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.
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