Objectives for TA

Objectives for TA

1. What is TA

   • Covers Many aspects of testing
   • Test execution automation
   • Use tools to
     • Control and set up preconditions
     • Execute tests
     • Compare actual outcomes with expected outcomes
   • Test software should be seperate from SUT
   • Test cases should be run consistently and repeatedly on different versions of SUT

2. Process of designing software

   • Not just running tests, it is a process of designing a TAS
     • Software
     • Documentation
     • Test Cases
     • Test environments
     • Data
   • Implementing automated tests
   • Monitoring & Controlling test execution
   • Interpreting / Reporting / logging the TA results

3. Different approaches

   • Testing through public interfaces
     • To classes, modules, or libraries of the SUT (API Test)
   • Testing through the user interfaces of the SUT
   • Testing through network interfaces

4. Objectives

   • Improving test efficiency
   • Providing wider coverage
   • Reducing the total test case costs
   • Perform non-human capable testing
   • Shortening the test period
   • Increasing the test frequency
   • Reducing the time for cycles

5. Advantages

   • More tests per run build
   • Enable tests that cannot be done manually
   • Tests can be more complex
   • Tests can run faster
   • Tests are less subject to operator error
   • Testers can concentrate on test analysis and design, adding greater value
   • Better co-operation with developers
   • Improved system reliability
   • Improved quality of tests

6. Disadvantages

   • Additional costs
   • Initial investment to setup TAS and train people
   • Requires additonal technology and tools
   • Need dev and auto skills
   • Ongoing TAS maintenance requirement
   • Can distract from testing objectives
   • Tests can become more complex
   • Additional errors can be introduced by automation

7. Limitations of TA

   • Not all manual can be automated
   • The automation can only check
     • Machine interpretable results
     • Actual results that can be verified by an automated test oracle