Maybe you have a mobile test automation team which is “hungry” to start coding - great. First step - stop and think!

1. Define the most time consuming, tedious, and easy-to-automate tests (assuming that the automation team is trained and has the automation tool at their hands) 
2. Select the right devices on which you wish to automate tests (there are lead devices, “follower” devices)
   
    
3. Select the right OS versions on which you will run automated tests.
   
          
4. Plug automation into a CI/nightly build process for sanity and quick bugs/regressions detection 
5. Test data preparation - For data driven testing and other functional tests, make sure that you have defined and integrated your relevant test data into the test automation planning. 
6. Remember: Automation == Maintenance --> Review your scripts from time to time, update accordingly and assure that it has the right checkpoints and validations which matches the latest product versions and specifications.

The process phases:

• Test plan preparation (can be high level if automation is done by test plan author)EXIT CRITERIA from this phase: Test plan sent for review to stakeholders (QE, R&D, product, agile team members)
• Test plan review by relevant core team EXIT CRITERIA from this stage: Test plan digitally (or other accepted approach for signing official document) signed by all relevant stakeholders
• Automation design document preparation EXIT CRITERIA from this stage: Design document sent for review to automation technical leader ( can be QE or R&D)
• Automation design document review usually by automation technical leader (or if needed R&D representative)EXIT CRITERIA from this stage: Design document digitally (or other accepted approach for signing official document) signed by reviewers
• MOCK project preparation EXIT CRITERIA from this stage: Skeleton methods exposed through the automation framework without actual code behind.
• MOCK project review EXIT CRITERIA from this stage: QE and automation project customers (also preferable representative from all stakeholders team) sign off the MOCK project so coding can start.
• Coding phase EXIT CRITERIA from this stage: Code complete by automation engineer (all operations and tests methods are implemented)
• Code Review post Implementation with Automation and if possible involve R&D team member EXIT CRITERIA from this stage: All review comments are Incorporated once reviewers team approved those changes
• Scenarios compositions and stabilization (BETA phase to get approval from stakeholders that project is stable enough and answers the requirements)EXIT CRITERIA from this stage: All scenarios with their requires test cases are created with the needed parameters and match the requirement document (each test case in requirement document has mapping automation test case in the created scenario)
• Training and Release of official automation package (can be done using release engineering assistance so package will be available under standard location accessible to all engineering membersEXIT CRITERIA from this stage: Official package is published for customers and execution report with required logs and results for the fully functioning scenarios is generated.

We should keep in mind that each stage above should be considered achieved if its EXIT criteria was met!!! Good Luck! Original post here: http://blog.perfectomobile.com/2014/03/18/10-steps-to-kick-start-your-mobile-automation-testing/