• Implement the Page Object Model (POM) pattern in Playwright + TypeScript
• Create reusable page classes for login, dashboard, etc.
• Build custom helper utilities for common actions (Optional)

Checkpoint 8: Test Reliability: Flaky Tests, Retries, and Parallel Execution

• Identify flaky tests and common causes in E2E automation
• Configure retries for unstable tests in Playwright config
• Use Playwright’s parallel execution features to speed up runs (Optional)

Checkpoint 9: Test Coverage & Reporting: Insights into Quality

• Integrate code coverage tools (nyc/Istanbul) with Playwright + TypeScript
• Generate HTML/codecov reports for visual insights (Optional)
• Integrate Allure or similar reporting tools (Optional)

Checkpoint 10: CI/CD Integration: Automating Test Runs in Pipelines

• Set up GitHub Actions workflow to run Playwright tests on every push/PR
• Cache dependencies and artifacts for faster builds (Optional)
• Publish test reports as CI artifacts (Optional)

Checkpoint 11: [Optional] Advanced Automation: Mocking, Accessibility & Visual Testing

• Mock network requests/responses in Playwright tests (Optional)
• Automate accessibility checks using axe-core integration (Optional)
• Add visual regression testing with Playwright snapshots (Optional)