Test automation management tools: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Tools for managing test automation}}

{{unreferencedrefimprove|date=February 2011}}

'''Test automation management tools''' tools are specific tools providing test automation [[Collaborative software|collaborative]] environment that is intended to make [[Test automation|test automation]] efficient, clear for stakeholders and traceable. Since test automation is becoming cross-discipline (i.e. mixes both testing and development practices), the need of specific and dedicated environment for test automation is becoming vital.

{{Software development process}}

'''Test automation management tools''' tools are specific tools providingthat testprovide automationa [[Collaborative software|collaborative]] environment that is intended to make [[Test automation|test automation]] efficient, traceable and clear for stakeholders and traceable. Since testTest automation is becoming a cross-discipline (i.e. mixesa mix of both testing and development practices.), the need of specific and dedicated environment for test automation is becoming vital.

==Motivation==

[[Test automation]] systems usually need more reporting, analysis and meaningful information about project status. Test management systems target manual effort and do not give all the required information.<ref>{{cite book | last = Kartashov | first = Peter| title = Test Automation Management: A Call For Better Tools | url = http://www.automatedtestinginstitute.com/home/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1276:ast-magazine&catid=105:ast-cover-description&Itemid=122 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100615024956/http://www.automatedtestinginstitute.com/home/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1276:ast-magazine&catid=105:ast-cover-description&Itemid=122 | url-status = usurped | archive-date = June 15, 2010 | year = 2011| publisher = Automated Software Testing Magazine}}</ref>

[[Test automation]] usually lacks of reporting, analysis and providing meaningful information about project status from automation perspective<ref name=AT4QA>{{cite web|last=Peter|first=Kartashov|url=http://at4qa.blogspot.com/2009/12/make-your-contribution-visible-or-die.html|work=QA|publisher=Peter Kartashov|title=Make your contribution visible or die}}</ref>. Test management systems from the other hand mostly targeted on manual effort and cannot give all the required information.

Test automation management systemsystems leveragesleverage automation effortefforts towards efficient and continuous processprocesses of delivering test execution and new working tests by:

* Making transparent, meaningful and traceable reporting for all project stakeholders.

* Easing test debugging through built-in test results analysis workflow

* Easing test debugging through test results analysis workflow.
* Providing valuable metrics and KPIskey performance indicators – both technical and business-wise (trend analysis, benchmarking, gap analysis, [[root cause analysis,]] and risk point analysis).

* Grid benchmarking and comparison of test execution days reduces analysis and review effort.

* Clean traceability with other testing artifacts (test cases, data, issues, etc.).

* KeepingOrganizing historical data in a single place, easily retrievable.

* Post -project analysis and automation performance assessment. (basically progressProgress of test coverage shows the group performance.)

==Compliance with Agile==

Test automation management tools are perfectly fit [[Agile software development|Agile]] methodologiesSystems andDevelopment SDLCLife Cycle methodologies. In most cases, test automation is to covercovers continuous changes in order to minimize manual regression testing, therefore at glance reporting is essential to be up to date and move project quickly. The changesChanges are usually noted by seeing difference of errors inmonitoring test logslog between day A and day A+1diffs. For example, differencedifferences in the number of failures (logs errors) signal about probable changes either in AUT or in test code (broken test code base, instabilities) or rarely in both. Quick notice of changes and unified workflow of results analysis, ultimately, reduces cost of testing overallcosts and moreover increase confidence onincreases project quality attributes with clean reporting on hand.

== TDD ==

[[Test-driven development]] utilizes test automation as the primary driver to rapid and high-quality software production. Concepts of green line and thoughtful design are supported with testtests before actual coding, assumeassuming havingthere are special tools to track, analyze and make right decisionanalyze within TDD process.

== Continuous Integration ==

Another proper test automation practice <ref>{{cite book | last = Kolawa | first = Adam | coauthors author2= Huizinga, Dorota | title = Automated Defect Prevention: Best Practices in Software Management | url = http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470042125.html | year = 2007 | publisher = Wiley-IEEE Computer Society Press | isbn = 0470042125978-0-470-04212-0 }}</ref> is being part of [[Continuous integration|continuous integration]], which explicitly supposes to have automated test suites as a final stage upon building, deployment and distributing new versionversions of software. Basically, basedBased on acceptance of test results, a build is declared either as qualified for further testing or not qualified (rejected).<ref name="Fowler, Continuous Integration practices" >{{Cite web

|url=http://martinfowler.com/articles/continuousIntegration.html#PracticesOfContinuousIntegration

|title=Continuous Integration

|accessdate=2009-11-11

|last=Fowler |first=Martin |authorlink=Martin Fowler (software engineer)

}}</ref> CI web dashboardsDashboards provide all relevant information on all stages of software buildingdevelopment including automation test results. However, CI dashboarddashboards doesdo not support comprehensive operations and views for an automation engineer. This is another reason for having dedicated management tooltools whichthat can supply high-level data to other project management tools such as CI, [[Test management tools|test management tools]], [[Issueissue management|issue management]],and [[Change management (engineering)|change management]].

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==See also==

* [[Test management|Test management]]

* [[Test automation|Test automation]]

* [[Test management|Test management tools]]

[[Category{{DEFAULTSORT:Test Automation]] Management Tools}}

[[Category:Software_testingAutomation software]]

[[Category:Collaborative_softwareSoftware testing tools]]

[[Category:Test_management_toolsCollaborative software]]