What's the point of Test Automation?
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In our latest white paper we cover the high level fundamentals of test automation, discuss the primary problems test automation solves and take a look at the steps required to implement this within your development process – all aimed at improving software delivery.
Click here to download our Test Automation White Paper
What you will find in this white paper
Discussions around the area of test automation are often overly complicated and rife with misunderstandings. Terms like BDD, TDD, agile testing, acceptance testing and functional testing are flung around together, and they regularly merge to become one concept in the minds of many. Understanding test automation becomes simpler however once you understand where it fits as a discrete idea within the world of agile development. It's also important to understand how testing is impacted by the delivery process.
Highlighting problems
Before making any change, it is important to consider the problems you are trying to address. While every team has it's own pains, we can highlight and discuss those commonly encountered in organisations reliant on manual testing.
Change should be managed, with process and tools only changing where the benefit is properly understood and measurable.
Implementing test automation
The specific steps to take will depend upon the starting point and exact nature of your business. However, a high-level approach to implementing a successful automation strategy can still be discussed. Decisions such as tooling and framework structure if made properly will result in a flexible, maintainable test automation approach.
Dealing with cultural problems
When implementing a change from traditional manual testing processes to a more automated approach many companies struggle with the cultural shift. Even with all team members engaged there will be challenges around training and process which need to be addressed for automation to succeed.
Changing the way your organisation assures quality is bound to come with challenges. Some of them can be addressed simply by planning the adoption and taking the right first steps.
Enhancing and improving
With a good foundation, a test framework can be enhanced to meet more complex requirements. Concepts like behaviour driven development and parallel testing improve the speed and quality of the results, while performance testing can be integrated to verify non functional requirements.
About the Author
Tristan McCarthy is test practice lead for OpenCredo with substantial experience of ensuring the delivery of high quality, usable software.An advocate of cross-skilled agile teams, he is constantly seeking to extend the remit of a tester beyond the traditional role. With his interest in new testing tools and techniques he has built up expertise across a wide range of technologies. Particular focus is given to BDD tooling, web and desktop automation tools, and the creation of custom testing frameworks.To find out more get in touch with us here
This blog is written exclusively by the OpenCredo team. We do not accept external contributions.
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