Topic: Testing Manual

The fast pace of modern software development creates tremendous challenges for the test team. Online software updates and frequent release cycles generate a "moving target" for test automation efforts. This paper outlines IBM's recommended approach to the test automation challenges, knowing that most testing is first done manually. IBM Rational Manual Tester promptly increases the effectiveness of manual testing. It also encourages testers of all skill levels to build linked content using drag and drop and copy/paste when writing manual test scripts. This linked content in Manual Tester's reuse view allows a test team to focus automation efforts on the most frequently repeated flows first. IBM's approach yields earlier return on investment and accelerates reaching the benefits of keyword-driven testing while providing better test script documentation.


This white paper presents a brief overview of the Advantages of automating functional testing and helps organization in structuring how best to approach test automation. This white paper also summarizes the key functions and benefits of mercury functional testing (formerly quicktest professional), the market-leading automated software testing solution from mercury interactive.

This white paper reviews the role of test planning in the software life cycle and the concepts of effective testing planning. The paper discusses why testing, particularly automated testing, and is required. Then paper introduces the concept of planning, why is planning so important. Later the paper breaks down the various elements of test planning, and offers some insight into how to tackle the process to maximize the chances of success.

This paper describes several principles for test automation. These principles were used to develop a system of automated tests for a new family of client/server applications at BMC Software. This work identifies the major concerns when staffing test automation with testers, developers or contractors. It encourages applying standard software development processes to test automation. It identifies criteria for selecting appropriate tests to be automated and advantages of a Testcase Interpreter. It describes how cascading failures prevent unattended testing. It identifies the most serious bug that can affect test automation systems and describes ways to avoid it. It circumscribes reasonable limits on test automation goals.

Many managers today expect software test automation to be a silver bullet; killing the problems of test scheduling, the costs of testing, defect reporting, and more. Automating testing can have positive impacts in many areas, and there are many success stories to provide hope that test automation will save money and solve some testing problems. Unfortunately, there are many more horror stories, disappointments, and bad feelings, even in cases where automation has been beneficial. I have been brought into more than one situation where previous attempts at automating software testing have failed; where large investments have been made in shelfware, and many years of effort creating automated tests abandoned. The purpose of this paper is to provide some practical guidance for understanding and computing cost and benefits from test automation. It describes some financial, organizational, and test effectiveness impacts observed when software test automation is installed. The paper also advises about areas that are difficult or impossible to factor into the financial equations and addresses some common misconceptions management holds about test automation.

The purpose of this paper is to take a practical approach to automated software testing and explain reqirements for its success. To be successful one needs remember that there are four interrelated components that have to work together and support one another:

1) An automated software testing system based on one point maintenance and reusable modules,
2) Testing infrastructure consisting of the events, tasks and processes that immediately support automated, as well as manual, software testing,
3) Software testing life cycle that defines a set of phases outlining what testing activities to do and when to do them, and
4) Corporate support for repeatable processes. These components are discussed from the point of view of the author’s many years experience as a senior software test automation engineer and QA Architect working in a variety of software development environments.