Steps to design and implement the Test automation framework in project

• Detail the Test Requirements: Understand the testing requirements for the application you like to implement automation and expected outcomes from the testing.
• Prepare Test Strategy document that outlines the approach for testing, test levels, different types of tests, and acceptance criteria.
• Document critical functionality and prioritize for automation: Document the critical functionality that the application provide and prioritize those for automation. Its not necessary to automate all the scenarios.
• Evaluate testability and assess the value of automation: Assess how easy it is to automate testing for each module, analyze the potential benefits of automating testing for each module. Take into account maintainability and limitations of automation.
• Design the test architecture: Plan out the overall structure of the framework, such as the modular design, the flow of control, the design pattern, and the technology stack to be used. Try to keep it simple so that it can be modified & easy to understand.
• Choose a test automation tool: Select a suitable tool for automating the testing. Look for open source tool.
• Develop reusable components: Develop components such as helper functions, utility classes, and common assertion methods that can be used across multiple test scripts.
• Design test data management: Decide on how test data will be managed, such as through spreadsheets, databases, JSON, XML or external files, and implement necessary interfaces or classes.
• Implement test runners: Develop a way to execute test scripts in a batch, either sequentially or parallelly, as per the requirement.
• Handle error and exception: Design a way to catch and handle the errors, exceptions, and edge cases that may occur during the testing.
• Implement logging: Include a logging mechanism in the framework to capture information such as test execution progress, test results, and any error messages that occur during testing.
• Implement reporting: Include a reporting mechanism in the framework to generate test execution reports that provide an overview of the test results, including information such as passed/failed test cases, test execution time, and any errors that occurred.
• Integrate into the CI/CD pipeline: Configure the test automation framework to be executed as part of the continuous integration and continuous deployment processes.
• Maintenance: Keep the framework, its logging and reporting mechanisms, and its integration with the CI/CD pipeline up to date with any changes to the services or requirements.

It is important to understand that these steps are not independent, they are all interconnected, and the order in which they are executed is not that important as long as they are covered and executed on the right order for your context.

Please keep in mind that the details and specifics of each step will vary depending on the project requirements and constraints. This should be customized to the specific needs of your project.