Developing an automated test strategy is like laying out a floor plan, based on the blueprint. Within the automation strategy, we define the:
• Scope of automation effort
• Automated test objectives
• Automated test approach
• Automated test framework architecture
• Tools needed for automation
• Automated test environment and configuration
• Personnel requirements related to the automated testing effort
• Schedule
IDT's automated software testing strategies support the entire Software Testing lifecycle with a focus on automated software testing.
Automation test strategies cover various types of tests, including:
• Regression Testing
• Unit Testing
• System Tests
• GUI Testing
• Performance and Stress Tests
• Security Testing
• Compatibility Testing
The benefits of automated testing include: a more reliable system, improved testing quality, expanded depth of coverage, and reduced test effort and schedule. A more reliable system results from improved performance testing, improved load/stress testing, and improved system development life cycle through automated testing. The quality of the test effort is improved through better regression testing, build verification testing, multi-platform compatibility tests, and easier ability to reproduce software problems. Test procedure development, test execution, test result analysis, documentation and status of problems should all be reduced with automated testing enabling the overall test effort and schedule to be reduced. The overall impact is expected to be at least a 25% reduction in the time and manpower required to regression test software while increasing the test coverage by at least 50%.
A well thought out automated test strategy serves as the floor plan for program success!