First few steps on starting a new UI automation project

Deciding on which tools to use, what kind of architecture to follow, what steps to take could be cumbersome. Hence it is very important to make a check-list for yourself when starting a new automation development project.

1) First step is making the decision of whether an application is ready to be automated or not.
As an automation engineer, have a look at the application, do basic sanity and exploratory testing of the application to understand whether the application is stable enough for automation. Find out if there is any planned big change in the application structure, and if there is, wait till after that change.

2) Understand the need of automation here. The requirements and whether the application even  requires testing enough for putting in the effort of automation.
Get the requirements in place. Ask questions like - Whether it is for the purpose of regression testing?, how much percentage of the application can be automated?, do you need an end-to-end scenario testing of the application?

3) Think ahead, and what all will be required from automation in the future. Plan your automation accordingly. Stay updated on technology, and make sure you are using the latest. Do good research on the tools available, the costs of these and the skill set required for these tools.

4) A thorough POC on which tool to pick up for the application is required. This would include trying to verify, using the different tools, which is the most efficient/ cost effective and fast way of automating your application.
Verify that all the forms/ pages and controls in the application can be identified by the tool and that you are able to perform basic actions on these. Try to automate a small scenario and see if it works. Try this with all your choices of tools and see which one fits your expectations the best. Ensure you pick the right tool.

5) Plan, prepare to work on the skill set required for using the tool you've picked up.

Of course once you are ready to start automating make an elaborate test automation plan, with the purpose of the project, all the requirements, the timelines, the estimates, what all resources required and the risks and slippages that you think may occur.
The first step is always building a great scalable framework for your automation activities if you don't have it in place already.