I’ve broken enough Playwright suites to know better now. One of the worst was early on when a small UI change blew up a dozen tests because I used getByText in the wrong spots. The suite was useless for a while, and we shipped code without it (so what was the point of all that work?).
Now I only automate what I don’t want to do manually: setup flows, core user paths, data checks. If I can’t explain why a test exists, I don’t write it. I check UI mocks early so I’m not surprised when labels change or elements move. It saves time and keeps the suite stable.
I keep my suites small on purpose. Five solid tests are better than fifty flaky ones, and flaky tests destroy trust in QA fast. I also treat tests like real code. I review them, refactor them, and make small commits. If you skip that, the suite turns into a mess quickly.
I use Playwright every day, but I’m not automating to hit numbers. It’s about saving time and focusing on users, not fixing scripts all the time.
Connect with me:
https://www.jeffthoensen.com
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