Seven Steps to Test Automation Success by Bret Pettichord

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Seven Steps to Test Automation Successby Bret
Pettichord

• Presented by Wen Yin

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Introduction

• What is software test automation?
• The management and performance of test
  activities, to include the development and
  execution of test scripts so as to verify test
  requirements, using an automated test tool.
• Significantly reduce the effort required for
  adequate testing
• Significantly increase the testing which can be
  done in limited time.

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Problems in test automation

• Spare time test automation.
• Lack of clear goals.
• Lack of experience.
• Reaction to desperation.
• Reluctant to think about testing.
• High turnover

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Solution to the problem

• Follow the rules of software development
• Follow the seven steps to test automation
  success
• Improve the Testing Process
• Define Requirement
• Prove the Concept
• Champion Product Testability
• Design for Sustainability
• Plan for Deployment
• Face the Challenges of Success

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Step 1. Improve the Testing Process

• Improve test automation documentation
• Explicit test approach (names, data, test design,
  expected result)
• Get more computers
• Improve the product for easier testing
• Improve the product install program
• Add error scanner to the product
• Identify and report slow functionality as a defect

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Step 2. Define Requirements

• Different parties have different automation
  goals.
• Come to agreement on what will count as success.
• Focus on getting biggest payback, not trying
  automate every part of tests.

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Step 3. Prove the Concept

• Prove the feasibility of test automation as early
  as possible
• A quick, meaningful test suites
• Also an excellent way to evaluate tools
• Candidates for proof of concept
• Regression testing
• Configuration tests
• Test bed setup
• Non-GUI testing

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Step 4. Champion Product Testability

• Asking early for testability as a product
  requirement
• Getting testability features designed right into
  the product
• Encouraging to include CLI or API
• GUI test automation is more difficult, expensive
  and undependable
• API and CLI are easier and cheaper

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Step 5. Design for Sustainability

• Focus on design of long term sustainability
• test automation efforts are prone to being
  dropped.
• Characteristics of a sustainable test suite
• Reviewability
• Maintainability
• Integrity
• Independence
• Repeatability

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Step 6. Plan for Deployment

• Package the automated tests for others to use
• Test your test suite
• Get others to use your test suite as soon as its
  ready
• Make your test suite widely available to the
  entire product team.

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Step 7. Face the challenges
Success

• Testers are lack of automated testing skill
• Improvement of test suite over time
• Timing for when test automation should be done
  

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Summary

• Test automation brings us both hopes and
  disappointments.
• Seven Steps to the Success
• Improve the Testing Process
• Define Requirements
• Prove the Concept
• Champion Product Testability
• Design for Sustainability
• Plan for Deployment
• Face the Challenges of Success