How Manual Testers Can Help With Automation Efforts

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HOW MANUAL TESTERS CAN HELP WITH TEST AUTOMATION EFFORTSKaren N. Johnson

How Manual Testers Can Help with Test Automation Efforts © Karen N. Johnson, 2016

About the WebinarOverview:

As a manual software tester, you might think test automation is someone else’s job. But even as a manual tester, you can help with test automation efforts in several ways especially if your team is using Cucumber. First, you can be willing to read the English-friendly test scripts created in the “Given When Then” (GWT) format (if your team is using Cucumber). As you review the automated test scripts, you can contribute ideas and possibly look to write scripts in the future. Second, you can start reading the more “code-like step definitions” behind the Cucumber scripts to understand what and how the GWT scripts run. Third, you can gain an appreciation for the work of test automation writers and that support can help move test automation efforts forward. And as you read more and more of the scripts and code, you can continue to offer ideas, suggest other items for automation – even if you don’t become a test script writer!In this webinar, Karen will also review some of the roadblocks that face automation so that as a team tester – whether your focus is manual testing or automation, you can help move your team’s testing efforts forward.

How Manual Testers Can Help with Automation Efforts © Karen N. Johnson, 2016

About the SpeakerKaren N. Johnson

• Software Test Consultant • Published Author (Beautiful Testing) • Teach Software Testing• Speak at conferences • Co-founder of WREST, the Workshop on Regulated Software Testing• Website: www.karennicolejohnson.com or www.karennjohnson.com• Twitter: @karennjohnson


http://www.karennicolejohnson.com/

http://www.karennjohnson.com/

How manual testers can help with test automation


Don’t think of automation as just the tool – there is more at stake than the code itself, test automation is about getting to continuous integration (CI)/continuous delivery (CD) or at least helping your team get to more rapid delivery.

Understand how the script writing part of automation is only one part of the process. Other parts of the automation effort include planning, maintaining and investigating when automation fails – without learning how to code, you can still be involved in the automation strategy.

Understand what automation tries to solve


Once you understand how the automation tool works, you can make suggestions for additional automation.

Remember test automation does not always have to be scripts that mimic user behavior but could be utility scripts that help the testing efforts in another way (such as setting up an environment or setting up data for testing).

Look for activities you repeat manually and ask whether those activities can be automated.

Contribute ideas for automation


Learn to run the automation tests – even if you cannot or have not written the test scripts, this can help you be involved in the test automation effort.

Offer to investigate errors found in automation to see if you can replicate issues detected in automation.

Offer to be the person who helps to keep automation up to date by being mindful of product changes that impact existing automation.

Offer to run the automation suite


Review the test automation scripts. You will learn more about automation, more about the tool and feel less apart from the automation efforts.

You might be able to offer “code reviews” by having a fresh set of eyes, you might be able to spot issues the automation writers missed.

When you review the automation scripts, you can learn and realize how complex it can be to build a helpful test automation script and that realization can help you appreciate the efforts of your co-workers.

Review test automation


If your team is using Cucumber (a test automation tool), then part of the automation has been written in GWT format. GWT was designed to be highly readable. The actual “code” part of GWT is written in step definitions which makes the flow of an automation script relatively easy to read and separate from the code. Learning to read and think in GWT format is a good first step to getting involved in test automation.

Learn the “Given When Then” (GWT) format


Although it may be intimidating at first, read through the test automation scripts – hopefully you will find after awhile that at least some of the information makes sense.

As a manual tester try not to be intimidated by code – including test automation code. Start by focusing on the concepts and not on the structure of the code itself.

While you’re learning how test automation code is constructed, you’ll also be learning how code in general is structured and that understanding can help you discover ideas about what needs to be tested for product you’re testing.

Learn to read code


Roadblocks to automation


Once the “approval” for automation is accomplished, the tool purchased and the “automation tester” is ready to start, it is too easy to “just get going” so be sure to build an automation strategy.

Begin with the end in mind.

Automation lacks a strategy


Support for automation is needed from many people – not just management for the budget of the tool or staff.

A few ways to get the team involved: Keep your whole team “in the know” on what is being automated. Include new automation as part of your team’s sprint demos. Encourage your team to include automation ideas as part of the

stories.

Automation efforts lack support


Often I discover teams that move from having no automation to having so much automation, they stop using automation on a daily basis or the automation is no longer tied to the build process.

Build automation with the end in mind. Using tagging and labeling as you build a suite so the suite will be manageable. Be stringent about selecting what tests are included in the automated regression suite.

Use a rotation method/practice to run some tests intermittently.

The regression suite takes too long to run


Sometimes teams don’t have their own automation engineer and a centralized team might be providing automation. While inherently there is no issue to this “solution” two things often occur:

the team lacks a sense of ownership of the automation Instead have your team run the automation and “own” it once the automation is

delivered.

the automation person misses the sense of what is most helpful Instead have your automation engineer attend as many team meetings as

possible, include the person in important team conversations.

Automation is an “add-on” to the team


Design automation in such a way as to avoid dependence on the user interface more than is needed.

Build automation that is easy to update.

Expect (schedule time) to update automation each sprint.

UI changes break automation


Expect test automation maintenance as a task every Sprint.

Keep automation current to avoid technical debt and to avoid waste.

That thing when … scripts fail and never get fixed


Website: www.karennicolejohnson.com or www.karennjohnson.com Email: [email protected] Twitter: @karennjohnson

Thank you for attending. Any questions?


Note the two N’s in my email, website and Twitter handle.

http://www.karennicolejohnson.com/

http://www.karennjohnson.com/

mailto:[email protected]

Interesting resources


See this three-page automation checklist for ideas on strategy: http://www.ministryoftesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/SmartBear-Test-Automation-Checklist-1.pdf

Listen to Richard Bradshaw’s thoughts on using automation for more than “user replacement” in this podcast:http://www.softwaretestpro.com/Item/5955/Richard-Bradshaw-Automation-in-Testing/Automation-Testing-podcast You can follow Richard on Twitter as @FriendlyTester and Mark Tomlinson as @mtomlins

See Bret Pettichord’s ideas on automation success, note the problems and possible solutions:http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.471.9363&rep=rep1&type=pdf

Read James Bach’s post on Agile & Automation. http://www.satisfice.com/presentations/agileauto.pdf Particularly pay attend to “tool-supported testing” on page 8 and “tasks of the toolsmith” on page 10.

Join a group on LinkedIn focused on test automation to understand what’s going on in the community.

http://www.ministryoftesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/SmartBear-Test-Automation-Checklist-1.pdf

http://www.ministryoftesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/SmartBear-Test-Automation-Checklist-1.pdf

http://www.softwaretestpro.com/Item/5955/Richard-Bradshaw-Automation-in-Testing/Automation-Testing-podcast



http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.471.9363&rep=rep1&type=pdf

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.471.9363&rep=rep1&type=pdf

http://www.satisfice.com/presentations/agileauto.pdf

http://www.satisfice.com/presentations/agileauto.pdf