Why Every Business Analyst Should Learn Playwright in 2026

# One-time setup (Python version of Playwright)
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate          # Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
pip install pytest-playwright
playwright install chromium

# Check it works
playwright --version

# Open a browser and record your clicks into Python code
playwright codegen --target python-pytest https://demo.playwright.dev/todomvc

# What happens:
# 1. A browser window opens on the page
# 2. An Inspector window shows code as you click and type
# 3. Copy the generated test into a file, e.g. test_todo.py
# 4. Add expect() checks for your acceptance criteria

User story:
As a busy user, I want to add tasks to my to-do list
so that I do not forget them.

Acceptance criteria:
AC1  Given I am on the to-do page
     When I add "Pay electricity bill"
     Then it appears in the list
     And the counter shows "1 item left"

AC2  Given I have added two tasks
     When I mark one as complete
     Then the counter shows "1 item left"

# test_todo.py   — run with: pytest test_todo.py
from playwright.sync_api import Page, expect

URL = "https://demo.playwright.dev/todomvc"

def add_task(page: Page, text: str):
    page.get_by_placeholder("What needs to be done?").fill(text)
    page.get_by_placeholder("What needs to be done?").press("Enter")

def test_ac1_new_task_appears(page: Page):
    page.goto(URL)
    add_task(page, "Pay electricity bill")
    expect(page.get_by_test_id("todo-title")).to_have_text(["Pay electricity bill"])
    expect(page.get_by_test_id("todo-count")).to_have_text("1 item left")

def test_ac2_completing_reduces_counter(page: Page):
    page.goto(URL)
    add_task(page, "Book train ticket")
    add_task(page, "Call bank")
    page.get_by_test_id("todo-item").first.get_by_role("checkbox").check()
    expect(page.get_by_test_id("todo-count")).to_have_text("1 item left")

# capture_screens.py — refresh screenshots for the user guide
from playwright.sync_api import sync_playwright

PAGES = {
    "home": "https://demo.playwright.dev/todomvc",
}

with sync_playwright() as p:
    browser = p.chromium.launch()
    page = browser.new_page(viewport={"width": 1280, "height": 800})
    for name, url in PAGES.items():
        page.goto(url)
        page.screenshot(path=f"screens/{name}.png", full_page=True)
    browser.close()

# Create the folder first: mkdir screens

# Run all checks in a visible browser (good for demos)
pytest --headed

# Keep a trace for failed tests (open with: playwright show-trace <file>)
pytest --tracing retain-on-failure

# Record video of failures
pytest --video retain-on-failure

# Screenshot on failure
pytest --screenshot only-on-failure

ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA MAP

Story ID | AC ID | Criterion (short)            | Test name                         | Status
---------|-------|------------------------------|-----------------------------------|-------
US-101   | AC1   | New task appears in list     | test_ac1_new_task_appears         | Pass
US-101   | AC2   | Completing reduces counter   | test_ac2_completing_reduces_counter | Pass
US-102   | AC1   | ____________________________ | _________________________________ | ____

UAT READINESS CHECKLIST

[ ] All stories in scope have acceptance criteria
[ ] Key journeys have Playwright checks
[ ] Checks run green on the UAT build
[ ] HTML report saved for this build
[ ] Screenshots refreshed for changed screens
[ ] Known issues listed with owners
[ ] Stakeholder session booked with agenda

UAT SIGN-OFF NOTE

Release     : ____________   Build: ________
Scope       : Stories US-___ to US-___
Automated checks: __ passed / __ failed
Manual review   : completed by ____________
Open issues     : ____________________________
Decision        : Approved / Approved with conditions / Rejected
Signed by       : ____________  Date: ________